Class A Rankings 12-19-10

[HShockeywatcher]

These rankings won't be that great until after the holiday season. There are many A beat B, B beat C, C beat A scenarios and with so few games, when you throw in other teams, where to put everyone is so objective.

Also, in my poll, I'm wondering how many teams you would like to see ranked. I like showing more teams to represent others around the state, but whether or not you want to see those ranked or not, I'm not sure.

T1. St Thomas Academy (3-1)
This week: Idle

T1. Breck (4-0)
This week: Thurs vs St Paul Johnson

Most polls have the undefeated, two-time defending state champs at #2 while St Thomas hasn't done much to say they deserve to be ahead. This week won't show much unless Breck loses, but expect the Schwan's Cup to give a better picture of the top.

3. Blake (5-0-1)
Tying a team St Thomas beat by 1 is good. They should see some good competition in in the Silver Cup.
This week: Idle

4. Hermantown (5-0)
Beat Rogers handily this week. Of their next 5 games, 4 will be good Class A tests.
This week: Tues @ Virginia, Thurs @ Duluth Central

5. Rochester Lourdes (7-0)
Overtime wins over Cathedral and Red Wing? The Eagles need to do better not to fall due to others around them doing well. They could easily get into February with 0 or 1 loss outside the top 5 for lack of quality wins.
This week: Tues vs Northfield, Thurs @ Holy Family Catholic

6. Hibbing/Chisholm (5-2-1)
The Bluejackets are showing us the loss to the Flyers was a fluke. Quality wins all over the place. Hopefully for them the Hilltoppers will fall sometime against a section opponent.
This week: Mon @ Two Harbors

7. Duluth Marshall (4-3-1)
This is tough for me, as they don't have any super quality wins on their schedule, but their only losses are to either St Thomas or quality AA opponents and they tied Hibbing.
This week: Tues vs Eveleth-Gilbert, Thurs vs St Paul Academy

8. Virginia/MI-B (6-2)
The game against Hermantown in Virginia this week will help place these two where they should be.
This week: Tues vs Hermantown

9. Totino-Grace (5-0)
This is where the list gets very objective, in my opinion. The Eagles have no losses and their win over TRF is what gets them in the top 10.
This week: Tues @ Red Wing, Thurs @ Spring Lake Park

10. Delano (5-1)
The Tigers haven't done much with their wins, but their one loss being by 1 goal and to #3 Blake is what gets them in the top 10. The Tigers will be tested with a team that brought Holy Angels to OT.
This week: Tues vs Chanhassen

11. Providence Academy (3-2)
Delano lost to Blake by 1, Providence Academy lost to Breck by 2. The big issue with the Lions' schedule is that the only quality teams they will likely play this season are Breck and Blake (and Superior). Getting a win (or tie) against one or both would help a lot.
This week: Tues @ Shakopee, Thurs vs St Francis

12. East Grand Forks (3-2)
Wins over Warroad, LOW and a 3 game win streak. The team to beat in 8A right now.
This week: Tues vs Grand Forks Central, Thurs @ Crookston

13. Rogers (2-0-1)
The only knock to the Royals' so far is a shutout loss to section foe Hermantown. Can they keep it going against the Zephyrs?
This week: Thurs vs Mahtomedi

14. Thief River Falls (4-3)
It is not often you do not have an 8A team in the top 10. The game Tues will be a huge section game
This week: Tues vs Warroad

15. Warroad (3-4)
Call me crazy, but letting Warroad fall out of the top 15 doesn't seem right. They have lost 4 in a row to the #6, #12 and two AA teams.
This week: Tues @Thief River Falls

The rest of the teams I am keeping note of either have an inflated record due to SOS or a deflated record due to SOS and until they play more teams it will be difficult to really assess. Two weeks from now there will be few bubble teams.

