Minnesota high school boys hockey
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The Minnesota high school boys hockey program is a high school ice hockey program in the State of Minnesota. Based on tournament attendance, ice hockey is one of the most popular high school sports in the state. 157 high schools (approximately 256 schools and over 6,500 participants in total due to cooperative team arrangements) field sanctioned varsity teams competing in the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL). These teams are divided into two classes, AA and A. Each class is also divided into eight sections.
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[edit] History
High school hockey players throughout Minnesota participate in a maximum of 25 contests, excluding the Minnesota State Boys' High School Hockey Tournament. Teams currently play three 17-minute periods to comprise a game. Lengthening the period time was a recently adopted by the Minnesota State High School League.
Boys hockey concludes their season with a four day tournament in March that features sixteen teams competing for championships in both classes. From 1945 through 1991 (private schools were not able to play in the Tournament till the 70's), the tournament consisted of a single class eight team tournament instead of the present day two class (AA and A) tournament. In 1992-93, the tournament was comprised with Tier I and II teams. This two-year experiment sent the top team from each of the eight sections to the Tier I portion of the tournament and the remaining teams conducted a playoff to determine would be included in the Tier II tournament. In 1994, the dual class system was adopted and teams were placed into a class structure based on school enrollments. Attendance has been strong throughout the years with 22 tournaments eclipsing the 100,000+ barrier and in 2004 a record setting total of 120,114 (both classes). In the 2006 State Tournament, the average attendance per game in the championship brackets was 18,000 people.
Neal Broten, Herb Brooks, Phil Housley, John Mayasich, Mike Antonovich and Henry Boucha are among the many players that participated in Minnesota high school hockey.
Since 1994, the MSHSL's process to determine section assignments for boys' hockey is based on school enrollments and activity classifications. The basic premise is to place the largest 64 schools into Class AA and the remaining high schools in Class A. From there, the MSHSL divides the Class AA into 8 Sections and Class A into 8 Sections. Teams are placed into their section assignments with geographic location as a primary consideration. High schools initially placed in Class A have the option to opt up and play at the Class AA level.
Beginning with the 2007 state tournament, the top four teams in each class will be seeded. Coaches of the participating schools will vote to determine the seeded teams the Sunday before the state tournament. The four teams are then bracketed so that if the seeded teams advance, the top seed will play the 4 seed while the 2 and 3 seeds will play. The quarterfinal opponents of the seeded teams will be determined by a blind draw.
[edit] Historical timeline
- 1930s -- High school hockey played at approximately 25 schools in Minnesota.
- 1945 -- First MSHSL Boys State High School Hockey Tournament (the first of its kind in the United States) held at St. Paul Auditorium.
- 1969 -- The tournament moves to Met Center in Bloomington.
- 1976 -- The tournament moves to the St. Paul Civic Center.
- 1992 -- Tier I and Tier II structure adopted.
- 1993 -- 146 teams participated in high school hockey.
- 1994 -- Class AA and A structure adopted.
- 1999 -- The tournament moved to the Target Center in Minneapolis.
- 2001 -- The tournament moved to the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, home of the Minnesota Wild NHL team.
- 2003 -- Period length changed from 15 to 17 minutes.
- 2007 -- Coaches seed top four teams in each class.[1]
[edit] Teams
| School | Team | Colors | Championships |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy of Holy Angels | Stars | Royal, Vegas Gold | 2002 (AA), 2005 (AA) |
| Albert Lea | Tigers | Cherry and Blue | |
