Single A Top 20 2/9/2020

[elliott70]

2/9/2020
1 Hermantown
2 Warroad
3 St Cloud Cathedral
4 East Grand Forks
5 Mahtomedi
6 Delano
7 Thief River Falls
8 Alexandria
9 Orono
10 Duluth Denfeld
11 Greenway
12 St Paul Johnson
13 Gentry
14 Little Falls
15 Monticello
16 Princeton
17 Pine City
18 Sartell
19 North Branch
20 Hutchinson

Consideration:
Faribault, Minneapolis, Dodge County

[Corn Cobb]

6-17-1 Sartell at #18 ?????

[zooomx]

With Sartell, I am guessing Elliott is just seeing if anyone is paying attention??

I was wondering about the TRF vs Alex ratings and both teams are pretty interesting. Neither team has a bad loss, or a huge upset win and have somewhat comparable schedules, so it is hard to argue either way on that. #1-#4 are top 4 no doubt. Gap before and after #5. #6-#10 are all pretty close and #11-#15 are not far behind.

[Stang5280]

Sorry, today has been a mess. We’re on our third snowstorm this week. I will have my rankings up by midday tomorrow. I have a few write ups to finish and will be good to go.

[Stang5280]

With Sartell, I am guessing Elliott is just seeing if anyone is paying attention??

I know Elliott tends to treat his rankings more as a “who’s hot” than I do, weighing recent results pretty heavily. But I’m sure he’ll chime in about his thoughts.

[elliott70]

With Sartell, I am guessing Elliott is just seeing if anyone is paying attention??

I know Elliott tends to treat his rankings more as a “who’s hot” than I do, weighing recent results pretty heavily. But I’m sure he’ll chime in about his thoughts.

It was to be Armstrong Cooper, but no one likes them so I gave a shot to Sartrll boys for working hard all year and having a decent week.

[elliott70]

QRF Top 30 Rankings: February 9, 2020
1 St. Cloud Cathedral (19-2-1) 120.5
2 Hermantown (18-1-4) 118.5
3 Warroad (22-2) 110.1
4 Orono (19-3-1) 103.0 5
5 East Grand Forks (16-4-2) 101.0
6 Gentry Academy (19-4) 98.1
7 Mahtomedi (15-8) 94.5
8 Delano (16-6) 85.9
9 Alexandria (16-8) 85.1
10 Duluth Denfeld (17-5-1) 82.4
11 Monticello (16-6-1) 82.1
12 St. Paul Johnson (17-6) 80.4
T-13 AC Wings (11-10-1) 76.7
T-13 Little Falls (18-5-1) 76.7
15 Thief River Falls (13-9-1) 76.6
16 Pine City Area (17-5) 75.9
17 Mound Westonka/Watertown-Mayer (13-9-1) 71.8
18 New Ulm (16-6-1) 70.6
19 Dodge County (18-5) 70.5
20 Hutchinson (14-8-1) 70.1
21 North Branch (16-7) 69.6
22 Breck (12-10) 68.4
23 Morris/Benson Area (18-4) 66.5
24 Marshall (16-8) 66.4
25 Tartan (12-11) 64.7
26 Greenway/Nash-Kee (10-12-1) 64.5
27 Mankato West (13-9) 63.3
T-28 Faribault (15-6-2) 63.0
T-28 Eveleth-Gilbert Area (15-8) 63.0
T-30 Detroit Lakes (12-9-2) 62.6
T-30 South St. Paul (10-10-3)

[elliott70]

Page Stat 2-8-2020
Single A Overall Team Section Record
1 3 HERMANTOWN 7A 18 1 4
2 10 ST CLOUD CATHEDRAL 6A 19 2 1
3 17 EAST GRAND FORKS 8A 16 4 2
4 20 WARROAD 8A 22 2 0
5 27 ORONO 2A 19 3 1
6 33 MAHTOMEDI 4A 15 8 0
7 43 DELANO 2A 16 6 0
8 45 THIEF RIVER FALLS 8A 13 9 1
9 48 GENTRY ACADEMY 4A 19 4 0
10 51 DULUTH DENFELD 7A 17 5 1
11 52 ROBB ARMSTRONG/COOPER 2A 11 10 1
12 53 ALEXANDRIA 6A 16 8 0
13 56 MONTICELLO 5A 16 6 1
14 57 LITTLE FALLS 6A 18 5 1
15 58 GREENWAY 7A 10 12 1
16 62 BRECK_ 2A 12 10 0
17 64 ST PAUL JOHNSON 4A 17 6 0
18 68 HUTCHINSON 3A 14 8 1
19 69 EVELETH GILBERT 7A 15 8 0
20 70 PINE CITY 5A 17 5 0
21 71 TARTAN 4A 12 11 0
22 72 MOUND WESTONKA 2A 13 9 1
23 73 RIVER LAKES 6A 13 9 1
24 74 SOUTH ST PAUL 4A 10 10 3
25 76 DODGE COUNTY 1A 18 5 0
26 81 NORTH BRANCH 5A 16 7 0
27 82 MINNEAPOLIS 2A 9 12 2
28 83 SIMLEY 4A 11 13 0
29 84 ST PAUL ACADEMY 4A 11 11 1
30 85 SARTELL 6A 6 17 1

