These teams met in a highly memorable and eminently entertaining Section 5AA championship game last season, won 2-1 by Maple Grove at a packed Furniture and Things Community Events Center in Elk River.
Both teams have re-tooled their rosters, but the juicy notion of section championship rematch has more than a bit of merit (barring upsets by fellow section residents Centennial and Champlin Park). Maple Grove (11-2-0) sits at No. 3 in Class 2A and Rogers (8-2-2) at No. 6 in Legacy Hockey’s latest state rankings.
Saturday’s meeting, the first of the teams' two in the regular season, at the Maple Grove Community Center will offer nothing if not the early advantage in the jockeying for section seeding position.
Bona fide Mr. Hockey candidates will be on display in Maple Grove forward Finn Brink (12 goals, 17 assists) and Rogers’ Sam Ranallo (9 goals, 11 assists), dazzling forwards with the ability to take over a game at any instant.