Stats and facts about the 42nd WIAA Boys Hockey State Tournament

The 42nd Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Boys Hockey State Championships and the 11th Girls Hockey State Championships will take place Thursday-Saturday at Veterans Memorial Coliseum at the Alliant Energy Center in Madisons. Ticket prices for the tourney are $8 per session.

The single elimination boys tournament features eight teams. The girls tournament features four teams. There were 90 boys teams and 32 girls teams at the beginning of the championship tournament series this year.

All of Superior’s games in Madison will be carried live on WNXR 107.3 FM. The finals of the boys and girls state tournaments will be televised live on KBJR Duluth/Superior.

The entire boys and girls state hockey tournaments will be streamed live. The boys quarterfinals and semifinals, as well as the girls semifinals will be streamed live on foxsportswisconsin.com. The finals will be streamed live on the State Network’s websites.

Wausau West won its first boys hockey title last year with a 5-0 win over Middleton in the championship game.

In the girls final, the River Falls/Baldwin-Woodville/Glenwood City/St. Croix Central/Spring Valley co-op defeated the Mosinee/D.C. Everest/Wausau East/West co-op in the championship final, 3-2 in four overtimes.

The first WIAA State boys hockey championship game was held in 1971. Superior won the first championship and has won 11 more since to give the Spartans a membership-leading 12 State titles. Madison Memorial has won eight titles.

Hudson won the first two girls titles in 2002 and 2003, and the same River Falls co-op won championships in 2010-11. Another River Falls co-op with one additional team skated to the title in 2009.

The boys field

Defending champion Wausau West will be appearing in the state tournament for the third consecutive year and for the 12th time overall. The Warriors also finished second in 2000 and in 2010. They defeated Northland Pines 6-1 in the sectional final to earn a chance to defend their title.

Eau Claire Memorial will appear in the tournament for the 12th time and for the fifth time in the last six years. The Old Abes won the state championship in 2008. They defeated Chippewa Falls 8-4 in the sectional final to earn a return engagement to the state tournament.

Verona remains in contention for its first state title following a 4-2 triumph over Middleton in its sectional final. The Wildcats made back-to-back appearances in 2002-03 and added another in 2009. Their furthest advance at state was to the semifinals in 2002.

Marquette is making its second straight appearance in the state tournament and its fourth overall. The first two appearances came in 1996 and 1999 when the Hilltoppers were still a member of WISAA. Through a special arrangement in hockey, they were afforded the opportunity to play in the tournament. They have fallen to defeat in the quarterfinals in each of the three previous appearances. They defeated the Kettle Moraine co-op 3-2 in the final of the sectional.

Green Bay Notre Dame is making its third consecutive and third overall trip to state.

The Tritons advanced to the semifinals before being eliminated from title contention in each of the past two seasons. They qualify again this season following their 2-0 blanking of Bay Port in the sectional final.

Brookfield Central/East is making the program’s first appearance in the state tournament. The co-op’s advance to the state quarterfinals came by virtue of its 2-1 victory over Fond du Lac in the sectional final. Sparta/Bangor/West Salem is another first-time qualifier to the State Tournament after defeating Onalaska 4-3 in their sectional final.

The girls field

The D.C. Everest/Mosinee/ Wausau East/Wausau West co-op, formerly identified as the Mosinee co-op with the same schools, returns to State for the fifth straight year. The co-op finished runner-up last year and won the state crown in 2008. They defeated Northland Pines 2-0 in the sectional final to earn another chance to play for the State title.

The Onalaska/Aquinas/Holmen/ Melrose-Mindoro/West Salem co-op skated past the Sun Prairie co-op 3-2 in the sectional final to earn its first opportunity to play at State. Onalaska without the co-op appeared in six straight state tournaments from 2002-07. The Hilltoppers had back-to-back runner-up finishes in 2005-06.

The Hayward/Spooner co-op has qualified for the state tournament for the first time. The co-op’s advance to the semifinals was earned with a 2-1 triumph over defending champion River Falls co-op in the sectional final.

The Kettle Moraine/Brookfield Central/Brookfield East/Menomonee Falls/Milwaukee King/Mukwonago/Slinger/Waukesha North/Waukesha South/Waukesha West co-op will also make its first-ever appearance at State following a 3-2 victory over the Green Bay East co-op in the sectional final.

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