[Stang5280]

Here we are, starting the final week of the regular season. It's hard to believe that the playoffs will soon be upon us. After lamenting the lack of change in the rankings recently, this week delivered several upsets and big matchups between top teams, which made for a challenge in ranking teams. Enjoy the penultimate rankings of the season.

1. Hermantown (18-1-4) [LW 2]
W 10-0 @ Virginia, W 10-3 @ St. Cloud, W 5-2 vs Superior
The Hawks ascend to the top spot after a dominating week, albeit against lesser competition. The rise has been weeks in the making, as Hermantown has been stellar since their run of three ties to start 2020. Blake Biondi racked up a ridiculous eight points (3G, 5A) against a decent St. Cloud squad in making his final arguments for Mr. Hockey. The Hawks wrap up their campaign with two highly ranked AA foes (of course).
Next: Tue @ Lakeville South, Thu @ Grand Rapids

2. St. Cloud Cathedral (19-2-1) [LW 1]
L 3-5 vs Moorhead, W 7-6 (OT) vs Wayzata
I dislike penalizing teams for losses to good AA competition, and the Crusaders actually forged a split with two top ten opponents after two late tallies to force overtime with Wayzata. What was concerning, however, was the nature of the two contests. The Moorhead game was extremely entertaining, but surrendering 11 goals in two games, particularly six to the low-scoring Trojans, is not a recipe for long-term success. On the plus side, Jack Smith finally returned to the lineup and was impactful versus Wayzata. Cathedral closes out with a strange mix of competition, including (fingers crossed) a visit to EGF that was previously postponed twice.
Next: Tue vs Holy Family, Thu @ Breck, Sat @ EGF

3. Warroad (22-2-0) [LW 4]
W 4-2 vs EGF, W 5-0 @ Bemidji, W 3-1 @ GF Red River
The Warriors swept the season series with EGF, jumping back up above them as a result. More importantly, they seized the top seed in 8A, avoiding a potentially thorny semifinal matchup with TRF. Warroad cruised through the remainder of the week, and should have no trouble with their neighbors from Baudette.
Next: Tue vs Lake of the Woods

4. East Grand Forks (16-4-2) [LW 3]
L 2-4 @ Warroad, W 5-1 @ Roseau
The Green Wave demonstrated the limitations of the transitive property, dropping their second game of the season to Warroad, and then routing a Roseau squad who swept the Warriors. Despite significantly outshooting Warroad, the Wave were unable to contain that dynamic top line. The closing schedule is no joke, and presents two diverse challenges in defensively-oriented TRF and high-flying Cathedral.
Next: Tue vs TRF, Sat vs SCC

5. Delano (16-6-0) [LW 8]
W 6-0 vs LDC, W 4-1 @ Minneapolis
While neither of the Tigers' triumphs was particularly impressive, the mediocre play of the teams below them presented an opportunity to pounce up the rankings. Yet again Delano appears to be peaking in crunch time, and probably secured the top seed in 2A with a 8-1 record in section play, including a recent head-to-head over Orono. They finish off the season with three winnable contests against middling AA foes.
Next: Tue @ Jefferson, Fri @ New Prague, Sat vs New Prague

6. Orono (19-3-1) [LW 5]
W 5-2 @ Hutchinson, L 3-4 vs Armstrong/Cooper
After a convincing victory over a hot Hutch crew, the Spartans suffered an unexpected setback, putting their status as the top seed in 2A in serious jeopardy. Still, it's hard to punish a team too much when they only have three marks in the loss column against a solid schedule. Orono spotted Armstrong/Cooper a three-goal lead before mounting a comeback. That trick worked against Mahtomedi, but they fell short this time, and need to avoid that trap down the road. The final week looks like smooth sailing, as the rival White Hawks have been flailing down the stretch.
Next: Tue vs Mound Westonka, Fri vs Waconia

