Sections!

[nu2hockey]

Re: 4A here's what it appears to be, feel free to chime in.

#1 St. Paul United (bye) - plays the winner of:

#4 Simley and
#5 Henry Sibley

#3 Mahtomedi vs.
#6 Minnehaha Academy

#2 South St. Paul vs.
#7 St. Paul Blades

Agree? Disagree

yes, also some may not know that St Paul Highland is host for St Paul Blades

[Hansonbrother]

Curious how they determined Blaine as the 1 seed over Maple Grove?

The majority of the rankings say Maple Grove should've been given the #1 seed. I know, it's virtually apples to apples, so who cares, right? The difference is #1 gets the bye and plays the winner of SLP and Rogers. #2 most likely will have to go through #3 Centennial to get to the finals. With that, the Maple Grove folks are probably not too happy. Here's why:

Maple Grove is ranked #3 by the coaches, #2 by KRACH, #2 by QRF, and #4 by LSQ (all AA rankings). Their KRACH schedule was 9th toughest.
Blaine is ranked #4 by the coaches, #4 by KRACH, #5 by QRF, and #2 by LSQ. Their KRACH schedule was 18th toughest.

Maple Grove has nice wins against #6 Elk River, #5 Eden Prairie, #8 Centennial, #7 Minnetonka, #9 Lakeville South, and #2 Breck. Losses to #1 Edina (twice) and #2 Hill Murray, with the tie on Saturday against Blaine. They were 6-3-1 against current top 9 teams. 7 of those 10 games were on the road.

Blaine was 4-2-2 against the top ranked teams. Beat #4 Proctor/Hermantown, #8 Centennial (twice), and #6 Elk River. Lost to #1 Blake and #6 Elk River. Tied #2 Hill Murray and Maple Grove. 4 of those 8 games were on the road.

The only explanation for dropping Maple Grove down was their recent 1-0 loss to SLP/CR. It's that, or the coaches strictly went with the LSQ rank. To me, Maple Grove should've edged out Blaine for that top spot. In 10 days we'll see how smart the coaches were with their decision.

Or, do the rest of the coaches in the section just vote on who they feel should be voted the #1 seed?

[DannyCalifornia]

Curious how they determined Blaine as the 1 seed over Maple Grove?

The majority of the rankings say Maple Grove should've been given the #1 seed. I know, it's virtually apples to apples, so who cares, right? The difference is #1 gets the bye and plays the winner of SLP and Rogers. #2 most likely will have to go through #3 Centennial to get to the finals. With that, the Maple Grove folks are probably not too happy. Here's why:

Maple Grove is ranked #3 by the coaches, #2 by KRACH, #2 by QRF, and #4 by LSQ (all AA rankings). Their KRACH schedule was 9th toughest.
Blaine is ranked #4 by the coaches, #4 by KRACH, #5 by QRF, and #2 by LSQ. Their KRACH schedule was 18th toughest.

Maple Grove has nice wins against #6 Elk River, #5 Eden Prairie, #8 Centennial, #7 Minnetonka, #9 Lakeville South, and #2 Breck. Losses to #1 Edina (twice) and #2 Hill Murray, with the tie on Saturday against Blaine. They were 6-3-1 against current top 9 teams. 7 of those 10 games were on the road.

Blaine was 4-2-2 against the top ranked teams. Beat #4 Proctor/Hermantown, #8 Centennial (twice), and #6 Elk River. Lost to #1 Blake and #6 Elk River. Tied #2 Hill Murray and Maple Grove. 4 of those 8 games were on the road.

The only explanation for dropping Maple Grove down was their recent 1-0 loss to SLP/CR. It's that, or the coaches strictly went with the LSQ rank. To me, Maple Grove should've edged out Blaine for that top spot. In 10 days we'll see how smart the coaches were with their decision.

Centennial will win this section, so the whiners can stop complaining about seedings. Man-up MG and play the game.

Centennial will not win the section. Have 2 players. No depth at all.

[knights14]

Centennial has no chance to advance to state. For 4 years now coach King has had 2 of the best players in the state on the roster and centennial has nothing to show for it. No conference championships, no section championships and no state apperances. This year will be no different i wouldnt be supprised if Anoka gives them all they can handle.

