Section 7A
Moderators: Mitch Hawker, east hockey, karl(east)
Section 7A
Section play will get into full swing soon, but here is an early ranking of teams. Record vs section opponents in parentheses.
1. Duluth Marshall (1-0) Wins: Hibbing
Marshall is the section favorite, and with a win over Hibbing under their belts, the only real section test left for the Toppers is vs Denfeld. A win in that one should lock up the #1 seed.
2. Duluth Denfeld (3-0) Wins: Virginia, Int'l Falls, Greenway
The Hunters get the nod ahead of Hibbing due to their signature win over Hermantown, something Marshall couldn't do and Hibbing is very unlikely to do. Hibbing will travel to Duluth next Tuesday to play Denfeld, and the winner of that game should have the inside track on the #2 seed.
3. Hibbing (3-1) Wins: Int'l Falls, North Shore, Greenway Losses: D. Marshall
Although Hibbing took Marshall to OT, they don't have a signature win and will have to beat Denfeld if they want to get the #2 seed. As long as Hibbing finishes at least 2-1 in their 3 remaining games versus Int'l Falls and Virginia, #3 is the worst they could finish. The Blue Jackets battled a ton of injuries early in the season, but they have been getting healthy and have won 6 of their last 7.
4. Virginia (1-1-1) Win:E-G Loss:Denfeld Tie:Int'l Falls
Although I expect Int'l Falls to pass the Blue Devils at some point, right now the results against E-G are what puts Virginia ahead. Hard to know where this team is headed, as they have been competitive against some good teams, yet their overall record is bad. (3-9-1)
5. Int'l Falls (0-2-2) Losses: Hibbing, Denfeld Ties:Virginia, E-G
Going into the season, I thought the Broncos might be able to finish as high as #2, but they have yet to win a section game and the tie to E-G really hurts their seeding. I think there is enough talent on this team to upset the higher seeds come playoff time, but they need to pull it together.
6. Eveleth-Gilbert (3-1-1) Wins:Greenway (twice), Ely Loss:Virginia Tie:Int'l Falls
The tie vs Falls suggest the Golden Bears are a much improved team, but they will have to beat North Shore if they want to hold on to #6.
7. North Shore (3-1) Wins:Ely (twice), Greenway Loss:Hibbing
The combining of Two Harbors and Silver Bay has resulted in a much more competitive team, as they only lost to Hibbing 4-1. Even so, I doubt they could beat any of the top 5 teams and will be battling with E-G for #6.
8. Greenway (1-5) Win: Ely Losses:E-G (twice), Denfeld, Hibbing, North Shore
The Raiders have struggled with their only win being against the team below them.
9. Ely (0-4) Losses:E-G, Greenway, North Shore
This is where the Wolves will stay, and they will likely be playing Greenway in the play in game once playoffs arrive.
Any comments, 7A fans?
1. Duluth Marshall (1-0) Wins: Hibbing
Marshall is the section favorite, and with a win over Hibbing under their belts, the only real section test left for the Toppers is vs Denfeld. A win in that one should lock up the #1 seed.
2. Duluth Denfeld (3-0) Wins: Virginia, Int'l Falls, Greenway
The Hunters get the nod ahead of Hibbing due to their signature win over Hermantown, something Marshall couldn't do and Hibbing is very unlikely to do. Hibbing will travel to Duluth next Tuesday to play Denfeld, and the winner of that game should have the inside track on the #2 seed.
3. Hibbing (3-1) Wins: Int'l Falls, North Shore, Greenway Losses: D. Marshall
Although Hibbing took Marshall to OT, they don't have a signature win and will have to beat Denfeld if they want to get the #2 seed. As long as Hibbing finishes at least 2-1 in their 3 remaining games versus Int'l Falls and Virginia, #3 is the worst they could finish. The Blue Jackets battled a ton of injuries early in the season, but they have been getting healthy and have won 6 of their last 7.
