AA Rankings for 12/12/21

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karl(east)
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AA Rankings for 12/12/21

Post by karl(east) » Sun Dec 12, 2021 8:14 am

The top few teams held steady this week, but after that, there was plenty of movement. We’re down to three undefeated teams (at least among the teams with good AA schedules), which seems very early to have left everyone with at least one blemish. Yes, it is a season of parity. Rankings:

1. Edina (4-0)
-Hey, this one was easy! With no games this past week, the Hornets hang on to the top spot and roll into their annual holiday tournament with the top ranking in the state. On paper the competition is not what it has been in the past, though with Elk River looking good so far, no one looks like a free pass, either. There are a lot of unknowns surrounding Metro-untested Rapids and rebuilding Eden Prairie, so how it all shakes out will be interesting to watch, even if the Hornets are clear favorites to win three games.
This week: Edina Holiday Classic—Thurs vs. #14 Grand Rapids, Fri vs. Elk River, Sat vs. Eden Prairie

2. Cretin-Derham Hall (4-1)
-It was easy pickings against the two Woodbury schools for the Raiders, which changes nothing here. The Benilde game this week will say a lot about whether they belong toward the top here or are down in the scrum with everyone else, and also gives them a chance to avenge the ugly end to last season.
This week: Thurs vs. #9 Benilde-St. Margaret’s, Sat at Park (Cottage Grove)

3. Lakeville South (4-0)
-Like Cretin, the Cougars are plugging along against conference opponents, and it’s hard to know if their elevated ranking status is due to real greatness or just a lack of games in the Hill-Benilde-Wayzata-Andover-8AA jumble that rounds out the top ten. The first of two (okay, three) battles with North for supremacy in 1AA is this week, along with an Eastview team that beat St. Thomas.
This week: Tues vs. Lakeville North, Sat at Eastview

4. Wayzata (3-2)
-The Trojans’ two losses are to arguably the two best teams in the state right now; shutting out Benilde and holding Hermantown to two shows how good they are at their style, and how tough an out they will be. Being Wayzata, a stray loss here or there wouldn’t surprise me, but they’re one of the clear winners of the early weeks of the season with the way they’re playing. The tests just keep coming, too.
This week: Wed at #10 Hill-Murray, Sat vs. #7 Andover

5. Maple Grove (4-1)
-The Crimson pulled out a key section win against Centennial, but a one-goal margin shows they’re in for a much bigger fight than they were a season ago. They need to do a bit more to inspire greater confidence. A win over Andover this week would help.
This week: Tues at Spring Lake Park, Thurs vs. #7 Andover

6. Chaska (5-0)
-The Hawks are clipping along with a win over St. Thomas to their name but few other real measuring sticks for our purposes here. Their schedule isn’t quite Gentry Academy level, but compared to a lot of teams on here, it’s hard to claim it offers great comparisons. The Minnetonka game this week will at least tell us something, and it has some 2AA implications, too.
This week: Tues at New Prague, Thurs at Minnetonka

7. Andover (4-1)
-It was a decent week for the Huskies, who beat Osseo and teed off on Holy Family. They jump back into more substantive tests this coming week with a couple of big ones, as they head to visit Maple Grove and Wayzata.
This week: Thurs at #5 Maple Grove, Sat at #4 Wayzata

8. Roseau (5-1)
-The Rams lived on the edge and found ways to win this past week, sneaking out overtime wins over Moorhead and Grand Rapids, which certainly boost their standing here. They come in waves offensively and are finding ways to win against their upgraded schedule, which one would think will pay dividends. Up next: a former 8AA foe that nonetheless could be a good game, and a current one who just dumped Moorhead.
This week: Fri vs. Rogers, Sat vs. Buffalo

9. Benilde-St. Margaret’s (2-3)
-The pieces are there for the Red Knights, but the results to date have not been, as they couldn’t hold down a Moorhead team that other top ten teams have beaten. They get a real chance to prove themselves with a visit to St. Paul this week.
This week: Thurs at #2 Cretin-Derham Hall, Sat vs. Holy Family

10. Hill-Murray (3-2)
-The Pioneers got enough pucks past the Ben Dardis wall to slip by Mahtomedi. The offensive output hasn’t been there so far, though that isn’t a terribly uncommon occurrence with this group, and probably not cause for concern. Still, they’re the victims of the transitive property here, as the Benilde team they lost to now has reason to be behind the 8AA clump. We’ll see if anyone can score in the Wayzata game, and rival St. Thomas, who could also use a statement win, sets up an interesting one on Saturday.
This week: Wed vs. #4 Wayzata, Sat vs. St. Thomas Academy

11. Gentry Academy (3-1)
-The Starts split a weekend series with Wisconsin’s best. That in itself isn’t horrible, as the top teams in Wisconsin tend to be roughly equivalent with the top teams in Class A, but couple it with a squeaker against Armstrong/Cooper earlier in the week and it does puncture the aura around the Stars a bit. One presumes they’ll get back to their winning ways in their only game this week.
This week: Sat at Southwest Christian/Richfield

12. Prior Lake (3-1)
-The Lakers beat a couple of teams they should beat, but those results don’t really change their standing here. They face some marginally tougher conference opponents this week, but anything less than more of the same wouldn’t be a great sign.
This week: Tues vs. Eastview, Sat at Rosemount