[jg2112]

Centennial has no chance to advance to state. For 4 years now coach King has had 2 of the best players in the state on the roster and centennial has nothing to show for it. No conference championships, no section championships and no state apperances. This year will be no different i wouldnt be supprised if Anoka gives them all they can handle.

That's not exactly fair, given the conference and section in which they play.

Plenty of things beyond the control of just those two players.

[massalsa]

Centennial will not win the section. Have 2 players. No depth at all.

Simple look thru some recent results on the hub:

1/19 Blake (3) vs Blaine (1)

1/26 Blake (1) vs Centennial (0) OT

1/27 Blake (2) vs Edina (1)

1/28 Centennial 8 vs Anoka 1

1/31 Blaine (3) vs Centennial (1)

2/3 Centennial (3) vs Andover (2) OT

The Centennial goalie vs Blake and Anoka was Stoterau (her only 2 games of the year with a .957 save %). The goalie vs Centennial and Andover was Peck (played 15 games with an .856 save %). Centennial lost to MG 5-4 early in season.

I have no horse in the race (goalie or team) but the goalie situation is pretty interesting. That is a tough section and they might be a two line team against powerhouses like MG and Blaine but they certainly COULD get thru with a couple of timely goals and some great goaltending.

[Lace'emUp]

Centennial will not win the section. Have 2 players. No depth at all.

Simple look thru some recent results on the hub:

1/19 Blake (3) vs Blaine (1)

1/26 Blake (1) vs Centennial (0) OT

1/27 Blake (2) vs Edina (1)

1/28 Centennial 8 vs Anoka 1

1/31 Blaine (3) vs Centennial (1)

2/3 Centennial (3) vs Andover (2) OT

The Centennial goalie vs Blake and Anoka was Stoterau (her only 2 games of the year with a .957 save %). The goalie vs Centennial and Andover was Peck (played 15 games with an .856 save %). Centennial lost to MG 5-4 early in season.

I have no horse in the race (goalie or team) but the goalie situation is pretty interesting. That is a tough section and they might be a two line team against powerhouses like MG and Blaine but they certainly COULD get thru with a couple of timely goals and some great goaltending.

Centennial has a 3rd goalie listed who seemed to do well against lower level opponents. It looks like she played against Hill Murray and got roughed up for 6. But Centennial's two stars were missing from that game, playing over in Europe with the USA U18 team. Maybe the 3rd goalie is hurt? Maybe the goalie with the poor save percentage was benched to send a message?

Centennial looks like they have two lines that can score, but nothing below that. The lack of depth would be a true statement. Their schedule shows many one goal losses. From the box scores, in three of those games, they had the lead in the 3rd period and blew it. Two other games stayed tied through the 3rd period then they lost in OT. Is that goaltending or coaching?

Knights14 would be correct if recent past history means anything. Over the last couple years, the hub shows Centennial scored a late goal last year to pull out a 4-3 quarterfinal win against Champlin Park. Two years ago they scored a late goal against Anoka to pull out a 1-0 quarterfinal win. It's not the healthiest way a favored team should live in sections. Eventually the carriage will turn into a pumpkin.

[feranged]

I am not aware of why Blaine over MG for #1- must be some common opponent stuff.

Each of these teams is fun to watch for different reasons. Centennial has two very good players that create excitement when they get the puck. When they are on the ice, everyone knows it and the ice tilts. The same is true when they go off for a change. Play goes to their end and waits until they return. Maple Grove, Blaine ER/Z (6AA) (and SLP/CR at times) come at your in waves. Constant speed, shots, lane checks, stick checks, cycling shots. Each line brings it, at varying degrees, but there is less of a noticeable shift as when it happens to Centennial. If a team is keeping them playing more defense it would help, and that’s what Blaine and MG can do to them. Too bad that conference doesn’t powerize and have them play 2x each year and 1x for bottom teams to give more quality games.

It will be interesting games in 5AA to fight for the end and I will be surprised if it isn’t MG vs Blaine

[MNHockeyFan]

I see in 7AA Andover beat Cambridge-Isanti 2-1 in a shootout, after they played a single 8 minute overtime. Just curious, when did the league adopt this policy for section play?

[cjmhockey19]

Thats a typo, on twitter it said the game went to double OT

[MNHockeyFan]

Thats a typo, on twitter it said the game went to double OT

Good, ending your season by losing in overtime is bad enough. Having your season end after losing a skills competition would be even worse.