The boys state hockey tournament kicks off Wednesday with Class A quarterfinal action in St. Paul.

All winner’s bracket games throughout the tournament will be played at Xcel Energy Center and aired locally on television on KSTC-Channel 45 and streamed on prep45.tv.

Here are a few things to watch in Class A competition:

Mahtomedi set to defend title: Mahtomedi is back after winning last year’s state title in dramatic fashion, topping Warroad in double overtime to hand Warroad its first loss of the season.

The Zephyrs have proven to be a bit of a giant slayer in Class A in recent years, though it’s about time Mahtomedi is viewed in such a light. And yet still, Mahtomedi enters this week as a bit of an underdog, at least to win the whole thing.

The Zephyrs are seeded fourth. They did beat their quarterfinal opponent — fifth-seeded Orono — 5-2 earlier this season.

There’s a decent chance if Mahtomedi is to defend its title and lift the trophy again on Saturday, it’ll have to top Orono, Hermantown and Warroad in succession.

Sure, Mahtomedi fell to Warroad and Hermantown earlier in the season, but history tells us the Zephyrs are consistently much better in March than they are in December or January.

The Zephyrs — who edged Southwest Christian in overtime of the Section 4 final — are led by senior forward Jake Hodd-Chlebeck, who has 25 goals and 22 assists this season.

Warroad looks to take final step: Warroad has played in the final game of the Class A season in each of the past two campaigns, without a state title to show for it in that span.

Warroad fell to Hermantown in the 2022 title game, then to Mahtomedi last season. But while last year’s team was dominant up to the state tournament, this year the Warriors had to top East Grand Forks in double overtime of the section final to get back to St. Paul.

That doesn’t make Warroad any less dangerous this week, though. It again touts a potent offense, featuring three players with 50-plus points this season. The charge is led by Carson Pilgrim. The senior forward is a North Dakota commit with 29 goals and 34 assists.

The gang is all here: There is seemingly no one missing from this year’s Class A field. The traditional powers of Hermantown, Warroad, St. Cloud Cathedral and Mahtomedi are all in attendance — all seeded No. 1-4. If the seeds hold, the semifinals figure to be rather memorable.

And, should an upset occur Wednesday to shake up the status quo, that would be a memory in itself.

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