AA Rankings for 12/9/12

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AA Rankings for 12/9/12

Post by karl(east) » Sun Dec 09, 2012 9:41 am

We had an eventful week loaded with big games; as usual, this helped clarify some parts of the rankings, while it just made a bigger mess in others. Here’s my best effort to sift through the results so far:

1. Edina (6-0)
-Benilde’s loss nudges the Hornets one spot higher, and now it’s their turn to wear the #1 target. They had a very narrow escape at Prior Lake this past Tuesday, showing they definitely can be beaten by a strong, disciplined team. Still, the win rounds out a very solid start to the year, and they now get to rest on their laurels during a 15-day stretch without games. Next up, the Edina Holiday Classic a week from Thursday.
This week: Idle

2. Hill-Murray (4-0)
-Sweet revenge: the Pioneers handled Benilde 4-2 on Saturday and looked great doing it—I even toyed with putting them in the top spot. There’s an awful lot to like here, and perhaps more importantly, no obvious weaknesses: a great top line, good depth, the brilliant defense we’ve come to expect out of Hill, and a sound goaltender. They probably aren’t going to dominate opponents the way Edina or Benilde will, but if they can play like they did on Saturday in February and March, that won’t matter. The schedule eases up some now, though the looming game with St. Thomas will be a tough one with important conference implications.
This week: Thurs at South St. Paul, Sat at St. Thomas Academy

3. Benilde-St. Margaret’s (2-1)
-A close, early loss to a top team with something to prove usually isn’t too big of a cause for concern. Still, a few things from that game should give Coach Pauly pause: the goaltending was shaky, the defense was burned numerous times, and the prolific offense was held to two goals by a disciplined team that can match their depth. Sure, they took some time in coming together last season as well, but any aura of invincibility they enjoyed after last year’s brilliant run is now gone. The regrouping effort begins against potentially dangerous Holy Angels, and then moves on to another tough opponent in Blaine.
This week: Tues at #15 Holy Angels, Sat vs. #10 Blaine

4. Minnetonka (5-0)
-The Skippers may not be as explosive as Benilde or Edina, but they still proved they belong amongst the elite this season with solid wins over Eagan and St. Thomas Academy. We all know defense wins championships; if they can find themselves some scoring depth, they’ll be able to match up with anyone. They should win both of their games this week, though both opponents are in the 16-20 range and not total pushovers.
This week: Thurs at Maple Grove, Sat at Roseau

5. Wayazta (6-1)
-The Trojans continued their low-scoring but steady march through the first few weeks of the season, pounding out a W against Eastview and escaping with a narrow win versus Duluth East. They’ve only allowed nine goals in seven games, and the defense-first approach is paying off. Like Edina, they get a long break now; we’ll see if they can keep the momentum going in a few weeks, once their opposition has played the same number of games as them. I’d hazard to guess this team will drop some as the season goes on, but they have the results to deserve this ranking so far.
This week: Idle

6. Duluth East (2-1)
-The Hounds did everything but score against Wayzata, meaning Mike Randolph’s 500th win will have to wait. The loss revealed some goal-scoring woes, but the degree to which they controlled play was something of a surprise. Their only game this coming week should be a good chance to generate some offense, as they face a wounded but dangerous Cloquet squad.
This week: Thurs vs. Cloquet

7. Eagan (2-2)
-Played a tight game with Minnetonka, then blew out Rosemount to continue a strong start to the year. SSC play continues this week, as they face a pair of decent teams in Lakeville South and Bloomington Jefferson.
This week: Tues at Lakeville South, Sat vs. Bloomington Jefferson

8. Burnsville (2-2)
-It’s been an inconsistent start for the Blaze, but after seeing them twice, I’m going to take the more pessimistic angle. The win over Eden Prairie is solid, but the Eagles seem to have some issues, and this team’s key weakness—its lack of depth—sticks out amid all the depth on the other top ten teams. We’ll see if they can improve on that front as the season goes along. They play two weaker SSC teams this week, but neither is a total pushover.
This week: Tues at Rosemount, Sat vs. Lakeville North