4. Virginia (1-1-1) Win:E-G Loss:Denfeld Tie:Int'l Falls
Although I expect Int'l Falls to pass the Blue Devils at some point, right now the results against E-G are what puts Virginia ahead. Hard to know where this team is headed, as they have been competitive against some good teams, yet their overall record is bad. (3-9-1)
5. Int'l Falls (0-2-2) Losses: Hibbing, Denfeld Ties:Virginia, E-G
Going into the season, I thought the Broncos might be able to finish as high as #2, but they have yet to win a section game and the tie to E-G really hurts their seeding. I think there is enough talent on this team to upset the higher seeds come playoff time, but they need to pull it together.
6. Eveleth-Gilbert (3-1-1) Wins:Greenway (twice), Ely Loss:Virginia Tie:Int'l Falls
The tie vs Falls suggest the Golden Bears are a much improved team, but they will have to beat North Shore if they want to hold on to #6.
7. North Shore (3-1) Wins:Ely (twice), Greenway Loss:Hibbing
The combining of Two Harbors and Silver Bay has resulted in a much more competitive team, as they only lost to Hibbing 4-1. Even so, I doubt they could beat any of the top 5 teams and will be battling with E-G for #6.
8. Greenway (1-5) Win: Ely Losses:E-G (twice), Denfeld, Hibbing, North Shore
The Raiders have struggled with their only win being against the team below them.
9. Ely (0-4) Losses:E-G, Greenway, North Shore
This is where the Wolves will stay, and they will likely be playing Greenway in the play in game once playoffs arrive.
Any comments, 7A fans?
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Re: Section 7A
I think greenway should let their bantam team finish out the year for them.
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With Virginia beating I Falls tonight, it looks like the Broncos might be locked into the #5 seed now. They are 0-3-1 against the top four with just the one game against Hibbing remaining. Don't really see a scenario they can pass anyone with the tie against Eveleth also on their resume, even if they beat Hibbing.
Eveleth also stumbled against Ely, which may wrinkle up the bottom tier a bit.
Eveleth also stumbled against Ely, which may wrinkle up the bottom tier a bit.
Virginia really took it to Falls last night, nice work. Yeah, Falls likely won't get higher than #5.
Saturday's matchup between Hibbing and Virginia just got a lot more interesting. Virginia seems to be clicking, and if they beat Hibbing this weekend they can be right there for #3, especially if Hibbing loses to giant-killer Duluth Denfeld next Tuesday.
Saturday's matchup between Hibbing and Virginia just got a lot more interesting. Virginia seems to be clicking, and if they beat Hibbing this weekend they can be right there for #3, especially if Hibbing loses to giant-killer Duluth Denfeld next Tuesday.
Only if they beat Marshall, which won't be easy. Although now that Thompson has two 50+ save wins, these upsets become less of a fluke and more of him just being a highly skilled goalie.joris016 wrote:Denfeld will end up with the 1 seed.
I wondered what a the hoopla surrounding Thompson was the past few seasons, as he didn't seem to be putting up numbers that were special in any way. Now I see what it was all about.
Agreed about Talarico. How did he not make the Elite League? If he did indeed get passed over, that is a crime. I'd take him over either of the two Marshall players that made the team this year.joris016 wrote:Talarico for Denfeld is really good. They are bigger than Marshall and play a much more physical game. As we have seen this year already, Marshall struggles against bigger teams.
Talarico did not try out for the elite leaguerainier wrote:Agreed about Talarico. How did he not make the Elite League? If he did indeed get passed over, that is a crime. I'd take him over either of the two Marshall players that made the team this year.joris016 wrote:Talarico for Denfeld is really good. They are bigger than Marshall and play a much more physical game. As we have seen this year already, Marshall struggles against bigger teams.
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Strictly due to the honcho over at east. Should have made it as a Junior!!sandstrom wrote:Talarico did not try out for the elite leaguerainier wrote:Agreed about Talarico. How did he not make the Elite League? If he did indeed get passed over, that is a crime. I'd take him over either of the two Marshall players that made the team this year.joris016 wrote:Talarico for Denfeld is really good. They are bigger than Marshall and play a much more physical game. As we have seen this year already, Marshall struggles against bigger teams.
