The Section 1 boys hockey playoffs begin tonight, when Faribault visits La Crescent-Hokah in the a Section 1, Class 1A first-round game. It’s the lone first-round game in either Section 1 bracket.

The postseason gets going in full force Thursday, with quarterfinals at home sites. The Section 1-2A semifinals will be at sites of the higher seeds at 7 p.m. Saturday, while the 1-1A semifinals wil be held at the Rochester Recreation Center. That’s also the site of next week’s championship games; the 1-1A title will be decided on Wednesday, Feb. 25, and the 1-2A title on Thursday, Feb. 26.

Here are 10 (actually 11) players to watch in the Section 1 playoffs:

The Spartans have a pair of talented sophomore goalies who have split time nearly evenly this season. Colton Brandt has played the final two regular-season games, backstopping Mayo to wins against Winona, 5-1, and Hastings, 1-0. He has a 6-9-0 record, with a 3.01 goals-against average, an .891 save percentage and 1 shutout. Kaden Johnston is 4-6-0, with a 4.00 GAA and an .852 save percentage. Johnston has playoff experience — he made 33 saves in a loss to Lakeville North in last year’s section quarterfinals.

The senior forward leads the Panthers in goals (15) and points (22) and seems to have a knack for scoring goals at the right time, and in different ways. He’s on a roll heading into the postseason, too. Solak has six goals and eight points in the past four games — including three two-goal games — and is a big reason why the Panthers are unbeaten in their past five games (4-0-1).

The sophomore has been sensational this season for the eighth-seeded Packers, who have bumped up to Class 2A this season. Johnson’s .918 save percentage puts him up alongside the section’s best goalies — Chris Bade of Farmington (.924) and David Isaacson of Lakeville North (.924). Austin has used three goalies at times this year, but Johnson seized the starting role early and has only gotten better. He enters the playoffs with a 7-13-0 record, a 3.39 GAA, .918 save percentage and 2 shutouts.

The top-seeded Tigers don’t have one high-end scorer, but they have six players with 20 or more points, and a seventh with 19. They also have a strong defense (2.3 goals per game) and the section’s best goalie (Chris Bade). The Tigers are potent on the power play, as well, and that’s where Vinar, a standout forward, comes in. He has 12 goals and 23 points, and he leads Farmington in power-play goals (4). He has two of those power-play goals in the past five games.

Carter Ernst, Lakeville South

The University of St. Thomas commit is the Cougars’ leading scorer, with 16 goals and 23 assists, for 39 points. The 6-foot, 175-pound senior is also tied for the team lead in power-play points (10), and he has recorded 11 points in the past five games. That includes two assists in a 4-2 win against Farmington — the No. 1 seed in the section — on Feb. 12. Ernst has exactly 100 points over the past two seasons (43-57—100) and 111 career points. His next goal will be the 50th of his career.

The Wildcats engine is its top line of Gabe Coshenet, Cam Koch and Nolan Steele (a combined 57 goals and 127 points this year). But Wegner, the junior starting goalie for the third-seeded Wildcats (16-8-1), is playing well heading into the postseason. Prior to Dodge County’s regular season-ending loss to Breck, he had given up just seven goals in six-plus games. Wegner enters the playoffs with a 12-6-1 record, a 2.70 goals-against average, an .885 save percentage and 2 shutouts.

The senior and third-year starter in goal for the No. 4-seeded Eagles has been among the state’s best goalies all season. Ackley is second in the state with a 1.41 goals-against average (behind only Kane Thompson of International Falls, 1.05) and fourth in the state in save percentage, at .932. He also has five shutouts this season, good for fourth-most in Minnesota. He enters the postseason having allowed just eight goals in his past seven games.

A draft pick of the USHL’s Omaha Lancers, the 16-year-old forward possesses a blend of skill and strength that junior hockey teams salivate over. At 6-feet-2, 192 pounds, Storey has a heavy shot. He leads the section this season in goals (34), assists (47) and points (81). His assists, points totals and four short-handed goals are third-best in the state. Storey has an 11-point game this season and two 8-point games.

Bridger Riley, Northfield

The Raiders’ senior leader and star defenseman is a fourth-year varsity regular who has helped his team reach the state tournament in all three of his previous seasons. Riley has taken another leap forward for the No. 7-ranked and top-seeded Raiders this season, with classmate and defensive partner Ben Geiger departing for the U.S. National Team Development Program. Riley enters the postseason with 8 goals and 26 assists, for 34 points, as well as 3 goals and 8 assists on the power play.

Cooper Hill, La Crescent-Hokah

The senior has been a force for the eighth-seeded Lancers this season, scoring 31 goals. That’s the second-most in the section this season behind Waseca’s Griffin Storey (34). Hill recently scored his 50th career goal, and he has 14 assists this season, giving him 45 points. In the past three weeks, Hill has three hat tricks, three five-point games, a four-point game and two three-point games.