WIAA STATE HOCKEY TOURNAMENT PREVIEW
What: The 50th annual WIAA boys state hockey tournament and the 19th annual girls state hockey tournament. When: Thursday-Saturday. Where: Veterans Memorial Coliseum at the Alliant Energy Center, Madison.
Tickets: $10 per session. $5 for individuals 13 and under.
Broadcasts: The finals of the boys and girls tournaments will be shown live on WMLW-TV in Milwaukee as well as streamed live on wmlw.com. The boys and girls semifinals will be streamed live on the NFHS Network, a subscription service.
2019 champions: Boys – University School. Girls – Fox Cities.
Schedule
(Seedings listed in parentheses before each team)
Thursday
Boys Division 2 semifinals (1) Fond du Lac Springs (22-3-2) vs. (4) Rice Lake (11-13-1), 10 a.m.
(2) Northland Pines (24-3) vs. (3) Somerset Co-op (15-11-1), 12:15 p.m.
Girls semifinals (1) Middleton Co-op (23-3) vs. (4) Beloit Memorial Co-op (18-8), 4
(2) Appleton Xavier Co-op (20-7) vs. (3) Hudson (12-13-1), 6:15 p.m.
Friday
Boys Division 1 semifinals (1) Green Notre Dame (24-1-1) vs. (4) University School (20-6-1), 10 a.m. (2) Chippewa Falls (23-4) vs. (3) Verona (23-4), 12:15 p.m.
Saturday finals
Boys Division 2, 9:30 a.m. Girls, 12:10 p.m. Boys Division 1, 2:30
The lowdown
BOYS DIVISION 1
Green Bay Notre Dame finished the season ranked No. 1 in the state by Wisconsinprephockey.net. The team’s only loss came to state qualifier Verona, 3-1, on Jan. 18. Four players have at least 30 points: senior Sawyer Scholl (49), junior Brendan Poshak (45) and seniors Josh DeLange (38) and Jacob Conrad (37). Conrad, a defenseman, is a candidate for the Wisconsin Hockey Coaches Association player of the year. Defending champion University School bounced back from losses in three of its final five regular-season games to make the field. The Wildcats are led by state player of the year nominee Tyler
Herzberg, who leads the team with 27 goals and has 49 points, and Blake Carey, another senior, who has a teamhigh 29 assists and 43 points.
Chippewa Falls is back at state for the first time since 1999. The Cardinals finished third in the Big Rivers but upset conference champion Hudson, 2-1, in the sectional final. The team has two 50-point scorers: junior Isaac Frenette (31 goals, 28 assists) and senior Isaac Lindstrom (34 and 22).
This is the third straight appearance for Verona, which advanced to the semifinals the previous two years out of an eight-team, one-division field at state. The Wildcats split two games with Notre Dame. Senior forward Cale Rufenacht leads the team in goals (28) and assists (30).
BOYS DIVISION 2 Fond du Lac Springs finished the regular season ranked No. 1 in the state. The team took third in the Badgerland behind co-champions Fond du Lac Co-op and Neenah Co-op. The Ledgers haven’t allowed a goal during the postseason.
Rice Lake is back at state for the first time since 2009. The Warriors finished sixth in the Big Rivers. Each of its postseason wins came over higher seeds, including a 7-2 victory over thirdranked Hayward in the sectional final. Great Northern champion Northland
Pines is back at state for the first time since 1996. Senior forward Brady Snedden, who has 30 goals and 48 assists, is a finalist for the state player of the year award.
Somerset will make its first state appearance thanks to one-goal victories over River Falls and Menomonie in the sectional semifinals and final.
GIRLS
Second-ranked Middleton is making its first appearance. The team tied for first in the Badger Conference with fellow state qualifier Beloit Memorial Co-op and Sun Prairie. Senior forward Sydney Raaths leads the team with 32 goals and has 20 assists.
This is the second state appearance for the Beloit Memorial Co-op, also known as the Rock County Fury. Junior Anika Einbeck ranked third in the state in points with 58.
Defending champion Fox Cities (Appleton Xavier Co-op) earned a return trip to state by beating Green Bay East, a team that beat it for the Eastern Shores title, and then avenging a 6-5 overtime loss to D.C. Everest Co-op with a 6-2 victory in the sectional final. This will be Hudson’s second’s straight appearance. The Raiders were the runner-up last season. They finished third in the Big Rivers behind the St. Croix Fusion and Eau Claire Stars, two teams Hudson beat to advance.