No. 9 CENTURY (13-13-0) vs. No. 1 LAKEVILLE NORTH (19-5-1)
Rochester Century won a playoff game for the first time in program history Monday night, knocking off No. 8 JM/Lourdes 5-2 in the section play-in game. For their efforts, the Panthers have earned a spot against top-seeded Lakeville North. Century shattered its program wins mark and now has climbed to .500 at 13-13. Century didn't end its regular season well, losing three straight games against section foes (Owatonna, Dodge County and Winona). The bulk of Century's offense came from the Aney sisters, Jessica and Katie. Jessica Aney led the team with a whopping 72 points, including 23 goals and 49 assists. Katie Aney was close behind with 67 points on 42 goals and 25 assists. Shantel Loos was third on the team with 17 points (nine goals, eight assists) and Ashley Adams totaled 13 points (eight goals, five assists). The Panthers have been outstanding on the power play, scoring at a 48.8 percent clip. Abby Cunningham and Kaitlyn Maidl have both seen significant time in net. Cunningham has a 4.20 goals-against average and a .856 saves percentage, while Maidl has a 3.27 GAA and a .892 SVP. ... Lakeville North is one of the top teams in the state once again, entering the postseason ranked No. 8 in Class AA. North enters the post season having won three straight and six of its last seven. In that stretch was a 7-1 win over Class A's No. 1-ranked team, Breck. North played Lakeville South twice, tying once and claiming a one-goal win in the second game. The Panthers have outscored opponents 40-13 in the third period this season. Alexis Joyce has been the team's offensive catalyst. Joyce led the team with 22 goals and 46 points. Christi Vetter finished with 38 points (18 goals, 20 assists), while Dani Sadek added 28 points (nine goals, 19 assists). Dani Dexter and Cassie Alexander split time in goal. Dezter went 10-1 with a 1.50 goals-against average and a .902 saves percentage, while Alexander was 9-4-1 with a 1.72 GAA and a ,914 SVP.
No. 5 FARMINGTON (9-16-0) vs. No. 4 DODGE COUNTY (20-5-0)
Farmington had a rough end to the season. The Tigers dropped five consecutive games before finally snapping the losing streak against Northfield in the final game of the regular season. Farmington does have section wins over JM/Lourdes and Owatonna. The Tigers were not a high-scoring team, averaging fewer than three goals per game. Chloe Batta was the team's top scorer with 14 points (10 goals, four assists). Haley Doll (8-5—13) and Betsy Anderson (6-6—12) were the only other players in double figures. The Tigers do have an outstanding goalie in Jessica Erchul. She played all 25 games, going 9-16 with a 2.79 goals-against average and a .921 saves percentage. ... Dodge County is having another fantastic season. The Wildcats averaged 6.5 goals per game and they are the section's hottest team, entering the postseason on an 11-game winning streak. They've got wins over section teams Century (twice), Owatonna, Winona and JM/Lourdes. Forward Darby Dodds is the section's top scorer, finishing the regular season with 75 points (45 goals, 30 assists). Dana Rasmussen was close behind with 69 points (38 goals, 31 assists). Kortney Kleber checked in with 58 points (22 goals, 36 assists), while Lydia Wagner added 19 goals and 27 assists for 46 points. Anna Hunter is the team's top goalie once again this season. She rolled up a 16-5 record, with a 2.16 goals-against average and a .899 saves percentage.
No. 6 WINONA (11-8-1) vs. No. 3 MAYO (18-6-1)
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The Winhawks closed the season on a positive note, winning their final four games. That streak included wins over section teams Owatonna and Century. The Spartans and Winhawks played two tight games during the regular season, with the Spartans winning 3-1 and 4-3. Carly Moran is one of the Big Nine Conference's top players and leading scorers. She finished with 32 goals and 45 points. Monica Sanvik had 14 goals, 17 assists and 31 points. Eliza Searcy added 10 goals and 11 assists for 21 points. Lindsey Cafferty has played most of the minutes between the pipes. She rolled up a 10-7 record and a 2.85 goals-against average. Cafferty finished the regular season with a saves percentage of .882. ... Despite suffering many injuries throughout the season, Mayo put together one of its better campaigns in 2011-12. The Spartans had a minor bump late in the season, losing to Owatonna 4-1. Mayo is battle-tested, though. The Spartans have been in close games all season. In fact, they won an incredible eight games by one goal. They've been a great third-period team, outscoring foes 27-11. The Spartans are balanced offensively. Emily Nelson led the team with 24 points, including 12 goals and 12 assists. Steph Stettler had 23 points (10 goals, 13 assists) and Gabby Laures finished the regular season with 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists). Sara Brakke is one of the team's most versatile players, and she finished with 10 goals and six assists. Rebecca Graham has been outstanding in goal. She earned a 15-4-1 record to go with her 1.77 goals-against average and a .927 saves percentage.
No. 7 OWATONNA (13-11-1) vs. No. 2 LAKEVILLE SOUTH (19-5-1)
The Owatonna Huskies closed their season on a strong note, winning four of their last five games. That stretch included an impressive win over No. 3-seeded Mayo. They also have wins over section foes Century (two) and JM/Lourdes. Abby Sawyer and Payton Noble have been Owatonna's top two players this season. Sawyer had 21 goals and 14 assists for 35 points, while Noble finished the regular season with 19 goals and 12 assists for 31 points. Emily Cochran added 19 points (12 goals, seven assists). Mallorie Dietz is the team's No. 1 goalie. She rolled up a 12-6 record with a 2.62 goals-against average and a .903 saves percentage. ... Lakeville South enters as the No. 10-ranked team in Class AA. South is one of the section's hottest teams, having won four consecutive games and eight of its last nine. South beat section teams Owatonna (6-2) and Farmington (3-1) during the regular season. South has been a balanced team, though the top line has done a great deal of scoring. Three players check in with 30 points or more — Callen Naasz (eight goals, 27 assists, 35 points), Morgan Morse (14-18—32) and Ari Reid (21-9—30). Annabeth Smith added 19 points, including 10 goals and nine assists. South has been great on the penalty killing, killing off 91.4 percent of its penalties. South also has two outstanding goalies in Chloe Crosby and Taylor Gustafson. Crosby is 11-4 with a 1.34 goals-against average and a .925 saves percentage. Gustafson is 8-1-1 with a 1.72 GAA and a .905 SVP.
