AA Rankings for 1/29/17

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karl(east)
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AA Rankings for 1/29/17

Post by karl(east) » Sun Jan 29, 2017 8:28 am

Just three weeks left in the regular season…

1. Eden Prairie (12-4-2)
-As chaotic as the rankings are, one spot is becoming more and more clear, as the Eagles demolished Wayzata to partially avenge last March’s title game loss. The chemistry on the top line of Jensen-Mittelstadt-Rudrud is coming together, too. A win over Minnetonka this week should settle any questions about the top seed in 2AA, and then they have a chance to complete the regular season sweep of Edina.
This week: Thurs at #13 Minnetonka, Sat at #4 Edina

2. Stillwater (16-2)
-Marched along with wins over Mahtomedi and Park. They get a rare ranked opponent this week, when Lakeville North comes to town; these are the sorts of games they need to win down the stretch to stay near the top, because their schedule does not leave them much margin for error on that front. It could be pretty important for confidence heading into a big playoff game, too.
This week: Tues vs. #10 Lakeville North, Sat at Mounds View

3. Holy Family (14-3-1)
-Pulled out a late win over Minnetonka, which secures a top-2 seed in 2AA. Finishing can still be a challenge, but they found a way to get it done in dramatic fashion, which is a good sign heading into the playoffs. This week they go visit some Lakevilles.
This week: Tues vs. Litchfield, Thurs at #10 Lakeville North, Sat at Lakeville South

4. Edina (14-5-1)
-A week after stumbling some, the Hornets came roaring back with high-scoring wins over Centennial and Minnetonka. Their 17th meeting of the season with Eden Prairie gives them one last chance to make a big splash, and while Wayzata is wounded and the Hornets have the top seed locked up, that game could at least affect the mental game in 6AA.
This week: Thurs at Wayzata, Sat vs. #1 Eden Prairie

5. Hill-Murray (14-2-3)
-The Pioneers’ magical ride finally hit a bump, as Maple Grove shut them out and reminded us just how wide open this season is. It’s just one loss, but we know that offensive output can be an issue. This week they get two powerhouse programs that are both really struggling right now; one would assume the wins would continue to come, but a loss in either one of these wouldn’t come as a total shock, either.
This week: Tues at Wayzata, Sat at Blaine

6. Elk River (15-4)
-The Elks stumbled against Hill-Murray; their offensive output against top teams has been suspect of late. Now, it’s time to put this strong start to the season on the line: can they claim the top seed in 7AA?
This week: Thurs at Blaine, Sat vs. #11 Duluth East

7. Centennial (13-4)
-The Cougars had a bipolar week, spotting 7 to Edina before slamming the door on Maple Grove to claim the top seed in the section. The Edina game was close until the 3rd, so I’m going to remain fairly bullish on them, and I don’t foresee that changing in their three games this week.
This week: Tues at Armstrong/Cooper, Thurs at Andover, Sat vs. Anoka

8. St. Thomas Academy (14-4-1)
-Continued their steady push through a very easy second half schedule. Their opponents this week could at least plausibly make things interesting, but they should cruise. Should.
This week: Tues vs. Cretin-Derham Hall, Sat vs. Duluth Marshall

9. Grand Rapids (14-4-1)
-Took care of Duluth Marshall, which should effectively lock up the 3-seed in 7AA, and beat Greenway, too. They go on the last of their five regular season Twin Cities overnight road trips this week, and face a pair of teams they should beat, but could be an upset threat if their defenses are on.
This week: Fri at Wayzata, Sat at White Bear Lake

10. Lakeville North (14-3-2)
-The Panthers bled a lot of goals last week, giving up 4 in a win over Farmington and 5 on 12 shots against Burnsville. This was always a mild concern with this team, and they’ll have to lock it down to make a deep playoff run. I’ve still got some doubts about this group, but they’ve got a huge week ahead of them and a chance to prove something with a win or two.
This week: Tues at #2 Stillwater, Thurs vs. #3 Holy Family

