Two of the Northwest Suburban Conference's best teams will face off for the first time this season Tuesday in our Top Game of the Week. Centennial (8-0, 6-0) leads Blaine (7-0-1, 5-0-1) by one point in the North division of the conference, and Tuesday's matchup will put its undefeated record to the test.
These two teams come in with plenty of experience against each other. Aside from being in the same division, both teams reside in Class 2A, Section 5.
The Bengals, ranked No. 5 in the Class 2A coaches' poll, won the section championship a season ago en route to a second-place finish in the 2017 Class 2A state tournament. The Cougars, however, bowed out in the section semifinals.
This season, No. 4-2A Centennial is back with an arsenal of scorers led by senior forward Gabbie Hughes, who has a team-high 21 goals following a two-goal performance in Centennial's 6-1 win over Anoka on Dec. 9.
Aside from her scoring prowess, Hughes has experience on the big stage. The Minnesota-Duluth commit represented the United States at the 2017 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Under-18 Women's World Championship, where Team USA took home gold.
Blaine, meanwhile, has a top scorer of its own. Junior forward Ramsey Parent, an Ohio State recruit, leads the way for the Bengals with 13 goals and 11 assists this season.
This past Saturday, Parent got Blaine on the board first, as the Bengals defeated No. 7-2A Maple Grove 3-0.