Updated Class A Top 11, 1-24-10

[HShockeywatcher]

Not much change at the top with most teams either winning or losing to teams ranked above them.

By popular opinion and some score comparisons, I switched Breck and Hermantown. While STA and Breck are in a league of their own, I suspect Hermantown is also in it's own little tier, having beaten my #4 team 7-0 away.

1. St Thomas Academy (11-4)
Not a great first period, but came back and beat the Zephyrs in Mahtomedi. They have three conference games this week.
-This week: Tartan (Mon, 7:30pm), @Simley (Thurs, 7:30pm), North St Paul (Sat, 3pm)

2. Breck (13-2)
Having played only one quality opponent in their last 7 games, Breck hasn’t shown too much, but they did hold Shattuck to 4 goals and score one. They’re going to need to win out; with 0-4 quality opponents (depending on who you ask) left, their whole team should gets lots of playing.
-This week: Blake (Thurs, 7:30pm), @Minnehaha Academy (Sat, 2pm)

3. Hermantown (15-2)
Solid game against a quality AA opponent. As their schedule folds down, the strength lessens. I doubt there are any teams who will give them any trouble the rest of the way down. It’ll be interesting to see how teams at state rank them.
-This week: Proctor (Tues, 7:30pm), Bemidji (Thurs, 7:30pm)

4. Thief River Falls (12-4)
In my opinion, beating another top Class A team shows more than losing to one. We’ll see how they do this week against three good Class A opponents.
-This week: East Grand Forks (Tues, 7:30pm), @Duluth Denfeld (Fri, 7:30pm), @Duluth Marshall (Sat, 7:30pm)

5. Mahtomedi (13-4)
Two home conference games this week.
-This week: North St Paul (Thurs, 7:30pm), South St Paul (Sat, 7:30pm)

6. Warroad (13-3)
The Warriors fall with loss to TRF. Three good away games this week
-This week: @Crookston (Tues, 7:30pm), @Duluth Marshall (Fri, 7:30pm), @Duluth Denfeld (Sat, 4:30pm)

7. Virginia (12-5-3)
Continue to not lose. The latest tie doesn’t help them, especially being a section opponent. Two sub-par opponents this week with three quality opponents remaining before sections.
-This week: Eveleth-Gilbert (Fri, 7:30pm), Silver Bay (Sat, 7:30pm)

8. Blake (12-5)
The Bears haven’t proven much this season with wins, but have many close losses. It’s tough to say where to rank them. They play at Breck this week, which should be a good game.
-This week: @Breck (Thurs, 7:30pm), St Paul Academy (Sat, 2pm)

9. Hibbing (9-7-2)
The Bluejackets beat a Thunderhawks team who has only lost to one other Class A team in Hermantown. Have a quality schedule left that will prepare them well for the post season.
-This week: off

10. Rochester Lourdes (10-4-2)
The Eagles have been doing well as of late; winning their last 6 games. Two games against Class A bubble teams this week. Can they make it 9 in a row going into their game at Breck?
-This week: Mankato East (Tues, 7:30pm), @Mound-Westonka (Thurs, 7:30pm), Fairbault (Sat, 7:30pm)

11. Sauk Rapids-Rice (8-7-1)
Is Vince Young on this team? The Storm have a realistic chance at winning out and could be another dark horse in 5A. This new goalie must be quite good. Maybe not actually the #11 team in state, but I think they deserve to be recognized for what they have been doing as of late.
-This week: Fergus Falls (Tues, 7pm), @Little Falls (Thurs, 7:30pm), @Proctor (Sat, 3pm)

Bubble Teams:

Duluth Denfeld (10-7-1)
Lost recent games, but prove to still be able to play with anyone. 7 remaining games this season, all are home games. 3 good games this week, two are top 8A opponents.
-This week: Superior (Tues, 7:30pm), Thief River Falls (Fri, 7:30pm), Warroad (Sat, 4:30pm)