7. Mahtomedi (15-8-0) [LW 7]
L 1-3 @ STA, W 5-2 vs Breck
The Zephyrs had another so-so week, and just don't have the look of the stronger Mahtomedi teams of prior years, even if they are still the favorite in 4A. Though a loss to STA sounds fine on the surface, this is not a vintage Cadets crew, and Mahtomedi handled them a month prior. They close out against two AA teams, including an odd matchup with an unpredictable Champlin Park team.
Next: Thu @ Champlin Park, Sat vs Mounds View

8. Thief River Falls (13-9-1) [LW 9]
L 2-3 @ Roseau, W 5-2 vs Red Lake Falls
To use a Karl saying, TRF is gonna TRF. The
Prowlers lost yet another close game to a good opponent. Roseau overcame a 2-0 deficit over the final two periods, pummeling Noah Rupprecht with shots until the dam finally broke. The Red Lake Falls game was not exactly a dominating performance, as TRF needed three late goals to pul away for the victory. Although the Prowlers are locked into the #3 seed at this point, they have a shot at gaining some confidence Tuesday night against their probable semifinal opponent.
Next: Tue @ EGF, Thu @ Bemidji

9. Alexandria (16-8-0) [LW 10]
W 4-3 @ Fergus Falls, W 4-0 vs Little Falls, L 2-3 @ Brainerd, W 6-4 vs Denfeld
It was a roller coaster week for the Cardinals. On the high side, they handily shut out Little Falls to secure the #2 seed in 6A, and also ripped off five unanswered goals in the final 20 minutes to defeat Denfeld. Less impressive, however, was picking up a second loss to a down Brainerd group, along with barely escaping Fergus Falls with a late third period goal. On balance, I am inclined to look at the positive side of the ledger and give Alexandria a slight bump. There is only one game on the slate, with section rival Sartell, who has been a sneaky tough out of late.
Next: Tue vs Sartell

10. Duluth Denfeld (17-5-1) [LW 6]
L 4-6 @ Alexandria, W 2-1 @ Sartell
Not a pretty road trip to central Minnesota for the Hunters, as they coughed up a big lead to Alex and struggled to squeak by so-so Sartell. That may be an indictment on the state of 7A, with Denfeld not faring nearly as well when venturing outside of their section. That notion will be put to the test Tuesday when they face off with a pesky Pine City crew.
Next: Tue vs Pine City, Thu vs Duluth Marshall

11. Monticello (16-6-1) [LW 13]
W 4-1 @ LDC, W 7-1 vs North Branch
A nice showing for the Moose, as they pummeled two decent teams and cemented their status as the clear favorite in 5A. North Branch was missing two of their top players, Cody Croal and Jake Turek, but I don't think their presence would have altered the result that much. The seeding in this section will be interesting, as these two teams could meet agatin the semis. Monticello closes out by tangling with red hot Princeton and their former Miss 8 rival to the south.
Next: Tue @ Princeton, Sat @ Buffalo

12. Little Falls (18-5-1) [LW 11]
L 0-4 @ Alexandria, W 8-0 vs Sauk Rapids
The Flyers aren't quite in a free fall, but have tailed off considerably from their peak form of last month. The Cardinals had their way with Little Falls, which portends a rough road in the sectionals, as these two teams will almost certainly meet again. Despite the gaudy record, the season will be considered disappointing if they can't solve the Alex conundrum. Only one game remains, and it should be an easy win against a down DL team.
Next: Thu vs Detroit Lakes

13. Gentry Academy (19-4-0) [LW 15]
W 7-2 @ Mankato East, W 5-0 @ Simley, W 9-2 @ Coon Rapids
The Stars rebounded nicely after the disappointing loss to Johnson, meeting little resistance while tearing through three competitors. The Mankato East win was particularly impressive, as Gentry dismantled a talented, if very flawed group. Tuesday's tilt with South St. Paul has huge section implications, and the Stars could find themselves as the #2 seed (no worse than 3) with a win.
Next: Tue @ SSP, Sat @ SW Christian

14. Greenway (10-12-1) [LW 17]
W 5-0 vs Hibbing, W 3-1 vs Int'l Falls, W 6-3 @ SP Johnson, T 4-4 @ Totino Grace
A rousing week for the Raiders, as they collected two routine section wins before a successful swing through the Cities. The Johnson game was impressive, with Greenway pouring in five goals in the third to pull away easily, and they had TG on the ropes before the Eagles clawed back with two late scores. The Raiders are favored in their last two contests, and could climb back to .500 heading into section playoffs.
Tue vs Bemidji, Thu @ Virginia