11. Duluth East (12-5-1)
-Stayed on their second half roll, and have now won 6 of 7, including a respectable one over Prior Lake this past week. They’ve got a three-game week ahead of them, but one of those is going to get all the attention, and deservedly so. This is the Hounds’ chance to poach the top seed in 7AA and show they belong among the state’s top teams.
This week: Tues at Anoka, Thurs vs. Superior (WI), Sat at #6 Elk River

12. Maple Grove (12-5)
-Mixed feelings on this one; the Crimson are obviously good, as they showed by beating Hill. But in a year where the top 15 are so interchangeable, a win over the #2 team in the state isn’t necessarily any more valuable than a win over someone closer to the middle of the table. The 5-0 loss to Centennial was ugly, and far more meaningful for section implications, so that’s why the Crimson are edging downward for now. Just one game this week.
This week: Sat at Andover

13. Minnetonka (11-8)
-One of the better eight-loss teams you’ll ever see at this point in the season. With a little more experience some of these losses probably turn into wins, and as they led most of the way against Holy Family, they could clearly beat them in a 2AA playoff rematch. For now, though, they sit toward the back end of the cluster of quality teams. They have a chance to prove something when they host #1 this week.
This week: Thurs vs. #1 Eden Prairie, Sat at Hopkins

14. Burnsville (12-6-1)
-The suddenly streaking Blaze have won eight straight, and the win over Lakeville North puts a nice exclamation point on it. If they can take care of Prior Lake this week, they’re in good position to run the table and head into sections on a 14-game streak, and could even apply some pressure to St. Thomas Academy in the race for the top seed in 3AA should the Cadets stumble.
This week: Tues vs. Farmington, Sat vs. Prior Lake

15. Moorhead (13-3-3)
-The Spuds blitzed Roseau, then poured on the pressure but couldn’t get more than a tie against St. Michael-Albertville. They’re clearly a step ahead of the rest of 8AA talent-wise, but with two losses and a tie to section competition, there are some real questions here. Just one game this week, as they’re St. Cloud-bound.
This week: Tues at St. Cloud

Next in Line

St. Michael-Albertville (13-3-2)
-Some heroic goaltending from Kyle Hayden got the Knights a tie with Moorhead, proving they’re right there in the 8AA race. They make an argument for the top seed given their better record in the section; that Buffalo loss looms there, though. A win over Bemidji this week would help their case.

Prior Lake (11-8)
-Have been showing some signs of improvement lately, as they played two top-15 teams tough and got a second win over Lakeville South. If they keep this up, they could yet cause the top seed in 2AA some trouble. Surging Burnsville, who beat them the first time around, awaits this week.

Lakeville South (11-6-1)
-Recent losses to Prior Lake and Burnsville have dumped the Cougars from the top 15. They’ve got one tough gam left in each of their final three weeks; this week’s features Holy Family on Saturday.

Cretin-Derham Hall (12-5)
-Gaining some momentum as they’ve now won 8 of their last 9, including a second win over White Bear. They could really build some statewide cred by doing something against St. Thomas this week.

White Bear Lake (10-5-3)
-The Bears lapsed into hibernation this past week, dropping a second game to Cretin and tying Mounds View. Grand Rapids this week gives them a chance to make up some ground.

Roseau (13-6)
-A second straight ugly loss to a ranked team has the Rams going the wrong way, though they did pull out a second win over Brainerd, which is important for seeding purposes. Up next: rematches with rivals Warroad and Bemidji.

Blaine (9-8-1)
-The Bengals are in freefall following a loss to Anoka, who they’d hung ten goals on a few weeks ago. Their next three—Elk River, Hill-Murray, and Eden Prairie—are about as tough as it gets, so any sort of positive result would help their standing here.

Wayzata (6-12)
-I’m feeling charitable, so I’ll give the Trojans one last mention as they head into an absolutely brutal week featuring Hill, Edina, and Grand Rapids. It still wouldn’t stun me to see them steal one, but this team just looks totally adrift right now, and this has the feeling of a lost season. A question worth asking: what was the worst ever season by a defending state champion?

