New Section Assignments posted
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New Section Assignments posted
Broke up 36 Guy's vaunted section 6AA. No more MG to kick around and for that matter Tonka moves down to 2AA with EP.
Would thinks you guys on this side of the bored would have some comments?
Would thinks you guys on this side of the bored would have some comments?
Interesting alignments. Looks like Tonka finally sees some justice after being in by far the toughest section for the past 6 years. 1AA will be a two-team race, with the rest weak. 2AA will presumably be a (very strong) two-team race for the foreseeable future, but then weak. 3AA will continue to be weak. 4AA will give H-M a little more competition than they've had in the past and at least make them earn their way to State. MG catches a break by moving to the far weaker 5AA. 6AA remains incredibly strong. 6AA looks to remain the strongest with up to 5 perennial top 15 teams, but all of them are thanking their lucky stars that Tonka has gone. 7AA remains very weak. 8AA remains weak, but should be a good two-team race for some time. The disclaimer to the above is that we all certainly realize that there will be some ebbs and flows and you'll have some teams that are strong for a year or two and will be able to challenge the perennial leaders. In summary, quite a dramatic shake-up and it appears that someone has been listening . . . and taking action.
I, too, enjoyed the disclaimer in the other post, particularly . . . Remember 50% of teams lose their first sub-section/section game. I would not have guessed that 50% of teams either win or lose their first game, so I thank the MSHSL for that insightful revelation and brilliantly simple math lesson. Also interesting in the disclaimer, which I believe we can all agree contains many valuable and worthy traits, is that the word equity (or some appropriate synonym) is not mentioned.
I, too, enjoyed the disclaimer in the other post, particularly . . . Remember 50% of teams lose their first sub-section/section game. I would not have guessed that 50% of teams either win or lose their first game, so I thank the MSHSL for that insightful revelation and brilliantly simple math lesson. Also interesting in the disclaimer, which I believe we can all agree contains many valuable and worthy traits, is that the word equity (or some appropriate synonym) is not mentioned.
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I am also not sure how moving Cretin out of 4AA and adding Mounds View and Irondale strengthens the section. Mounds View and Irondale are good teams but Cretin seems to be an up and coming program which was very strong this year. Cretin was a top 10 team all year. Saying HM will now have to earn its way is ridiculous. The toughest games they had in post season may have been their section semi and final games. Both tied late into 3rd period.
I would agree that 5AA was weaker than 6AA regarding the top 3 teams in each section for 2014-15. But "far" weaker? Looking into 2015-16, Blaine is loaded for talent at the 10th grade level - 6 strong players along with a very good freshman. Centennial top 2 scorers were freshman with 54 and 40 points (1st and 5th in the conf). They're also returning a top goalie for her senior year next year (got all 20 wins for them). My guess is that Potter would not agree with the statement that 5AA is "far" weaker. However, they should be the favorite for the #1 seed, with Blaine being a close #2 behind them.sinbin wrote:MG catches a break by moving to the far weaker 5AA.
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I guess difficult is in the eye of the beholder. I would say a difficult section can be qualified by a bunch of good teams or 1 great team. If the best team in your section is one of the states best, then it is obviously much harder to advance. As far as section 5?? My guess is Wayzata, Edina, EP, Tonka would jump at the chance to play in 5, so "far" easier maybe not, but please!Lace'emUp wrote:I would agree that 5AA was weaker than 6AA regarding the top 3 teams in each section for 2014-15. But "far" weaker? Looking into 2015-16, Blaine is loaded for talent at the 10th grade level - 6 strong players along with a very good freshman. Centennial top 2 scorers were freshman with 54 and 40 points (1st and 5th in the conf). They're also returning a top goalie for her senior year next year (got all 20 wins for them). My guess is that Potter would not agree with the statement that 5AA is "far" weaker. However, they should be the favorite for the #1 seed, with Blaine being a close #2 behind them.sinbin wrote:MG catches a break by moving to the far weaker 5AA.
