(KNSI) – The St. Cloud Cathedral Crusaders Hockey Team will be heading to defend their state title this week.
Not only will the school find out if they have a back-to-back state championship, they will also find out if Blake Perbix is name Mr. Hockey Minnesota.
The prestigious award is handed out to the best senior hockey player in the state of Minnesota.
Cathedral will play the first game of the tournament this Wednesday morning, March 4th at 11:00 a.m. against Mankato East; that game can be heard on the KNSI Sports Network.
Perbix will have to wait a bit longer to find out if he is named Mr. Hockey as that happens after the tournament on Sunday, March 8th at noon.
After amassing 27 goals and 47 assists, Perbix is currently fifth in the entire state of Minnesota with 74 points on the season.
Perbix also has 11 more points in his three playoff games this season.
The nine other nominees included:
Blake Biondi, Hermantown
Jake Boltmann, Edina
Matthew Gleason, Cretin-Derham Hall
Luke Gramer, Moorhead
Wyatt Kaiser, Andover
Carsen Richels, Blaine
Nate Schweitzer, Benilde-St. Margaret’s
Grant Slukynsky, Warroad
Ben Steeves, Eden Prairie
Before that award gets handed out, one of the best spectacles in all of the high school sports will commence starting on Wednesday when the number-two seeded Cathedral Crusaders take on Mankato East.
Warroad received the one-seed and the Crusaders will face the winner of three-seeded Hermantown and Monticello.
Cathedral defeated Makato East in late December by the score of 9-3; Perbix had two assists and one goal to help the Crusaders.
Cathedral was also the two-seed last season when they won the title but the way the seeds are set up, it may be an even tougher challenge than one year ago.