9. Eden Prairie (3-1)
-The Eagles showed some defensive flaws this past week, suffering an ugly 5-2 loss to Burnsville and only narrowly escaping a high-scoring game with Holy Angels—that’s not exactly the mark of a championship team. It might console Eagles fans to know we were saying the exact same things about Benilde at this time last season, but they’ll have to sort a few things out to justify a higher ranking. This week’s opponents are capable but not great, and could help them right the ship somewhat.
This week: Thurs at Lakeville North, Sat vs. Andover

10. Blaine (2-0-1)
-Blew out Osseo, and then gutted out an overtime win against rival Centennial to stamp themselves as the early 5AA frontrunners. Like Duluth East, they seem to be the sort of team that has no trouble generating offensive zone time, but can struggle to finish. I’m curious to see how they match up with Benilde this week, though they can’t overlook a decent Anoka squad.
This week: Thurs vs. Anoka, Sat at #3 Benilde-St. Margaret’s

11. Elk River (2-1)
-Quietly having a very strong start to the year, as they took apart Andover this past week to boost their 7AA seeding credentials. We’ll get a sense of just how good Gordie Roberts’ group is when they go to the Edina tournament, but they can’t overlook Holy Family this coming week.
This week: Tues vs. Holy Family, Sat vs. Osseo

12. Grand Rapids (4-1)
-Rebounded from the loss to Forest Lake with a strong week, knocking out three comfortable wins, including a résumé-booster against Roseau. The early shutout of Bemidji also looks a bit more impressive after the Lumberjacks gave Moorhead a tight game. Their only game this coming week features one of the stronger Class A teams around.
This week: Fri vs. Duluth Marshall

13. Prior Lake (0-2)
-At this point in the rankings, as often is the case in mid-December, it becomes a lot of guesswork. It was a nonsensical first week of play for the Lakers, as they gave Edina all they could handle, then turned around and had a letdown against Lakeville South. We’ll see which version of PL is closer to reality when they play a key SSC and 2AA opponent in Jefferson this week; they were very inconsistent last season, too.
This week: Tues at Bloomington Jefferson, Thurs at Orono, Sat vs. Apple Valley

14. Centennial (2-2)
-A strong showing against Blaine has the Cougars edging ever higher in the rankings; given the shot count this may overvalue their performance, but no one else really jumps out here. The road trip to Moorhead this week is a big one for ranking positioning, and should show if they really belong this high.
This week: Thurs vs. Coon Rapids, Sat at Moorhead

15. Holy Angels (1-1)
-It’s hard to know yet whether their tight game with Eden Prairie reflects more on the Stars’ potential or the Eagles’ defensive woes, but it’s safe to say that this team is definitely back in the picture. This week’s battle with Benilde should be illuminating.
This week: Thurs vs. #3 Benilde-St. Margaret’s

The Next Five

Roseau (3-1-1)
-Beaten fairly soundly by Grand Rapids, which keeps them on the outside looking in for now. They’ve been outshot heavily by the two quality AA teams they’ve played so far. The week ahead is a big one; early frontrunner status in 8AA will be on the line on Thursday when they visit Moorhead, and on Saturday they welcome Minnetonka to Memorial Arena.

Moorhead (3-1)
-Bemidji gave the Spuds a good run, but they pulled out the win and also beat Buffalo this past week. Nothing too unexpected so far, but the Spuds will have to tighten up defensively as the season wears on. A big week will get them right back into the rankings, as they have home games against the two of the three teams immediately above them.

Bloomington Jefferson (3-0)
-The win over Hopkins was a bit close, but the Jaguars remain undefeated. The competition level ratchets up a notch this week, as they face a pair of ranked teams in Prior Lake and Eagan.

Holy Family (2-2)
-A 6-1 loss to STA shows that the Fire remain a ways behind the top teams, but they are taking care of the weaker competition with relative ease. We’ll be able to pin them down better after meetings with Elk River and Totino-Grace this coming week.

Maple Grove (2-3)
-Restored some order with two wins this past week; a tough test against Minnetonka lurks next.