Little Falls (4-2-2)
This week: Tues @ Morris Benson Area

Duluth Central (4-4)
This week: Thurs vs Hermantown

South St. Paul (4-1)
This week: Tues @ St Paul Como Park

Mahtomedi (1-5-1)
This week: Thurs @ Rogers

Sartell-St. Stephen (3-2)
This week: Tues @ St Cloud Tech, Thurs vs Wilmar

Lake of the Woods (3-2-1)
This week: Idle

St. Cloud Cathedral (1-3)
This week: Tues vs Hutchinson

Orono (3-2)
This week: Tues vs Robbinsdale Armsstrong, Thurs vs Fairbault

Mound-Westonka (2-2-2)
This week: Wed @ St Louis Park

Holy Family Catholic (3-2)
This week: Thurs vs Rochester Lourdes

Litchfield (5-0)
This week: Tues vs Marshall

Sauk Rapids Rice (1-4)
This week: Thurs vs River Lakes

Fergus Falls (2-2-1)
This week: Tues vs River Lakes, Thurs @ St Cloud Apollo

New Ulm (4-1-1)
This week: Tues @ St Peter

Alexandria (2-3)
This week: Tues vs St Cloud Apollo, Thurs vs St Cloud Tech

Proctor (6-1)
This week: Tues vs Princeton

Albert Lea (5-1)
This week: Tues vs Austin

Eveleth-Gilbert (5-2)
This week: Tues @ Duluth Marshall

[MNHockey75]

1. St. Thomas Academy 3-1
2. Breck 4-0
3. Hermantown 5-0
4. Rochester Lourdes 7-0 *I like their ability to win tight games, but things have been getting a little too tight.
5. Blake 5-0-1
6. Virginia 6-2
7. Duluth Marshall 4-3-1
8. Totino-Grace 5-0
9. Little Falls 5-1-2 *6-1 wins are never "flukes".
10. Hibbing 5-2-1 *If they beat Mahtomedi, then they can move ahead of LF.
11. Delano 5-1 *Heinonen is the x-factor.
12. East Grand Forks 3-2 *Section 8 is going to be interesting.
13. Thief River Falls 4-3
14. Sartell 3-2 *Section 6 is a toss-up, as well.
15. South St. Paul 4-1
16. Fergus Falls 2-2-1
17. Warroad 3-4 *Have some explaining to do.
18. Duluth Central 4-4 *Still haven't beaten anyone.
19. Rogers 3-1-1
20. St. Cloud Cathedral 1-3
Watch List: Lake of the Woods, Mahtomedi, Providence Academy, Northfield, Holy Family Catholic

[HShockeywatcher]

1A
#5 Rochester Lourdes
Albert Lea
Mankato West

This really appears to be a race for second, with only two teams in that race. I don't expect anyone to come out of 1A aside from Rochester Lourdes.

2A
T#1 Breck
#3 Blake
#10 Delano
#11 Providence Academy
Holy Family Catholic
Mound-Westonka
Orono

By far the tightest and most competitive section in Class A. There will be 1 quarter-final game that is not a quality game comes sections, with 3 teams that have a realistic shot at the #1 seed.

3A
New Ulm
Hutchinson
Litchfield

It would be great to see a team like Litchfield make to the X, but it will probably end up being a Hutch-New Ulm final.

4A
T#1 St Thomas Academy
#9 Totino-Grace
South St Paul
Mahtomedi
Chisago Lakes
Spring Lake Park

St Thomas will play Mahtomedi and South St Paul twice and Totino-Grace once to get a get grasp of how seeding should be. It looks as though Mahtomedi has lost what helped them take down the Cadets in the last couple years.

5A
#4 Hermantown
#13 Rogers
St Cloud Cathedral
Sauk Rapids-Rice
Proctor

Last year it was a goalie that got Sauk Rapids-Rice to be competitive and they are allowing many goals, so I don't see them as getting to the finals. Proctor is the dark horse here as it seems Hermantown will run away with this section.

6A
Sartell-St Stephen
Little Falls
Fergus Falls
Alexandria
Detroit Lakes

This section is very close, but it seems that Sartell-St Stephen is in the lead at the moment. These teams will continue to have head to head games as well as many common opponent games this season.

7A
#6 Hibbing
#7 Duluth Marshall
#8 Virginia
Eveleth-Gilbert
Duluth Central
International Falls

The Bears are a dark horse here and it would be great to see them earn a top 4 seed this year. The top 3 are very close, while Virginia hasn't played either Marshall or Hibbing yet.

