Benilde-St. Margaret's vs. St. Thomas Academy

7 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 5
St. Thomas Ice Arena, Mendota Heights

It’s a lot of work to maintain a backyard rink. But worth it, since you never know who might show up for a friendly game of shinny. Such was the case earlier this week when the Cronin brothers, Tommy and younger brother Patch, and Cadets buddy Zach Howard hosted the Benilde-St. Margaret’s trio of Stewart, Ryan Baird and Peter Giertsen. Mixed into all the toe drags and no-look passes were the occasional checks (scripted for a promotional video) into the snowbank.

The competition gets considerably more serious on Thursday, as the Red Knights (6-4-0) will be gunning for their sixth victory in their last seven games. St. Thomas Academy has gone 2-2-0 since winning its first seven games to start the season. Stewart leads the Red Knights with nine goals while Tommy Cronin has a team-best 15 for the Cadets. St. Thomas Academy goaltender Tyler Magozzi ranks fourth in the state with a 1.15 goals-against average and .942 save percentage.

Which team will win?
Legacy pick: Benilde-St. Margaret's