BROOKINGS – To capture the South Dakota Amateur Hockey Association Varsity Girls’ state championship trophy in 2019, you are going to have to go through Aberdeen, yet again.
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BROOKINGS – To capture the South Dakota Amateur Hockey Association Varsity Girls’ state championship trophy in 2019, you are going to have to go through Aberdeen, yet again.
The four-time defending champion Cougars skated to an unblemished 16-0 league mark to earn the top seed after scoring 193 goals on the season while giving up just 13.
Third-seeded Mitchell and No. 6 seed Watertown open the state tournament at Noon on Friday at Larson Ice Center, while seventh-seeded Oahe takes on No. 2 seed Sioux Falls at 2:30 p.m.
The host Rangers, seeded fourth, square off with No. 5 seed Sioux Center at 5 p.m., and having the unenviable task of facing the Cougars at 7:30 p.m. is No. 8 seed Huron.
Tournament continues on Saturday and Sunday at LIC with consolation action dropping the puck at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, while the championship semifinals start at 5:30 p.m.
On Sunday, the fifth-place game is scheduled for 9 a.m.; followed by the third-place matchup at 11:30 a.m.; and the championship game drops the puck at 2 p.m.
No. 4 Brookings vs. No. 5 Sioux Center, 5 p.m.
The Rangers already own a pair of wins over the Storm – 7-2 at Sioux Center on Jan. 19 and 4-2 at Larson Ice Center in their final regular-season game on Jan. 27 – so the odds favor Brookings in the first round, unless you are one of those that thinks beating a team three times in a season can’t happen.
“We need to stick to our systems – we’ve been working hard on the correct positioning and not trying to do each other’s jobs,” said Ranger head coach Austin Koenig. “If we can play our positions, work hard, play together and not get down on each other when mistakes happen, because in the game of hockey, everyone’s going to make a mistake at some point, so if we can just stay positive and keep powering through in the down times, we’ll be successful.
“Sioux Center is the type of team that is going to come out ready to play, so we need to definitely do the same.”
And although the 3-point homefield advantage in the NFL won’t apply to the Rangers playing at Larson Ice Center, Koenig feels that playing host to the state tournament will be a benefit for his squad.
“It’s huge – being at home; in front of your family and crowd; being in our locker room is going to make a big difference for us,” he said. “They get to go home and sleep in their own beds; they’re going to be able to play on the rink that they practice one since Day 1, so it’s going to be huge.”
Brookings By The Numbers
Goalie: Marina Gerstner – 10-6; 330 shots on goal with 273 saves and 57 goal against (.827)
Goals: Team – 89; Goals against: Team – 58
Goals: Jadyn Peterson 31; Addie Ramlo 12; Brooklyn Roberts 10
Assists: Peterson 15, Emma Rice 11, Roberts 8, Savannah Barber 8
Sioux Center By The Numbers
Goalie: Meysa Waring – 8-8; 458 SOG with 378 saves and 80 GA (.825)
Goals: Team – 41; Goals against: Team – 82.
Goals: Hope Vander Zwaag 8; Sarah Vander Werf 7
Assists: Mackinzie Van Voorst 7; Adri Tinklenberg 6
No. 3 Mitchell vs. No. 6 Watertown, Noon
The Marlins have dominated the Lakers as they posted a 9-1 win over Watertown on Nov. 24 before shutting out the Lakers, 9-0, on Feb. 8.
On paper, this should be an easy Mitchell win to advance to Saturday’s semifinals.
Mitchell By The Numbers
Goalie: Katelyn Uithoven – 12-4; 413 SOG with 369 saves and 44 GA (.893)
Goals: Team – 114; Goals against: Team – 45
Goals: Ashley Jones 30; Jenna Grosdidier 28; Kelsey Amick 25; Brooke Jarman 15
Assists: Amick 22; Jones 15; Grosdidier 14; Jarman 10
Watertown By The Numbers
Goalie: Sydnie Young – 6-10; 520 SOG with 426 saves and 94 GA (.819)
Goals: Team – 50; Goals against: Team – 102
Goals: Kendra Kranz 19; Jaclyn Lloyd 15
Assists: Taylor Espland 8
No. 2 Sioux Falls vs. No. 7 Oahe, 2:30 p.m.
