The boys hockey team is set to begin section play on Thursday Feb. 19. The sixth-seeded Royals have an opening-round date with the third-seeded Wayzata Trojans. The Trojans enter the game with a 11-11-3 record (3-4-1 in the Lake Conference).

The Royals have faced the Trojans two times thus far this season. In their first meeting, the Trojans dominated in a 5-1 blowout. The two teams met again in the regular-season finale as the Royals tied the Trojans with a 3-3 final. Josh Kuehmichel, senior led the Royals with 47 saves.

The top scorer for the Royals is Josh Laven, senior, with 17 goals. Laven also leads the team in assists, with 18.

The Trojans have a well-rounded attack. Their top goalscorer, with 14 goals on the season, is Hank Sorensen, sophomore. Billy Duma, junior leads the Trojans with 21 assists, and Max Zimmer, junior leads the team with 28 overall points.

“I think the game is going to go really well. We’re really confident, and we know we can beat them,” Kuehmichel said. “We’ve had a great week of practice, and today we’re practicing on an Olympic-sized rink to get the feel of what [the Wayzata rink] will be like tomorrow.”

The puck is set to drop this Thursday at 8 pm at the Plymouth Ice Center.