Rogers (8-5-3)
No one is more surprised than I am that the Royals tied Monticello. They have a quality enough schedule left to be a dark horse in section 5A.
-This week: @Princeton (Tues, 7pm), Becker/Big Lake (Thurs, 7pm), Cambridge-Isanti (Sat, 3pm)

St Cloud Cathedral (10-6)
The Crusaders are still a contender, but not a top team.
-This week: @Waconia (Tues, 7pm), @Holy Family Catholic (Fri, 7pm)

Duluth Marshall (6-9)
Follow a 6 game winning streak with a 6 game losing streak. Despite record, winning out would still probably earn them the #1 seed in 7A. The Hilltoppers have three good home games this week.
-This week: Cloquet (Tues, 7:30pm), Warroad (Fri, 7:30pm), Thief River Falls (Sat, 7:30pm)

Sartell-St Stephen (9-5-2)
I don’t believe they are a threat to win more than one game at state, but are currently the favorite to win the 6A section tournament. This coming Saturday’s game with the Lakers will see if they get the #1 or the #2 seed.
-This week: Little Falls (Tues, 7pm), @St Cloud Tech (Thurs, 7pm), @Detroit Lakes (Sat, 3pm)

Totino-Grace (8-6)
Still have 11 games left on their schedule and plenty of time to prove what they can do. The #3 seed in 4A is theirs for the taking.
-This week: @St Louis Park (Tues, 7pm), Irondale (Fri, 7pm)

International Falls (9-6-1)
The Hermantown loss is the only loss by more than 2 goals. Have proven they can play with anyone. The rest of their schedule will show how they should be seeded in 7A.
-This week: @Ely (Tues, 7:30pm), @Grand Rapids (Fri, 7:30pm)

Delano (11-6)
In control of being Wright County Conference champions. Schedule has quality wins and questionable losses.
-This week: Mound-Westonka (Tues, 7:30pm), Waconia (Fri, 7:30pm)

Detroit Lakes (11-4-2)
Up and down schedule, this week’s game against Sartell will show the section how good they are.
-This week: Wadena-Deer Creek (Tues, 7pm), Prairie Centre Area (Fri, 7:30pm), Sartell (Sat, 3pm)

Is there another team outside of the top 10 you would like to see recognized I didn’t mention?

[hockeyrocks]

Gotta be honest, I don't see how you can rank Breck 3rd? The question is are they #1 or #2? The Blake Bears seem to ranked a bit high for not having beaten any real quality teams. Also think Lourdes deserves a bit more respect.

[warriors41]

Gotta be honest, I don't see how you can rank Breck 3rd? The question is are they #1 or #2? The Blake Bears seem to ranked a bit high for not having beaten any real quality teams. Also think Lourdes deserves a bit more respect.

I agree about Breck. I'm not sure how you can drop them a spot for losing to SSM but you didn't drop STA for losing to Tonka twice or HM. I think Breck is still #2. TRF and Warroad are a bit high. I haven't been impressed by either of them as team this year. They both have fine, draft worthy players, but as a team I don't think they will do well in the tournament.

[HShockeywatcher]

Gotta be honest, I don't see how you can rank Breck 3rd? The question is are they #1 or #2? The Blake Bears seem to ranked a bit high for not having beaten any real quality teams. Also think Lourdes deserves a bit more respect.

I agree about Breck. I'm not sure how you can drop them a spot for losing to SSM but you didn't drop STA for losing to Tonka twice or HM. I think Breck is still #2. TRF and Warroad are a bit high. I haven't been impressed by either of them as team this year. They both have fine, draft worthy players, but as a team I don't think they will do well in the tournament.

