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. The first team we’re breaking down is Burnsville.
How last season went
On paper, the Blaze’s 15-8-2 regular looks solid. But with the South Suburban Conference being a battle year in and year out, Burnsville found itself in fifth place in the conference standings at season’s end.
The Blaze’s run during the regular season started well as they won their first three contests. From there, the road was bumpier but Burnsville notched some key wins including one against Blake.
Heading into the postseason, Burnsville appeared to be a team with a chance to break out of Section 3AA as the champion. However, St. Thomas Academy shocked many as the Cadets, who found themselves to be a rare underdog in this tournament, made a Cinderella-esque run and defeated the Blaze, 2-0, in the section final.
Who’s back and who’s gone
The most positive news for Burnsville comes in the fact that Kade Nelson is set to return after tallying a team-best 24 goals and 24 assists. As for the rest of the Blaze’s top performers on the 2019-20 squad, it’s a different story.
Korey Bell, Tim Urlaub and Joey Anderson are all top skaters who graduate this spring. They depart after combining for 41 goals and 57 assists as seniors. To make matters worse, Evan Wittchow also graduates after being Burnsville’s top goaltender. He posted a 2.34 goals against average and a .913 save percentage.
What to expect next season
Burnsville has had a long history of successful squads. With Nielsen back, the Blaze appear to be in a position to compete but will need some role players to step up. The biggest task for Burnsville and the rest of Section 3AA is to find a way to get past St. Thomas Academy.