Four WDA teams part of ND state girls' hockey field
BISMARCK – The ND state girls’ hockey tournament returns to Grand Forks this week, but with a new twist. Quarterfinals are being played on Wednesday, Feb. 26 to enable all four games to be played in the Ralph Engelstad Arena on the campus of the University of North Dakota. Four WDA teams are part of the field, including No. 3 Bismarck Century, No. 4 Mandan, No. 5 Legacy-Bismarck and No. 6 Minot High. The first round games are: Fargo North-South vs Fargo Davies, 12 noon; Mandan vs. Legacy-Bismarck High, 2:30 pm; Grand Forks vs. West Fargo United, 5:30 pm; and Bismarck Century vs. Minot High, 7:45 pm. (Digital Tournament Program)
The consolation round will take place on Thursday, Feb. 27 with games being played in the evening at Eagles Arena. Afternoon semifinals will be played on Friday, Feb. 28 at Ralph Engelstad Arena and the fifth place game is set at Eagles Arena in the evening on Feb. 28. The third place and championship games will be played on Saturday, March 1 at Ralph Engelstad Arena.
2023-24 Rewind: Fargo North-South captured their third-consecutive state championship. The story of the tournament was Bismarck Century which reached the title as the No. 8 seed. The Patriots knocked off top seed West Fargo United and then Grand Forks in the semifinals before falling to Fargo North-South. Grand Forks placed third and West Fargo United was fifth.
The favorites
Defending champion Fargo North-South enters as the No. 1 seed and will bidding for a fourth championship in a row. The team has reached the title game in six of the past seven seasons (did not reach it in 2020). The Spruins dropped just one ND League game in regulation (vs. Mandan) and just two in shootouts (vs. Minot High and Grand Forks). They will be the favorite heading into the tourney. However, it’s quite possible a number of other teams could put three good games together. The ND League is just that competitive this season.
Plenty of Parity: Forty-eight ND League games this season were decided by a goal. Fargo Davies led the way with 12. Century played in 11 and Dickinson and Grand Forks played in 10. Every team played in at least three one-goal games, so don’t be surprised if that trend continues.
Stringing wins together: A trio of teams put together lengthy winning streaks throughout the regular season. Grand Forks won 12 in a row. Fargo North-South is currently on a 10-game win streak and Minot High strung nine wins in a row midway thru the season. Three wins in a row is needed this week.
Getting defensive: Team defense has been a storyline throughout the season. Five teams (Fargo North-South, Grand Forks, Century, Mandan and Minot High) allowed one or less goals in a game 10 or more times. Grand Forks led with 14 followed by Fargo North-South, 13; Mandan, 12; and Century and Minot High with 10. Fargo North-South and Mandan both pitched a league-best seven shutouts.
Icings: Fargo Davies tied for eighth place with Dickinson, but won the tie-break based on its two victories over the Midgets and clinched a state tournament berth…Seven of the eight teams in the state tournament field participated last season with the exception being Minot High…The last team to win four state titles in a row was the Bismarck Blizzard…Bismarck Century senior forward Avery Matt was the state’s top scorer with 56 points (31G/25A) in 23 games played.
Five things to look for
Getting off to a good start
While getting the first goal doesn’t guarantee a victory, it does bode well looking at the statistics this season. The team that nets the opening goal has won well over the majority of the games its played. So that will be a point of emphasis for teams. And another important factor is extending the lead. After a team is able to grab the lead can they sustain the momentum an and create another goal?
It’s the little things
Hockey games are won by a number of subtle plays or tasks that occur on every shift. These “little things” often go unnoticed, but may prove large come the end of the game. They include winning face offs, blocking shots, holding pucks in at the blue line, getting thru to the goal. Other areas of emphasis include clearing a loose puck in front of the net; getting a crucial clear out of the zone when the opponent is putting on pressure; and not allowing odd-man rushes. These don’t appear in the score sheet but coaches know they are important.
Goaltending
Come tournament time, often the team with the best goaltending wins. And there are a number of teams with quality netminders. For a team to earn a championship, their goalie needs to make the routine saves and perhaps turn away one or two “grade A” scoring chances from an opponent during the course of a game. The goalie also has to be the team’s best penalty killer. That is often when it gets peppered most with shots.
Special Teams
And speaking of special teams, the outcome can often come down to power play and penalty kill performance. Sometimes it’s not how many power play goals you score, but when you score them. Did the goal come in a tie game or when a team is trailing by a goal late in the game? Teams will need to take advantage of their PP opportunities. On the flip side, those teams that can do an effective job on the penalty kill will have a leg up on the competition. Winning faceoffs, getting sticks in passing lanes, blocking shots and allowing the goalie not be screened in front will be on the PK “to-do list.”
Unsung heroes
The adage in hockey is “your best players need to be your best players” but sometimes tournaments can often produce an unlikely difference maker. All eight teams will have their top line and go-to players primed to produce. The question is which teams will also get a contribution from someone down the depth chart?
Team Notes
(1) Fargo North-South
Record: 20-3
Goals Per Game: 5.09
Goals Allowed Per Game: 1.17
Power Play Pct: 28.9
Penalty Kill Pct.: 93.0
Scoring leaders: Points: Kate McComb, 24; Goals: K. Fischer, 26; Olivia Kalbus, 15; Assists: K. Fischer, 18; K. McComb, 13)
Goalie leaders: Alyssa Jacobson, 15 (Games); 13 (Wins); 89.6 (SV%); 1.16 GAA; Olivia Rotar, 8 (Games); 7 (Wins); 93.9 (SV%); 1.03 (GAA)
Last year’s ND Tournament: 1st (Won vs. Devils Lake; Won vs. Mandan; Won vs. Bismarck Century)
Did You Know: Fargo North-South has played in the last four state title games.