Let me preface my comments saying a few things. Class A this year is very tough. There are 3 teams that, in my opinion, would probably be top 10 AA teams were H'town and Breck to play AA schedules. That being said, these three have very different schedules which are hard to compare. STA/Breck played each other in an OT game, which was STA's first game of the season. Breck gets outshot against good competition and does well so being out shot doesn't show much. Red Wing, Cathedral and Marshall are the only teams Hermantown has in common with either of the other two.
-St Thomas plays a basically AA non-conference schedule and while having 4 losses they are all against top AA teams, one being a conference, private rival.
-Hermantown has, as always, the best line up of Class A teams. They have more AA opponents than in the past, but still manage to play many good A teams.
-Breck, on the other hand, plays no one. All they have going for them on their schedule is Mahtomedi and St Thomas.

The biggest thing I try to do is judge teams solely on game results and not the actual make up of the teams. While Breck could possibly be the best team in the state, their schedule doesn't give them a chance to show it. While Hermantown's first loss probably wouldn't happen seven times out of ten, it did. If they would've beaten Eden Prairie, I would've put them at #1.

Simply put, in my opinion, by the close losses, St Thomas has proven to be a top team. H'town has proven to be right up there and Breck lost to St Thomas. The same day the Hawks allowed 3 goals to a top AA team, Breck allowed 3 goals to Como Park. Whether Breck had a back up and played their 3rd line the whole game or not, that is way too many against the Cougars.

Personally, I would have to say that the 3 top teams are in a league of their own and that if I would say they are all tied for 1st. But, based on common opponents and strength of schedule, this is how I personally feel the top teams should be.


As always, thanks for the discussion. Comments always welcome

hockeyrocks,
Blake is a team similar to Eagan in AA imo. While they haven't beaten anyone impressively, they haven't lost any games they shouldn't have. Additionally, they lost to Mahtomedi in OT. Also lost close to TRF, who I have at #4, and beat Totino. They play Breck twice, and like Breck, only have easy conference games. I suspect they will get a #2 seed for sections and get beaten by Breck by a lot, just like the up coming conference games.

The Eagles of Rochester are also hard to rank. They have played good games as of late, but they have some questionable losses to Holy Family, Northfield and Red Wing to be thought of as a lot higher. They are a team with a good shot at the consolation championship if they win 1A. They still play Breck, Fairbault, Mound-Westonka, St Thomas, Totino-Grace, New Prague and New Ulm, so we will find a lot out about them by season's end.

[MNHockey75]

THE BIG BOYS:
1. St. Thomas Academy
2. Breck
3. Hermantown
A STEP BEHIND:
4. Mahtomedi - Body of work more impressive than TRF.
5. Thief River Falls
6. Warroad
7. Virginia
GETS A LITTLE GREY AFTER HERE:
8. Blake - They've taken care of business.
9. Hibbing - When they bring their A game, they're very tough.
10. St. Cloud Cathedral - They have the wins to prove it.
11. Mound-Westonka - Very inconsistent but have some HUGE wins and ties.
12. Alexandria - They're the favorite in 6A IMHO, and will only get better.
13. Faribault - Big week coming up, make or break time.
14. Rochester Lourdes - Are on a roll.
15. Duluth Denfeld - Lost four straight to good teams. Have a brutal stretch ahead.
ON WATCH: Orono, Sauk Rapids, Sartell, IFalls, SSP

[mnhockeynemn]

I think Hermantown should be #1, I feel they have the talent and ability to beat any team of this list.

[Goldy23]

Not sure I agree with the line of thought on this one Watcher. How do you have Breck #3 when they are:
The reigning state champs with virtually the same team in tact.
The highest scoring team in the state so far this year.
This year's Schwan's cup Silver champions.
A team with only two losses, both of which were to better teams than the Htown losses (Shattuck/STA) and don't forget that the STA loss was largely due to a 7-1 pp advantage!

The line about Breck gave up only one less goal to Como than Htown did to EP doesn't hold water for two reasons. 1. The EP game was played UNDER water! and 2. Breck played their back up goalie and skated the 4th line the entire 3rd period (as they do in almost every game) and part of the second period as well.

Sure Hermantown looks like a very good team, but they just are not in the same class as either Breck or STA this year.

