The season is boiling down, folks. Saturday is the last day of the regular season for Boys' high school hockey. The conferences have really tightened up. Teams separated by one or two points still have an opportunity to make a jump and hang a Conference Champion banner from the home rink. The desperate hockey is in full swing. Regardless, teams cannot look too far ahead, or they can very easily get tripped up at the finish line.

The section tournaments kick off on Saturday, February 18th. Sections 6A and 8AA will have their play-in games on Saturday. The actual section quarterfinal games will begin on Feb. 21st.

We all love postseason hockey, and this is no exception. The competition will ramp up, and the one-and-done system means that any team can take an upset and run with it. A goalie getting hot at the right time can get a team to Xcel. There are plenty of Cinderella stories that occur to believe that any team can make a run to the State Tournament. Everything these kids have put into the season will now be put to the test. Bring on the REAL March Madness.

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As February rolls around in Minnesota, it means one thing for high school hockey: heavy conference play. The Conference Championships are up for grabs. Some conferences are already locked up, some have favorites but are still up in the air, and some will be a dog-fight to the end. Two of the big surprises thus far in the conferences:

1) Chanhassen leads the Missota Conference. Normally a conference dominated by the Academy of the Holy Angel Stars, the Chanhassen Storm have a one-point lead in the conference. Oddly enough, the Stars have an 8-2-2 conference record, but have a 0-10-0 record against non-conference foes. The two teams don't meet again, so AHA will need some help to repeat as conference champions.

2) Edina leads the Lake Conference. I know it's not that big of a shock to see Edina at the head of the class, but they are beating the #2 Skippers in the conference. In the two conference game meetings (the Schwan Cup meeting does not count towards conference record), the two teams split, with Edina getting the pre-Hockey Day upset. Like the Missota, Minnetonka is going to need help to take the Lake Conference.

The race to the finish line, along with a Conference Championship, also brings a preferable seeding in the Sectional Tournament. In a section like 6AA, the seeding could mean the difference between facing Holy Family Catholic or Benilde-St. Margaret's in the first round.

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Despite not being outside for the first time, Hockey Day Minnesota had to be considered a good day for hockey fans across the state. The Pagel Activity Center was a very nice complex to host the high school games. Grand Rapids and White Bear Lake had a great game to open the day. The fans who showed up early to watch the Thunderhawks and Bears were treated to a much more competitive game than the Skippers and Greyhounds.

The Gophers were able to bounce back against Colorado College. While Fox Sports North and their homer employees would never acknowledge that there are more than one Minnesota D1 college teams, the other state teams performed well. The Bulldogs swept the series in their return home over Alabama-Huntsville. Minnesota State was able to pull off an overtime win against Nebraska Omaha. St. Cloud State played a very competitive game against North Dakota despite missing their cornerstone goalie and captain.

To cap off the day, the Wild found their offensive game and forecheck in a huge win against Dallas. Chad Rau and little brother Kyle Rau were able to celebrate a huge day for the family. Chad ended up with the game-winning goal in his first NHL game, the first goal of his career. It was a great day for Minnesota hockey.

While there were plenty of good games over the course of the week, there were really only two games with serious implications for Minnesota Boys' High School Hockey. Unless it's the State Tournament, it's rare to see arguably the top two teams from both Class A and Class AA going head to head.

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High school hockey has adopted new rules. Since it's not the 24th yet, I feel marginally comfortable linking these new rules to you. Tuesday could decide if this is the last high school review I can put out to all the fine readers of this site. Let your Senators and your House Members know that SOPA and PIPA are not the correct responses to online piracy. Is it really necessary to shut down sites like Google, Wikipedia, and Hockey Wilderness just to stop 16-year old kids from downloading music illegally? You have the power folks, not the pen-pushers in Washington. Remember they serve you, not the other way around.

On a much more pleasant note, Saturday is a great day to be a hockey fan in Minnesota. The Pagel Activity Center in Minnetonka will host Hockey Day Minnesota this year. In addition to some fine high school hockey, Bryan will be at the Roseville Oval to promote this year's Skate for the Troops, brought to us by Defending the Blue Line. Both will have great causes going on. Please take the time out of your Saturday to visit at least one of the two sites.