Section time…

1AA
10 Lakeville North
18 Lakeville South
Farmington
Owatonna
-North continues to separate itself from South; even with a win in the rematch next Tuesday, South may struggle to make a claim for the top spot. After that? Well, there could be an argument over the 3-seed; Owatonna has a head-to-head win and a better record than Farmington, but they also lost to Rochester Century recently and are far lower in PS2. At this point, I’d tip the 3-seed toward the Tigers. A second round of Big Nine play could alter Owatonna’s standing, for good or ill.

2AA
1 Eden Prairie
3 Holy Family
13 Minnetonka
17 Prior Lake
-Holy Family secured a top-two seed with their win over Minnetonka. The first of the two EP-Tonka games is Thursday, followed by one on the season’s final day. Unless Tonka wins both of those, I’d give Eden Prairie the top seed; if they do manage to pull that off, Holy Family is #1 and Minnetonka is #2.

3AA
8 St. Thomas Academy
14 Burnsville
Eastview
Eagan
-Burnsville is charging hard and the top two are clear, though STA has still done enough to lead the push for the top seed. Right now it looks like a two-team race for the 3- and 4-seeds, with the Eagan-Eastview game on Saturday likely settling it. Rosemount has a similar record but has not done well in section play, and despite the terrible record, Bloomington Jefferson beat the Irish and has a decent argument for #5.

4AA
2 Stillwater
5 Hill-Murray
20 White Bear Lake
Woodbury
-This is a seeding nightmare: two great teams that do not play each other, and strong incentive to claim the top seed and avoid White Bear Lake in the semis…as long as the Bears don’t sink into a tailspin and, say, lose to Woodbury again, in which case the Royals could grab the 3-seed if they can finish strong. That Bears game with Woodbury is the only thing of interest in the next two weeks. Otherwise, every game counts for Hill and Stillwater, and any slip-up could cost them the top spot.

5AA
7 Centennial
12 Maple Grove
22 Blaine
Champlin Park
-Unless Blaine goes all the way over the cliff, this one is set. Centennial went 3-1 against the other top two, while Maple Grove was 2-2 and Blaine went 1-3. Champlin Park is next in line should the Bengals falter further, and those two do play in the final week of the season.

6AA
4 Edina
19 Cretin-Derham Hall
Benilde-St. Margaret’s
23 Wayzata
-This is a gross section, especially now that 4-win Benilde has beaten Wayzata, who beat Cretin. Even so, I’d give the 2-seed to Cretin, since they at least win games sometimes, including a couple against respectable competition like White Bear. Wayzata’s season has been so ugly that I don’t think they can dislodge Edina from the top spot even with a couple of wins over the Hornets in Lake play, but if they could pick one off that could get them back up to #2. Benilde can make a case for #3 (or maybe even #2, if Cretin stumbles some) with a strong finish, but that final week game with St. Louis Park actually could matter, as the Orioles have a strong record and a player worth watching, even if their schedule isn’t at all comparable. Basically, it’s a total mess beyond Edina, and with the seasons they’ve had, I don’t anyone has any reason to feel slighted if the seeds don’t go their way.

7AA
6 Elk River
11 Duluth East
9 Grand Rapids
Cloquet
-It’s all pretty straightforward here: Saturday’s game will determine the top seed, and most likely lock in the top 3. I’d argue Cloquet should get the 4-seed regardless of what happens in their game against Marshall on Tuesday (they’d be 2-1 against the Toppers and Andover, the other 4-6 teams), but they can settle any potential debate with a win. The Andover loss really hurts Marshall’s seeding standing, though they may at least have an argument for #5 if they can beat Cloquet and finish with a much better record than the Huskies.