[HawkeyPower]

Until Hermantown beats ST. Thomas or Breck they belong at the three spot. Shouldn't matter how often St.Thomas or Breck lose, Hermantown does not play the schedule that either of those teams play. Hopefully, they can prove it come March(If and when they get there).

[dabears344]

I totally agree with the analysis of blake and breck. Its the curse to the Tri-metro conference, they only decent team they play in the conference schedule is each other and then they are stuck with a bunch of cupcakes. Unfortunaltly the conference mathes up with pretty much everyother sport so there is not a lot they can do about it. Give both sides credit for trying to toughen up the schedule though, both teams entered the schwans silver division while breck also scheduled schattuck and blake got minnetonka

[DotaDangler]

I totally agree with the analysis of blake and breck. Its the curse to the Tri-metro conference, they only decent team they play in the conference schedule is each other and then they are stuck with a bunch of cupcakes. Unfortunaltly the conference mathes up with pretty much everyother sport so there is not a lot they can do about it. Give both sides credit for trying to toughen up the schedule though, both teams entered the schwans silver division while breck also scheduled schattuck and blake got minnetonka

Blake plays Eden Hall though, they're a solid opponent

[HShockeywatcher]

As I've said multiple times, everytime I rank anything I do my best to use the results of games and who was played, not what I know about the teams. The only game I've seen any of these three teams play is the Breck/Orono game, which really didn't offer much insight.

St Thomas has a top 10 schedule in state and has done well. Breck has done nothing but dominate every team they've played except STA/SSM. That being said, they've played three good teams all year. While Hermantown hasn't played many top teams, but they've played more better teams.

I switched the rankings. Should be a good state tournament. Is it available to be bought online anywhere?

[goldy313]

Lourdes is a complete mystery, at times they look very good but the results don't show it - Int Falls and Mason City come to mind. Games they dominated but were close on the scoreboard and they also have some results that are head scratchers - losing to Northfield, struggling with Marshall, and tieing Owatonna. You could make a valid argument to rate them or to leave them completely out.

Faribault (12-4) deserves some mention and probably above Lourdes. Lourdes played Owatonna twice 3-3 and won 3-2 while Faribault beat Owatona 7-1 and 3-2, Faribault beat Northfield while Lourdes didn't. Faribault's 4 losses are to Tartan, Roseau, Alex, and Mound-Westonka, not bad competition while Lourdes has a couple of ugly ones.

They play each other Saturday in big 1A game

[wildfanatic16]

Lourdes is a complete mystery, at times they look very good but the results don't show it - Int Falls and Mason City come to mind. Games they dominated but were close on the scoreboard and they also have some results that are head scratchers - losing to Northfield, struggling with Marshall, and tieing Owatonna. You could make a valid argument to rate them or to leave them completely out.

Faribault (12-4) deserves some mention and probably above Lourdes. Lourdes played Owatonna twice 3-3 and won 3-2 while Faribault beat Owatona 7-1 and 3-2, Faribault beat Northfield while Lourdes didn't. Faribault's 4 losses are to Tartan, Roseau, Alex, and Mound-Westonka, not bad competition while Lourdes has a couple of ugly ones.

They play each other Saturday in big 1A game

the falls game was a even game no where near a one side game

[HShockeywatcher]

Lourdes is a complete mystery, at times they look very good but the results don't show it - Int Falls and Mason City come to mind. Games they dominated but were close on the scoreboard and they also have some results that are head scratchers - losing to Northfield, struggling with Marshall, and tieing Owatonna. You could make a valid argument to rate them or to leave them completely out.

Faribault (12-4) deserves some mention and probably above Lourdes. Lourdes played Owatonna twice 3-3 and won 3-2 while Faribault beat Owatona 7-1 and 3-2, Faribault beat Northfield while Lourdes didn't. Faribault's 4 losses are to Tartan, Roseau, Alex, and Mound-Westonka, not bad competition while Lourdes has a couple of ugly ones.

