Puck drops on West Region boy's tournament

BISMARCK – The puck has dropped for West Region boys' hockey tournament and by week's end, four teams will punch their tickets for the ND state boys' tournament later this month in Fargo. The postseason got underway on Monday, Feb. 12 with a pair of region play-in games. (7) Williston defeated (10) Bismarck High and (8) Bottineau-Rugby bested (9) Hazen-Beulah. Both moved on to the quarterfinals set for Thursday, Feb. 15 at Bismarck's VFW Sports Center. Loser-out and semifinals will be held on Feb. 16 with two state qualifiers and the championship to be played on Feb. 17.

2022-23 Rewind: Last year’s tournament offered a few items of note. Bismarck Legacy, in just its second year, won its first West Region Tournament title. Minot High was runner-up while Bismarck Century and Jamestown also qualified for the state tournament. The top four seeds all advanced to the state tournament. The last time that happened was 2017.
Who will emerge champion this weekend?: Top seed Bismarck Century comes in on a roll, winning its last 13 games. The Patriots have stepped up their play since the calendar turned to 2024. Bismarck Legacy, the defending region champion, has also turned in a stellar regular season and can boast a pair of good non-conference wins over EDC foes Fargo Davies and Fargo South-Shanley. If there is a team due to win a West Region Tournament crown its Minot High. The Magi’s resume includes a win over Legacy as well as EDC foe Fargo Davies. Its two losses to WDA regular season champion Century were by one goal. Minot is hoping to get the monkey off its back in regard to winning the region tournament. The last time was 2006 and it has loss its last nine region final contests, including last year.

West Region Tournament Schedule 

Thursday, Feb. 15 - Bismarck VFW Sports Center

Quarterfinals
(1) Bismarck Century vs. (8) Bottineau-Rugby, 11 a.m.

(4) Dickinson vs. (5) Mandan, 30 minutes following game one

(2) Bismarck Legacy vs. (7) Williston, 5 p.m.

(3) Minot High vs. (6) Jamestown, 30 minutes following game three

Friday, Feb. 16 - Bismarck VFW Sports Center

Loser-out, 11 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. (approximate)

Semifinals, 5 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. (approximate)

Saturday, Feb. 17 - Bismarck VFW Sports Center

State qualifers, 11 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. (approximate)

Championship, 3:30 p.m. (approximate)

More playoff notes and information can be found on the West Region Tournament website. A link is located on the Boys' Hockey Main Page.