On Feb. 18, the number five seed Hopkins Royals Boys Hockey team will face off with the number four seed, the Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders. The game will take place at the Highland Arena in St. Paul as their first Section game of the year. The Royals were 6-17-1 in the regular season and hope to excel in these upcoming games in order to make it to the State Tournament.

The Royals have been struggling all season to execute in big games but believe they have they ability to succeed.

“We haven’t been able to prove ourselves against tough teams,” said Ryan St. Clair, junior. “If we can play our game against Cretin-Derham Hall, we shouldn’t have a problem in the first round.”

If the Royals win Thursday, they will play either the number eight seed Dodge County or the number one seed Benilde St. Margarets. With Benilde’s best player out with an injury, the Royals have an opportunity to make it all the way to the Section Finals.

The game will be at 7:00 pm.