15. Eveleth-Gilbert (15-8-0) [LW 12]
L 4-5 (OT) vs Hibbing
The Golden Bears apparently went into hibernation too early, allowing Hibbing to come back from a 3-1 third period deficit and record only their 4th win of the season. That loss essentially hands the #3 seed to Greenway on a silver platter, which means that E-G will be slated to see Hermantown in the section semis. The final two contests are a mixed bag, with a mediocre section opponent and a ranked AA team visiting the Hippodrome. The Bears certainly shouldn't take North Shore too lightly after the Hibbing stumble, however.
Next: Thu vs North Shore, Fri vs STA

16. St. Paul Johnson (17-6-0) [LW 14]
L 3-6 vs Greenway, W 6-3 vs Hibbing
The Governors were looking good through two periods of the Greenway game, but then the wheels came off. They weren't exactly dominant against a weaker Hibbing squad, either. As I often lament, Johnson is perplexing to me, and that inconsistency leaves me with no hesitancy in placing them behind section mate Gentry, despite the recent head-to-head win. The Govs have a friendly final week, particularly with Minneapolis floundering of late.
Next: Tue @ Minneapolis, Sat vs Highland Park

17. Hutchinson (14-8-1) [LW 18]
W 4-2 @ River Lakes, L 2-5 vs Orono
The Tigers climb up another spot after dispatching a stout River Lakes team and making Orono sweat out a win. Hutchinson is undefeated in section play, and can put a bow on the top seed with a win over their rivals to the north.
Next: Mon @ LDC, Tue @ Waconia

18. Armstrong/Cooper (11-10-1) [LW NR]
W 7-2 vs Anoka, W 4-3 @ Orono
Obviously the Orono upset is the headliner, but the Wings (?) have been on a nice run of late. A/C has won four of its past five games, with the lone loss at Centennial, and includes dominating victories over Minneapolis and Champlin Park. The upcoming schedule is pretty rough, so we will see if they can stick around.
Next: Wed @ Totino-Grace, Thu @ Maple Grove, Sat vs Osseo

19. Dodge County (18-5-0) [LW 20]
W 10-2 vs Austin, W 6-1 vs Southwest Christian
It's difficult to gauge exactly how good this team is given the soft schedule, but the Wildcats have plenty of young talent and have now reeled off 11 straight victories. Seeding will be a thorny issue with the limited number of section games and the bad loss to Waseca, but 1A is a general mess. In all likelihood Dodge County should add two more lopsided wins to their total this week.
Next: Tue vs Somerset, Fri vs Worthington

20. Breck (12-10-0) [LW NR]
W 8-2 @ Minneapolis, L 2-5 @ Mahtomedi
Oh, why not? The computer ratings have been high on the Mustangs for much of the season, and they are coming off a dominating victory over Minneapolis and a respectable loss to #7 Mahtomedi. There is finally some semblance of a youth movement, with the #2 and 3 scorers being underclassmen, and a sophomore goalie rotating into the mix. Much like their section mates Armstrong/Cooper, the upcoming slate is rather daunting, and keeping things out of running time against Cathedral would be a moral victory.
Next: Tue vs North Branch, Thu vs SCC, Sat @ Century

Out: North Branch (16-7-0) [LW 16], Mankato West (13-9-0) [LW 19]

Others Considered: Chisago Lakes (13-10-0), Faribault (15-6-2), Pine City (17-5-0) Princeton (11-11-1), River Lakes (13-9-1), South St. Paul (10-10-3)

[Coach17]

I think Orono keeps the 1 seed in Section 2A. Split with Delano. Tied EGF who beat Delano. Beat Holy Family, Alex, and Greenway who Delano also lost to. Not sure it matters in the Long run just my 2 cents.

[Stang5280]

I think Orono keeps the 1 seed in Section 2A. Split with Delano. Tied EGF who beat Delano. Beat Holy Family, Alex, and Greenway who Delano also lost to. Not sure it matters in the Long run just my 2 cents.

Methinks you are overthinking this. Comparative results outside the section are quite a bit down the list in seeding consideration factors. Record within section play and head-to-head results are by far the two most important considerations.

Orono is currently 4-2 in section, with losses to Delano and Armstrong/Cooper. Assuming Orono defeats Mound Westonka and Waconia, that brings them to 6-2. Orono is done within section, and finished 8-1 with the only loss to Orono. The section schedules were comparable, with Delano not playing A/C as the main difference. Also, Delano has the more recent H2H win with Orono.

I am pretty confident that 2A will be seeded:
1. Delano
2. Orono
3. Breck
4. Armstrong/Cooper (beat Orono but lost to Breck)

[Coach17]

Stang I get what you’re saying, but Orono is currently 5-2 say they win the next 2 they’re 7-2 and the difference is they played A/C while Delano played Kennedy and I think we can both agree A/C is better than Kennedy. Like I said my 2 cents thanks for taking the time to write your rankings. Always a good read.

