Roseau and Warroad finished as the top two teams in the Greater Minnesota Conference standings in each of the past two seasons. On Tuesday, they meet for the first time this season and jockey once again to maintain their position atop the standings, making this important matchup our Top Game of the Week.
Roseau will bring plenty of momentum with it on the 22-mile trip east on State Highway 11.
The Rams (14-2, 5-0), ranked No. 6 in the Class 2A state coaches' poll from Jan. 2, are on a five-game winning streak that includes a first-place finish over the holiday break in Eden Prairie's Mid-Winter Meltdown. After starting the tournament with wins against Chaska/Chanhassen (3-1) and Minnetonka (2-1), the Rams offense took off against host Eden Prairie in the event finale. Roseau got two goals apiece from Kayla Santl and Anika Stoskopf to beat No. 8-2A Eden Prairie 5-2 on Dec. 29.
While the Rams have stellar offensive players, including Santl — who has 17 goals this season — they’ve held teams to less than two goals per game with consistent goaltending. Kiana Flaig has played in 15 games this season and holds a 13-2 record with a .932 save percentage.
Roseau may need big games from Flaig and Santl to defeat Warroad.
The Warriors are undefeated and have consistently won in a dominant fashion this season. Only two teams, Minnetonka and South St. Paul, have come within one goal of knocking No. 1-1A Warroad (17-0, 4-0) into the loss column.
A big part of the Warriors’ winning streak can be attributed to goalie Quinn Kuntz. The Ohio State commit has 10 shutouts this season.
Warroad also has its own offensive star in Hannah Corneliusen, a junior who is tied for third in the state with 28 goals.