After That…

The SEC makes so little sense right now that it’s hard to give anyone in it a serious ranking. Hastings (4-1) is probably most deserving of a high ranking, perhaps even top 20, as they’ve pumped out three impressive wins after a flat opening loss to Eastview. Likewise, Mounds View (3-1-1) seems to be setting itself up for a good run. White Bear (1-1-1) followed an ugly loss to Hastings with a solid win over Cloquet, Cretin (2-1) got a big win over East Ridge, and Forest Lake (3-1) has been inconsistent, shutting out Grand Rapids and also giving up 11 to Mounds View. Stillwater (1-2) has been steady but not exactly impressive, while East Ridge (3-3) has coupled some flashes of quality with some less than stellar results.

Others that mix in with the SEC teams in the 20s:

Cloquet (3-2)
-As expected, the offense has been explosive; the problem is the defense, which has been, frankly, awful in their two games against AA competition. A good showing against Duluth East could turn this around in a hurry, though—there’s too much talent here to languish this far down in the rankings.

Andover (1-3)
-Not a pretty start for the Huskies, who only barely got past Armstrong and fell flat against Elk River. At this rate, they could be buried deep in 7AA, and with Eden Prairie looming this week, things aren’t getting any easier. Where is the team that made the section final last season?

Lakeville North (3-0)
-A steady start to the season for the Panthers, but things get a lot tougher now, as they take on both Eden Prairie and Burnsville this week.

Eastview (2-2)
-Gave Wayzata a pretty good game, but were blown out by Burnsville. Lakeville North is up this week.

Lakeville South (1-2)
-Ugly opening losses to Edina and Hill, but the late stunner against Prior Lake has the Cougars back in the picture. They get Eagan this week.

Now, an early trip through the sections, with key games over the next two weeks listed after each description:

1AA
Lakeville North
Lakeville South
Farmington
Rochester Mayo
-North, with shutout wins over two Rochester schools, remains the early leader here; however, South woke up with a last-second upset against Prior Lake and proved they won’t be going away. Farmington is off to a decent start, while Mayo appears to be the class of AA Rochester; those two have an interesting match-up this coming Saturday.
Key section games: 12/15 Rochester Mayo at Farmington, 12/20 Lakeville South at Lakeville North

2AA
1 Edina
9 Burnsville
13 Prior Lake
15 Holy Angels
(18) Bloomington Jefferson
-All in all, a strong first two weeks for this section: Edina is undefeated and #1, Burnsville showed they can knock off a top team when their defense is on, Prior Lake announced their arrival to contention in the section in their narrow loss to Edina, Holy Angels made some noise in a close loss to Eden Prairie, and Jefferson escaped with a win over Cloquet.
Key section game: 12/11 Prior Lake at Bloomington Jefferson

3AA
7 Eagan
Hastings
Cretin
Eastview
East Ridge
-Plenty of intrigue here; while Eagan remains the odds-on favorite, East Ridge showed their mettle in the narrow loss to the Wildcats, Hastings is coming on strong, and Cretin is in play for a higher seed than most. Eastview, though the overall results are mixed, did beat Hastings. Lots of SEC play will continue to muddle this one up.
Key section games: 12/13 East Ridge at Hastings, 12/13 Woodbury at Cretin, 12/20 Eastview at East Ridge

4AA
2 Hill-Murray
Mounds View
White Bear Lake
Stillwater
-After a bunch of interesting sections, we have this one, where the Pioneers’ status as favorites has only solidified even further in the first few weeks. Mounds View is making some noise, and though the Bears seem to have some defensive issues, they have the talent to get better as things go along. Stillwater is in there somewhere as well, and Tartan has looked good against weaker competition in the early going
Key section games: Mounds View at White Bear Lake, 12/18 Hill-Murray at White Bear Lake, 12/20 Hill-Murray at Tartan

5AA
10 Blaine
14 Centennial
(20) Maple Grove
Anoka
-Blaine’s OT win over Centennial puts them on top, but also tells us we can’t take anything for granted here. Maple Grove has tumbled to the 3-spot, but a narrow win over Anoka keeps them there for now. Anoka has been playing reasonably well against several top teams and is probably on their way towards at top-four seed.
Key section games: 12/13 Anoka at Blaine, 12/20 Centennial at Maple Grove

