For the first time since 1971, there will be a rematch of the previous year’s state championship in the first round of the State Tournament.

Defending champion Wayzata and Lake Conference rival Eden Prairie will square off the first round of the tournament, meaning the top-seeded Eagles will get their shot at postseason redemption after falling to the Trojans 3-1 in last year’s finale.

Also making a return trip to the State Tournament is fourth-seeded Grand Rapids, which capped another thrilling Section 7AA final with an overtime win over Duluth East.

The Thunderhawks upended No. 1 seed Elk River and the second-seeded Greyhounds in the section playoffs.

Moorhead has broken through to St. Paul after three consecutive losses in the Section 8AA finals. Do the third-seeded Spuds have the stuff to win their first state title?

Following is a preview of the quarterfinal matchups, to be played on Thursday at the Xcel Energy Center. 

See Complete Class AA Bracket at mshsl.org.

With 14 players recording 10 or more points, and eight of those players topping 20 or more, there may not be a deeper team in the field than St. Thomas Academy.

The Cadets (23-4-1) are paced by senior forward Willie Reim (24-27-51) and senior defender Robbie Stucker (10-37-47), who was named to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune All-Metro Second team.

Stucker is a fluid skater who can create offense from his defensive position, and Reim is a productive member of the Cadet power play, recording eight goals and 14 points with the man-advantage.

Lakeville South (18-9-1) also deploys a highly-skilled defender, with senior and Wisconsin commit Josh Ess leading the Cougars with 11 goals and 33 points. An All-Metro Third Team selection, Ess is joined by senior forwards Sam Malinski (6-24-30) and Bradley Golant (17-14-31) in the 30-point club.

Junior goaltender Isiah DiLaura has been impressive for Lakeville South, winning 16 games and totaling seven shutouts on the season.

Both the Cadets and the Cougars are 0-2-1 in games decided by overtime. 

After three consecutive seasons of being sent home in the Section 8AA finals, Moorhead will be looking to make the most of their St. Paul excursion.

The Spuds (22-3-3) carry with them an explosive offense, headed by a junior trio that has seemed to get stronger as the season progressed, winning nine straight games entering the tournament.

Carter Randlev (30-25-55) has been held without a point in just four of 28 games, while Cole O’Connell (22-28-50) and Jack Stetz (12-30-42) help pace an attack that features 13 players with 10 or more points.

Junior goaltender Lance Leonard is also riding a hot streak, posting four shutouts in his last four games, including three consecutive in the section playoffs.

Moorhead’s Leonard will face a Hill-Murray forward corps that put a premium on net-crashing and capitalizing on rebounds.

Senior forwards Brock Bremer (22-24-46) and Kyler Yeo (15-21-36) pace the Pioneers in scoring, while senior netminder Jake Begley (1.62 goals against average, .936 save percentage) has staked his claim to the Frank Brimsek Award, awarded to the state’s top senior goaltender and for which he’s been nominated.

Four of the five losses suffered by the Pioneers (19-5-4) have been by two goals or less, including a 4-3 overtime defeat at the hands of the Spuds in the final game of the regular season for both teams.

Riding a 15-game winning streak, top-seeded Eden Prairie is statistically the hottest team in the state at the moment.

Engineering the run has been lauded senior forward Casey Mittelstadt (22-47-69), a Mr. Hockey finalist and University of Minnesota commit.

While the accolades and expectations for Mittelstadt are understandably high, the Eagles have depth from top to bottom in the lineup.

Senior forwards Hunter Johannes (17-29-46) and Nolan Sullivan (17-22-39) are both capable of outstanding performances, while senior defenseman Nicky Leivermann (11-27-38) anchors the defense and scored the eventual game-winning goal as the Eagles (21-4-2) edged Holy Family Catholic in the Section 2AA finals.

Since back-to-back losses to Edina and Centennial in the Schwan’s Cup, goaltender Nick Wiencek has gone 11-0, and hasn’t given up more than three goals in a game.

Despite losing twice to Eden Prairie and winning just seven games in the regular season, Wayzata could be the ideal team to slow down the Eagles' attack. The Trojans rely on stifling defense, slowing the game down, and feature a red-hot goaltender of their own in senior Reid Waszczenko.

Waszcenzo stopped 58 of 59 shots in the Section 6AA playoffs, including a pair of shutouts in three consecutive wins for the Trojans (10-17-1).

Junior forwards Griffin Ness (13-15-28) and Minnesota commit Colin Schmidt (10-15-25) provide grit and tenacity at the front of the Wayzata offense.

Grand Rapids has returned to the Xcel Energy Center, and they’re being carried by a wave of upsets.

The Thunderhawks (20-7-1) entered the Section 7AA playoffs as the fourth seed, and promptly downed top-seeded Elk River and No. 2 seed Duluth East, buoyed in the final by the extra session heroics of senior forward and leading scorer Micah Miller (23-41-64).

The St. Cloud State commit scored the game-winner in double overtime to lift the Thunderhawks to the State Tourney, and is joined on the team’s list of leading scorers by junior Minnesota commit Blake McLaughlin (18-37-55) and North Dakota commit Gavin Hain (27-25-52).

Either Zach Stejskal or Gabe Holum will get the call to take the crease for Grand Rapids, with both juniors splitting time during the regular season. Stejskal stopped 83 of 88 shots in two section playoff wins.

The Thunderhakws are 2-1 against teams in the State Tournament field, beating Eden Prairie and Wayzata while falling to Moorhead.

Overshadowed by the expectations placed upon Elk River in the Northwest Suburban Conference, Maple Grove quietly went 19-6 during the regular season and upended No. 1 seed Centennial in the finals of the Section 5AA playoffs, running its record to an impressive 22-6.

Seniors Sam Huff (22-44-66) and Justin Kelley (23-27-50) are the primary catalysts of the Crimson offense, with freshman goaltender Ethan Haider (76 saves on 80 shots in section play) proving reliable between the pipes.

After an injury limited him to just 18 games as a junior, Huff has exploded in his final season, has been held without a point just twice and totaled eight assists in a 10-point performance in a 14-0 win over Osseo on Feb. 8.

Huff was named to the All-Metro Third Team for his efforts.