| Alexandria | Cardinals | Red and Black | |
| Andover | Huskies | Black & Gold | |
| Anoka | Tornadoes | Maroon and White | 2003 (AA) |
| Apple Valley | Eagles | Brown, Gold & White | 1996 (AA) |
| Austin | Packers | Red & White | |
| Bagley/Fosston | Flyers | Maroon & Gold | |
| Becker/Big Lake | Bulldogs | Blue & White | |
| Bemidji | Lumberjacks | Navy Blue and White | |
| Benilde-St. Margaret's | Red Knights | Red and White | 1999 (A), 2001 (A) |
| Blaine | Bengals | 2000 (AA) | |
| Blake | Bears | Royal, Kelly, White | |
| Bloomington Jefferson | Jaguars | Columbia Blue, Silver | 1981, 1989, 1992-93 (I), 1994 (AA) |
| Bloomington Kennedy | Eagles | Navy Blue, Gold | 1987 |
| Brainerd | Warriors | Blue and White | |
| Breck | Mustangs | Blue and Gold | 2000 (A), 2004 (A) |
| Buffalo | Bison | Purple and White | |
| Burnsville | Blaze | Black and Gold | 1985-86 |
| Cambridge-Isanti | Bluejackets | Royal Blue & White | |
| Centennial | Cougars | Scarlet and White | 2004 (AA) |
| Champlin Park | Rebels | Navy, Silver, White | |
| Chaska | Hawks | Purple and Gold | |
| Chisago Lakes | Wildcats | Forest Green, Gold, Black | |
| Chisholm/Cook | Bluestreaks | Red & Blue | |
| Cloquet/Esko/Carlton | Lumberjacks | Purple & White | |
| Coon Rapids | Cardinals | Red and White | |
| Cretin-Derham Hall | Raiders | Purple and Gold | 2006 (AA) |
| Crookston | Pirates | Navy & Gold | |
| Crosby-Ironton/Aitkin | Rangers | Maroon & White | |
| Delano/Rockford/Watertown-Mayer | Tigers | Orange & Black | |
| Detroit Lakes | Lakers | Red & White | |
| Dodge County | Wildcats | ||
| Duluth Central | Trojans | Red and White | |
| Duluth Denfeld | Hunters | Maroon and Gold | |
| Duluth East | Greyhounds | Red and Grey | 1960, 1995 (AA), 1998 (AA) |
| Duluth Marshall | Hilltoppers | Black and Gold | |
| Eagan | Wildcats | Royal, Kelly, Silver, White | |
| East Grand Forks | Green Wave | Green, White and Red | |
| Eastview | Lightning | Black, Blue, White, Silver | |
| Eden Prairie | Eagles | Scarlet and Black | |
| Edina | Hornets | Green and White | 1969, 1971, 1974[1], 1978[1], 1979[1], 1982, 1984, 1988, 1997 (AA) |
| Elk River | Elks | Red, White, Black | 2001 (AA) |
| Ely | Timberwolves | Red and White | |
| Eveleth-Gilbert/Mesabi East | Golden Bears | Gold & Black | 1945, 1948-51, 1993 (II), 1998 (A) |
| Fairmont | Cardinals | Cardinal and White | |
| Faribault | Falcons | Green and White | |
| Farmington | Tigers | Orange and Black | |
| Fergus Falls | Otters | Maroon and Gold | |
| Forest Lake | Rangers | Maroon and Gold | |
| Grand Rapids | Thunderhawks | Orange and Black | 1975-1976, 1980 |
| Greenway | Raiders | Kelly Green & White | 1967-68, 1992 (II) |
| Hastings | Radiers | Royal Blue, Gold | |
| Henry Sibley | Warriors | Red and Gold | |
| Hermantown | Hawks | Blue and Gold | |
| Hibbing | Bluejackets | Navy Blue and White | 1952, 1973 |
| Hill-Murray | Pioneers | Green, White, Black | 1983, 1991 |
| Holy Family Catholic/Waconia | Fire | Forest Green & White | |
| Hopkins | Royals | Royal Blue & Silver | |
| Hutchinson | Tigers | Black and Yellow | |
| International Falls | Broncos | Purple and Gold | 1957, 1962, 1964-66, 1972, 1995 (A) |
| Irondale | Knights | Maroon and Gold | |
| Kittson Central | Wolfpack | Orange, Gold, Black& White | |
| La Crescent | Lancers | Green and White | |
| Lake of The Woods | Bears | Maroon and Gold | |
| Lakeville North | Panthers | Red & White | |
| Lakeville South | Cougars | Cardinal Red/M. Gold | |
| LeSueur-Henderson/St. Peter | [1] | ||
| Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato | Dragons | Green, White & Black | |
| Little Falls | Flyers | Purple and White | |
| Luverne/Pipestone Area | Cardinals | Red and White | |
| Mahtomedi | Zephyrs | Navy and Gold | |
| Mankato East | Cougars | Black and Gold | |
| Mankato West | Scarlets | Red and White | |
| Maple Grove | Crimson | Crimson and Gold | |
| Marshall | Tigers | Orange and Black | |
| Minneapolis South | Tigers | Black and Orange | |
| Minneapolis Southwest | Lakers | Purple & White | 1970 |
| Minneapolis Washburn | Millers | Blue and Orange | |
| Minnehaha Academy | Redhawks | Red and White | |
| Minnetonka | Skippers | Royal Blue and White | |