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I am saddened to see Edina moved to a different section. I understand trying to match the boys and girls sides, but the Edina/EP rivalry was so much fun. Adding Minnetonka to the mix would have been a simple fix to satisfy the section 6 whiners while maintaining youth level rivalries.36Guy wrote:I guess difficult is in the eye of the beholder. I would say a difficult section can be qualified by a bunch of good teams or 1 great team. If the best team in your section is one of the states best, then it is obviously much harder to advance. As far as section 5?? My guess is Wayzata, Edina, EP, Tonka would jump at the chance to play in 5, so "far" easier maybe not, but please!Lace'emUp wrote:I would agree that 5AA was weaker than 6AA regarding the top 3 teams in each section for 2014-15. But "far" weaker? Looking into 2015-16, Blaine is loaded for talent at the 10th grade level - 6 strong players along with a very good freshman. Centennial top 2 scorers were freshman with 54 and 40 points (1st and 5th in the conf). They're also returning a top goalie for her senior year next year (got all 20 wins for them). My guess is that Potter would not agree with the statement that 5AA is "far" weaker. However, they should be the favorite for the #1 seed, with Blaine being a close #2 behind them.sinbin wrote:MG catches a break by moving to the far weaker 5AA.
Last edited by luckyEPDad on Mon Mar 09, 2015 2:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
luckyEPDad wrote:I am saddened to see Edina moved to a different section. I understand trying to match the boys and girls sides, but the Edina/EP rivalry was so much fun. Adding Minnetonka to the mix would have been a simple fix to satisfy the section 6 winers while maintaining youth level rivalries.36Guy wrote:I guess difficult is in the eye of the beholder. I would say a difficult section can be qualified by a bunch of good teams or 1 great team. If the best team in your section is one of the states best, then it is obviously much harder to advance. As far as section 5?? My guess is Wayzata, Edina, EP, Tonka would jump at the chance to play in 5, so "far" easier maybe not, but please!Lace'emUp wrote:I would agree that 5AA was weaker than 6AA regarding the top 3 teams in each section for 2014-15. But "far" weaker? Looking into 2015-16, Blaine is loaded for talent at the 10th grade level - 6 strong players along with a very good freshman. Centennial top 2 scorers were freshman with 54 and 40 points (1st and 5th in the conf). They're also returning a top goalie for her senior year next year (got all 20 wins for them). My guess is that Potter would not agree with the statement that 5AA is "far" weaker. However, they should be the favorite for the #1 seed, with Blaine being a close #2 behind them.sinbin wrote:MG catches a break by moving to the far weaker 5AA.
I would say overall Tonka and MG are the winners on this. They get out of 6AA and away from each other. Tonka has EP to deal with and MG has some younger teams to fend off that are on the rise but haven't found their way to the final game in several years. 6AA picks up two very good teams but does get out from under Tonka's stranglehold over that section. Wish they would have done this a few years ago so the best team in the State could have been decided at Xcel rather than Parade during Tonka's three year run. Hindsight is 20/20 and yep, looking forward to the comeback on the last comment!
Sincerely,
Proud member of the 6AA whiner club
Sincerely,
Proud member of the 6AA whiner club
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Don't see how shifting a few teams around solves anything. As I said before either make it a real geographic tournament or try and get more balance to the tourney at the X. The result of this may be that section 4 and 6 loose a few games in the tourney over the years but you still will be letting in metro teams that have little chance of being competitive. Either move teams such as Andover, Elk River, Buffalo, Lakeville, into metro sections or find a way to balance the tourney to make it so the top ranked teams don't eliminate each other until the X. Shifting teams around might move the power from one section to another but it doesn't fix anything in the long run. Satisfying a few coaches or parents this year is not what this should be about, finding a way to strengthen the girls tournament and sport is what they should be doing.
I did agree that 5AA is weaker, but not far weaker. Just wanted to point out that section 5AA is not a wasteland for bad hockey and that there are 2 teams in the section that posted 20 wins this year while both playing the 7th and 9th toughest schedules in the state. If KRACH means anything, I listed the average strength of schedule for each AA section (the lower the number, the better). As you said, it's all in the eye of the beholder, or how one person defines "far" weaker.36Guy wrote:I guess difficult is in the eye of the beholder. I would say a difficult section can be qualified by a bunch of good teams or 1 great team. If the best team in your section is one of the states best, then it is obviously much harder to advance. As far as section 5?? My guess is Wayzata, Edina, EP, Tonka would jump at the chance to play in 5, so "far" easier maybe not, but please!Lace'emUp wrote:I would agree that 5AA was weaker than 6AA regarding the top 3 teams in each section for 2014-15. But "far" weaker? Looking into 2015-16, Blaine is loaded for talent at the 10th grade level - 6 strong players along with a very good freshman. Centennial top 2 scorers were freshman with 54 and 40 points (1st and 5th in the conf). They're also returning a top goalie for her senior year next year (got all 20 wins for them). My guess is that Potter would not agree with the statement that 5AA is "far" weaker. However, they should be the favorite for the #1 seed, with Blaine being a close #2 behind them.sinbin wrote:MG catches a break by moving to the far weaker 5AA.
