WIAA State Boys & Girls Hockey Tournaments Preview
Tuesday, March 4th, 2025 -- 6:31 AM
The 55th Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Boys Hockey State Tournament and the 24th Girls Hockey State Tournament will take place Thursday-Saturday, March 6-8 at Bob Suter’s LEGACY20 Arena in Middleton, Wis.
BOYS SCHEDULE:
Division 1
Semifinals - Friday, March 7
Game-1: #1 Brookfield East Co-op (24-3) vs. #4 Edgewood (21-6) - 10 a.m.
Game-2: #2 Wausau West (21-6) vs. #3 Notre Dame (18-8) - 2 p.m.
Championship Game - Saturday, March 8
Game-3: Winner of Game-1 vs. Winner of Game-2 - 7 p.m.
Division 2
Semifinals - Thursday, March 6
Game-1: #1 Tomahawk (23-3) vs. #4 McFarland (23-3-1) - 9:30 a.m.
Game-2: #2 Amery Co-op (20-6-1) vs. #3 Somerset/St. Croix Falls (19-7-1) - 1:30 p.m.
Championship Game - Saturday, March 8
Game-3: Winner of Game-1 vs. Winner of Game-2 - 11 a.m.
Division 1
Semifinals - Friday, March 7
Game-1: #1 Brookfield East Co-op (24-3) vs. #4 Edgewood (21-6) - 10 a.m.
Game-2: #2 Wausau West (21-6) vs. #3 Notre Dame (18-8) - 2 p.m.
Championship Game - Saturday, March 8
Game-3: Winner of Game-1 vs. Winner of Game-2 - 7 p.m.
Division 2
Semifinals - Thursday, March 6
Game-1: #1 Tomahawk (23-3) vs. #4 McFarland (23-3-1) - 9:30 a.m.
Game-2: #2 Amery Co-op (20-6-1) vs. #3 Somerset/St. Croix Falls (19-7-1) - 1:30 p.m.
Championship Game - Saturday, March 8
Game-3: Winner of Game-1 vs. Winner of Game-2 - 11 a.m.
GIRLS SCHEDULE:
Semifinals - Thursday, March 6
Game-1: #1 De Pere Co-op (25-1) vs. #4 Sun Prairie West Co-op (15-12) - 4:30 p.m.
Game-2: #2 D.C. Everest Co-op (22-5) vs. #3 Eau Claire North Co-op (13-14) - 7:30 p.m.
Championship Game - Saturday, March 8
Game-3: Winner of Game-1 vs. Winner of Game-2 - 3 p.m.
Semifinals - Thursday, March 6
Game-1: #1 De Pere Co-op (25-1) vs. #4 Sun Prairie West Co-op (15-12) - 4:30 p.m.
Game-2: #2 D.C. Everest Co-op (22-5) vs. #3 Eau Claire North Co-op (13-14) - 7:30 p.m.
Championship Game - Saturday, March 8
Game-3: Winner of Game-1 vs. Winner of Game-2 - 3 p.m.
The finals of the boys and girls State Tournaments will be televised live on WKOW Madison, WAOW Wausau,
LAST YEAR: Notre Dame won the Division 1 championship for the second straight season with a 3-1 victory over the Brookfield East/Brookfield Central/Hamilton/ Menomonee Falls/Wauwatosa East/Wauwatosa West Co-op in the title game. St. Mary’s Springs downed New Richmond 6-2 to capture the Division 2 crown. In the girls final, the D.C. Everest/Marathon/Merrill/
THE BOYS DIVISION 1 FIELD: Last season’s runner-up Brookfield East/Brookfield Central/Hamilton/ Menomonee Falls/Wauwatosa East/Wauwatosa West Co-op has been issued the #1 seed in the bracket. The Stars will appear at State for the second time with this configuration of schools. Back in 1997 and 2012, when Brookfield Central and Brookfield East comprised the co-op, the program fell in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively. This season, they finished first in the Classic Eight Conference and blanked Arrowhead 4-0 in the Muskego Sectional final to earn another shot at the title. Second-seeded Wausau West, the #2 seed in the bracket, will be appearing in the State Tournament for the 18th time overall and for the first time since 2019. The Warriors won the State title in 2011 and have finished runner-up on four occasions, including 2000, 2010, 2012 and 2015. They finished second in the Wisconsin Valley Conference standings this season. The Warriors defeated Eau Claire Memorial 3-1 to advance from the sectional final played at Chippewa Falls. Two-time defending champion Notre Dame was issued the #3 seed in the bracket. The Tritons are making their seventh State appearance in the last eight years and their 12th overall. Their first five appearances came consecutively from 2010-14. Prior to their recent success, the Tritons won the State championship in 2012. They also advanced to the title game in 2020 and finished runner-up. They qualify this season following a 4-2 victory over the Neenah co-op in the Neenah Sectional final. The Tritons are the champions of the Fox River Classic Conference this year. Fourth-seeded Edgewood is back in the State Tournament for the third time in the last four seasons and for the eighth time overall. The Crusaders’ most notable experiences were runner-up finishes in 2008–when there was only one division of boys hockey–and in 2022. The champions of the Badger Conference during the regular season advanced to the semifinals through the Madison Memorial Sectional by rolling past Verona 6-0 in the final.