8A
#12 East Grand Forks
#14 Thief River Falls
#15 Warroad
Lake of the Woods

East Grand Forks is the clear leader at the moment with the normal top 2 faltering at the moment. If history tells us anything, it will likely be Warroad/TRF in the final, but it would be great to see either of the other two step up.

[MNHockey75]

1A
#5 Rochester Lourdes
Albert Lea
Mankato West

This really appears to be a race for second, with only two teams in that race. I don't expect anyone to come out of 1A aside from Rochester Lourdes.

5A
#4 Hermantown
#13 Rogers
St Cloud Cathedral
Sauk Rapids-Rice
Proctor

6A
Sartell-St Stephen
Little Falls
Fergus Falls
Alexandria
Detroit Lakes

This section is very close, but it seems that Sartell-St Stephen is in the lead at the moment.

1A: Northfield and New Prague may not be contenders, but they will hang with Albert Lea and especially Mankato West.

5A: Hermantown was getting no love before the season. Everyone was picking Rogers for some reason. Maybe after last nights shutout, people will never doubt a Bruce Plante team again.

6A: Little Falls just beat Sartell, 3-1. I'd say they're the favorite. The 3-2 OT win over Northern Lakes sure looks ugly, but the shots were 62-15. At least they won, unlike Eagan's tough loss to Lakeville North.

[HShockeywatcher]

1A
#5 Rochester Lourdes
Albert Lea
Mankato West

This really appears to be a race for second, with only two teams in that race. I don't expect anyone to come out of 1A aside from Rochester Lourdes.

5A
#4 Hermantown
#13 Rogers
St Cloud Cathedral
Sauk Rapids-Rice
Proctor

6A
Sartell-St Stephen
Little Falls
Fergus Falls
Alexandria
Detroit Lakes

This section is very close, but it seems that Sartell-St Stephen is in the lead at the moment.

1A: Northfield and New Prague may not be contenders, but they will hang with Albert Lea and especially Mankato West.

5A: Hermantown was getting no love before the season. Everyone was picking Rogers for some reason. Maybe after last nights shutout, people will never doubt a Bruce Plante team again.

6A: Little Falls just beat Sartell, 3-1. I'd say they're the favorite. The 3-2 OT win over Northern Lakes sure looks ugly, but the shots were 62-15. At least they won, unlike Eagan's tough loss to Lakeville North.

1A
I know very little about the section; just going by scores/records. You are probably right.

5A
For me, the love for Rogers was more of a want to see something different than a legitimate thought on who was better. It's always exciting to see new programs come up and be competitive.

6A
You are probably right. But this is a prime example of an A, B, C thing. Fergus tied Little, Sartell beat Little and Sartell lost to Fergus. Little Falls is probably in the lead now but the Northern Lakes loss doesn't look good. If you can go to OT and win, that's fine, but that's not a team they should be losing to. Just my two cents. A team that can beat Hibbing and lost to Northern Lakes is not a #1 seed right now in my opinion.

[DanglinDMan27]

Little Falls beat Sartell 3-1 and beat Northern Lakes 3-2 in OT

[MNHockey75]

6A
You are probably right. But this is a prime example of an A, B, C thing. Fergus tied Little, Sartell beat Little and Sartell lost to Fergus. Little Falls is probably in the lead now but the Northern Lakes loss doesn't look good. If you can go to OT and win, that's fine, but that's not a team they should be losing to. Just my two cents. A team that can beat Hibbing and lost to Northern Lakes is not a #1 seed right now in my opinion.

I'm not exactly sure where you're getting your scores, but you're way off here. Sartell DID NOT beat LF, and Sartell DID NOT lose to Fergus. Also, LF DID NOT lose to Northern Lakes.
12/9: Little Falls 3, Sartell 1
12/16: Sartell 4, Fergus Falls 3, OT
12/18: Little Falls 3, Northern Lakes 2, OT (Shots 62-15)

I'm no expert, but Little Falls is a good team. So is Sartell, Fergus Falls and Alexandria. The fact remains that Little Falls beat Hibbing 6-1 IN Hibbing (and the shots were 35-34 H). And the tie to IFalls looks bad, but that was before the whole team was suspended.

