Hoping for a playoff run

The Burnsville girls hockey team is hoping to make some noise in the Section 3AA playoffs.

The Blaze earned the No. 5 seed and will open the quarterfinals Feb. 8 at fourth-seeded Apple Valley at 7 p.m. The Eagles swept Burnsville in South Suburban Conference play this season with 4-1 and 2-0 victories.

Burnsville (9-13-3 overall) ended the regular season Feb. 4 on a high note, earning a 4-2 home win over Prior Lake in league play. The Blaze finished 4-12-1 in the SSC.

Meanwhile, Apple Valley (11-12-2) heads into the playoffs just 1-5-2 in its last eight games. Burnsville has won two of its last three contests and is 5-5-1 since the start of the new year.

Eastview (13-10-2) earned the No. 1 seed in the section and will take on eighth-seeded Rosemount (9-16) in the quarterfinals, while second-seeded Eagan (12-9-4) will play host to seventh-seeded Hastings (8-16-1) and third-seeded East Ridge (16-9) is home to sixth-seeded Park (8-15-2).

The section semifinals are Feb. 11 at Veterans Memorial Community Center in Inver Grove Heights at 1 and 3 p.m. The title game is Feb. 15 at the same venue at 7 p.m.

The Blaze won the section crown in 2014 in Tracy Cassano’s first season as coach.

Meanwhile, in the win over Prior Lake, junior Kennedy Anderson and sophomore Jenna Hartung each had a goal and an assist to lead the Blaze. Ninth-grader Aubrey Nevin and senior Amanda Jackson also had goals.

Juniors Val Johnson and Abigail Tucci, senior Ali Dahl and sophomore Lyndsey Howard each had one assist. Sophomore Riley Pester made 16 saves as the Blaze outshot the Lakers 35-18.

Hartung leads the Blaze in points heading into the playoffs with 24 (9 goals, 15 assists), while Anderson (8 goals, 14 assists) and senior Sloane Taylor (10 goals, 12 assists) each have 22. Howard has 18 points (5 goals, 13 assists), followed by Tucci with 13 (10 goals, 3 assists) and Jackson with nine (9 goals).

Pester finished the regular season with a 2.33 goals-against average with a .911 save percentage and two shutouts.