They play each other Saturday in big 1A game

goldy,

I agree they should be mentioned and most likely will be in the future. That being said, the rankings are about now. The Eagles are 8-1-1 in their last 10, including winning 6 in a row, with wins over semi-quality teams. While they do have bad losses, they were a while ago. Fairbault, on the other hand, have zero quality wins and have lost to all the good teams they've played. This is why I've overlooked them.

But I suppose Blake is in the same boat (although they went to OT with Mahtomedi). I'll probably throw them in there in the next couple days.

Thanks for your comments

[goldy313]

Redwood Valley is now 13-2, their schedule by most standards is brutal and their best wins are against Sibley and Marshall whom they've beaten twice and no one would put those two clubs anywhere near the top 20 A schools. That said they haven't lost since Dec. 1st and they beat Marshall by more than Lourdes did. 3A takes a lot of heat but did win a game last year in the state tournament knocking of Mahtomedi.

I'm in no way advocating Redwood Valley being a top 10 or even 15 team but they may deserve a mention. They play who they play and I'd imagine getting games is pretty tough for them.

As for Lourdes, they're about to hit the meat of their schedule and we'll see just how good they are, I think they'll hold their own against Breck, STA, TG, and have tough games against New Ulm and Faribault.

[dontcallmeshirley]

Redwood Valley is now 13-2, their schedule by most standards is brutal and their best wins are against Sibley and Marshall whom they've beaten twice and no one would put those two clubs anywhere near the top 20 A schools. That said they haven't lost since Dec. 1st and they beat Marshall by more than Lourdes did. 3A takes a lot of heat but did win a game last year in the state tournament knocking of Mahtomedi.

I'm in no way advocating Redwood Valley being a top 10 or even 15 team but they may deserve a mention. They play who they play and I'd imagine getting games is pretty tough for them.

Redwood lost to an SPA team whose biggest win (out of a whopping 5) is a two-way tie between Como and Simley. Congratulations to Redwood for running the table on their schedule, but a good record does not a good team make.

[Goldy Gopher]

Not much change at the top with most teams either winning or losing to teams ranked above them.

By popular opinion and some score comparisons, I switched Breck and Hermantown. While STA and Breck are in a league of their own, I suspect Hermantown is also in it's own little tier, having beaten my #4 team 7-0 away.

1. St Thomas Academy (11-4)
Not a great first period, but came back and beat the Zephyrs in Mahtomedi. They have three conference games this week.
-This week: Tartan (Mon, 7:30pm), @Simley (Thurs, 7:30pm), North St Paul (Sat, 3pm)

2. Breck (13-2)
Having played only one quality opponent in their last 7 games, Breck hasn’t shown too much, but they did hold Shattuck to 4 goals and score one. They’re going to need to win out; with 0-4 quality opponents (depending on who you ask) left, their whole team should gets lots of playing.
-This week: Blake (Thurs, 7:30pm), @Minnehaha Academy (Sat, 2pm)

3. Hermantown (15-2)
Solid game against a quality AA opponent. As their schedule folds down, the strength lessens. I doubt there are any teams who will give them any trouble the rest of the way down. It’ll be interesting to see how teams at state rank them.
-This week: Proctor (Tues, 7:30pm), Bemidji (Thurs, 7:30pm)

4. Thief River Falls (12-4)
In my opinion, beating another top Class A team shows more than losing to one. We’ll see how they do this week against three good Class A opponents.
-This week: East Grand Forks (Tues, 7:30pm), @Duluth Denfeld (Fri, 7:30pm), @Duluth Marshall (Sat, 7:30pm)

5. Mahtomedi (13-4)
Two home conference games this week.
-This week: North St Paul (Thurs, 7:30pm), South St Paul (Sat, 7:30pm)

