A few seasons ago, a group of eight teams played four consecutive games on a Saturday at the TRIA Rink in St. Paul. All the teams represented private schools in what was labeled the Catholic Cup.
Benilde-St. Margaret’s and Cretin-Derham Hall met in the penultimate game of the series that night, with Cretin-Derham Hall winning 4-1. Last season, Benilde-St. Margaret’s had the upper hand in a game with slightly higher stakes, as the Red Knights prevailed 4-0 in the Section 6AA semifinals, handing the Raiders just their second loss of the season.
Both teams can play most any style, but the preferred method for both the Red Knights and Raiders is to overwhelm opponents with speed, speed, speed, then go ahead and score, score, score. First team to, say, seven, wins?
No. 7-2A Benilde-St. Margaret’s (2-3-0) has played an exceedingly difficult schedule to start the season, with defending Class 2A champion Eden Prairie, at No. 16, its lowest ranked opponent. The Red Knights have lost their last two games, to No. 5-2A Wayzata and No. 12-2A Moorhead, in overtime.
Senior forward Adam Marshall, a Mr. Hockey candidate, paces the Red Knights in points with seven, just ahead of sophomore Drew Stewart’s six points. Four of Benilde-St. Margaret’s top six scorers are sophomores.
Luke McCarthy, Attila Lippai, Jake Fisher and Drew Fisher all share the scoring lead for No. 2-2A Cretin-Derham Hall (4-1-0) with nine points. Drew Fisher is the leader in goals with six. The Raiders scored 18 goals in their last two games — lopsided wins over Woodbury and East Ridge.