6AA
3 Benilde-St. Margaret’s
4 Minnetonka
5 Wayzata
9 Eden Prairie
(19) Holy Family
-Loaded as expected, though there were some early surprises here, good and bad. With no games in the section until after Christmas it’s mostly guesswork for now, but Minnetonka and Benilde would seem to be the frontrunners, while Eden Prairie and Wayzata will more likely be battling for the 3 and 4 seeds. Right now that would mean a 5-seed for Holy Family, but they have plenty of time to shake things up.
Key section games: None

7AA
6 Duluth East
11 Elk River
12 Grand Rapids
Cloquet
Forest Lake
Andover
-It was a rocky start for most of 7AA, though both Duluth East and Elk River look pretty strong, narrow losses to Wayzata aside. Grand Rapids has done quite well in its games not involving Forest Lake, so that keeps them fairly high for now; Cloquet and Andover, on the other hand, need to get it together, and we have to learn whether the real Forest Lake is closer to the team that beats Rapids or the one that gets blown out of the water by Mounds View. East and Elk River don’t play this season, which could complicate section seeding; the next two weeks are big in that regard for East, with games against Cloquet and Andover.
Key games: 12/13 Cloquet at Duluth East, 12/22 Duluth East at Andover, 12/22 Elk River vs. Grand Rapids (in Edina)

8AA
(16) Roseau
(17) Moorhead
Bemidji
Brainerd
-Not a phenomenal start for anyone here, as the section lacks a representative in the top 15. Bemidji’s close game with Moorhead was probably a good sign for the Lumberjacks, while Brainerd’s loss to Alexandria drops them to the 4-spot for now. Moorhead remains the deepest team here, while Roseau has the best collection of top-end talent; the two face off this Tuesday.
Key games: 12/11 Roseau at Moorhead, 12/18 Moorhead at Brainerd

Not many games between top teams this week, but we do have a few, plus a couple of big rivalry games up north. Enjoy the snow, and we’ll do this again next Sunday.
Last edited by karl(east) on Tue Dec 11, 2012 1:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post by TheHockeyDJ » Sun Dec 09, 2012 10:01 am

Nice take on 7AA. For whatever reason FL has matched up well with GR the last two games, however, looking at the season as a whole I think you have the teams where they should be and where they will eventually end up. Though CEC's defense has struggled early, haven't we seen this movie before, and the ending is their defense will be improved come the playoffs. I think East and GR will battle for the top 2 seeds, Elk River and CEC will battle for 3 and 4. Forest Lake will end up 5 and Andover 6. Andover I wasn't buying in the preseason and they are playing even worse than I anticipated. Once the playoffs begin, all bets are off. I wouldn't doubt any of the top 6 advancing a long ways. Maybe Andover is just in an early funk right now and they'll get hot in February, in particular Chase Perry.

It looks like section 4AA has some solid teams in the top 4-5, but it seems Hill Murray is going to take that section with relative ease.
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Re: AA Rankings for 12/9/12

Post by HShockeywatcher » Sun Dec 09, 2012 10:19 am

karl(east) wrote:6. Duluth East (2-1)
-The Hounds did everything but score against Wayzata, meaning Mike Randolph’s 500th win will have to wait.
This week: Thurs vs. Cloquet
Seems like the perfect time to get that key win though, don't ya think?

Good rankings as always karl.

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Post by tonkafan77 » Sun Dec 09, 2012 12:05 pm

What we saw this week is that any of the top teams can win on any given night. The top 5 will rarely stay the same two weeks in a row throughout the year. There isn't one team that stands above the rest, as we thought BSM would do this year. We just need to wait to see how Edina does against the elite teams. The Braemar Holiday Tournament and the Schwans Cup will give us a better understanding of how Edina really stands among the top teams.

Fun week of hockey! I'm excited for the Holiday season!

