No break for girls hockey

Six Division I-bound players dot the rosters of teams in South St. Paul’s 17th Annual Doug Woog/Kaposia Classic Invitational. Five others will miss it to play with different national teams.

Defending Class 2A state champion Minnetonka (No. 5) plays Hill-Murray (No. 3) in the quarterfinals. The victor will face the likes of Class 2A power Roseville (No. 1) or one of three outstanding Class 1A programs: defending state champion Warroad, Blake (No. 6) or host South St. Paul (No. 3). The three-day tournament begins Dec. 29 and concludes on New Year’s Eve.

Warroad’s Lisa Marvin, Bloomington Jefferson’s Kelsey Cline and Roseville’s Hanna Brodt give the field some star power.

But Hill-Murray forward Hannah Brandt will miss the tournament’s first two days to train with Team USA in Blaine. Four additional players, South St. Paul’s Sam LaShomb, Blake’s Dani Cameranesi and Roseville’s Kate Flug and Lee Stecklein, will be with the Under-18 team in the Czech Republic.

On the west side, you can catch a strong game any day of the week.Edina’s ABRA Invitational runs Dec. 26-28. As it finishes, the Eden Prairie Mid-Winter Meltdown goes Dec. 28-30. Between them, nine teams ranked in the top-20 of Class 2A will take the ice.

Ranked No. 4, Edina is both the host and headliner of its tournament. The Hornets’ side of the bracket includes No. 12 Lakeville South. The bracket’s top half features a quarterfinal battle between No. 7 Stillwater and No. 14 Irondale. Grand Rapids/Greenway’s Molly Illikainen will miss the tournament to play with Team USA’s U-18 team.

The Mid-Winter Meltdown features No. 6 Anoka, No. 10 Blaine and No. 11 Eagan all residing on the same half of the bracket.

David La Vaque

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For a schedule of tournament games for any school, click on "team finder'' at the top of this web page and enter the school's name.

MN Girls’ Hockey Hub