2014-15 Section Strength of Schedule
1st - 31.4 - 6AA
2nd - 35.1 - 2AA
3rd - 41.0 - 5AA
4th - 43.9 - 4AA
5th - 46.8 - 3AA
6th - 52.1 - 7AA
7th - 54.9 - 1AA
8th - 58.1 - 8AA
Realignment Strength of Schedule w/2014-15 numbers
1st - 40.7 - 5AA (add MG, N.Metro; lose MV, Irondale)
2nd - 44.2 - 4AA (add MV, Irondale; lose Cretin)
3rd - 44.6 - 6AA (add Edina, Cretin, Minnh Unt (4A), StLPk (5A), Holy Angels (5A); lose Tonka, MG, N. Metro)
4th - 45.6 - 3AA (add Bloom/Jeff; lose Woodbury)
5th - 46.2 - 2AA (add Tonka, New Prague (1A), Marshall (3A); lose Edina, Bloom/Jeff)
6th - 52.1 - 7AA No Changes
7th - 54.9 - 1AA No Changes
8th - 58.1 - 8AA No Changes
Perhaps I should have chosen a slightly less inflammatory adjective than "far", or perhaps that hit a little too close to home for some folks, but thanks for the comments nevertheless. Also, your comments are self-fulfilling in that a strong MG team moving to 5AA automatically makes it stronger than it currently is. H-M or MG or Tonka moving to any section would automatically make it stronger, but we're taking about 2014-15. If Bill Gates joined our forum, the average income of the forum members would increase substantially. That's the simplest way I can explain it - hope that helps for some.
I think one thing we can all agree on is that the realignment has now provided great fodder for this forum, at least for the next two years or until the next significant realignment occurs.
Certainly there will be ebbs and flows each year and also surprise teams emerging. There are plenty of examples of strong youth teams that did not translate to strong HS teams. A few years ago, we had many forum members boasting how great MV was, not realizing that their gaudy record was largely due to their easy schedule. I don't think they even made it to State. I like to see a few consistent strong years before I declare a program strong and am not a big fan of one-hit wonders, but again, it's all in the eye of the beholder.
I agree that the EP-Edina rivalry for the current seniors was a good one, lasting way back to U10. However, the Tonka-Edina rivalry was a strong one prior to that. Now, with realignment, it might be a Tonka-EP rivalry for a few years. Who knows if that was intentional or not?
I think that the KRACH average SOS helps and is a good starting point (although I would at least take a look at actual KRACH rankings instead - i.e., does it make sense that a 5-21 team with a high SOS rating qualifies as a "strong" team?), but I would probably limit it to the average of the top 4 - 6 teams, those that legitimately have a chance to advance. No offense to the bottom few teams, but they are somewhat interchangeable and I would focus more on the top teams in each section. My logic being, does the eventual winner need to play two tough games or only one? How many very tough games do they have to play against Top 5 opponents? How truly difficult is it to advance? 6AA has traditionally had both - lots of top 10 teams for which an off night means a hasty exit as well as nearly every year more than one of the very top 1, 2, 3 teams. It will certainly be much easier for those in 6AA the next few years.
Let the debate continue.
I think one thing we can all agree on is that the realignment has now provided great fodder for this forum, at least for the next two years or until the next significant realignment occurs.
Certainly there will be ebbs and flows each year and also surprise teams emerging. There are plenty of examples of strong youth teams that did not translate to strong HS teams. A few years ago, we had many forum members boasting how great MV was, not realizing that their gaudy record was largely due to their easy schedule. I don't think they even made it to State. I like to see a few consistent strong years before I declare a program strong and am not a big fan of one-hit wonders, but again, it's all in the eye of the beholder.
I agree that the EP-Edina rivalry for the current seniors was a good one, lasting way back to U10. However, the Tonka-Edina rivalry was a strong one prior to that. Now, with realignment, it might be a Tonka-EP rivalry for a few years. Who knows if that was intentional or not?