THE BOYS DIVISION 2 FIELD: Top-seeded Tomahawk will be experiencing the State Tournament for the second year in a row and for the third time overall. The Hatchets’ first pursuit for a State title resulted in a loss in the quarterfinals in 1991, when there was only one division in the tournament, and in the Division 2 semifinals last year. They earned their return to State after a 5-1 triumph over Mosinee in the sectional final played at Mosinee. The Hatchets were the champions of the Great Northern Conference this season. The Amery/Clayton/Clear Lake/Unity Co-op is the #2 seed. The Warriors are making the co-op program’s first appearance in the State Tournament following a hard-fought 2-1 double overtime win over Hayward/Lac Courte Oreilles in the sectional final hosted by Amery. The Warriors were champions in the Middle Border Conference. Third-seeded Somerset/St. Croix Falls makes its first appearance at State with this co-op configuration. In a prior three-school co-op that included Valley Christian (Osceola), the co-op made two straight appearances in 2020 and 2021. Both those experiences resulted in a loss in the semifinals. They earned a return trip to the State semifinals after skating past River Falls with a 3-2 overtime win in the sectional final held at Somerset. The Spartans finished second in the Middle Border Conference behind Amery, the #2 seed in the bracket. The only previous experience in the State Tournament for fourth-seeded McFarland was back in 2000 when the Spartans were in a co-op with Oregon. The appearance resulted in a loss in the quarterfinals when there was only one division of play in the tournament. This season, they are the runners-up in the Badger conference behind Division 1 qualifier Edgewood. They advanced to the semifinals following a five-overtime marathon with Monona Grove that was ultimately won by the Spartans by a score of 2-1.
THE GIRLS FIELD: Last year’s runner-up De Pere/Ashwaubenon/Bay Port/Green Bay East/Green Bay Preble/Green Bay Southwest/Green Bay West/Notre Dame/Pulaski/Seymour/West De Pere Co-op is the top seed in the bracket. This rendition of the co-op makes its third State appearance in a row and the fifth overall, albeit with a different host school. In addition to the Bay Area Ice Bears’ State titles in 2014 and 2023, they finished runner-up in 2017. Another configuration of the co-op, without Pulaski, also placed runner-up in 2010. The co-op returns seeking a third straight advance to the championship game following a 3-1 win over the Fond du Lac Co-op in the Neenah Sectional final. They were the champions of the Eastern Shore Conference this season. Defending champion D.C. Everest/Marathon/Merrill/ Mosinee/Wausau East/Wausau West Co-op is seeded second. The Central Wisconsin Storm makes its sixth appearance at State overall with this configuration of schools in the co-op. This version of the Storm won the championship in 2022 and again last year. A former co-op arrangement, without Marathon and Merrill, won three titles and made 10 State appearances. The three championships came in 2008, 2012 and 2017. They also advanced to the championship game in 2011 and finished runner-up. To advance to the State semifinals for the fourth time in the past five seasons, the Storm outlasted the Hayward co-op with a 2-1 win in overtime to claim the victory in the sectional final played at Menomonie. The Storm plays an independent schedule during the regular season. The Eau Claire North/Altoona/ Eau Claire Memorial/Fall Creek co-op has been issued the third seed. The ECA Stars will be making their third appearance at State. The first two resulted in a State championship in 2018 and a loss in the semifinals in 2021. They return to the tournament field with a 1-0 shutout over the Black River Falls co-op in the Somerset Sectional final. The ECA Stars placed fourth in the Big Rivers Conference this winter. Fourth-seeded Sun Prairie West/DeForest/ Madison East/Madison La Follette/Sun Prairie East/Waunakee Co-op qualifies for the second straight year, and essentially, for the six time with the only difference being the split of Sun Prairie into two schools. The Cap City Cougars’ most notable experience in the former co-op arrangement was a runner-up finish in 2018. After placing tied for second in the Badger Conference this season, they return to State by virtue of a 4-3 win over the Beaver Dam co-op in the Beloit Memorial sectional final played at Janesville.
