Minnesota Girls’ Hockey Coaches Association (MGHCA) Executive Director Tim Morris was honored with the inaugural Brano Stankovsky Award at the annual Ms. Hockey Awards Banquet at the St. Paul RiverCentre on Sunday, Feb. 24.
Read more: Tim Morris honored with inaugural Brano Stankovsky Award
The Minnesota Girls' Hockey Coaches Association (MGHCA) announced their 2012-13 All-State Teams at the Ms. Hockey Awards Banquet on Sunday, Feb. 24, at the St. Paul RiverCentre.
The Minnetonka Skippers head back to Xcel Energy Center in search of the first back-to-back-to-back state championships in the 18-year history of the girls’ hockey state tournament.
Three Class AA teams return to St. Paul from last year – Eagan, Lakeville North and Minnetonka – and only Eden Prairie and Minnetonka have captured past state championships. Forest Lake is making its first appearance at the state tournament since 2001, while Eagan is at the X for the eighth time.
Read more: Class AA: Skippers look to win third straight title
With defending champion Breck team not returning to the tournament, this year’s Class A title is up for grabs in a field that features seven teams ranked in the top 20.
Four of the eight Class A teams that played in St. Paul last year have qualified again and the field is headlined by the top three teams in the state – No. 1 Warroad, No. 2 Blake and No. 3 Red Wing. Only one team – Mound Westonka – is making its first state tournament appearance, and five teams – Alexandria, Blake, Hibbing/Chisholm, South St. Paul and Warroad – have captured past state championships.

The 19th edition of the Minnesota girls’ high school hockey state tournament takes center stage this week with 16 teams dreaming of raising the championship trophy on the Xcel Energy Center ice.