8AA
15 Moorhead
16 St. Michael-Albertville
21 Roseau
Brainerd
-This could’ve been easy if Moorhead had beaten STMA, but they didn’t, so there are a lot of plausible arguments here. Both of them have a questionable section loss (Moorhead to Brainerd, STMA to Buffalo), and while Moorhead’s overall résumé is better, they also have the Roseau loss from the first meeting. I’m giving the Spuds the bump for now, but wouldn’t object to a different ordering. Roseau should have a lock on the 3-seed and a likely quarterfinal date with Buffalo following a second win over Brainerd, while the Warriors’ second win in three tries over Bemidji should get them home ice for what could well be a fourth meeting. But we’re not done yet, either: Bemidji still has games with each of the top 3, and STMA has to deal with Buffalo a second time, too.

ryguyMN
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Post by ryguyMN » Sun Jan 29, 2017 9:39 am

This is really shaping up to be a great playoffs, and possibly state tournament. So much parity this year - no dominate team trying to run the table with an undefeated season. On any given night, no team can be counted out. One we get to the section semis, we're going to be treated to some really great hockey.

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Post by GoldenBear » Sun Jan 29, 2017 11:35 am

Karl. Thanks for the fun Sunday morning news! I think u are spot on with your rankings. I feel lucky that Wayzata gets a mention and hoping Edina can't do what the Trojans did to them last year and beat them four times. That being said, a wayzata cretin or wayzata benilde semi game will be a coin flip. Three weeks away from the real fun! Maybe the Rochester John Marshall team of the 70s once the Leceys graduated had a losing record after they won the championship in 77. Mariner had a pretty bad year after finishing runner up to Edina GB

Sparlimb
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Post by Sparlimb » Sun Jan 29, 2017 11:36 am

I'll say it again. Tartan will be the 4th seed in 4AA and won't lose again this regular season. Woodbury is 5th at best.


Heck, if White Bear loses a couple more games (which they easily could), Tartan could be the 3 seed.

TheMNhockey1
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Post by TheMNhockey1 » Sun Jan 29, 2017 1:14 pm

Sparlimb wrote:I'll say it again. Tartan will be the 4th seed in 4AA and won't lose again this regular season. Woodbury is 5th at best.


Heck, if White Bear loses a couple more games (which they easily could), Tartan could be the 3 seed.
Before Tartan played Mahtomedi i said if they win this game they will win out. So i like they way you think

HShockeywatcher
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Post by HShockeywatcher » Sun Jan 29, 2017 4:29 pm

TheMNhockey1 wrote:
Sparlimb wrote:I'll say it again. Tartan will be the 4th seed in 4AA and won't lose again this regular season. Woodbury is 5th at best.


Heck, if White Bear loses a couple more games (which they easily could), Tartan could be the 3 seed.
Before Tartan played Mahtomedi i said if they win this game they will win out. So i like they way you think
It really depends which team shows up, right? Tartan has tied Hill-Murray and beaten Mahtomedi twice, but also lost to TRF and NSP...

karl(east)
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Post by karl(east) » Sun Jan 29, 2017 9:27 pm

TheMNhockey1 wrote:
Sparlimb wrote:I'll say it again. Tartan will be the 4th seed in 4AA and won't lose again this regular season. Woodbury is 5th at best.


Heck, if White Bear loses a couple more games (which they easily could), Tartan could be the 3 seed.
Before Tartan played Mahtomedi i said if they win this game they will win out. So i like they way you think
I always seem to forget about the Titans, yes, perhaps because they haven't played many of the SEC teams...though they do have that early Hill tie to their name. Fortunately, they do play Woodbury on the season's final day, so we should get a definitive answer on the 4AA 4-seed (or 3-seed if WBL's struggles snowball) then.

Duluthguy
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Post by Duluthguy » Mon Jan 30, 2017 8:19 am

GoldenBear wrote:Karl. Thanks for the fun Sunday morning news! I think u are spot on with your rankings. I feel lucky that Wayzata gets a mention and hoping Edina can't do what the Trojans did to them last year and beat them four times. That being said, a wayzata cretin or wayzata benilde semi game will be a coin flip. Three weeks away from the real fun! Maybe the Rochester John Marshall team of the 70s once the Leceys graduated had a losing record after they won the championship in 77. Mariner had a pretty bad year after finishing runner up to Edina GB
JM was awesome again in '78 and in '79, making it to the tournament both years, and state runner-up in '79. There was a drop off in '80...

