AA Rankings for 2/2/20

[karl(east)]

At least I feel confident that the top four, in some order, are the top four right now. After that? Forget about it.

1. Andover (18-3-1)
-For the first time all season a top-ranked team looked the part, as the Huskies shellacked Holy Family, Elk River, and Rogers; while all expected wins, they do get some style points that further lock them in at top. Their lone game this week comes against a mid-tier 8AA opponent.
This week: Sat at St. Cloud

2. Blake (17-5)
-Was that early season home-and-home between the Huskies and the Bears a preview of things to come? Like Andover, the Bears took apart middling to weaker competition this past week, the most impressive result being the 6-rip win over Holy Angels. They should keep on rolling this week.
This week: Thurs vs. Providence Academy, Sat vs. Armstrong/Cooper

3. Eden Prairie (15-4-1)
-The full-strength Eagles showed their firepower in a win over Buffalo and controlled most of their game with Edina, though the Hornets’ late push showed that they aren’t on some other tier now. The second round of Lake games will tell us more about how much better this team can be.
This week: Tues vs. Totino-Grace, Sat at Minnetonka

4. Moorhead (16-4-1)
-A loss to Warroad doesn’t hurt the Spuds a whole lot in the grand scheme of things, but it does show that prolific offense can be shut down by a similarly built opponent. They get a shot at another Class A powerhouse in their lone game this coming week.
This week: Fri at St. Cloud Cathedral

5. Prior Lake (13-5-3)
-Just when you think a team is on a roll, it goes and loses to Eastview; they fail upward in the rankings because Cretin’s loss was even worse. The week ahead will show us whether that’s a temporary blip or a reversion to the mean; a loss in the Holy Family game could cost them the top seed in 2AA, and Lakeville South is on a bit of a roll now, too.
This week: Tues at Holy Family, Thurs at Shakopee, Sat vs. #9 Lakeville South

6. Cretin-Derham Hall (17-4-1)
-The head-scratchers of the week were the previously consistent Raiders, who collected a quality win over White Bear but turned around and crumbled against East Ridge two nights later. They have a couple opponents this week who are within striking distance if they’re not careful.
This week: Thurs vs. Stillwater, Sat at Forest Lake

7. Benilde-St. Margaret’s (12-6-2)
-The Red Knights hung double digits on Jefferson and have now won four in a row; that Blake win looks pretty good in retrospect now, too, and with carnage in this part of the rankings, they’re this week’s team that edges upward because everyone else lost. Tuesday's battle with STMA is an interesting contest between two hyphenated saints currently headed in the right direction, and they get a chance to avenge a poor Chaska loss, too.
This week: Tues at St. Michael-Albertville, Thurs at Chaska

8. Wayzata (13-7-1)
-Sustaining momentum just isn’t a thing Trojans do, as they were held in check on a road trip to Grand Rapids. When this team is on and playing their style, I think they’re about as dangerous as anyone, but a team does need to win six in a row to win it all. They wander up 94 a couple of times this week and should have an interesting one with Cathedral.
This week: Thurs at Buffalo, Sat at St. Cloud Cathedral

9. Lakeville South (14-6)
-After a bit of a lull in early January the Cougars are now back on the rise following last week’s win over rival North and a second victory over Rosemount this past week. Because their overall body of work is pretty decent, I’m going to respect that momentum and send them hurtling upward; lest we forget, they spent a few weeks around here earlier in the season. They can skate with anyone in the South Suburban and might just yet give 1AA a competitive Tourney entrant, though given my luck this season, they’ll lose to Farmington on Thursday. We’ll see if they can avenge an earlier loss to Prior Lake.
This week: Thurs vs. Farmington, Sat at #5 Prior Lake

10. Rosemount (16-5)
-The Irish stumbled against Lakeville South and have now lost their last two (and three of four) games against top 25 teams, which is not an encouraging trend as the calendar turns to February. Their last four games are all against teams in that cluster of good-but-not-great South Suburban teams, so they will say a lot about the fate of the Irish: is this team really a frontrunner for a Tourney berth, or just another in a large clump of decent teams in the state’s most competitive conference?
This week: Thurs at Eagan, Sat at Lakeville North