I think that the KRACH average SOS helps and is a good starting point (although I would at least take a look at actual KRACH rankings instead - i.e., does it make sense that a 5-21 team with a high SOS rating qualifies as a "strong" team?), but I would probably limit it to the average of the top 4 - 6 teams, those that legitimately have a chance to advance. No offense to the bottom few teams, but they are somewhat interchangeable and I would focus more on the top teams in each section. My logic being, does the eventual winner need to play two tough games or only one? How many very tough games do they have to play against Top 5 opponents? How truly difficult is it to advance? 6AA has traditionally had both - lots of top 10 teams for which an off night means a hasty exit as well as nearly every year more than one of the very top 1, 2, 3 teams. It will certainly be much easier for those in 6AA the next few years.
Let the debate continue.
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Hockeywild7, thanks. I was probably thinking of the 2013 team, which was probably the best team they had ranking-wise, but didn't make it; congrats to the girls for their 2012 and 2014 State appearances. Again, 5AA is not currently a strong section by any means with only 3 strong teams (KRACH 13, 17, and 22 are top 3). Compare to 6AA with 2, 3, 9 or 2AA with 1, 6, 15. Certainly there are weaker sections, too, so 5AA is likely near the middle. Bottom 5 teams of Suburban East have an average KRACH ranking of 59, compared to an average of 8 for the Lake Conference, for example. Lots of easy Suburban East wins for the top teams, lots of them.
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Per your request, here's the average KRACH rankings and SOS for the Top 5 teams in each section - before AND after the realignment. The SOS is for the Top 5 KRACH ranked teams, not the 5 best SOS's for each section (same 5 teams used for KRACH are used for SOS).sinbin wrote:Perhaps I should have chosen a slightly less inflammatory adjective than "far", or perhaps that hit a little too close to home for some folks, but thanks for the comments nevertheless. Also, your comments are self-fulfilling in that a strong MG team moving to 5AA automatically makes it stronger than it currently is. H-M or MG or Tonka moving to any section would automatically make it stronger, but we're taking about 2014-15. If Bill Gates joined our forum, the average income of the forum members would increase substantially. That's the simplest way I can explain it - hope that helps for some.
I think one thing we can all agree on is that the realignment has now provided great fodder for this forum, at least for the next two years or until the next significant realignment occurs.
Certainly there will be ebbs and flows each year and also surprise teams emerging. There are plenty of examples of strong youth teams that did not translate to strong HS teams. A few years ago, we had many forum members boasting how great MV was, not realizing that their gaudy record was largely due to their easy schedule. I don't think they even made it to State. I like to see a few consistent strong years before I declare a program strong and am not a big fan of one-hit wonders, but again, it's all in the eye of the beholder.
I agree that the EP-Edina rivalry for the current seniors was a good one, lasting way back to U10. However, the Tonka-Edina rivalry was a strong one prior to that. Now, with realignment, it might be a Tonka-EP rivalry for a few years. Who knows if that was intentional or not?
I think that the KRACH average SOS helps and is a good starting point (although I would at least take a look at actual KRACH rankings instead - i.e., does it make sense that a 5-21 team with a high SOS rating qualifies as a "strong" team?), but I would probably limit it to the average of the top 4 - 6 teams, those that legitimately have a chance to advance. No offense to the bottom few teams, but they are somewhat interchangeable and I would focus more on the top teams in each section. My logic being, does the eventual winner need to play two tough games or only one? How many very tough games do they have to play against Top 5 opponents? How truly difficult is it to advance? 6AA has traditionally had both - lots of top 10 teams for which an off night means a hasty exit as well as nearly every year more than one of the very top 1, 2, 3 teams. It will certainly be much easier for those in 6AA the next few years.
Let the debate continue.
KRACH Ranking BEFORE Realignment
1st - 333.6 - 6AA
2nd - 307.5 - 2AA
3rd - 176.2 - 4AA
4th - 145.9 - 1AA
5th - 85.2 - 5AA
6th - 57.0 - 8AA
7th - 37.2 - 7AA
8th - 34.2 - 3AA
KRACH Ranking AFTER Realignment w/2014-15 numbers
1st - 333.8 - 2AA
2nd - 213.5 - 5AA
3rd - 203.3 - 6AA
4th - 149.7 - 4AA
5th - 145.9 - 1AA
6th - 57.0 - 8AA
7th - 37.2 - 7AA
8th - 31.8 - 3AA
SOS for top 5 KRACH Ranked teams BEFORE Realignment
1st - 26.5 - 6AA
2nd - 31.8 - 2AA
3rd - 37.2 - 5AA
4th - 39.3 - 4AA
5th - 45.2 - 7AA
6th - 46.7 - 3AA
7th - 47.1 - 1AA
8th - 56.4 - 8AA
SOS for top 5 KRACH Ranked teams AFTER Realignment w/2014-15 numbers
1st - 27.7 - 6AA
2nd - 32.5 - 2AA
3rd - 36.6 - 5AA
4th - 38.7 - 4AA
5th - 42.9 - 3AA
6th - 45.2 - 7AA
7th - 47.1 - 1AA
8th - 56.4 - 8AA
Interesting that Marshall (the town) was put in 2AA. They have an enrollment of 710 and their three members of the coop pull them just over 1200 and into AA. So they will draw either Eden Prairie or Minnetonka in the first round next year. I know that the MSHSL preaches geography and that's it, but there needs to be some common sense here. Or am I too soft?
