Chanhassen has six wins this spring, Minnetonka has seven. Chanhassen’s top scorer, Leah Hodgins, has 30 goals while Minnetonka scoring leader Ava Rajala has 29. There’s not much separation in the rankings, either, as Minnetonka is No. 5 in the coaches' poll from May 4 and Chanhassen is No. 9.
The last time these teams met was in 2019, when Chanhassen beat Minnetonka 15-9 in the Section 2 semifinals. Their section history — Minnetonka beat Chanhassen 11-7 in the 2018 section semis — only adds accelerant to the already combustible rivalry between the west metro neighbors.
Hodgins, a junior committed to Boston University, scored a combined 12 goals for Chanhassen (6-1, 4-0) in recent victories over No. 6 Benilde-St. Margaret’s (16-4 on May 4) and No. 10 Eden Prairie (17-6 on May 6).
Rajala, also a junior, has scored five or more goals in a game three times this season, with a high of seven on April 24 in the Skippers' 20-3 triumph over Buffalo. Minnetonka (7-0, 4-0) is coming off an 11-6 defeat of Breck on May 6, a game in which Rajala had five goals.