(2) Grand Forks
Record: 19-4
Goals Per Game: 3.09
Goals Allowed Per Game: 1.43
Power Play Pct: 20.2
Penalty Kill Pct.: 88.3
Scoring leaders: Points: Taylor Kilgore, 21; Goals: Alaina Marto, 9; T. Kilgore, 8; Assists: T. Kilgore, 13; Emily Common, 11
Goalie leaders: Leah Bensley, 12 (Games); 10 (Wins); 92.6 (SV%); 1.23 (GAA); Kylie Schmaltz, 11 (Games); 9 (Wins); 91.2 (SV%); 1.44 (GAA)
Last year’s ND Tournament: 3rd (Won vs. Fargo Davies; Lost vs. Bismarck Century; Won vs. Mandan)
Did You know: Grand Forks had a 12-game winning streak this season.
(3) Bismarck Century
Record: 18-5
Goals Per Game: 3.78
Goals Allowed Per Game: 2.13
Power Play Pct: 15.4
Penalty Kill Pct.: 90.2
Scoring leaders: Points: Avery Matt, 56 (Points); Macie Vig, 39; Goals: Matt, 31; Vig, 21; Assists: Matt, 25; Vig, 18).
Goalie leaders: Kambree Grabar, 13 (Games); 12 (Wins); 92.0 (SV%); 1.84 (GAA); Ellie Horner, 8 (Games: 4 (Wins); 90.7 (SV%); 2.74 (GAA)
Last year’s ND Tournament: 2nd (Won vs. West Fargo United; Won vs. Grand Forks; Lost vs. Fargo North-South).
Did You Know: Century has four players with 20 or more points, including the state scoring leader Avery Matt
(4) Mandan
Record: 16-7
Goals Per Game: 2.83
Goals Allowed Per Game: 1.83
Power Play Pct: 14.5
Penalty Kill Pct.: 85.5
Scoring leaders: Points: Afton Leingang, 19; Goals: Mckenzie Yantzer, 11; A. Leingang, 10; Assists: A. Leingang, 9; Tayah Myhre, 9
Goalie leaders: Keiley Bures, 11 (Games); 8 (Wins); 91.9 (SV%); 1.42 (GAA); Laaden Dobitz, 12 (Games); 8 (Wins); 90.6 (SV); 2.06 (GAA)
Last year’s ND Tournament: 4th (Won vs. Legacy-Bismarck High; Loss vs. Fargo North-South; Loss vs. Grand Forks)
Did you know: Mandan is the only team to post wins over the top two seeds this season.
(5) Legacy-Bismarck High
Record: 13-10
Goals Per Game: 2.65
Goals Allowed Per Game: 2.30
Power Play Pct: 12.9
Penalty Kill Pct.: 81.2
Scoring leaders: Points: Ainsley Johnson, 23; Goals: Alyssa Krikorian, 11; Madison Flammer, 8; A. Johnson, 8; Assists: A. Johnson, 15; Isabelle Ruud, 11
Goalie leaders: Rylee Otto, 20 (Games); 12 (Wins); 88.9 (SV%); 2.07 (GAA)
Last year’s ND Tournament: DNP: Lost vs. Mandan; Lost vs. Devils Lake
Did You Know: Legacy-Bismarck High has qualified for the ND state tournament in each of its first three seasons as a program.
(6) Minot High
Record: 12-11
Goals Per Game: 2.61
Goals Allowed Per Game: 2.17
Power Play Pct: 21.6
Penalty Kill Pct.: 78.7
Scoring leaders: Points: Brynn Hanson, 42; Goals: B. Hanson, 27; Yvonne Slind, 11; Assists: B. Hanson, 15; Kamryn Garaas, 10
Goalie leaders: Faith Seekings, 11 (Games); 8 (Wins); 91.5 (SV%); 2.15 (GAA); Promesa Phelps, 12 (Games); 4 (Wins); 90.6 (SV%); 2.06 (GAA)
Last year’s ND Tournament: Did Not Qualify
Did You Know: After dropping its first five games, Minot High rattled off nine consecutive wins.
(7) West Fargo United
Record: 12-11
Goals Per Game: 2.39
Goals Allowed Per Game: 2.30
Power Play Pct: 16.9
Penalty Kill Pct.: 86.4
Scoring Leaders: Points: Payton Stocker, 19; Reegan Bents, 18; Goals: Reaghan Mathias, 10; R. Bents, 9; Emma Hassler, 9; Assists: P. Stocker, 14
Goalie leaders: Adison Houkom, 23 (Games); 12 (Wins); 91.4 (SV%); 2.26 (GAA)
Last year’s ND Tournament: 5th (Loss vs. Bismarck Century; Won vs. Fargo Davies; Won vs. Devils Lake)
Did You Know: West Fargo United has won a pair of ND state titles, the last coming in 2013-14.
(8) Fargo Davies
Record: 9-14
Goals Per Game: 2.22
Goals Allowed Per Game: 2.09
Power Play Pct: 10.9
Penalty Kill Pct.: 86.7
Scoring leaders: Points: Sophia Rerick, 17; Ellery Wilcox, 13; Anika Astrup, 13; Goals: A. Astrup, 10; Assists: S. Rerick, 8; Lucy Grothmann, 8
Goalie leaders: Megan Suppes, 23 (Games); 9 (Wins); 92.7 (SV%); 1.99 (GAA)
Last year’s ND Tournament: Lost vs. Grand Forks; Lost vs. West Fargo United
Did You Know: Fargo Davies played in 12 one-goal game, winning just two.
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