STA Moving Up To Class AA, Will Breck & Others Follow?

ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) -- At the Minnesota state boys hockey tournament, defending state champion St. Thomas Academy aims to repeat in Class A, as this year will be the Cadets final in the small school division.

St. Thomas Academy is no stranger to the state hockey tournament. The Cadets are the No. 1 seed in Class A, and are seeking their third state title in a row.

"I'm very happy that we are making the move," parent Brian Sattler said. "I have two sons that played on this team. I kind of wish we could have done it earlier so they could have had the opportunity to play in the upper class."

Instead of facing powerhouses such as Breck and Hermantown, the Cadets will battle the likes of Edina and Hill-Murray.

The move has some hockey fans wondering if other Class A schools could follow.

John Millea of the Minnesota State High School League has seen other schools opt-up before with success. Totino-Grace in football is one example.

But Millea doesn't necessarily think it will prompt other schools to do the same. He added that the never-ending topic of a class for just private schools doesn't seem realistic.

"I hear that a lot, and my reaction is there are a lot of powerful private schools," he said. "But there are a whole lot of other private schools you never hear about."

Breck is one of those schools you've heard of, and a school that has come up in that conversation. Athletic Director Brett Bergene hasn't ruled anything out.

"It's something we've talked about with St. Thomas Academy," Bergene said. "All of us are constantly considering what's best for our kids and our programs."

Bergene wanted to make it clear -- they have talked about moving up, but there are no plans to do that right now.