The Flyers didn’t get to be the second seed by not playing well against lesser teams as they outscored the Capitals, 24-3, in their two meeting with a 14-1 win at home on Jan. 11 and a 10-2 road win at the pole shed in Stanley County on Feb. 15.
Look for Sioux Falls to advance to a semifinal matchup with the Marlins.
Sioux Falls By The Numbers
Goalie: Ava Krabbenhoft – 13-2; 238 SOG with 206 saves and 32 GA (.866)
Goals: Team – 141; Goals against: Team – 36
Goals: Grace Halvorson 32; Chloe Harbaugh 28; Kaija Mork 19; Katie Vockler 16
Assists: Gaby Schroder 21; Halvorson 20; Harbaugh 18; Gwyn Winter 18; Mork 17; Vockler 16
Oahe By The Numbers
Goalie: Abagail Stewart-Fromm – 3-13; 580 SOG with 453 saves and 127 GA (.781)
Goals: Team – 53; Goals against: Team – 128
Goals: Ashton Lee 21; Amy Gilkerson 18
Assists: Lee 12; Kaitlyn Swenson 12
No. 1 Aberdeen vs. No. 8 Huron, 7:30 p.m.
The two meetings between the Cougars and All Stars ended up in football scores as Aberdeen won 16-0 at Bergman on Dec. 7 before picking up an extra safety in an 18-0 win at the Odde Center on Jan. 13.
Look for Aberdeen to skate into the semifinals easily.
Aberdeen By The Numbers
Goalie: Shelby Snow – 16-0 with 6 shutouts; 162 SOG with 149 saves and 13 GA (.920)
Goals: Team – 193; Goals against: Team – 13
Goals: Hailey Holland 51; Kaitlyn Holland 47; Kensington Eckhoff 34
Assists: Eckhoff 45; K. Holland 37; H. Holland 34
Huron By The Numbers
Goalie: Alissa Ferguson – 2-12-1; 613 SOG with 527 saves and 86 GA (.860)
Goals: Team – 29; Goals against: Team – 122
Goals: Ashley Busch 13; Kylie Small 7; Abigail Thomas 5
Assists: Small 7; Fatima Reyes 5; Busch 4; Thomas 4
If the seeds hold true, it will be the host Rangers trying to unseat Aberdeen while Sioux Falls and Mitchell duke it out in the bottom of the bracket.
The Flyers own two wins over the Marlins – 6-5 at the Scheels Ice Plex on Dec. 2 and 7-2 at the MAC Toshiba on Jan. 4.
Matchups between the two and three seeds are supposed to be close and Mitchell is riding a nine-game win streak to close out the SDAHA season after that Jan. 4 loss to the Flyers.
This definitely could be one of those games where beating an opponent three times in a season won’t happen.
Like every other team in the state, Brookings hasn’t had much luck against the Cougars, who won 9-0 at LIC on Jan. 5 before posting a 6-1 win at the Odde on Jan. 26.
That five-goal margin is only the second time this season that anyone came that close as the Marlins lost 7-2 to Aberdeen on Dec. 9.
What’s it going to take to knock off the Cougars?
“It’s going to come down to puck possession – Aberdeen is really good at controlling the puck; getting the puck to the net; and making things happen,” said Koenig about a possible matchup in the semifinals. “If we can maintain puck possession and control the puck – even when it’s not in our offensive zone – that’s going to be the difference, along with keeping the puck off the stick of a few of their top players will be huge as well.
“They have a couple of girls that have 70-80 points on the year, so if we can make sure to keep the puck away from them and keep the puck on our stick and get the puck in front of their net, it will be good.”
But Koenig notes that Aberdeen isn’t only about the offense.
“Aberdeen has a really good goalie (in Shelby Snow), so when we do get shots, we can’t expect the first shot to go in,” he said. “We have to put the puck on net and get her moving side-to-side. If we get it in close, we have to get it over the top of her because she does a very good job of taking the low net away.
“For anyone in the state to beat them, they have to control the puck.”
Which will be no small task in and of itself.