I thought Talarico and Lucas Debenedet were two players that absolutely should have been on Team North. I figured traveling from I Falls may have prevented Debenedet from playing, but it's good to see Talarico wasn't the victim of injustice.sandstrom wrote:Talarico did not try out for the elite leaguerainier wrote:Agreed about Talarico. How did he not make the Elite League? If he did indeed get passed over, that is a crime. I'd take him over either of the two Marshall players that made the team this year.joris016 wrote:Talarico for Denfeld is really good. They are bigger than Marshall and play a much more physical game. As we have seen this year already, Marshall struggles against bigger teams.
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Thompsons play reminds me a lot of how Tromp from Hibbing who came on strong the second half of his senior year to help lead his team to state. I remember watching these two play together on the Duluth Northern Wings one season, very similar styles. Good luck to Zach and Denfeld, but you better prepare because Hibbing is coming to town on Jan.15th.
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I'm taking Denfeld in that one, they looked good tonight. They have some really big kids on the team that cover a lot of space on pk.rockcrusher wrote:Denfeld whipped Hibbing tonight in Duluth. Adam Johnson was sick and did not play. The #1 seed will be decided jan.31 when the hunters travel up the hill to take on Marshall.
Of course this game is different if Adam Johnson plays, but not enough to overcome how well the Hunters played tonight.
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I agree, he is a big part of that team. Its too bad that some of these key games have gone down without teams at full strength. Virginia only had 2 defensemen and had to have a JV line play third line against Hibbing due to injuries and illnesses. It kinda takes the fun out of watching things develop when teams are missing key players. Even Eveleth could have been in a few more games, but they have had the same kind of issues on a not-so-deep roster. That Denfeld/Hibbing game was actually a little blah to watch tonight without Johnson and a very small crowd and the Virginia/Hibbing game didn't have the same energy as it usually does.rainier wrote:Of course this game is different if Adam Johnson plays, but not enough to overcome how well the Hunters played tonight.
Regardless, the Hunters are for real and are the front runner for the top seed. I'd seed them like this at this point:
1. Duluth Denfeld
2. Duluth Marshall
3. Hibbing/Chisholm
4. Virginia
5. International Falls
6. North Shore
7. Eveleth-Gilbert
8. Greenway
9. Ely
The only possible changes I can see are a flip flop of 1 and 2 if Marshall beats Denfeld and an outside shot at 3 and 4 swapping if Virginia knocks off Hibbing in their rematch and Hibbing stumbles elsewhere. The rest are probably set.
Agreed on these current seedings. Also agree that the Hib-Denfeld game was blah. The crowd was very sparse, and there were probably 20 kids in the Denfeld student section. Having Johnson on the ice would have made it much more interesting.PuckRanger wrote:I agree, he is a big part of that team. Its too bad that some of these key games have gone down without teams at full strength. Virginia only had 2 defensemen and had to have a JV line play third line against Hibbing due to injuries and illnesses. It kinda takes the fun out of watching things develop when teams are missing key players. Even Eveleth could have been in a few more games, but they have had the same kind of issues on a not-so-deep roster. That Denfeld/Hibbing game was actually a little blah to watch tonight without Johnson and a very small crowd and the Virginia/Hibbing game didn't have the same energy as it usually does.rainier wrote:Of course this game is different if Adam Johnson plays, but not enough to overcome how well the Hunters played tonight.
Regardless, the Hunters are for real and are the front runner for the top seed. I'd seed them like this at this point:
1. Duluth Denfeld
2. Duluth Marshall
3. Hibbing/Chisholm
4. Virginia
5. International Falls
6. North Shore
7. Eveleth-Gilbert
8. Greenway
9. Ely
The only possible changes I can see are a flip flop of 1 and 2 if Marshall beats Denfeld and an outside shot at 3 and 4 swapping if Virginia knocks off Hibbing in their rematch and Hibbing stumbles elsewhere. The rest are probably set.
Didn't know Virginia was so shorthanded in the last meeting with Hibbing, that would explain why it was so lopsided. Hopefully the next game will have healthy rosters on both sides.
Denfeld is the current favorite, but I think any of the top 5 teams could beat each other come playoffs, and North Shore, with their OT loss to Virginia last night, showed they might have an upset up their sleeve if someone takes them lightly.
