boblee wrote:1. elliott70
2. boblee
3. northwoods oldtimer
4. east hockey
5. EREmpireStrikesBack
6. quickgym guy
7. GR3343
8. karl(east)
9. GRhawky
What!!!! No love for the ex-IFaller...BIAFP?
Reminds me of the time Tweeter was coaching Bantams I told him to watch out for the home cookin' and he tells me "Hey, no problem....I'm an old I Falls guy"...my response was they won't remember you...and they didn't.
Well, I remember him and so does BSU!
But isn't it Tveeter????
Let's crank it up now. With the recent games, I think it's safe to say that the section is wide, wide open. None of the teams in 7AA have staked a claim to #1. The pre season darlings(Duluth East)have proven thems elves to be just another also-ran. Anoka and all their Elite League players aren't impressing anyone. Cloquet has done little to show they're the cream of the crop. Forest Lake made an early season push as well as Andover, but be serious. The Indians have been a streaky team and have yet to sieze the moment but have shown promise. If you had a seedings meeting tomorrow, you'd have to rank the top 4 as follows :
1. GR
2. East
3. Cloquet
4. Anoka
5 - 9 It won't matter
I also find it a bit humorous that the top teams in Section 7AA are still from the north no matter what the MSHL tries to do. The road to state still travels through GR, Duluth or Cloquet.
Don't know if that's how the top 4( east, rapids, anoka, cec) will be ranked. Mainly cuz of Randolph, even if his team isn't one he always finds a way to bring rapids down a notch they don't deserve. i.e. 2002: Rapids tied east, beat Greenway in their rink, and tied Greenway in rapids. Sorry but I'm taking that one to the grave!
Anyways, I agree with the top 4 and could very well see Rapids playing Anoka in the semis and East vs CEC...fan alliance anyone
Seeing as East, Rapids, and Cloquet each play each other once before Sections, I'd say they all control their own destiny, and any team that can win two of those games will get the number one seed. And that's a pretty big reward, since it will mean the other two will have to play each other in a semifinal. I'm trying to slight Anoka, but their fan base won't be anywhere near the other three and they really need to get themselves together to have a chance. If each team wins one in the East-Cloquet-Rapids series, it will be a complete mess.
Just for the sake of argument, I have to disagree with much of the above. Forest Lake would get the #1 seed if it ended today. Nobody in section 7AA has defeated them. They beat Grand Rapids, Cambridge, and Andover. East has one win - over Anoka, Grand Rapids has one win - over Elk River, meanwhile Elk River has beaten East and Andover, who tied Cloquet. Cloquet`s only win was over East. The only team who has an unblemished mark at this point is Forest Lake. The only teams who have no claim to anything are Cambridge-Isanti and St. Francis.
The rest is one big cluster#@$! that probably will get worse as Forest Lake takes a loss and the northern teams start beating up on each other. Really wanna mud things up? Imagine if Anoka beats Rapids, Andover beats Anoka, East beats Cloquet, and Rapids beats East, loses to Cloquet, and ties Anoka. How about it Forest Lake ties East or Cloquet - or Elk River loses to Andover and beats Anoka.
The point is - This thing is as wide open as its even been! Seven, yes seven teams have a legitimate shot at the top spot.
As much of a northern hockey fan as I am, it can't be reasoned at this time that Forest Lake, Anoka, Elk River, and Andover are non-factors. They are very much alive. I would like nothing more than to see East, C-E-C and Grand Rapids end up 1-2-3 (in no particular order), but its certainly not in the bag and definitely not how it stands right now. You also have to remember, there is only three north votes this year, and you can't vote for your own team - so only two north teams may (or may not) be supporting another northern team!
Is it me or does it appear that this section is down this year? There doesn't appear to be a single team in this section that can be considered one of the state's elite teams. This is surprising to me as year after year this section has had several teams that would be considered legitimate state contenders. It doesn't appear to be that way this year (although that could change). Given the make up of the section, it does appear that many of the teams are of similiar abilities which should make for a fun 2nd half of the season & sections. Just an observation from the outside.
Pioneerprideguy wrote:Is it me or does it appear that this section is down this year? There doesn't appear to be a single team in this section that can be considered one of the state's elite teams. This is surprising to me as year after year this section has had several teams that would be considered legitimate state contenders. It doesn't appear to be that way this year (although that could change). Given the make up of the section, it does appear that many of the teams are of similiar abilities which should make for a fun 2nd half of the season & sections. Just an observation from the outside.
That's almost the way it has been the last couple years. Their strength isn't in the 1 or 2 spot, it is that they are solid down through the 5 spot. If you were playing the top 5 seeds in 7AA against another conference, the 1 and 2 seed might lose, but the 3, 4, 5 seeds would probably fair pretty well. I guess it is quantity over quality.
Elk River AA State Champions- 2001 Boys & 2004 Girls
PuckRanger wrote:Just for the sake of argument, I have to disagree with much of the above. Forest Lake would get the #1 seed if it ended today. Nobody in section 7AA has defeated them. They beat Grand Rapids, Cambridge, and Andover. East has one win - over Anoka, Grand Rapids has one win - over Elk River, meanwhile Elk River has beaten East and Andover, who tied Cloquet. Cloquet`s only win was over East. The only team who has an unblemished mark at this point is Forest Lake. The only teams who have no claim to anything are Cambridge-Isanti and St. Francis.
The rest is one big cluster#@$! that probably will get worse as Forest Lake takes a loss and the northern teams start beating up on each other. Really wanna mud things up? Imagine if Anoka beats Rapids, Andover beats Anoka, East beats Cloquet, and Rapids beats East, loses to Cloquet, and ties Anoka. How about it Forest Lake ties East or Cloquet - or Elk River loses to Andover and beats Anoka.
The point is - This thing is as wide open as its even been! Seven, yes seven teams have a legitimate shot at the top spot.
As much of a northern hockey fan as I am, it can't be reasoned at this time that Forest Lake, Anoka, Elk River, and Andover are non-factors. They are very much alive. I would like nothing more than to see East, C-E-C and Grand Rapids end up 1-2-3 (in no particular order), but its certainly not in the bag and definitely not how it stands right now. You also have to remember, there is only three north votes this year, and you can't vote for your own team - so only two north teams may (or may not) be supporting another northern team!
