What to watch this week: The road back to state starts here for Minnesota girls hockey hopefuls

What to watch this week: The road back to state starts here for Minnesota girls hockey hopefuls Strib Varsity Gophers commit Mia Sutch leads Centennial/Spring Lake Park against Minnetonka as part of Strib Varsity’s four-game livestream slate in the first week of the girls hockey season. Comment Gift Share By Star Tribune staff The Minnesota Star Tribune November 9, 2026 at 4:06 PM Winter sports are here, and you can watch games from across Minnesota all season on Strib Varsity. Here’s the scoop on what’s coming up this week (and you can always find our streaming schedule right here ): Friday at 7 p.m., girls hockey: Lakeville North vs. Grand Rapids/Greenway . Lakeville North, which reached the state tournament last year, opens the season on the road against the Lightning. Grand Rapids/Greenway, which reached the section championship last season as the No. 4 seed but lost 1-0 to Andover, returns sophomore forward Kate Carlson (45 points last year) and senior forward Opal Anderson (44 points), as well as senior defenseman Sophie Carlson (22 points). Lakeville North, which brings back senior forwards Mali Carlson (33 points) and Maizee Storey (27 points), won 5-4 when the teams met in last year’s season opener. Related Coverage Here’s what to expect from Strib Varsity in Season 2 Strib Varsity What's free, and what isn't, on Strib Varsity? Answers here: Strib Varsity Capture a great clip? Send it to Strib Varsity. Strib Varsity Saturday at 1 p.m., girls hockey: Minnetonka vs. Centennial/Spring Lake Park . Gophers commit Mia Sutch and Quinnipiac commit Annabelle Buccicone lead defending Class 2A runner-up Centennial/Spring Lake Park as it hosts Minnetonka, which features Harvard commit Jemma McAlexander, Dartmouth commit Delaney Miller, Assumption commit Annika Eggert and St. Thomas commit Kennedy Hochbaum. Sutch and Miller were teammates on the U.S. under-18 women’s Select Team this summer . The teams met twice last year, with the first game ending in a 2-2 tie and the second a 4-3 overtime win for Centennial/Spring Lake Park. Saturday at 3 p.m., girls hockey: Minnesota River vs. Orono . Minnesota River, which came up just short of the state tournament last season, visits Orono, which missed state last year for the first time since 2021. The Spartans have two Division I recruits in Minnesota State Mankato commit Gabi Lopez and Dartmouth commit Alex Christian, while Minnesota River returns its two top scorers from last season, McKenna Andresen (46 points) and Noelle Simonette (40 points). Saturday at 3 p.m., girls hockey: Chisago Lakes vs. Minneapolis . Led by junior forward Olive Carlson, who had 22 goals and 22 assists last season, Minneapolis hosts Chisago Lakes, which looks to avenge last year’s 2-0 loss. The Wildcats return all three of their top scorers: senior forward Lexi Smothers (55 points), freshman defenseman Zoe Neurer (50 points, including a team-high 29 goals) and freshman forward Brynn Secor (32 points). Minnesota high school sports livestreams Find our streaming schedule right here . Share Comment About the Author Star Tribune staff See More ADVERTISEMENT advertisement More From Strib Varsity Strib Varsity expands hockey and recruiting coverage, adds athlete profile pages Strib Varsity Strib Varsity provides free access to Minnesota high school scores, statistics, rosters and more Strib Varsity Minnesota’s best high school sports highlights wanted Strib Varsity advertisement advertisement