11. Hill-Murray (13-6-2)
-The Pioneers pulled one out over St. Thomas but had rather less success against Hermantown. This week’s Maple Grove game is of interest in this portion of the rankings.
This week: Tues vs. #12 Maple Grove, Thurs vs. Tartan

12. Maple Grove (15-5)
-The Crimson’s authoritative win over Totino was a good sign against a team with a good chance of being a 5AA semifinalist and their first real offensive outburst since the Kukkonen injury. Is it a step in the right direction, or just a blip on the radar? The week ahead, which features Hill and two respectable northern teams, will be telling.
This week: Tues at #11 Hill-Murray, Fri at Duluth East, Sat at Grand Rapids

13. White Bear Lake (15-4-1)
-The Bears fell to Cretin at the start of the week but got a much-needed victory over Blaine to stay afloat in the rankings. Nothing comes particularly easily the rest of the way, either; they have section opponent Stillwater before making a road trip north.
This week: Tues at Stillwater, Fri at Grand Rapids, Sat at Cloquet

14. Edina (10-9-2)
-The Hornets’ comeback bid came up short against Eden Prairie, but that late burst showed some life and provided some hope that they can score enough to win a few games in sections. Thursday’s game with surging STMA, who tied them in the first meeting, will be interesting.
This week: Thurs vs. St. Michael-Albertville, Sat vs. Buffalo

15. Blaine (14-7)
-The Bengals didn’t have a particularly great week as they only narrowly edged Centennial and fell in overtime to White Bear Lake. The good news: that win over Centennial should lock up the top seed in 5AA, which means they’ll likely avoid their rival Cougars in the section semis. Elk River and Holy Family should be wins on paper, but I don’t feel entirely confident in that given this team’s season-long trends.
This week: Tues vs. Elk River, Sat at Holy Family

The Next Ten

Grand Rapids (12-7-1)
-The Thunderhawks put together one of their better showings of the season in a Saturday win over Wayzata. They haven’t allowed more than two goals in a game in their last ten, and that defensive formula is probably the approach they need to have a crack at Andover at Amsoil. That streak will face a test this week when White Bear and Maple Grove come to visit.

St. Michael-Albertville (11-7-3)
-The Knights put an exclamation point on their recent run by beating Minnetonka. They’ve now won seven of their last eight, with the lone loss coming by one goal to Eden Prairie. Their top line is one of the more prolific in the state, but the second line had a productive night against Minnetonka, and if that keep getting that balance, they have a decent shot at a trip to St. Paul. Now, time for a dose of perspective: can they keep it rolling against Benilde and an Edina team they tied the first time around? If so, they’ll see the top 15 next week.

Minnetonka (11-10)
-The Skippers’ loss to St. Michael-Albertville was a repeat on a few recurring themes, as they bled a bunch of goals and also had some issues scoring despite controlling play for long stretches. While this team has shown improvement over the course of the season, they also seem to have a ceiling on that stronger play and need to make a statement to be more than a team that hovers in the 10-20 range. This ranking is probably overly harsh, but someone had to drop to make room here. They’ll have their chance to improve on things this coming Saturday.

Eagan (14-6)
-The Wildcats ran into the Prior Lake buzzsaw, which stems their momentum but doesn’t really hurt them in a convoluted portion of the rankings. With Rosemount and Eastview on the schedule this week, they could be making a play for the top seed in the section or sinking into obscurity in seven days. Can they take advantage of the seeming decline of the Irish and make a run?

Eastview (12-8-1)
-The Lightning’s win over Prior Lake headlines a run of six wins in its past seven. They aren’t particularly deep, but they have a few weapons on their top unit and have been doing a good job of keeping opponents in check. Things don’t get any easier this week as Lakeville North and Eagan are on the schedule.

Lakeville North (13-6-1)
-A win over Burnsville has the Panthers moseying back up the rankings. Minnetonka and Rosemount highlight a tough week ahead.

Burnsville (12-7-2)
-The Blaze let one get away against Lakeville North. They have the dregs of the South Suburban, Apple Valley and Shakopee, this week.

Holy Family (12-9)
-There’s lots of burning in this part of the rankings, but the Fire wasn’t particularly bright in a 7-1 loss to Andover. They did bounce back to beat a decent Cloquet team later in the week. Things don’t get any easier this week as they host Prior Lake and Blaine.