[PoNd HocKey ChAmP67]

1A
#5 Rochester Lourdes
Albert Lea
Mankato West

This really appears to be a race for second, with only two teams in that race. I don't expect anyone to come out of 1A aside from Rochester Lourdes.

5A
#4 Hermantown
#13 Rogers
St Cloud Cathedral
Sauk Rapids-Rice
Proctor

6A
Sartell-St Stephen
Little Falls
Fergus Falls
Alexandria
Detroit Lakes

This section is very close, but it seems that Sartell-St Stephen is in the lead at the moment.

1A: Northfield and New Prague may not be contenders, but they will hang with Albert Lea and especially Mankato West.

5A: Hermantown was getting no love before the season. Everyone was picking Rogers for some reason. Maybe after last nights shutout, people will never doubt a Bruce Plante team again.

6A: Little Falls just beat Sartell, 3-1. I'd say they're the favorite. The 3-2 OT win over Northern Lakes sure looks ugly, but the shots were 62-15. At least they won, unlike Eagan's tough loss to Lakeville North.

Northfield and Lourdes play down in Rochestor on Tuesday night, could show us how some of the teams will shape up. Northfield already played a close game in a loss to Albert Lea

[elliott70]

1. Breck
2. Hermantown
3. St Thomas
4. Blake
5. Virginia
6. East Grand Forks
7. Duluth Marshall
8. Rochester Lourdes
9. Totino-Grace 5-0
10. Hibbing 5-2-1
11. Thief River Falls
12. Little Falls
13. Warroad
14. Delano
15. South St. Paul
16. Sartell
17. Duluth Central
18. Rogers
19. Spring Lake Park
20. Proctor

[TTpuckster]

8A
#12 East Grand Forks
#14 Thief River Falls
#15 Warroad
Lake of the Woods

East Grand Forks is the clear leader at the moment with the normal top 2 faltering at the moment. If history tells us anything, it will likely be Warroad/TRF in the final, but it would be great to see either of the other two step up.

Actually, TRF and Warroad may have the recent history for 8A, but EGF has a much stronger history than TRF. They also have had several years in a row of stong to dominant play in the PeeWee and Bantam levels. I would suspect that starting this year and for several years to come, EGF will be the team of 8A.

[fivehole628]

1. Breck
2. Hermantown
3. St Thomas
4. Blake
5. Virginia
6. Duluth Marshall
7. East Grand Forks
8. Rochester Lourdes
9. Totino-Grace
10. Delano
11. Thief River Falls
12. Little Falls
13. Hibbing
14. Warroad
15. South St. Paul
16. Rogers
17. Duluth Central
18. Proctor
19. Spring Lake Park
20. Orono

[FinishHard08]

1. Breck
2. Hermantown
3. St Thomas
4. Blake
5. Virginia
6. Duluth Marshall
7. East Grand Forks
8. Rochester Lourdes
9. Totino-Grace
10. Delano
11. Thief River Falls
12. Little Falls
13. Hibbing
14. Warroad
15. South St. Paul
16. Rogers
17. Duluth Central
18. Proctor
19. Spring Lake Park
20. Orono

How what makes you put proctor at 18 their terrible?

[dirtracing17]

1. Breck
2. Hermantown
3. St Thomas
4. Blake
5. Virginia
6. Duluth Marshall
7. East Grand Forks
8. Rochester Lourdes
9. Totino-Grace
10. Delano
11. Thief River Falls
12. Little Falls
13. Hibbing
14. Warroad
15. South St. Paul
16. Rogers
17. Duluth Central
18. Proctor
19. Spring Lake Park
20. Orono

How what makes you put proctor at 18 their terrible?

they did beat i falls 8-1 and i falls tied little falls, maybe he is right.

[DanglinDMan27]

Proctor also beat I falls when I falls had 11 kids suspended...

[HShockeywatcher]

6A
You are probably right. But this is a prime example of an A, B, C thing. Fergus tied Little, Sartell beat Little and Sartell lost to Fergus. Little Falls is probably in the lead now but the Northern Lakes loss doesn't look good. If you can go to OT and win, that's fine, but that's not a team they should be losing to. Just my two cents. A team that can beat Hibbing and lost to Northern Lakes is not a #1 seed right now in my opinion.

