ST. PAUL — Broten-Broten-Erickson. Lecy-Lecy-Aitkins. The Poehlings. Miller-Hain-McLaughlin.

Andover coach Mark Manney was rattling off the names of members of some of the greatest forward lines in state history after being asked to consider where his fab trio of seniors Gavin Thoreson, Cooper Conway and Cayden Casey might fit in the mix.

“I don’t know, every era has got their guys,” Manney said Thursday after Thoreson scored three goals and added an assist to lead No. 4 seed Andover to a 5-2 victory over No. 5 seed Lakeville South in a state Class 2A quarterfinal at the Xcel Energy Center. “And every year has got their groups. It’s something to sit and argue over at the bar someday.”

Conway and Casey each added assists in Thursday’s victory, but this was Thoreson’s night.

Thoreson scored twice and added an assist in a 5-minute stretch in the second period as the Huskies turned a 1-0 deficit in a 3-1 lead.

“I think we just started clicking,” Thoreson said. “And the rest was history from there.”

Thoreson scored the second of his goals on a wicked wrist shot, but his best play of the night might have come on a Conway goal that was eventually disallowed after review because the Huskies were offside. Thoreson, blasting down the left side, made it look as though he was going to shoot before rifling a pass squarely on Conway’s tape. Lakeville South's defense and goaltender Jack Hochsprung were all caught out of position because of Thoreson's deception.

“He had the hot stick,” Manney said about Thoreson, who along with Conway are among the 10 finalists for the Mr. Hockey Award.

Thoreson upped his season points total to 94, second most in the state. Conway is fourth in the state in goals with 47. And Casey, ever the conscientious defender and a human breakout machine, earned praise from Manney as the most complete player on the team.

“It has almost become a putdown to call a kid a 200-foot player, because it means a lot of times coaches say a 200-foot player when a guy doesn’t have much offense,” Manney said. “Cayden is outstanding in our defense zone plus he is in on almost all the goals. 

“If you were going to start a team that’s probably the guy you would go with first.”

If you were going to start a team you would happily take the entire Andover trio. Combined, they have an astounding 257 points. The unit, however, was held mostly in check during a scoreless first period Thursday night.

“We knew their top line was going to be that good, and we threw everything we possibly could at them to disrupt their play,” Lakeville South senior forward Ashton Dahms said.

No. 11-2A Lakeville South (21-6-1) played without top scorer Tate Pritchard, a senior who suffered a hand injury in the Cougars’ Section 1AA championship victory over Lakeville North. While Ryder Patterson, normally a defenseman, earned praise for moving into Pritchard’s spot and filling in admirably, Lakeville South coach Josh Storm said Pritchard’s absence made a huge divot in the Cougar’s depth. 

“I mean you are talking about one of the most dynamic kids in the state of Minnesota,” Storm said. “You take Thoreson off Andover, how is that going to look for them?”

Andover without Thoreson would be the equivalent of the rock band The Police with Sting. Or ZZ Top without Billy Gibbons. But the Huskies had him Thursday and, as Thoreson said, the rest was - and continues to be - history.

"Certainly these guys have created memories in Andover and for anybody who has watched them play here the last two years," Manney said. "They’ll enter that conversation of the greatest line ever and some people will believe it and others won’t."

Click image to view gallery.

ST. PAUL - Senior forward Gavyn Thoreson recorded three goals and added an assist to lead No. 4 seed Andover, the defending state champion, past No. 5 seed Lakeville South 5-2 on Thursday in a state Class 2A quarterfinal at the Xcel Energy Center.

Thoreson, one of 10 Mr. Hockey Award finalists, scored an unassisted goal midway through the second to pull the No. 5-2A Huskies (22-6-1) into a 1-1 tie. He had an assist on Ben Doll’s goal that made it 2-1 and added a power-play goal on a laser shot to put the Huskies ahead 3-1.

Thoreson completed his hat trick with with 1:24 remaining. The goal was his 38th of the season. A St. Cloud State commit, Thoreson ranks third in the state with 94 points.

Will Kortan scored 56 seconds into the third period to pull No. 11-2A Lakeville South (21-7-1) to within 3-2. Andover’s Brooks Cogswell scored on a deflection with 6:06 left as the Huskies regained their two-goal lead.

Tyler Lafferty put the Cougars ahead 1-0 with a power-play goal 41 seconds into the second period.

Andover is making its fourth straight state tournament appearance. Lakeville South, runner-up in 2021, qualified for the fifth straight year.