St. Thomas Academy (10-8-2)
-The Cadets were competitive in a loss to Hill, and that result doesn’t do anything to hurt their standing. They’ll look to avenge an earlier loss to Mahtomedi this week.

Chaska (11-8-1)
-The Hawks make their way back into the land of the somewhat relevant after avenging their St. Louis Park loss. We’ll see if they can repeat their win over Benilde this week.

[SEC Scotty]

Great job Karl. Just a couple thoughts on games I was at this week. Cretin did not play badly against a very scrappy East Ridge team. They ran into a goalie who stood on his head, hit pipes and could have won that game easily. Their power play with Gleason is as good as I've seen this season.

Blaine outplayed WBL for two periods last night. White Bear was terrible for two periods before pulling it out in OT. Steffens was the reason they won that game as he held them in the game with several great saves in the second. Totally different line combinations for WBL than when they were playing well early. Don't understand why they separated Roed and Newpower as that line had great chemistry.

Hill got outplayed by a very impressive Hermantown team that would be a top five team in AA for sure.

[Zamman]

Wow 6AA has 5 teams in the top 15, won’t that section be fun to watch. Also, since I am a homer, don’t count out Holy Angels lost to BSM and Blake, in the playoffs you never know.....but right now those 5 teams make for a real good semi-final.

[ryguyMN]

Wow 6AA has 5 teams in the top 15, won’t that section be fun to watch.

As it stands now, the big question is how early do you have to be in line to get 6AA semifinal Saturday tickets at BIG?

[WestMetro]

Karl’s best line of the year?


“BSMs Tuesday's battle with STMA is an interesting contest between two hyphenated saints currently headed in the right direction”

[WestMetro]

Well stated SEC Scotty. My first time seeing the Hawks this year , very impressive .

“Hill got outplayed by a very impressive Hermantown team that would be a top five team in AA for sure”

[Stang5280]

8. Wayzata (13-7-1)
-Sustaining momentum just isn’t a thing Trojans do, as they were held in check on a road trip to Grand Rapids. When this team is on and playing their style, I think they’re about as dangerous as anyone, but a team does need to win six in a row to win it all. They wander up 94 a couple of times this week and should have an interesting one with Cathedral.
This week: Thurs at Buffalo, Sat at St. Cloud Cathedral

Just once, actually. (Twin Cities geography lesson time!) Buffalo is a straight shot up Highway 55 from Wayzata HS, and not a particularly long one at that. A small portion of the two school districts border one another. Buffalo is about 10 miles south of 94 (take Hwy 25 up to Monticello).

[karl(east)]

8. Wayzata (13-7-1)
-Sustaining momentum just isn’t a thing Trojans do, as they were held in check on a road trip to Grand Rapids. When this team is on and playing their style, I think they’re about as dangerous as anyone, but a team does need to win six in a row to win it all. They wander up 94 a couple of times this week and should have an interesting one with Cathedral.
This week: Thurs at Buffalo, Sat at St. Cloud Cathedral

Just once, actually. (Twin Cities geography lesson time!) Buffalo is a straight shot up Highway 55 from Wayzata HS, and not a particularly long one at that. A small portion of the two school districts border one another. Buffalo is about 10 miles south of 94 (take Hwy 25 up to Monticello).

Huh, sure enough. I guess I had Buffalo a bit closer to the freeway in my mental map. And of course, yes, they're coming from the high school, not the 494 corridor (which is usually the only part of Plymouth I pass through with any regularity).

The exurban areas northwest of the Metro are one of my bigger geographical black holes, if only because, as a Duluthian, I almost never travel that northwest-to-southeast axis from the Metro.

[WestMetro]

Lee, Not surprised Hermantown moved up from 7 to 4 in combined pagestat rankings this week .

I thought Warroad might move up from 17 to 15 or higher after beating Moorhead , instead they dropped to 20 , how did that happen?

[Stang5280]

8. Wayzata (13-7-1)
-Sustaining momentum just isn’t a thing Trojans do, as they were held in check on a road trip to Grand Rapids. When this team is on and playing their style, I think they’re about as dangerous as anyone, but a team does need to win six in a row to win it all. They wander up 94 a couple of times this week and should have an interesting one with Cathedral.
This week: Thurs at Buffalo, Sat at St. Cloud Cathedral

Just once, actually. (Twin Cities geography lesson time!) Buffalo is a straight shot up Highway 55 from Wayzata HS, and not a particularly long one at that. A small portion of the two school districts border one another. Buffalo is about 10 miles south of 94 (take Hwy 25 up to Monticello).