I'm not exactly sure where you're getting your scores, but you're way off here. Sartell DID NOT beat LF, and Sartell DID NOT lose to Fergus. Also, LF DID NOT lose to Northern Lakes.
12/9: Little Falls 3, Sartell 1
12/16: Sartell 4, Fergus Falls 3, OT
12/18: Little Falls 3, Northern Lakes 2, OT (Shots 62-15)

I'm no expert, but Little Falls is a good team. So is Sartell, Fergus Falls and Alexandria. The fact remains that Little Falls beat Hibbing 6-1 IN Hibbing (and the shots were 35-34 H). And the tie to IFalls looks bad, but that was before the whole team was suspended.

Replace beat with lost to and lost to with beat. Typo. My apologies.

The Hibbing game was the first game of the year. Yes it is good, but by the time sections come, that will have been 24 games ago.

Proctor also beat I falls when I falls had 11 kids suspended...

We (well, at least I) rank the teams by the scores, not by any personal issues going on.

[RangeHockeyFan1817]

When Proctor beat I Falls on Dec. 10th they did not have any suspensions yet. The first game that anyone sat out because of the suspensions was on Tues. the 14th.

[Teak]

6A
You are probably right. But this is a prime example of an A, B, C thing. Fergus tied Little, Sartell beat Little and Sartell lost to Fergus. Little Falls is probably in the lead now but the Northern Lakes loss doesn't look good. If you can go to OT and win, that's fine, but that's not a team they should be losing to. Just my two cents. A team that can beat Hibbing and lost to Northern Lakes is not a #1 seed right now in my opinion.

I'm not exactly sure where you're getting your scores, but you're way off here. Sartell DID NOT beat LF, and Sartell DID NOT lose to Fergus. Also, LF DID NOT lose to Northern Lakes.
12/9: Little Falls 3, Sartell 1
12/16: Sartell 4, Fergus Falls 3, OT
12/18: Little Falls 3, Northern Lakes 2, OT (Shots 62-15)

I'm no expert, but Little Falls is a good team. So is Sartell, Fergus Falls and Alexandria. The fact remains that Little Falls beat Hibbing 6-1 IN Hibbing (and the shots were 35-34 H). And the tie to IFalls looks bad, but that was before the whole team was suspended.

Replace beat with lost to and lost to with beat. Typo. My apologies.

The Hibbing game was the first game of the year. Yes it is good, but by the time sections come, that will have been 24 games ago.

Proctor also beat I falls when I falls had 11 kids suspended...

We (well, at least I) rank the teams by the scores, not by any personal issues going on.

That's okay. Section 6A is very interesting this year, and I don't think anyone will be able to make a good prediction until AFTER all games are played.



FWIW, rankings are a bit boring. I rarely read through the lists that people post. But, I do like the section-by-section summaries. Thus, I vote for a Top 10 only, with other teams 'On the Edge'.

[defense]

Section 6 is very interesting this year. But I really have no idea how Sartell can go ahead of Little Falls at this pooint. I know it is really early and "boring" but that is why we are here.
Sartell LOST to Little Falls 3-1, beat Fergus Falls in OT.
Little Falls beat Sartell 3-1, tied Fergus Falls, beat Alexandria in OT. Section 6a will come down to Sartell, Little Falls, Fergus Falls, Alexandria.
If you go with these four teams against eachother understanding they all play each other twice, Little Falls will be the only unbeaten team in the first four game between these 4 teams.

Beyond section 6 games, Sartell beat St. Cloud Cathedral. Little Falls beat Hibbing AND Sartell. This is games against top 20 teams in class A, something that seems to mean something in this "ranking".

I know that hshw is never wrong so this is the last time I try and comment.

[Teak]

Karl (east) does an excellent job with the AA polls and section summaries. I enjoy reading those, and we should all realise it takes a lot of time to do.

There was a need for someone to step up and do likewise with the A schools and I appreciate HShockeywatcher taking on the task. Rather than criticise, I have offered to assist.

As (probably) one of the older posters on this forum, I suggest to you young'uns to be positive in your posting rather than simply being critical. Don't just say you don't like his rankings, rather give some information that supports a different ranking (yours).

Oh, and BTW, simply listing a bunch of schools is kind of, well, boring. Better to give a summary regarding a school or a section and, thus, reasons why Team A is better than Team B. That is interesting to read.

