WIAA Boys State Hockey Tournament Preview
Wednesday, February 17th, 2021 -- 1:00 PM
The 51st Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Boys Hockey State Tournament will take place this Thursday and Saturday.
BOYS SCHEDULE:
Division 1
Semifinal - Thursday, Feb. 18 at Uihlein Ice Arena, River Hills
#1 University School of Milw. (24-2) vs. #4 Verona (15-6) - 7 p.m.
Semifinal - Thursday, Feb. 18 at Gornick Arena, Hudson
#2 Hudson (19-3) vs. #3 Notre Dame (15-3) - 7 p.m.
Championship - Saturday, Feb. 20 at South Wood County Rink
Semifinal Winners - 2:30 p.m.
Division 2
Semifinal - Thursday, Feb. 18 at Blue Line Family Ice, Fond du Lac
#1 St. Mary’s Springs (24-2) vs. #4 Somerset Co-op (15-11-1) - 7 p.m.
Semifinal - Thursday, Feb. 18 at Civic Center, Spooner
#2 Superior (10-5) vs. #3 Lakeland (13-4) - 7 p.m.
Championship - Saturday, Feb. 20 at South Wood County Rink
Semifinal Winners - 9:30 a.m.
FINALS ON STATEWIDE TV NETWORK: The finals of the boys and girls State Tournaments will be televised live in our area on WAOW Wausau, WXOW La Crosse, and WQOW Eau Claire. The finals will also be streamed live on the State Television Network’s websites.
LAST YEAR: Verona won the program’s first championship by downing Notre Dame 2-1 in overtime in the Division 1 championship game. St. Mary’s Springs was the champion in the first-ever Division 2 tournament, winning the program’s first title with a 5-1 victory over Northland Pines in the final.
THE BOYS DIVISION 1 FIELD: University School of Milwaukee is the top seed. The Wildcats return to State for the third straight season and for the 14th time overall. They have won three State titles. The program’s first championship came in 2006 and then added their second title in 2010. Their most recent championship came in 2019. This season, they return in pursuit of their fourth title after earning the title of champions of the Brookfield Sectional by edging the Kettle Moraine co-op 2-1 in the final. Second-seeded Hudson qualifies for the tournament for the 12th time and for the fifth time in the last six seasons. The Raiders have four State titles on their ledger. The first came in 2001 with the second coming in 2004. They then won back-to-back championships in 2017-18. They also advanced to the championship final in 2016 and finished runner-up. This season, they defeated Chippewa Falls 4-2 in the sectional final held in Wausau to continue their quest for a fifth championship. Last year’s runner-up Notre Dame is the third seed. The Tritons are making their third State appearance in the last four years and their eighth overall. Their first five appearances came consecutively from 2010-14. The Tritons’ one State championship came in 2012. They qualify this season following a 3-2 win over Bay Port in the sectional final hosted at Grand Chute. Defending champion Verona returns to State for the fourth consecutive season and for the 10th time overall. The Wildcats also advanced to the title game two years in a row back in 2013 and 2014, winning the title in 2014 and finishing runner-up in 2013. They advance to the State semifinals this season following a 5-2 triumph over Waunakee in the sectional final hosted in Onalaska.
THE BOYS DIVISION 2 FIELD: Defending champion St. Mary’s Springs is the #1 seed. The Ledgers won the title in the first season they qualified as a stand-alone program. A co-op arrangement they were associated with qualified in 2018 and lost in the semifinals. They advance to the semifinals this season following a 4-0 shutout over Oregon in the final of the sectional played in Fond du Lac. Superior qualifies for the State Tournament for a membership-leading 38th time, and for the first time since 2015. They have won 13 State championships, which leads all schools. They won titles in 1971, 1972, 1974, 1981, 1982, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2003, 2005 and 2015. In addition, they have finished runner-up an additional 11 times. The Spartans edged Rice Lake 3-2 in the sectional final held in Rice Lake to make their first appearance at State in Division 2. Third-seeded Lakeland makes its first appearance at State in program history. The Thunderbirds advance to the State semifinals by defeating Rhinelander/Three Lakes 5-1 in the final of the Mosinee Sectional final. The Somerset/St. Croix Falls/Osceola Valley Christian co-op is seeded fourth. It’s the second straight appearance for the Spartans after qualifying for the first time last season, which resulted in a loss in the semifinals. They earned a return trip to the State semifinals after skating by the Altoona co-op 2-1 in the sectional final held at Somerset.
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