Huh, sure enough. I guess I had Buffalo a bit closer to the freeway in my mental map. And of course, yes, they're coming from the high school, not the 494 corridor (which is usually the only part of Plymouth I pass through with any regularity).

The exurban areas northwest of the Metro are one of my bigger geographical black holes, if only because, as a Duluthian, I almost never travel that northwest-to-southeast axis from the Metro.

No problem, I just happened to notice that line and couldn’t resist giving you a hard time. I probably wouldn’t know that area very well, either, if my parents hadn’t moved out to the boonies near Buffalo several years ago. I remember when the new Wayzata HS opened and wondering why they built it out in the sticks, which seems like a quaint thought now.

[northwoods oldtimer]

Well stated SEC Scotty. My first time seeing the Hawks this year , very impressive .

“Hill got outplayed by a very impressive Hermantown team that would be a top five team in AA for sure”

Shame on you Westy for derailing the AA ranks thread with "H" talk.

Well they are NOT AA so there is that

Nuff said!!

[WestMetro]

Sorry, NWOT, I should have reminded myself to post any Htown comment to the neutral 40 page Hermantown thread .

[O-townClown]

Karl’s best line of the year?

“BSMs Tuesday's battle with STMA is an interesting contest between two hyphenated saints currently headed in the right direction”

For sure.

[O-townClown]

Huh, sure enough. I guess I had Buffalo a bit closer to the freeway in my mental map.

Happens. Not living in Minnesota for a significant portion of my life I was thinking Andover was Annandale, which surprised me since they had what would be considered "good" HS hockey. The I realized it was just old Anoka.

[Joe2015]

I plan to go to the Moorhead at St Cloud Cathedral game on Friday. Who are the Spuds' top players I should be keeping an eye on?

[kniven]

I plan to go to the Moorhead at St Cloud Cathedral game on Friday. Who are the Spuds' top players I should be keeping an eye on?

The first line of forwards and top 2 defensive men. Look for the kids with the letter (C) or (A) on their sweater. That means they are pretty good.

[Joe2015]

I plan to go to the Moorhead at St Cloud Cathedral game on Friday. Who are the Spuds' top players I should be keeping an eye on?

The first line of forwards and top 2 defensive men. Look for the kids with the letter (C) or (A) on their sweater. That means they are pretty good.

Whats the "C" and "A" mean?

[GoldenBear]

Whats the "C" and "A" mean?

C= Coaches Kid
A= Athletic Director's Kid

[hockey59]

Whats the "C" and "A" mean?

C= Coaches Kid
A= Athletic Director's Kid

lol

[InThePipes]

Whats the "C" and "A" mean?

C= Coaches Kid
A= Athletic Director's Kid

[Joe2015]

Whats the "C" and "A" mean?

C= Coaches Kid
A= Athletic Director's Kid

GoldenBear wins the day

[northwoods oldtimer]

Sorry, NWOT, I should have reminded myself to post any Htown comment to the neutral 40 page Hermantown thread .

I post as you did from time to time and cringe at the thought of another run away thread rant involving a certain team

[grindiangrad-80]

Whats the "C" and "A" mean?

C= Coaches Kid
A= Athletic Director's Kid

That is really good.

[BodyShots]

I plan to go to the Moorhead at St Cloud Cathedral game on Friday. Who are the Spuds' top players I should be keeping an eye on?

The first line of forwards and top 2 defensive men. Look for the kids with the letter (C) or (A) on their sweater. That means they are pretty good.

You sure its not "T" and "A"?

[Sparlimb]

Well stated SEC Scotty. My first time seeing the Hawks this year , very impressive .

“Hill got outplayed by a very impressive Hermantown team that would be a top five team in AA for sure”

Shame on you Westy for derailing the AA ranks thread with "H" talk.

Well they are NOT AA so there is that

Nuff said!!

Question for those in the know. Did Hermantown have a choice to move to AA? Oh wait, they did. Sure they had a chance to win AA this year. But I'll laugh when they lose to my adopted St. Cloud Cathedral team in the finals...