The stretch run should be a lot of fun.
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You Iron Range guys crack me up. Marshall is not going to be a pushover in this Section. Denfeld is the real deal if they beat Cloquet this Thursday then they gotta prove they can play with TRF, Warroad, Marshall, Hermantown again and Grand Rapids. The results of those games will tell if they are real. The key is their goaltender. Marshall will get some players back from injuries soon which will help strengthen their chances.
Did I miss a post somewhere???Hockey North wrote:You Iron Range guys crack me up. Marshall is not going to be a pushover in this Section. Denfeld is the real deal if they beat Cloquet this Thursday then they gotta prove they can play with TRF, Warroad, Marshall, Hermantown again and Grand Rapids. The results of those games will tell if they are real. The key is their goaltender. Marshall will get some players back from injuries soon which will help strengthen their chances.
Who said Marshall would be a push over????
I'm not sure which is greater, your lack of reading comprehension or your lack of respect for any team other than your precious Marshall. If you read our posts you will see that we both have Marshall as either the #1 or the #2 seed. Nowhere does it say anything about Marshall being a pushover.Hockey North wrote:You Iron Range guys crack me up. Marshall is not going to be a pushover in this Section. Denfeld is the real deal if they beat Cloquet this Thursday then they gotta prove they can play with TRF, Warroad, Marshall, Hermantown again and Grand Rapids. The results of those games will tell if they are real. The key is their goaltender. Marshall will get some players back from injuries soon which will help strengthen their chances.
Your anger is starting to create delusions. Your team is good and will be right there come playoff time, so try to smile and enjoy the season.
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Tuition must be getting to him ....rainier wrote:I'm not sure which is greater, your lack of reading comprehension or your lack of respect for any team other than your precious Marshall. If you read our posts you will see that we both have Marshall as either the #1 or the #2 seed. Nowhere does it say anything about Marshall being a pushover.Hockey North wrote:You Iron Range guys crack me up. Marshall is not going to be a pushover in this Section. Denfeld is the real deal if they beat Cloquet this Thursday then they gotta prove they can play with TRF, Warroad, Marshall, Hermantown again and Grand Rapids. The results of those games will tell if they are real. The key is their goaltender. Marshall will get some players back from injuries soon which will help strengthen their chances.
Your anger is starting to create delusions. Your team is good and will be right there come playoff time, so try to smile and enjoy the season.
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Tough day for this section on Hockey Day. The potential top 3 seeds all lost in running time, and only one team of the nine (actually 8 since one didn't play today) won today and that was Greenway, who played a fellow section opponent.
Denfeld lost to CEC 8-2.
Marshall lost to Rochester Lourdes 7-0.
Hibbing lost to Eagan 9-2.
Virginia lost to Willmar 2-1.
International Falls did not play.
North Shore lost to Greenway 5-3.
Eveleth lost to Hutchinson 3-2.
Greenway defeated North Shore 5-3.
Ely lost to St. Paul Academy 17-3.
Denfeld lost to CEC 8-2.
Marshall lost to Rochester Lourdes 7-0.
Hibbing lost to Eagan 9-2.
Virginia lost to Willmar 2-1.
International Falls did not play.
North Shore lost to Greenway 5-3.
Eveleth lost to Hutchinson 3-2.
Greenway defeated North Shore 5-3.
Ely lost to St. Paul Academy 17-3.
Quite the ugly day for 7A; the top three teams get outscored 24-4. Who will get hot come playoff time? Maybe no one.PuckRanger wrote:Tough day for this section on Hockey Day. The potential top 3 seeds all lost in running time, and only one team of the nine (actually 8 since one didn't play today) won today and that was Greenway, who played a fellow section opponent.
Denfeld lost to CEC 8-2.
Marshall lost to Rochester Lourdes 7-0.
Hibbing lost to Eagan 9-2.
Virginia lost to Willmar 2-1.
International Falls did not play.
North Shore lost to Greenway 5-3.
Eveleth lost to Hutchinson 3-2.
Greenway defeated North Shore 5-3.
Ely lost to St. Paul Academy 17-3.