Your too soft. Fairness is in the eyes of the beholder. Whats more unfair...Marshall having to play EP in the first round or EP having to play Edina and losing when clearly they were a top "8" team in state. I know it sounds like I am taking sides I am not.LZ94 wrote:Interesting that Marshall (the town) was put in 2AA. They have an enrollment of 710 and their three members of the coop pull them just over 1200 and into AA. So they will draw either Eden Prairie or Minnetonka in the first round next year. I know that the MSHSL preaches geography and that's it, but there needs to be some common sense here. Or am I too soft?
The majority on this blog have made it crystal clear that it is not important to get the best teams to state, so I hardly believe we should start worrying about the 64th best team. Yes one game will be lopsided, but the girls from Marshall will be just fine.
Marshall's travel costs could double or triple of they want quality AA competition (not to mention time commitment). It appears the only AA school that Marshall has played in the last 5 years is St Francis this past season. Marshall is located 115 miles away from the next closest AA school, and their conference yielded them a SOS of 114/118 this past year. In smaller or rural communities, cost sometimes is a concern - not to mention the time away from home or school. Their nearest AA game would be 8+ hour endeavor if JV is involved. Isn't there some type of appeal that Marshall can make to opt back down to play/stay in single-A? I thought I recall the last couple times the realignment happened, there were a situations like this, and teams were able to stay at their previous assignment. Any one recall the same?LZ94 wrote:Interesting that Marshall (the town) was put in 2AA. They have an enrollment of 710 and their three members of the coop pull them just over 1200 and into AA. So they will draw either Eden Prairie or Minnetonka in the first round next year. I know that the MSHSL preaches geography and that's it, but there needs to be some common sense here. Or am I too soft?
Not sure about the opting down to A question. But costs, travel and time commitment in this situation are irrelevant. In theory, it would only be for one section game. Hardly costly to drive 2 and half hours for one game. Teams do from the North all the time. If that argument held true, Roseau parents would be broke and the kids would be D students.Lace'emUp wrote:Marshall's travel costs could double or triple of they want quality AA competition (not to mention time commitment). It appears the only AA school that Marshall has played in the last 5 years is St Francis this past season. Marshall is located 115 miles away from the next closest AA school, and their conference yielded them a SOS of 114/118 this past year. In smaller or rural communities, cost sometimes is a concern - not to mention the time away from home or school. Their nearest AA game would be 8+ hour endeavor if JV is involved. Isn't there some type of appeal that Marshall can make to opt back down to play/stay in single-A? I thought I recall the last couple times the realignment happened, there were a situations like this, and teams were able to stay at their previous assignment. Any one recall the same?LZ94 wrote:Interesting that Marshall (the town) was put in 2AA. They have an enrollment of 710 and their three members of the coop pull them just over 1200 and into AA. So they will draw either Eden Prairie or Minnetonka in the first round next year. I know that the MSHSL preaches geography and that's it, but there needs to be some common sense here. Or am I too soft?
Marshal and St Peter/LS/TC will both be in A next year ....they will change their co-ops..The movement of New Ulm opens the door for others in 3A..the complaining about NU at state tourney has been constant, wait until next years 3A rep... On the other hand New Prague doesn't have a co-op to adjust their numbers...They will most likely stay AA.
Mound-Westonka and Orono have to be elated to leave 5A (Blake and Breck).
Mound-Westonka and Orono have to be elated to leave 5A (Blake and Breck).
