Minneapolis Southwest beat Wayzata 3-2 to win last year's Class 2A, Section 6 championship. Star Tribune file photo by Jeff Wheeler
North St. Paul begins the season looking to answer one big question: Can the defending state Class 2A champion survive the graduation of Justin and Tyler Oliver?
The twin brothers accounted for 52 of the Polar's 70 regular-season goals and recorded five of the team's 16 postseason goals.
Replacing such a large chunk of scoring is not easy, and North St. Paul will need to quickly find a way as the Polars host Minneapolis Southwest, ranked No. 1 in the coaches' association preseason poll, on Tuesday.
The Polars have eight seniors to help speed up the learning curve.
Minneapolis Southwest also faces its own question: Do the Lakers belong as a top team in Class 2A? So far, there's no clear answer. Minneapolis Southwest recorded an opening-season loss to Shakopee and a tie to Apple Valley.
This is going to be a great test for both teams.
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Tag(s): St. Louis Park St. Paul City St. Paul Como Park Metro East North St. Paul Lake Eden Prairie Edina Wayzata Minneapolis City Minneapolis South Minneapolis Southwest Minneapolis Washburn Benilde-St. Margaret's South Suburban Apple Valley Bloomington Jefferson Eagan Eastview St. Paul Academy Metro West Metro West IMAC