THE BOYS DIVISION 2 FIELD: Top-seeded Tomahawk will be experiencing the State Tournament for the second year in a row and for the third time overall. The Hatchets’ first pursuit for a State title resulted in a loss in the quarterfinals in 1991, when there was only one division in the tournament, and in the Division 2 semifinals last year. They earned their return to State after a 5-1 triumph over Mosinee in the sectional final played at Mosinee. The Hatchets were the champions of the Great Northern Conference this season. The Amery/Clayton/Clear Lake/Unity Co-op is the #2 seed. The Warriors are making the co-op program’s first appearance in the State Tournament following a hard-fought 2-1 double overtime win over Hayward/Lac Courte Oreilles in the sectional final hosted by Amery. The Warriors were champions in the Middle Border Conference. Third-seeded Somerset/St. Croix Falls makes its first appearance at State with this co-op configuration. In a prior three-school co-op that included Valley Christian (Osceola), the co-op made two straight appearances in 2020 and 2021. Both those experiences resulted in a loss in the semifinals. They earned a return trip to the State semifinals after skating past River Falls with a 3-2 overtime win in the sectional final held at Somerset. The Spartans finished second in the Middle Border Conference behind Amery, the #2 seed in the bracket. The only previous experience in the State Tournament for fourth-seeded McFarland was back in 2000 when the Spartans were in a co-op with Oregon. The appearance resulted in a loss in the quarterfinals when there was only one division of play in the tournament. This season, they are the runners-up in the Badger conference behind Division 1 qualifier Edgewood. They advanced to the semifinals following a five-overtime marathon with Monona Grove that was ultimately won by the Spartans by a score of 2-1.
THE GIRLS FIELD: Last year’s runner-up De Pere/Ashwaubenon/Bay Port/Green Bay East/Green Bay Preble/Green Bay Southwest/Green Bay West/Notre Dame/Pulaski/Seymour/West De Pere Co-op is the top seed in the bracket. This rendition of the co-op makes its third State appearance in a row and the fifth overall, albeit with a different host school. In addition to the Bay Area Ice Bears’ State titles in 2014 and 2023, they finished runner-up in 2017. Another configuration of the co-op, without Pulaski, also placed runner-up in 2010. The co-op returns seeking a third straight advance to the championship game following a 3-1 win over the Fond du Lac Co-op in the Neenah Sectional final. They were the champions of the Eastern Shore Conference this season. Defending champion D.C. Everest/Marathon/Merrill/ Mosinee/Wausau East/Wausau West Co-op is seeded second. The Central Wisconsin Storm makes its sixth appearance at State overall with this configuration of schools in the co-op. This version of the Storm won the championship in 2022 and again last year. A former co-op arrangement, without Marathon and Merrill, won three titles and made 10 State appearances. The three championships came in 2008, 2012 and 2017. They also advanced to the championship game in 2011 and finished runner-up. To advance to the State semifinals for the fourth time in the past five seasons, the Storm outlasted the Hayward co-op with a 2-1 win in overtime to claim the victory in the sectional final played at Menomonie. The Storm plays an independent schedule during the regular season. The Eau Claire North/Altoona/ Eau Claire Memorial/Fall Creek co-op has been issued the third seed. The ECA Stars will be making their third appearance at State. The first two resulted in a State championship in 2018 and a loss in the semifinals in 2021. They return to the tournament field with a 1-0 shutout over the Black River Falls co-op in the Somerset Sectional final. The ECA Stars placed fourth in the Big Rivers Conference this winter. Fourth-seeded Sun Prairie West/DeForest/ Madison East/Madison La Follette/Sun Prairie East/Waunakee Co-op qualifies for the second straight year, and essentially, for the six time with the only difference being the split of Sun Prairie into two schools. The Cap City Cougars’ most notable experience in the former co-op arrangement was a runner-up finish in 2018. After placing tied for second in the Badger Conference this season, they return to State by virtue of a 4-3 win over the Beaver Dam co-op in the Beloit Memorial sectional final played at Janesville.
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