6. Warroad (13-3)
The Warriors fall with loss to TRF. Three good away games this week
-This week: @Crookston (Tues, 7:30pm), @Duluth Marshall (Fri, 7:30pm), @Duluth Denfeld (Sat, 4:30pm)

7. Virginia (12-5-3)
Continue to not lose. The latest tie doesn’t help them, especially being a section opponent. Two sub-par opponents this week with three quality opponents remaining before sections.
-This week: Eveleth-Gilbert (Fri, 7:30pm), Silver Bay (Sat, 7:30pm)

8. Blake (12-5)
The Bears haven’t proven much this season with wins, but have many close losses. It’s tough to say where to rank them. They play at Breck this week, which should be a good game.
-This week: @Breck (Thurs, 7:30pm), St Paul Academy (Sat, 2pm)

9. Hibbing (9-7-2)
The Bluejackets beat a Thunderhawks team who has only lost to one other Class A team in Hermantown. Have a quality schedule left that will prepare them well for the post season.
-This week: off

10. Rochester Lourdes (10-4-2)
The Eagles have been doing well as of late; winning their last 6 games. Two games against Class A bubble teams this week. Can they make it 9 in a row going into their game at Breck?
-This week: Mankato East (Tues, 7:30pm), @Mound-Westonka (Thurs, 7:30pm), Fairbault (Sat, 7:30pm)

11. Sauk Rapids-Rice (8-7-1)
Is Vince Young on this team? The Storm have a realistic chance at winning out and could be another dark horse in 5A. This new goalie must be quite good. Maybe not actually the #11 team in state, but I think they deserve to be recognized for what they have been doing as of late.
-This week: Fergus Falls (Tues, 7pm), @Little Falls (Thurs, 7:30pm), @Proctor (Sat, 3pm)

Bubble Teams:

Duluth Denfeld (10-7-1)
Lost recent games, but prove to still be able to play with anyone. 7 remaining games this season, all are home games. 3 good games this week, two are top 8A opponents.
-This week: Superior (Tues, 7:30pm), Thief River Falls (Fri, 7:30pm), Warroad (Sat, 4:30pm)

Rogers (8-5-3)
No one is more surprised than I am that the Royals tied Monticello. They have a quality enough schedule left to be a dark horse in section 5A.
-This week: @Princeton (Tues, 7pm), Becker/Big Lake (Thurs, 7pm), Cambridge-Isanti (Sat, 3pm)

St Cloud Cathedral (10-6)
The Crusaders are still a contender, but not a top team.
-This week: @Waconia (Tues, 7pm), @Holy Family Catholic (Fri, 7pm)

Duluth Marshall (6-9)
Follow a 6 game winning streak with a 6 game losing streak. Despite record, winning out would still probably earn them the #1 seed in 7A. The Hilltoppers have three good home games this week.
-This week: Cloquet (Tues, 7:30pm), Warroad (Fri, 7:30pm), Thief River Falls (Sat, 7:30pm)

Sartell-St Stephen (9-5-2)
I don’t believe they are a threat to win more than one game at state, but are currently the favorite to win the 6A section tournament. This coming Saturday’s game with the Lakers will see if they get the #1 or the #2 seed.
-This week: Little Falls (Tues, 7pm), @St Cloud Tech (Thurs, 7pm), @Detroit Lakes (Sat, 3pm)

Totino-Grace (8-6)
Still have 11 games left on their schedule and plenty of time to prove what they can do. The #3 seed in 4A is theirs for the taking.
-This week: @St Louis Park (Tues, 7pm), Irondale (Fri, 7pm)

International Falls (9-6-1)
The Hermantown loss is the only loss by more than 2 goals. Have proven they can play with anyone. The rest of their schedule will show how they should be seeded in 7A.
-This week: @Ely (Tues, 7:30pm), @Grand Rapids (Fri, 7:30pm)

Delano (11-6)
In control of being Wright County Conference champions. Schedule has quality wins and questionable losses.
-This week: Mound-Westonka (Tues, 7:30pm), Waconia (Fri, 7:30pm)

Detroit Lakes (11-4-2)
Up and down schedule, this week’s game against Sartell will show the section how good they are.
-This week: Wadena-Deer Creek (Tues, 7pm), Prairie Centre Area (Fri, 7:30pm), Sartell (Sat, 3pm)

Is there another team outside of the top 10 you would like to see recognized I didn’t mention?

