Recent history suggests (nay, screams) that dominant South Suburban Conference teams have a more than reasonable chance of winning the state tournament. And if one of those dominant teams has a dominant scorer, well, all the better.
All is good for Shakopee, then, which fits the championship profile on both counts. The upstart Sabers, ranked No. 6 in the coaches' poll from May 11, are in second place in the South Suburban standings, a game behind two-time defending state champion Prior Lake (the Lakers also won a state title in 2016; the South Suburban’s Eagan was champion in 2017).
Another good omen for Shakopee (8-1, 7-1), which has never reached the state tournament, is the presence of Linus Toward, a sophomore who ranks third in the state with 43 goals.
Rosemount, which reached the 2014 state title game, has taken its turn as one of those dominant South Suburban teams, and the Irish (6-3, 5-3) currently sit in third place in the league standings. Junior Chase Tuccitto, with 16 goals through eight games, is Rosemount’s scoring leader.