The teams kicked off the regular season by playing each other way back on Jan. 15, a matchup Roseau won 3-1, so why not bookend the regular season with another meeting?
The game should serve as the ultimate playoff preview, given that the teams met last year in the Class 2A, Section 8 title game with Roseau winning 6-3. Brainerd/Little Falls won the section title in 2019, then extended its postseason run all the way to the state title game before losing 4-3 to Edina in double overtime.
Roseau (11-3-1) has suffered all three of its losses this winter to Canadian border rival Warroad, which is ranked No. 1 in Class 1A. Junior Memphis Mertens leads the No. 8-2A Rams with 18 goals after scoring 21 last season, including five in the playoffs. Senior Quinnipiac commit Kate Helgeson is Roseau’s points leader with 39.
Brainerd/Little Falls gets standout goaltending from No. 1 starter Breya Sawyer, a sophomore with an 8-2-0 record and .936 save percentage. The Warriors, who entered the week having shut out their three previous opponents, are led by senior Emma Booth’s nine goals and 16 points.