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Post by karl(east) » Sun Dec 09, 2012 3:40 pm

tonkafan77 wrote:What we saw this week is that any of the top teams can win on any given night. The top 5 will rarely stay the same two weeks in a row throughout the year. There isn't one team that stands above the rest, as we thought BSM would do this year. We just need to wait to see how Edina does against the elite teams. The Braemar Holiday Tournament and the Schwans Cup will give us a better understanding of how Edina really stands among the top teams.
You're probably right--while I'm confident that the top 10-12 probably really are the top 10-12 in the state, there will probably be a lot of movement within that group. Edina's looked good so far, but this was the easier part of their schedule.

Obviously there was a lot of emotion in last night's game for Hill, and that could certainly be a reason why they looked so good. Still, it's a bit unusual for Hill teams to be looking that good this early in the year, and that could be cause for concern for everyone else.

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Post by Vapor » Sun Dec 09, 2012 8:46 pm

Obviously there was a lot of emotion in last night's game for Hill, and that could certainly be a reason why they looked so good. Still, it's a bit unusual for Hill teams to be looking that good this early in the year, and that could be cause for concern for everyone else.[/quote]


I agree. HM looked really good and if they continue to improve from where they are now, they'll be tough to beat come tournament time.

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Post by sportsguy29 » Mon Dec 10, 2012 10:48 pm

Hastings is actually 4-1. They beat Farmington in the Season Opener.

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Post by sticksave » Tue Dec 11, 2012 11:39 am

Two Teams that are 2-2 in the top ten?
Elk river took it to Burnsville in a scrimmage 2 weeks ago. Eagan????

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Post by almostashappy » Tue Dec 11, 2012 12:00 pm

sticksave wrote:Two Teams that are 2-2 in the top ten?
Elk river took it to Burnsville in a scrimmage 2 weeks ago. Eagan????
You know, the Eagan fans had shown some restraint and held off of clicking the "Submit" button for almost two days straight. Do you really want to engage on this topic? :shock:

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Post by karl(east) » Tue Dec 11, 2012 1:23 pm

almostashappy wrote:
sticksave wrote:Two Teams that are 2-2 in the top ten?
Elk river took it to Burnsville in a scrimmage 2 weeks ago. Eagan????
You know, the Eagan fans had shown some restraint and held off of clicking the "Submit" button for almost two days straight. Do you really want to engage on this topic? :shock:
:lol: I was wondering where all of you went.

To answer the original question, all of Eagan and Burnsville's losses are to teams in the top four, most of them very close. In MN HS hockey, records are often very misleading in showing how good a team is...a .500 team in a good conference is often much better than a .600 team in an awful one. Having seen Burnsville play twice, I'm also a bit skeptical of them, but they did beat a very good Eden Prairie team 5-2, and they should be recognized for that.

Also, thanks for the correction on Hastings, Sportsguy...I fixed the error. The Raiders are definitely worth watching in 3AA.

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Hill and Edina

Post by wingman » Tue Dec 11, 2012 2:08 pm

Karl...you took in to account 'emotion' rating Edian over Hill.....with Benilde the reinging champ from last year being beaten by the the team they beat to be reining champ....and you rate that at a discount due to 'emotion'....Oh I'm losing faith in you buddy. Missed that one by two states...or...your the typical. "... Minneapolis schools are always rated over St. Paul east side until proven later..." individual who lives and always favors Edina, or Eden Priairie....Hill must feel like Rodney Dangerfield! thats OK its not how you are playing now...its how you are playing at the end...(P.S. Take the emotion out of your equation and you get a more accurate picture..see KRACH rating)

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Re: Hill and Edina

Post by karl(east) » Tue Dec 11, 2012 4:02 pm

wingman wrote:Karl...you took in to account 'emotion' rating Edian over Hill.....with Benilde the reinging champ from last year being beaten by the the team they beat to be reining champ....and you rate that at a discount due to 'emotion'....Oh I'm losing faith in you buddy. Missed that one by two states...or...your the typical. "... Minneapolis schools are always rated over St. Paul east side until proven later..." individual who lives and always favors Edina, or Eden Priairie....Hill must feel like Rodney Dangerfield! thats OK its not how you are playing now...its how you are playing at the end...(P.S. Take the emotion out of your equation and you get a more accurate picture..see KRACH rating)
Huh?