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Post by Doc Holliday » Mon Jan 30, 2017 10:10 am

Good stuff, as always! Even if there's some disagreement, you always put a reason why you have things the way you have them.

Do you see things similar in terms if these rankings held & the higher team advanced to state (i.e., HF can't be seeded at state because EP is there)? Would be interesting to see how things are done. Hill has a win over Edina (as would Grand Rapids), but Edina's schedule is a juggernaut. I'd have to think Hill's H2H over Edina would give them a nod there. And that's with me not even taking into account Stillwater. Would the 7AA winner get a little more cred over others because they survived that, similar to what 6AA a few seasons ago received? It does seem that even with potentially more losses, I'd think the coaches recognize EP as the top horse, if they get there. How do you see your rankings in terms of state seeding?

February is upon us; now is the time when the fun seems to amp up even more....

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Post by GoldenBear » Mon Jan 30, 2017 10:32 am

JM was awesome again in '78 and in '79, making it to the tournament both years, and state runner-up in '79. There was a drop off in '80...


Thanks for the help Duluthguy, was just guessing (horrible guess) don't know why I didn't remember them the years after. I think it's safe to say Wayzata has the record for worst record after winning it all. GB

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Post by karl(east) » Mon Jan 30, 2017 12:42 pm

Doc Holliday wrote:Good stuff, as always! Even if there's some disagreement, you always put a reason why you have things the way you have them.

Do you see things similar in terms if these rankings held & the higher team advanced to state (i.e., HF can't be seeded at state because EP is there)? Would be interesting to see how things are done. Hill has a win over Edina (as would Grand Rapids), but Edina's schedule is a juggernaut. I'd have to think Hill's H2H over Edina would give them a nod there. And that's with me not even taking into account Stillwater. Would the 7AA winner get a little more cred over others because they survived that, similar to what 6AA a few seasons ago received? It does seem that even with potentially more losses, I'd think the coaches recognize EP as the top horse, if they get there. How do you see your rankings in terms of state seeding?

February is upon us; now is the time when the fun seems to amp up even more....
Good question, I could certainly see Hill leapfrogging Edina if they made the Tourney (especially since they would then, presumably, also have a win over Stillwater to get there). And similarly, if someone like GR or DE wins 7AA with a similar ranking to what they have now, I'd advocate for them leapfrogging over a Lakeville North or an STA, at the very least. I'm not big on using head-to-head for State seeding unless teams are very close--it seems kind of arbitrary that way--but it certainly could be useful. And the difficulty of getting out a section should matter for this, which helps 2AA and 7AA and probably 4AA this year, but not so much in a 3AA or a 6AA.

elliott70
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Post by elliott70 » Mon Jan 30, 2017 1:04 pm

If the state qualifiers are, the seeds will be:

Section Team Seed
1 Lakeville N not
2 EP 1
3 STA not
4 Stillwater 3
5 Centennial 5
6 Edina 2
7 Elk River 4
8 Moorhead not

With these teams seed will not mean much other than being the home team.

redtundra
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Post by redtundra » Mon Jan 30, 2017 1:59 pm

elliott70 wrote:If the state qualifiers are, the seeds will be:

Section Team Seed
1 Lakeville N not
2 EP 1
3 STA not
4 Stillwater 3
5 Centennial 5
6 Edina 2
7 Elk River 4
8 Moorhead not

With these teams seed will not mean much other than being the home team.
IF this is the field, then it will be a great tournament. This really would be 8 of the top 12 or so in a year where anyone can beat anyone.

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Post by Sparlimb » Mon Jan 30, 2017 2:04 pm

elliott70 wrote:If the state qualifiers are, the seeds will be:

Section Team Seed
1 Lakeville N not
2 EP 1
3 STA not
4 Stillwater 3
5 Centennial 5
6 Edina 2
7 Elk River 4
8 Moorhead not

With these teams seed will not mean much other than being the home team.
My projection as of today:

1. Lakeville N not
2. Holy Family 3
3. STA not
4. HM 1
5. Centennial 4
6. Edina 2
7. Grand Rapids 5
8. Moorhead not

elliott70
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Post by elliott70 » Mon Jan 30, 2017 2:10 pm

redtundra wrote:
elliott70 wrote:If the state qualifiers are, the seeds will be:

Section Team Seed
1 Lakeville N not
2 EP 1
3 STA not
4 Stillwater 3
5 Centennial 5
6 Edina 2
7 Elk River 4
8 Moorhead not

With these teams seed will not mean much other than being the home team.