[Stang5280]

Stang I get what you’re saying, but Orono is currently 5-2 say they win the next 2 they’re 7-2 and the difference is they played A/C while Delano played Kennedy and I think we can both agree A/C is better than Kennedy. Like I said my 2 cents thanks for taking the time to write your rankings. Always a good read.

I appreciate the kind words, and thanks for the good counterpoint. You could well be right, and apparently I can’t count these days since I thought I accounted for all the section games, but now see Orono is 5-2. That’s one problem with adding a new team to a section, trying to squeeze them into schedules. And don’t get me started on the petty squabble between Breck and Mound Westonka where they refuse to play one another.

[elliott70]

Class 1A | Feb. 13, 2020
rank team record prev
1. St. Cloud Cathedral 20-2-1 1
2. Hermantown 18-2-4 2
3. Warroad 23-2-0 3
4. Orono 20-3-1 4
5. East Grand Forks 17-4-2 5
6. Mahtomedi 15-8-0 6
7. Duluth Denfeld 18-5-1 7
8. Delano 17-6-0 8
9. Alexandria 17-8-0 9
10. Little Falls 18-5-1 10

no change from previous week

[Stang5280]

Class 1A | Feb. 13, 2020
rank team record prev
1. St. Cloud Cathedral 20-2-1 1
2. Hermantown 18-2-4 2
3. Warroad 23-2-0 3
4. Orono 20-3-1 4
5. East Grand Forks 17-4-2 5
6. Mahtomedi 15-8-0 6
7. Duluth Denfeld 18-5-1 7
8. Delano 17-6-0 8
9. Alexandria 17-8-0 9
10. Little Falls 18-5-1 10

no change from previous week

So Orono losing to A/C and Denfeld falling to Alex has no impact on their rankings?

[NorthernHockey12]

Say HTown, SCC, and Warroad all make it to the X. How do you picture the 1-3 seeds? HTown with 2 losses in the last week. One against a good Rapids team. SCC lost to Moorhead last week. Warroad beat Moorhead a week prior, they also beat Rapids and SCC earlier in the season. Does Warroad have the argument for the #1 now after being #3 all year long behind these two? Or does common opponents and early season head to heads not matter that much? honest question because I’m not sure how it works.

[Duckguy13]

Warroad beat EGF twice, Cathedral, Moorehead recently, GR...only losses to rival Rosseau, I have no problem with them getting the 1 seed. Even though I dont see anyone beating a healthy Cathedral.

[Section 8 guy]

Does Warroad have the argument for the #1 now after being #3 all year long behind these two?

No.

[ClassAGuy]

Big one in Class A Today to end the regular Season .

EGF vs. SCC

Anyone have an update on Motzko and Hiltner for SCC looking at the Hub they both did not play vs Holy Family on Tuesday. That would have a huge effect on this game and also could have a huge impact on the playoffs if they are out for an extended period of time.

EGF looks fully healthy and loaded they have played very well down the stretch and have dominated teams shot wise even in the Warroad loss.

If SCC is without 2 of its top 5 leading scorers it will be an uphill battle but it does make that win over Holy Family more impressive.

Its on the Up North Hockey Stream will be curious to see if Cathedral is at full strength or not I knwo the rest of 6A's ears just perked up again.

[zooomx]

Big one in Class A Today to end the regular Season .

EGF vs. SCC

Anyone have an update on Motzko and Hiltner for SCC looking at the Hub they both did not play vs Holy Family on Tuesday. That would have a huge effect on this game and also could have a huge impact on the playoffs if they are out for an extended period of time.

EGF looks fully healthy and loaded they have played very well down the stretch and have dominated teams shot wise even in the Warroad loss.

If SCC is without 2 of its top 5 leading scorers it will be an uphill battle but it does make that win over Holy Family more impressive.

Its on the Up North Hockey Stream will be curious to see if Cathedral is at full strength or not I knwo the rest of 6A's ears just perked up again.

I was surprised that Detroit Lakes beat Little Falls last night 1-0. Detroit Lakes had the shot advantage and took more penalties. So, it looks like they outplayed them?

[USA218]

Motzko played today, Hiltner did not. I went to tha game today and EGF totally dominated from beginning to end! EGF scored 18 seconds in.and didnt look back. SCC had 5 minute PP and had zero shots......EGF scored a short handed goal. EGF spent nearly 1/3 the fame in the penalty box and still outshot SCC 3-2 in the game. Defensively EGF looks tough with alot of depth in their line-up.