And if you attend games regularly, your input would be very valuable.

<Smiley face goes here>

[MNHockey75]

Actually, TRF and Warroad may have the recent history for 8A, but EGF has a much stronger history than TRF. They also have had several years in a row of stong to dominant play in the PeeWee and Bantam levels. I would suspect that starting this year and for several years to come, EGF will be the team of 8A.

Yes, the last eight years have been dominated by Warroad. And to a lesser extent, TRF. TRF's teams in 2003 and 2005 were top 5 teams, but Warroad was simply too good (won state both years). EGF has made just one appearance over those eight years, but I also remember a time when EGF was the top dog (98-02). At least EGF made 4 state appearances since the two class system, unlike TRF's 1. EGF has always seemed to have better Bantam teams, but something hasn't clicked at the HS level. I'm looking forward to the rest of the season. After TRF plays Warroad and EGF, we should be able to nominate someone as a favorite. Right now though, it's obviously EGF.

10 - Warroad over TRF
09 - Warroad over TRF
08 - Warroad over EGF
07 - Warroad over TRF
06 - TRF over Warroad
05 - Warroad over TRF
04 - Warroad over Lake of the Woods
03 - Warroad over TRF
----------------------------
02 - EGF over Warroad
01 - EGF over Crookston
00 - Warroad over Crookston
99 - EGF over TRF (Warroad was #1 in state, but lost to TRF in 2OT)
98 - EGF over Warroad
-----------------------------
And for the record...TRF 10 state appearances, 2 state titles. EGF 7 appearances, 0 state titles

[goldy313]

I agree with Teak and I'll add that ranking A teams, in my opinion, is much harder than ranking AA teams as there is far less inter sectional play. Withouit looking I'd bet that the number of games 1A and 3A play against 7A and 8A combined is less than 5 and I'd bet Albert Lea plays half of them.

HShockeywatcher does a good job and is improving every week, the first few times I was like but also realized it's a tough job, pretty time consuming, and one I wouldn't want to do weekly. I look forward to his rankings and am starting to, like Page2stat and Karl's, put more credibility in them than Let's Play Hockey or other so called experts.

[TTpuckster]

Actually, TRF and Warroad may have the recent history for 8A, but EGF has a much stronger history than TRF. They also have had several years in a row of stong to dominant play in the PeeWee and Bantam levels. I would suspect that starting this year and for several years to come, EGF will be the team of 8A.

Yes, the last eight years have been dominated by Warroad. And to a lesser extent, TRF. TRF's teams in 2003 and 2005 were top 5 teams, but Warroad was simply too good (won state both years). EGF has made just one appearance over those eight years, but I also remember a time when EGF was the top dog (98-02). At least EGF made 4 state appearances since the two class system, unlike TRF's 1. EGF has always seemed to have better Bantam teams, but something hasn't clicked at the HS level. I'm looking forward to the rest of the season. After TRF plays Warroad and EGF, we should be able to nominate someone as a favorite. Right now though, it's obviously EGF.

10 - Warroad over TRF
09 - Warroad over TRF
08 - Warroad over EGF
07 - Warroad over TRF
06 - TRF over Warroad
05 - Warroad over TRF
04 - Warroad over Lake of the Woods
03 - Warroad over TRF
----------------------------
02 - EGF over Warroad
01 - EGF over Crookston
00 - Warroad over Crookston
99 - EGF over TRF (Warroad was #1 in state, but lost to TRF in 2OT)
98 - EGF over Warroad
-----------------------------
And for the record...TRF 10 state appearances, 2 state titles. EGF 7 appearances, 0 state titles

Nice summary 75.

No disrespect to TRF.
And I am not to confident that EGF is the favorite yet. They haven't even played TRF yet. And TRF does have and impressive win over Roseau to boot.

I know that TRF has 10 state appearances, but prior to the one in '06, the last one was in 1965.

EGF has been to state 7 times since then.

But I digress, this is looking to be the most competitive sectional in quite awhile.