IF this is the field, then it will be a great tournament. This really would be 8 of the top 12 or so in a year where anyone can beat anyone.

Even if you drop down a bit, throw an upset in there...

1 Lakeville S tourney not as good
2 HF still good
3 Burnsville still good
4 Hill Still good
5 Maple Grove still good
6 Cretin not as good
7 Grand Rapids or Duluth East still good
8 ST Mike's or Roseau may not win a game but add something so tourney still good.

So the tourney should be a dandy even with an upset or two or three.

If Bemidji makes it, well then it will be the best tourney since last year.

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Post by YouthHockeyHub » Mon Jan 30, 2017 2:41 pm

Elliott,

like your seeds and the thought of those 8 making it

Here is another wrinkle with just as good of a tourney

1. LVN - NR
2. HFC - 1 (have felt that karma from last year will reverse itself)
3. STA - NR
4. STW - 2
5. CENT - 5
6. Edina - 3
7. East - 4
8. MHD - NR

Any tourney without Casey won't be as good for the masses and history...that kind of star power can't replaced....EP has to be there Friday night for it to be a great tourney. That said, the hockey with these 8 would be fun to watch, despite the fact that fewer would tune in.

I have two gut feelings heading down the stretch. One is EP loses in section playoffs and the other is EP and Edina for state title. Both would make my stomach turn. For there to be great drama, you need an underdog for the masses to get behind and a big favorite to gawk at. Watching the Eden Prairie section get behind Duluth East a couple years ago on Friday night is what I'm talking about. When Rapids was putting heat on EP last year on Friday, the GR band had the arena in a lather - when two perennials (Edina/EP) make it or two very unknown make it (STW/HFC for example)...the lukewarm fans shy away.

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Post by Doc Holliday » Mon Jan 30, 2017 4:04 pm

YouthHockeyHub wrote: One is EP loses in section playoffs and the other is EP and Edina for state title. Both would make my stomach turn.
Not to get ahead of us, and the probability is low of both being there, but if they happened to be there in the title game (or just play each other at the X), they would have played each other for the 5th time.

Has anybody ever played each other FIVE times in a season?
-I remember Kennedy & Burnsville played each other 4 times in 86-87 (Edina/Met Classic, 2 Lake South/Red games & title game
-Edina-Minnetonka played 4 times in 09-10: 1 in Schwan's, 2 in conference play, and 1 in state title game. There were some other times where Edina-Tonka played each other 4 times when they were in the same section.
-Edina-EP played each other 4 times in 14-15, with last one being 3rd place game at state.

It seems that it would require two conference tilts plus a holiday tournament meeting. But Edina-EP happened to have two tournament dates with the Edina Classic & the Schwan's. Does anybody know of a time when somebody met 5 times?

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Post by Goldyismoldy » Mon Jan 30, 2017 4:54 pm

YouthHockeyHub wrote:
7. East - 4

.

Bartender! I'll have what he's having.

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Post by goldy313 » Mon Jan 30, 2017 9:23 pm

GoldenBear wrote:JM was awesome again in '78 and in '79, making it to the tournament both years, and state runner-up in '79. There was a drop off in '80...