| Monticello/Annandale/Maple Lake | [2] | ||
| Moorhead | Spuds | Orange and Black | |
| Moose Lake Area | Rebels | Red, Blue, Gray | |
| Mora/Hinckley-Finlayson | Mustangs | Royal Blue, White | |
| Morris/Benson Area | Storm | ||
| Mound-Westonka | White Hawks | Red and White | |
| Mounds View | Mustangs | ||
| New Prague/Montgomery-Lonsdale | [3] | Maroon and Black | |
| New Ulm | Eagles | Purple and White | |
| North Branch | Vikings | ||
| North St. Paul | Polars | ||
| Northfield | Raiders | Maroon and Gold | |
| Orono | Spartans | Navy/Scarlet | |
| Osseo | Orioles | Orange and Black | |
| Owatonna | Huskies | Royal Blue and Silver | |
| Park Center | Pirates | Green and Gold | |
| Park-Cottage Grove | Wolfpack | Forest Green & White | |
| Park Rapids | Panthers | Orange and Black | |
| Pequot Lakes | Patriots | Red, White and Blue | |
| Pine City/Rush City | Dragons | Kelly Green & White | |
| Prairie Centre Area | [4] | ||
| Princeton | Tigers | Black, Orange, White | |
| Prior Lake | Lakers | ||
| Proctor | Rails | Green & White | |
| Red Lake Falls | Eagles | Purple and Gold | |
| Red Wing | Wingers | Purple and White | 1997 (A) |
| Richfield | Spartans | Cardinal and White | |
| River Lakes | Stars | Red, White, Black | |
| Robbinsdale Armstrong | Falcons | Red, White & Blue | |
| Robbinsdale Cooper | Hawks | Orange and Blue | |
| Rochester Century | Panthers | Navy and Silver | |
| Rochester John Marshall | Rockets | Red and Black | 1977 |
| Rochester Lourdes | Eagles | Purple and Gold | |
| Rochester Mayo | Spartans | Green and Gold | |
| Rogers/Zimmerman | Royals | ||
| Roseau | Rams | 1945, 1958-59, 1961, 1990, 1999 (AA) | |
| Rosemount | Irish | Navy & Gold | |
| Roseville | Raiders | Black and Silver | |
| Sartell-St. Stephen | [5] | ||
| Sauk Rapids-Rice | Storm | ||
| Shakopee | Sabers | Red, White, Black | |
| Silver Bay | Mariners | Blue & White | |
| Simley | Spartans | Columbia Blue, Scarlet & White | |
| Sleepy Eye | Indians | Orange and Black | |
| South St. Paul | Packers | Maroon and White | |
| Spring Lake Park | Panthers | Royal, Scarlet, White | |
| St. Bernard's/St. Agnes | Bulldogs | Royal Blue, Gold | |
| St. Cloud Apollo | Eagles | Red, White and Blue | |
| St. Cloud Cathedral | Crusaders | Royal Blue and Gold | |
| St. Cloud Tech | Tigers | Orange and Black | |
| St. Francis | Fighting Saints | Navy Blue and White | |
| St. Louis Park | Orioles | Orange, White, Black | |
| St. Michael-Albertville | Knights | Blue and Gold | |
| St. Paul Academy | Spartans | Vegas Gold and Navy | |
| St. Paul Senators | [6] | Red and Black | |
| St. Paul Como Park | Cougars | Black and Yellow | |
| St. Paul Johnson | Governors | Maroon and White | 1947, 1953, 1955, 1963 |
| St. Thomas Academy | Cadets | Royal Blue, White | 2006 (A) |
| Stillwater | Ponies | Red and Black | |
| Tartan | Titans | Air Force Blue, Silver | |
| Thief River Falls | Prowlers | Royal Blue & Gold | 1954, 1956 |
| Totino-Grace | Eagles | Blue & Gold | 2002 (A) |
| Tri-City | [7] | ||
| Two Harbors | Agates | Maroon &White | |
| Virginia/Mountain Iron-Buhl | Blue Devils | Royal Blue & White | |
| Wadena-Deer Creek | Wolverines | Royal Blue & Gold | |
| Warroad | Warriors | Black and Yellow | 1994 (A), 1996 (A), 2003 (A), 2005 (A) |
| Waseca | Bluejays | Blue and Gold | |
| Wayzata | Trojans | Royal Blue and Gold | |
| White Bear Lake | Bears | Orange, White, Black | |
| Willmar | Cardinals | Cardinal and White | |
| Windom | Eagles | Blue and Gold | |
| Winona | Winhawks | Black and Orange | |
| Woodbury | Royals | Royal Blue and White | |
| Worthington | Trojans | Black and Red |
- ↑ From 1972 to 1981, the Edina School District operated two high schools (see Edina High School History), Edina East and Edina West, each with their own respective sports teams. The State Hockey Championship was won by Edina East in 1974, 1978 and 1979.
[edit] References
- Welcome to the Minnesota State High School League.
- Minnesota State High School League 2004-2005 Annual Report.
- John Rosengren's book Blades of Glory: The True Story of a Young Team Bred to Win (2003, Sourcebooks, Inc., ISBN 1-4022-0046-3) follows the 2000-2001 Bloomington-Jefferson Jaguars' season.