[KICKED-IN-THE-PRIVATES]

6A
You are probably right. But this is a prime example of an A, B, C thing. Fergus tied Little, Sartell beat Little and Sartell lost to Fergus. Little Falls is probably in the lead now but the Northern Lakes loss doesn't look good. If you can go to OT and win, that's fine, but that's not a team they should be losing to. Just my two cents. A team that can beat Hibbing and lost to Northern Lakes is not a #1 seed right now in my opinion.

I'm not exactly sure where you're getting your scores, but you're way off here. Sartell DID NOT beat LF, and Sartell DID NOT lose to Fergus. Also, LF DID NOT lose to Northern Lakes.
12/9: Little Falls 3, Sartell 1
12/16: Sartell 4, Fergus Falls 3, OT
12/18: Little Falls 3, Northern Lakes 2, OT (Shots 62-15)

I'm no expert, but Little Falls is a good team. So is Sartell, Fergus Falls and Alexandria. The fact remains that Little Falls beat Hibbing 6-1 IN Hibbing (and the shots were 35-34 H). And the tie to IFalls looks bad, but that was before the whole team was suspended.

The Flyers Dominated play until the third period when they emptied the bench. It was not as close as the SOG indicates....

[flatontheice]

I agree with Teak and I'll add that ranking A teams, in my opinion, is much harder than ranking AA teams as there is far less inter sectional play. Withouit looking I'd bet that the number of games 1A and 3A play against 7A and 8A combined is less than 5 and I'd bet Albert Lea plays half of them.

HShockeywatcher does a good job and is improving every week, the first few times I was like but also realized it's a tough job, pretty time consuming, and one I wouldn't want to do weekly. I look forward to his rankings and am starting to, like Page2stat and Karl's, put more credibility in them than Let's Play Hockey or other so called experts.

I agreee Lets Play Hockey is far from being an expert.

[HShockeywatcher]

Section 6 is very interesting this year. But I really have no idea how Sartell can go ahead of Little Falls at this pooint. I know it is really early and "boring" but that is why we are here.
Sartell LOST to Little Falls 3-1, beat Fergus Falls in OT.
Little Falls beat Sartell 3-1, tied Fergus Falls, beat Alexandria in OT. Section 6a will come down to Sartell, Little Falls, Fergus Falls, Alexandria.
If you go with these four teams against eachother understanding they all play each other twice, Little Falls will be the only unbeaten team in the first four game between these 4 teams.

Beyond section 6 games, Sartell beat St. Cloud Cathedral. Little Falls beat Hibbing AND Sartell. This is games against top 20 teams in class A, something that seems to mean something in this "ranking".

I know that hshw is never wrong so this is the last time I try and comment.

While I definitely appreciate the compliment, it seems to be far from the truth.

As I state often, I don't know much about teams first hand, don't see many games, look at the scores alone and give my personal opinion. In the truest sense of the word, one's opinion is their own and probably cannot be wrong, so in that sense you are probably right. Thanks.

I agree with Teak and I'll add that ranking A teams, in my opinion, is much harder than ranking AA teams as there is far less inter sectional play. Withouit looking I'd bet that the number of games 1A and 3A play against 7A and 8A combined is less than 5 and I'd bet Albert Lea plays half of them.

HShockeywatcher does a good job and is improving every week, the first few times I was like but also realized it's a tough job, pretty time consuming, and one I wouldn't want to do weekly. I look forward to his rankings and am starting to, like Page2stat and Karl's, put more credibility in them than Let's Play Hockey or other so called experts.

I agreee Lets Play Hockey is far from being an expert.

goldy, it is very difficult and time consuming. I will also say that I started my first ranking with LPH's and tweaking it. Without this, Breck would be slightly ahead of PA and probably in the 15-20 range, St Thomas would be lower, etc. By the first of the year, most teams will have played enough touch competition/common opponents to rank everyone without looking at last week's ranking. The compliment is much appreciated.

The other struggle (realized and criticized by some already) is whether to rank section teams from how they will probably be in the section where it to be the end of the season, or how they are in the ranking system. ie, 7A and 8A are great examples. I guarantee that sometime this season a team A with a win over team B will either get a terrible loss or team B to get a great win, to put B ahead of A in overall ranking, where A would be ahead of B in the section rankings. So far I have simply been putting them in order from the list. I will start to do things as I see put from the section standings.