Thanks for the help Duluthguy, was just guessing (horrible guess) don't know why I didn't remember them the years after. I think it's safe to say Wayzata has the record for worst record after winning it all. GB
In 1978 JM entered the tournament 23-1, aside from Scott Lecy, basically returned everyone from the championship team. That team was probably their best team of the 3, in late January they met unbeaten Hill Murray and put them in running time. In the first round in St Paul they met unbeaten Roseau and lost. The 1979 team barely got through sections, needing overtime twice and a 1 goal quarterfinal win before ending up in the easy side of the draw (Harding, Washburn, and Irondale) and finally losing to Edina East in overtime.

karl(east)
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Post by karl(east) » Mon Jan 30, 2017 9:37 pm

To answer my own question: 2001 Blaine went 8-15-1, was ranked #46 in PageStat, and was the 8-seed in 4AA. They beat Cooper for the right to lose 7-2 to top-seeded (and eventual state champion) Elk River. Makes sense, as the '00 Bengals were very senior-loaded. They are the only remotely comparable team in the regular season, though 2012 Eden Prairie deserves a mention for losing to Armstrong in the 6AA quarterfinals.

Wayzata is currently 6-12, and #24 is PS2. Looking at their remaining schedule, they could well win just one more game (Hopkins) which would leave them 7-18 heading into sections, though given 6AA this year and their win over Cretin, they still have good odds at a top-4 seed, probably #5 at worst. So, probably not quite as bad as Blaine, especially when their schedule is taken account...unless we're measuring things relative to expectations, of course.

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2014-15

Post by O-townClown » Mon Jan 30, 2017 10:28 pm

Karl, possibly also worth noting is that Wayzata was a .500 team two seasons ago. The state championship in between certainly jumps out in that context as well.

Loaded schedule like Duluth East and Edina, so no shame in .500...but .500 nonetheless.
Be kind. Rewind.

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Re: 2014-15

Post by karl(east) » Tue Jan 31, 2017 12:05 pm

O-townClown wrote:Karl, possibly also worth noting is that Wayzata was a .500 team two seasons ago. The state championship in between certainly jumps out in that context as well.

Loaded schedule like Duluth East and Edina, so no shame in .500...but .500 nonetheless.
Right, and even with the state championship, they had a solid but hardly remarkable 16-8-1 regular season. It wasn't like them winning was a shock--the talent was obvious, they were on a roll by the end of the year, and some of us were on their bandwagon--but they had their share of bumps in the road.

Maybe they haven't been as good as we think they are any of these years, but I think the coaching style lends itself to feast or famine hockey...and this season, it seems like things have just snowballed.

inthetwine
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Post by inthetwine » Tue Jan 31, 2017 3:37 pm

Sparlimb wrote:I'll say it again. Tartan will be the 4th seed in 4AA and won't lose again this regular season. Woodbury is 5th at best.


Heck, if White Bear loses a couple more games (which they easily could), Tartan could be the 3 seed.
Remember last year, when Tatan was the 3 seed, and lost to Woodbury the 6 seed? and WB was the 5 seed and beat the 4 seed?

Goldyismoldy
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Post by Goldyismoldy » Thu Feb 02, 2017 11:01 am

Stillwater holds on to LPH's #3 ranking despite losing at home to Lakeville North and being out shot by 10. Its a good thing Stillwater has that ONE quality win on the season back in December to hang their hat on.

Meanwhile, they drop Hill 6 places due to their loss to Maple Grove and tie to Wayzata despite the Pioneers having 4 more quality wins.

Well done boys. :roll:

I think HAL's ranking of the Ponies at 11th in AA is about correct. Its not like I don't think they're a good team. But they've proven diddly.

karl(east)
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Post by karl(east) » Thu Feb 02, 2017 12:00 pm

Goldyismoldy wrote:Stillwater holds on to LPH's #3 ranking despite losing at home to Lakeville North and being out shot by 10. Its a good thing Stillwater has that ONE quality win on the season back in December to hang their hat on.

Meanwhile, they drop Hill 6 places due to their loss to Maple Grove and tie to Wayzata despite the Pioneers having 4 more quality wins.

Well done boys. :roll:

I think HAL's ranking of the Ponies at 11th in AA is about correct. Its not like I don't think they're a good team. But they've proven diddly.
Yeah, no way should they be top 5 after that last loss. No one is exactly setting the world on fire in 4AA right now, so I'm curious to see how they all trend over these last few weeks.

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