I mentioned "emotion" because I watched the Hill-Benilde game, and I thought Hill looked pretty fired up. I was impressed with them.

And if you think I don't respect Hill, it's safe to say you haven't been paying much attention. I have no idea how many times I've praised their program or their playing style. In my opinion, they have the best coaching staff in the state. If I were to put money on a Hill-Edina match-up, right now, I'd probably pick Hill.

But that would be an "emotional" (or at least a "gut") call, and I try to leave that stuff out of the rankings, if possible. They're still behind Edina in the rankings because Edina just has more front-end talent. They were also ranked ahead of Hill in the preseason poll, and have done nothing to prove they don't deserve that ranking. Hill looked great on Saturday, but one game does not make a season; their other wins have been nice, but nothing that screams "#1." At least not quite yet. If they keep on playing the way they did on Saturday, it won't be long until they're there. It was a nice first step for the Pioneers, but I want to see them sustain that effort.

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Re: Hill and Edina

Post by BodyShots » Tue Dec 11, 2012 4:45 pm

karl(east) wrote:
wingman wrote:Karl...you took in to account 'emotion' rating Edian over Hill.....with Benilde the reinging champ from last year being beaten by the the team they beat to be reining champ....and you rate that at a discount due to 'emotion'....Oh I'm losing faith in you buddy. Missed that one by two states...or...your the typical. "... Minneapolis schools are always rated over St. Paul east side until proven later..." individual who lives and always favors Edina, or Eden Priairie....Hill must feel like Rodney Dangerfield! thats OK its not how you are playing now...its how you are playing at the end...(P.S. Take the emotion out of your equation and you get a more accurate picture..see KRACH rating)
Hill looked great on Saturday, but one game does not make a season; their other wins have been nice, but nothing that screams "#1."
I find that to be a strange comment based on the fact they have played four quality games and won them all. Based on your current rankings, they've beaten Eagan #7, Bville #8, and BSM #3 (was #1 before loss), and LV South who has played only three games, all against ranked opponents (Edina #1, HM #2, and PL #13) and is 1-2.

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Re: Hill and Edina

Post by karl(east) » Tue Dec 11, 2012 5:53 pm

BodyShots wrote:
karl(east) wrote:
wingman wrote:Karl...you took in to account 'emotion' rating Edian over Hill.....with Benilde the reinging champ from last year being beaten by the the team they beat to be reining champ....and you rate that at a discount due to 'emotion'....Oh I'm losing faith in you buddy. Missed that one by two states...or...your the typical. "... Minneapolis schools are always rated over St. Paul east side until proven later..." individual who lives and always favors Edina, or Eden Priairie....Hill must feel like Rodney Dangerfield! thats OK its not how you are playing now...its how you are playing at the end...(P.S. Take the emotion out of your equation and you get a more accurate picture..see KRACH rating)
Hill looked great on Saturday, but one game does not make a season; their other wins have been nice, but nothing that screams "#1."
I find that to be a strange comment based on the fact they have played four quality games and won them all. Based on your current rankings, they've beaten Eagan #7, Bville #8, and BSM #3 (was #1 before loss), and LV South who has played only three games, all against ranked opponents (Edina #1, HM #2, and PL #13) and is 1-2.
The win over Burnsville was pretty narrow--of course Burnsville has been all over the map to start with, but Benilde steamrolled them, whereas Hill's game with Burnsville was tight until the end. I watched that one, and Hill looked reasonably good, but not like a team that was so good that they deserved to displace an undefeated team ranked ahead of them for the top spot. That seemed to be the consensus among the people who watched the Eagan game, too.

Don't get me wrong--I'm very, very high on this Hill squad--but they need a few more performances like Saturday's to be #1 in these rankings. I'd even hazard to guess that a number of Hill supporters would agree.