13. Centennial (3-1)
-The Cougars have rolled against three lesser opponents and gave Maple Grove a very good fight, which is enough to lift them up in a part of the rankings where no one else is making any moves. They have a fairly tame run-up to Christmas now.
This week: Sat vs. Mounds View

14. Grand Rapids (5-2)
-The Thunderhawks went winless on a trip to the northwest part of the state; while they’re very much on the same level as Roseau and Warroad, they do not yet have a real quality win. The Holiday Classic gives them a shot at a big one, plus a couple more decent opponents, too.
This week: Edina Holiday Classic—Thurs vs. #1 Edina, Fri vs. Eden Prairie, Sat vs. Elk River

15. Moorhead (3-4)
-The Spuds are officially the most perplexing team of the season so far. An overtime loss to Roseau isn’t horrid, but does put them in the chaser position in 8AA; they followed that up with a solid win over Benilde, but then turned around and went rotten against Buffalo. The Andover and Benilde wins show their high-end potential, but the consistency is not there right now. We’ll see if they can settle in against two good-but-not-great opponents at home this coming weekend.
This week: Fri vs. White Bear Lake, Sat vs. Minnetonka

The Next Ten

Blaine (2-1-2)
-The Bengals have played three straight overtime games, with this past week’s contests ending with a tie to Rogers and a win over Stillwater. None of that really changes my sense of where they belong here. St. Michael-Albertville could be an interesting opponent this week.

Eden Prairie (2-2)
-The Eagles hung double digits on Blake but only narrowly got by Duluth East, so they’re staying steady in here. Each of their games in Edina could be interesting.

St. Thomas Academy (1-3)
-The Cadets got the Dardis treatment this past week, and while that one win is a good one, they do need to, you know, win more than one game. They have a couple shots at recovery games before a big clash with Hill this coming Saturday.

Lakeville North (1-1)
-Beat Shakopee, which isn’t a bad win, and had their scrap with Rosemount postponed. We still don’t know much about this team’s ceiling (or floor) as they head into their rivalry clash with South.

Stillwater (2-1)
-The Ponies got off to a respectable start, beating section rival White Bear and falling to Blaine, both in overtime. They make the Woodbury circuit this coming week.

Rogers (2-2-1)
-The Royals skated to a very respectable tie with Blaine, but followed that up with a questionable loss to St. Cloud. They have three road games in a row this week, beginning with Armstrong/Cooper before they head north for Roseau and Warroad.

Minnetonka (4-2)
-The Skippers got things rolling again with easy wins over St. Louis Park and Bloomington Jefferson. Chaska and Moorhead make for a big week ahead; can they show their potential gain here?

Elk River (5-1)
-The Elks lost to Rogers but have rolled past everyone else they’ve played, including a decent St. Michael team this past week. We’ll learn just how real this is when they head to Edina this week.

Shakopee (3-1)
-Lost a competitive game to Lakeville North and came back with a win over Burnsville, so there’s no reason to dump this team from the top 25. They should continue to add wins with Apple Valley and Eagan this week.

St. Michael-Albertville (3-1)
-The Elk River loss raises some questions here, but they’ve handled everyone else well enough. Their opponents this week include St. Cloud, in a game that has section implications, and Blaine, which will be a good test as well.

GoldenBear
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Re: AA Rankings for 12/12/21

Post by GoldenBear » Sun Dec 12, 2021 8:23 am

Karl, well done! I’m taking the under in the Wayzata/Hill matchup. 3 1/2. Thinking a 2 to 1. GB

Stang5280
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Re: AA Rankings for 12/12/21

Post by Stang5280 » Sun Dec 12, 2021 11:06 am

I can’t wait to hear Tony and Danny on the podcast reacting to Chaska at #6 :lol: Not that there are any other great choices, mind you.

I am curious to see Elk River in the Edina Holiday Classic. Rather than being a speed bump as expected, they should match up well with EP and GR.

Nostalgic Nerd
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Re: AA Rankings for 12/12/21

Post by Nostalgic Nerd » Wed Dec 15, 2021 1:00 pm

It's Roseau. They'll be back. It's what I always admired about them. Even in the weak years they've stayed with the big boys class.
I can splash in the rink puddles!

northwoods oldtimer
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Re: AA Rankings for 12/12/21

Post by northwoods oldtimer » Sun Dec 19, 2021 3:06 pm

Where is Karl's AA rankings for 12/19/21? Missed it today with the morning coffee. Hope all is well!!

ClassAGuy
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Re: AA Rankings for 12/12/21

Post by ClassAGuy » Sun Dec 19, 2021 4:31 pm

northwoods oldtimer wrote:
Sun Dec 19, 2021 3:06 pm
Where is Karl's AA rankings for 12/19/21? Missed it today with the morning coffee. Hope all is well!!
On Twitter Karl posted today is a travel day for him so we will have to wait till tonight for the rankings.

northwoods oldtimer
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Joined: Thu Dec 21, 2006 1:01 pm

Re: AA Rankings for 12/12/21

Post by northwoods oldtimer » Sun Dec 19, 2021 7:00 pm

ClassAGuy wrote:
Sun Dec 19, 2021 4:31 pm
northwoods oldtimer wrote:
Sun Dec 19, 2021 3:06 pm
Where is Karl's AA rankings for 12/19/21? Missed it today with the morning coffee. Hope all is well!!
On Twitter Karl posted today is a travel day for him so we will have to wait till tonight for the rankings.
Thanks ClassAGuy! Will read Monday AM coffee =D>

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