It's late January and you're already anointing teams as state bound? Get real, there' s a lot of hockey left to be played.

[HShockeywatcher]

3. Hermantown (15-2)
Solid game against a quality AA opponent. As their schedule folds down, the strength lessens. I doubt there are any teams who will give them any trouble the rest of the way down. It’ll be interesting to see how teams at state rank them.
-This week: Proctor (Tues, 7:30pm), Bemidji (Thurs, 7:30pm)

It's late January and you're already anointing teams as state bound? Get real, there' s a lot of hockey left to be played.

Ya know, you don't have to quote the whole rankings, big waste of space.

I'm not anointing anyone anything. Hermantown is by far the best team in 5A and should make it to state; I am simply commenting. But yeah, they are a shoe in to state, just like St Thomas was last year... [/quote]

[nungitchida]

1 breck
2 hermantown
3 sta
4 warroad
5 mahtomedi
6 trf
7 virgina
8 alexandria
9 st cloud c
10 blake
seen all these teams play this year,top 3 heads above any other, the only dark horse is warroad, any other team no threat,maybe mahtomedi in sections, enough said

[HShockeywatcher]

1 breck
2 hermantown
3 sta
4 warroad
5 mahtomedi
6 trf
7 virgina
8 alexandria
9 st cloud c
10 blake
seen all these teams play this year,top 3 heads above any other, the only dark horse is warroad, any other team no threat,maybe mahtomedi in sections, enough said

1. Why do you say TRF is no threat when they recently beat your dark horse team?

2. You said you've seen all the teams play. From seeing them play, what makes you put your top 3 in the order you have them?
-Like many subsequent years, getting the #1 seed at state this year will make your trip to the final much easier.

[MNHockey75]

1 breck
2 hermantown
3 sta
4 warroad
5 mahtomedi
6 trf
7 virgina
8 alexandria
9 st cloud c
10 blake
seen all these teams play this year,top 3 heads above any other, the only dark horse is warroad, any other team no threat,maybe mahtomedi in sections, enough said

WRONG.
Yes...STA, Breck, and Hermantown are a step ahead but Mahto, TRF, Warroad and Virginia will all have a legitimate chance. Here's why...
Mahtomedi - Ben Marshall
TRF - Zane Gothberg
Warroad - Brock Nelson
Virginia - Garrett Hendrickson

They all have one star player and a good core group behind them. Remember, Breck was the No. 4 seed last year. And that was without the best team in class A (STA). Here's a couple teams that could end one of these teams season but aren't strong enough to win 3 straight at state:
Hibbing - Always scary come playoff time.
SCC - Have experience. Wouldn't want to play them when they finally figure things out.
Mound-Westonka - Yes...Mound-Westonka. Aaron Davis has shutout Virginia, Faribault and Lourdes. I realize they have no shot at a title but they're the one team that could pull off a HUGE upset over Breck in 2A.
Duluth Marshall - State tourney tested program that could sneak in and possibly win a game.
SSP - Adam Wilcox.
Alex/Sartell - the winner can skate with anyone (for a while).
Winner of 1A and 3A have no chance (sorry).

[HShockeywatcher]

Remember, Breck was the No. 4 seed last year. And that was without the best team in class A (STA).

This is what I've thought all along. Really, what has Breck proven this year? They lost to a good team in OT in that team's first game of the year. If Breck hadn't won state last year and we were just looking at what they've accomplished this year, do they deserve everything they're getting? I agree they're for sure top 3, but it's this reasoning that allows me to think they could be #3 and not #2.