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Re: Hill and Edina

Post by BlueLineSpecial » Wed Dec 12, 2012 10:35 am

karl(east) wrote:
BodyShots wrote:
karl(east) wrote:
wingman wrote:Karl...you took in to account 'emotion' rating Edian over Hill.....with Benilde the reinging champ from last year being beaten by the the team they beat to be reining champ....and you rate that at a discount due to 'emotion'....Oh I'm losing faith in you buddy. Missed that one by two states...or...your the typical. "... Minneapolis schools are always rated over St. Paul east side until proven later..." individual who lives and always favors Edina, or Eden Priairie....Hill must feel like Rodney Dangerfield! thats OK its not how you are playing now...its how you are playing at the end...(P.S. Take the emotion out of your equation and you get a more accurate picture..see KRACH rating)
Hill looked great on Saturday, but one game does not make a season; their other wins have been nice, but nothing that screams "#1."
I find that to be a strange comment based on the fact they have played four quality games and won them all. Based on your current rankings, they've beaten Eagan #7, Bville #8, and BSM #3 (was #1 before loss), and LV South who has played only three games, all against ranked opponents (Edina #1, HM #2, and PL #13) and is 1-2.
The win over Burnsville was pretty narrow--of course Burnsville has been all over the map to start with, but Benilde steamrolled them, whereas Hill's game with Burnsville was tight until the end. I watched that one, and Hill looked reasonably good, but not like a team that was so good that they deserved to displace an undefeated team ranked ahead of them for the top spot. That seemed to be the consensus among the people who watched the Eagan game, too.

Don't get me wrong--I'm very, very high on this Hill squad--but they need a few more performances like Saturday's to be #1 in these rankings. I'd even hazard to guess that a number of Hill supporters would agree.
We do. Well, at least I do. I was hoping to be 2-2 at this point in the season, with losses to BSM and Eagan and wins against Burnsville and LVS. Edina deserves the top spot, and we'll see how far things are coming along with the Holiday Tourney as well as an early January matchup with Edina on the road. Depending on how the next 3 weeks go, I may change my tune. We rode a number 1 ranking for an extended period of time a couple of years ago and in my opinion the pressure got to them a little, culminating with a loss in sections. This team is good, not sure #1 good just yet.

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Post by HShockeywatcher » Sat Dec 15, 2012 8:13 am

Has anyone seen Tartan play?
They definitely play a weak AA schedule for some reason, and while the 6-5 game with Crookston doesn't look good, they have a 6-1 win in TRF and 4 shut outs.

Was Crookston an off game and they're legit or will they stumble when they play any remotely competitive teams?

Anyone know why they don't schedule WBL, Roseville, or Mounds View? I know scheduling games takes two teams, but win or lose those seem more logical than some of the seemingly random games on their schedule.

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Post by tonkafan77 » Sat Dec 15, 2012 11:30 pm

Good luck this week Karl!

Tonka beats Maple Grove 4-3 and Roseau 9-4.
Benilde beats AHA 11-1 and loses to Blaine 6-5.
Hill Murray loses to St. Thomas 2-1.
EP loses to Andover 2-1.

Quite some activity in the Top 10. I think the two undefeateds will/should be 1 and 2. After that, it's just a mess. Like I said...good luck! :D

goldy313
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Post by goldy313 » Sun Dec 16, 2012 12:36 am

The Suburban East is a big conference, play everyone twice, maybe a Christmas tournament and there is not much room for non conference games.

goldy313
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Post by goldy313 » Sun Dec 16, 2012 12:37 am

The Suburban East is a big conference, play everyone twice, maybe a Christmas tournament and there is not much room for non conference games.

karl(east)
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Post by karl(east) » Sun Dec 16, 2012 12:45 am

tonkafan77 wrote:Good luck this week Karl!

Tonka beats Maple Grove 4-3 and Roseau 9-4.
Benilde beats AHA 11-1 and loses to Blaine 6-5.
Hill Murray loses to St. Thomas 2-1.
EP loses to Andover 2-1.

Quite some activity in the Top 10. I think the two undefeateds will/should be 1 and 2. After that, it's just a mess. Like I said...good luck! :D
Thanks...I'm going to need it. :lol: Though to be honest, things actually shaping up fairly clearly, at least in my mind. The next set will be out sometime in the morning...

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