The Sartell and St. Cloud Cathedral boys hockey teams lived up to their state rankings and received the top seeds in their respective section tournaments that were released on Friday, Feb. 13.
(21-3) got the No. 1 seed in Section 6A. Sartell is ranked No. 3 in the latest Let’s Play Hockey Minnesota High School Hockey Coaches Poll.
Sartell gets a first-round bye and will play the winner between eighth-seeded Morris/Benson Area (9-14) and ninth-seeded Wadena-Deer Creek (4-21) that will be played on Feb. 14. The Sabres will play that section quarterfinal game at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 17, at the Scheels Athletic Complex.
The winner of Sartell’s game will play in the section semifinals at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 21, at the Municipal Athletic Complex. The Sabres have set a program-record with 21 wins and are looking to qualify for their first state tournament.
In Section 5A,
(14-10) got the No. 1 seed. The Crusaders will play Tuesday in the section semifinals. Cathedral will play the winner between eighth-seeded Princeton (2-22-1) and ninth-seeded Mora/Milaca (7-18).
(13-11-1) got the No. 4 seed and will play host to fifth-seeded Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato (12-12-1) at 7 p.m. on Tuesday at Sports Arena East.
(10-14) got the No. 6 seed and will play at third-seeded Pine City Area (16-8-1) at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
The Crusaders are looking to qualify for their 14th state tournament and fourth straight. Cathedral has played in the last two state championship games. In 2024,
the Crusaders defeated Hermantown, 3-1.
In 2025,
East Grand Forks beat Cathedral, 2-1 in overtime.
Cathedral also won the state title in 2019, beating Greenway/Nashwauk-Keewatin, 5-2. The Crusaders took third place in 2017 and 2020 and won consolation titles in 2016 and 2023.
Feb. 14 — No. 9 Mora/Milaca/Braham (7-18) at No. 8 Princeton, 7 p.m.
Quarterfinals, Feb. 17
Princeton/Mora/Milaca/Braham winner vs. No. 1 St. Cloud Cathedral (14-10), at Municipal Athletic ComplexNo. 5 Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato (12-12-1) at No. 4 Sauk Rapids-Rice (13-11-1), 7 p.m. at Sports Arena EastNo. 7 Becker/Big Lake (11-14) at No. 2 Monticello (16-5-3), 7 p.m. at Moose Sherritt Ice ArenaNo. 6 River Lakes (10-14) at No. 3 Pine City Area (16-8-1), 7 p.m. at Pine City Civic Center
Princeton/Mora/Milaca/Braham/St. Cloud Cathedral winner vs. Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato/Sauk Rapids-Rice winner, 7 p.m. at high seedBecker/Big Lake/Monticello winner vs. River Lakes/Pine City Area winner, 7 p.m. at high seed
Semifinals winners, 7 p.m. at Elk River
No. 9 Wadena/Deer Creek (4-21) vs. No. 8 Morris/Benson Area (9-14), 3 p.m. at Lee Community Center in Morris
No. 1 Sartell (21-3) vs. Wadena/Deer Creek/Morris/Benson Area winner, 7 p.m. at Scheels Athletic Complex in Sartell
No. 5 Prairie Centre Area (19-6) at No. 4 Little Falls (6-18), 7 p.m. at Exchange Arena
No. 7 Breckenridge/Wahpeton (10-13-1) at No. 2 Northern Lakes (13-10-1), 6 p.m. at Breezy Point Hockey Arena
No. 6 Willmar (11-14) at No. 3 Fergus Falls (9-15), 7 p.m.
(at Municipal Athletic Complex, St. Cloud)
Sartell/Wadena/Deer Creek/Morris/Benson Area winner vs. Prairie Centre Area/Little Falls winner, 4 p.m.Breckenridge/Wahpeton/Northern Lakes winner vs. Willmar/Fergus Falls winner, 7 p.m.
Semifinals winners, 7 p.m. at Municipal Athletic Complex
Mick Hatten is a reporter and editor for stcloudlive.com. He began working for Forum Communications in November 2018 for The Rink Live and has covered St. Cloud State University hockey since 2010. Besides covering Huskies hockey, he is also covering other sports at SCSU and high school sports. A graduate of St. Cloud State, he has more than 30 years of experience as a journalist and has been a youth hockey coach since 2014. mick@stcloudlive.com
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