Offseason breakdown No. 2: The Alexandria Cardinals
With most sports on hold and the 2020-21 season still months out, it’s time to take a look at teams from all over the State of Hockey and examine what happened this past season and what’s ahead. Our next team…
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Continue ReadingWith most sports on hold and the 2020-21 season still months out, it’s time to take a look at teams from all over the State of Hockey and examine what happened this past season and what’s ahead. Our next team to look at is Alexandria.
How last season went
The Cardinals put up a stellar regular season as they finished 17-8. That included six wins in their first seven games. As the season wore on, Alexandria struggled against some of the top-end teams such as Mahtomedi, Orono, Monticello and St. Cloud Cathedral. Despite that, the Cardinals advanced all the way to the section final before falling to the Crusaders.
Who’s back and who’s gone
The two most important graduating Alexandria players look to be Caleb Strong and Landyn James. Strong led all Cardinals with 50 points (27 goals, 23 assists). James departs after spending a good amount of time in net and finishing the season with a 2.05 goals against average and a .912 save percentage.
On the other side, some key pieces are set to return, including Josiah Gronholz (18G, 20A) and Joe Westlund (14G, 7A). Alexandria also will be able to lean on Christopher Loken at goaltender, who got some run and finished with a 3.03 goals against average and .881 save percentage.
What does next season look like
It appears the Cardinals should have enough returning players to at least meet this year’s results. One thing Alexandria could have in its favor is a rebuilding St. Cloud Cathedral squad that loses most of its core. That could give the Cardinals an opening to the Section 6A title and a trip to the state tournament.