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To say that this has been an unusual winter in Minnesota would be a massive understatement. Tuesday was perfect golf weather, followed by high winds on Wednesday. Still no snow, and the temperature is supposed to rise again this weekend. We as a collective group had better start praying for some consistently cold weather, or Hockey Day Minnesota is going to feature the first ever outdoor game on a floating iceberg on Lake Minnetonka. I'm not all that interested in covering the games while the rink and footing melts underneath me and floats away.

Actually, that's no longer a possibility. Hockey Day Minnesota will be played indoors. Personally, I never liked the idea of putting the game on a lake for this specific reason. The last two Hockey Day Minnesota rinks have experienced some technical difficulties with the ice. It was raining in Hermantown, and one end of the Moorhead rink was melting because of how the sun was shining on the ice. A lake is an even less controlled environment than an outdoor rink. I think everyone involved could see the writing on the wall in December when there was no snow and Lake Minnetonka was still mostly open water. At least this year there will be good ice to play on.

Hopefully, everyone is keeping Jack Jablonski and Jenna Privette in their thoughts. Jack is gaining movement back in his arms, and Jenna has begun her physical therapy, but neither have regained the ability to move their legs. Keep pulling for both of these kids.

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The Top 10 (Last week's ranking in parenthesis)

1. Duluth East (1)

2. Minnetonka (2)

3. Maple Grove (3)

4. Eagan (4)

5. Moorhead (6)

6. Eden Prairie (8)

7. Edina (5)

8. Hermantown (NR)

9. Wayzata (NR)

10. Burnsville (9)

After the jump, results, college commitments, NHL Central Scouting notes, upcoming games, and Friday's winning lottery numbers.

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It's been hard to actually care about hockey this week. Everyone in the hockey community, from youth to the NHL, has kept Jack Jablonski in their thoughts and prayers. No one should have to go through what Jack has endured. We all still remain optimistic that Jack can overcome the latest prognosis and continue to pull for Jack in his time of need. Please visit Jack's CaringBridge site to let him know that he does have people pulling for him.

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What is there to say?

Fifteen years ago, Doc Emrick wrote a great essay about Brendan Shanahan winning his first Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings and about how, as Shanahan sat in the locker room following the final game, he told reporters, "I never realized how humble winning this thing can make you feel."

This past week, the emotions have been on the complete opposite end of the spectrum, but the idea of just how humbling the game of hockey can be kept passing through my mind. It's humbling to think about how so much can be taken away so quickly. It's humbling to think about how small, in the grand scheme of things, this game actually is, when real life intervenes.

It's been incredible to see just how far throughout the hockey community this story has spread, and to witness the outpouring of support by people from the lowest to the highest levels of hockey. Part of it, I believe, is the humble acceptance that this could have happened to any hockey player. We all accept that there are certain dangers involved in playing a sport like this, but it will never feel fair when the price paid is that high.

Finally, it's humbling to know that no matter how much anyone wants to help, nothing they can do will ever be enough. But it has still been heart-warming and inspiring to watch people try. In an extremely difficult time, having that kind of faith and support endure through the most humbling of situations is incredible to watch.

The Top Ten (Pre-Christmas Ranking in Parenthesis)

1. Duluth East (1)

2. Minnetonka (2)

3. Maple Grove (3)

4. Eagan (4)

5. Benilde-St. Margaret's (5)

6. Moorhead (7)

7. Edina (5)

8. Eden Prairie (9)

9. Burnsville (8)

10.Grand Rapids (NR)

Despite a lot of action between top-ranked teams, there wasn't really a lot of movement. Minnetonka, Maple Grove, Eagan, and Benilde all lost a game since the last ranking, but each of their losses was to a higher-ranked team, and nobody else stepped up with a big win to earn a spot in the top five.

After the jump, we confirm Duluth East's awesomeness with some key results, chide whoever made Moorhead's schedule in the upcoming games of the week, talk college commitments, say goodbye to a legendary coach, and generally just try to make this whole thing seem fun again.

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