I think you slightly misunderstood my question about travel, or I was not clear enough. If the latter, I apologize. IF Marshall was to stay at AA and they wanted to tougher schedule (multiple dates throughout the season), they'd have to travel further distances to get those games. I wasn't talking about one game at sections.36Guy wrote:Not sure about the opting down to A question. But costs, travel and time commitment in this situation are irrelevant. In theory, it would only be for one section game. Hardly costly to drive 2 and half hours for one game. Teams do from the North all the time. If that argument held true, Roseau parents would be broke and the kids would be D students.Lace'emUp wrote:Marshall's travel costs could double or triple of they want quality AA competition (not to mention time commitment). It appears the only AA school that Marshall has played in the last 5 years is St Francis this past season. Marshall is located 115 miles away from the next closest AA school, and their conference yielded them a SOS of 114/118 this past year. In smaller or rural communities, cost sometimes is a concern - not to mention the time away from home or school. Their nearest AA game would be 8+ hour endeavor if JV is involved. Isn't there some type of appeal that Marshall can make to opt back down to play/stay in single-A? I thought I recall the last couple times the realignment happened, there were a situations like this, and teams were able to stay at their previous assignment. Any one recall the same?LZ94 wrote:Interesting that Marshall (the town) was put in 2AA. They have an enrollment of 710 and their three members of the coop pull them just over 1200 and into AA. So they will draw either Eden Prairie or Minnetonka in the first round next year. I know that the MSHSL preaches geography and that's it, but there needs to be some common sense here. Or am I too soft?
Regarding Roseau, that's a bad comparison. They have a far greater commitment to hockey. Roseau's population is 1/5th of Marshall's, yet Roseau has two 12U teams. Marshall has one 12UB team. Roseau's youth teams make many trips down to the cities over the season to play in scrimmage weekends or tournaments. From looking at Marshall's 12U schedule, they don't. Thus, when Roseau opted-up years ago, they knew exactly what their commitment would need to be to play at a HIGH level in AA - it starts at the youth level (competition, travel, etc). Marshall is completely different situation. By numbers, they would be forced into AA. However, this is all a moot point since it appears they'll reorganize their co-ops.
Noooo....Roseau was a great comparison. Your comments were about money, and travel time, of which, I don't believe Roseau has more of either. Committed, yes, Roseau is as committed a hockey community as there is in the nation. I still don't know if the 12UB parents at Marshall are less committed than the 12UA parents at Roseau. I came from a very small town where girls hockey meant absolutely nothing when we got there and had zero girls hockey tradition and the parents were as passionate and committed as I have seen.Lace'emUp wrote:I think you slightly misunderstood my question about travel, or I was not clear enough. If the latter, I apologize. IF Marshall was to stay at AA and they wanted to tougher schedule (multiple dates throughout the season), they'd have to travel further distances to get those games. I wasn't talking about one game at sections.36Guy wrote:Not sure about the opting down to A question. But costs, travel and time commitment in this situation are irrelevant. In theory, it would only be for one section game. Hardly costly to drive 2 and half hours for one game. Teams do from the North all the time. If that argument held true, Roseau parents would be broke and the kids would be D students.Lace'emUp wrote:Marshall's travel costs could double or triple of they want quality AA competition (not to mention time commitment). It appears the only AA school that Marshall has played in the last 5 years is St Francis this past season. Marshall is located 115 miles away from the next closest AA school, and their conference yielded them a SOS of 114/118 this past year. In smaller or rural communities, cost sometimes is a concern - not to mention the time away from home or school. Their nearest AA game would be 8+ hour endeavor if JV is involved. Isn't there some type of appeal that Marshall can make to opt back down to play/stay in single-A? I thought I recall the last couple times the realignment happened, there were a situations like this, and teams were able to stay at their previous assignment. Any one recall the same?LZ94 wrote:Interesting that Marshall (the town) was put in 2AA. They have an enrollment of 710 and their three members of the coop pull them just over 1200 and into AA. So they will draw either Eden Prairie or Minnetonka in the first round next year. I know that the MSHSL preaches geography and that's it, but there needs to be some common sense here. Or am I too soft?
Regarding Roseau, that's a bad comparison. They have a far greater commitment to hockey. Roseau's population is 1/5th of Marshall's, yet Roseau has two 12U teams. Marshall has one 12UB team. Roseau's youth teams make many trips down to the cities over the season to play in scrimmage weekends or tournaments. From looking at Marshall's 12U schedule, they don't. Thus, when Roseau opted-up years ago, they knew exactly what their commitment would need to be to play at a HIGH level in AA - it starts at the youth level (competition, travel, etc). Marshall is completely different situation. By numbers, they would be forced into AA. However, this is all a moot point since it appears they'll reorganize their co-ops.