Section 1AA championship games are played in Rochester, but the road to the state championship truly runs through Lakeville. The last six section titles — and 12 of the last 13 — have been won by either Lakeville North or Lakeville South. Rochester Mayo established itself as a serious title contender with Thursday’s 5-3 victory over Lakeville North.
Eight players have scored seven or more goals for the Spartans (15-4-2), who are led by Ethan Dennis’ 17. Senior Nick Weick stopped 22 of 25 shots in the win over Lakeville North and has lost just once in his last seven starts.
New Prague won Section 1A last season as the No. 4 seed but likely won’t have the advantage of surprise this season. As a member of the Metro West Conference, the No. 17-1A Trojans (11-7-1) play mostly Class 2A teams in preparation for the playoffs. Thursday’s game in Rochester adds another big-school squad to the list. Senior John Schmidt leads New Prague in goals (19) and assists (19).