Section 6AA, Who wins?

[royals dad]

BSM and Tonka seem really to have separated themselves a bit this year. I don't recall any big wins/upsets (top ten/top five) from the rest of the section. Would guess BSM will get a couple better tests getting to the championship. Should be a classic if it ends up Tonka vs BSM.

[sinbin]

Not sure who to pick but it seems that Mtka has been playing just well enough to win the close games. On the plus side, they have confidence to do it again. On the minus side, that kind of flirting with disaster doesn't last forever. I kept thinking Mtka would distance themselves more, but it hasn't happened. I'll give Mtka the 1-goal edge with the intangible being the memory of their loss to Hopkins last year. Outshot them about 2-1 I believe, had many chances, but couldn't finish.

[MNHockeyFan]

We might be getting a little ahead ourselves assuming it will be BSM-Tonka in the final. I see where Hopkins took the Skippers to OT tonight before falling 3-2. When sections come around there are no sure bets.

[Gov78]

Tonka lacks a true goal scorer and the system they play doesn't really support a high scoring approach so I see every game against decent teams being close.

[mnhock10]

We might be getting a little ahead ourselves assuming it will be BSM-Tonka in the final. I see where Hopkins took the Skippers to OT tonight before falling 3-2. When sections come around there are no sure bets.

I agree, I was hoping for a little more competition out of teams like North Metro and Maple Grove, yet if you look at all the other teams in the section, their records, statistics, goaltending and depth pale in comparison to BSM or Minnetonka. With that said, I agree that in the the playoffs, anything can happen. I'll stick with my prediction, however. I like higher odds...

[royals dad]

We might be getting a little ahead ourselves assuming it will be BSM-Tonka in the final. I see where Hopkins took the Skippers to OT tonight before falling 3-2. When sections come around there are no sure bets.

I agree, I was hoping for a little more competition out of teams like North Metro and Maple Grove, yet if you look at all the other teams in the section, their records, statistics, goaltending and depth pale in comparison to BSM or Minnetonka. With that said, I agree that in the the playoffs, anything can happen. I'll stick with my prediction, however. I like higher odds...

Believe me there is no one pulling for an upset more than me. It was pretty exciting for the Royals to even get to OT last night after going down 2 in the 1st min of the game. My point had just been that I didn't recall seeing any big upsets from anyone in the section yet this season. I think Wayzata had just proven me wrong on that knocking off #10 EP so what do I know.

[Gov78]

While Hopkins always seems to step it up against Tonka another factor is the ice at Minnetonka A rink as it really slows the game down as it's some of the softest around as it's a very warm rink used for figure skating.

The JV game played on the same ice as they warmed up on and by late in the period there was a ton of snow and these kids don't chew it up like the varsity.

No excuses just an observation.

[MNHockeyFan]

It'll be interesting to see how they seed the middle of this section, just wondering what the folks here think. On the top it's pretty clear that it'll be:

1. Minnetonka
2. Benilde-St. Margaret's

And for the play-in game I believe in all likelihood it will be:

8. Armstrong
9. Cooper

It would also appear that North Metro will be seeded 7th. But in seeding 3-6 there will be some tough decisions.

Buffalo has by far the best overall record at 18-7, but they are just 3-5 in the section. Besides their one-sided losses to Minnetonka and BSM they've lost to Maple Grove, Wayzata and Hopkins head-to-head. They have section wins against North Metro and Armstrong twice.

Wayzata is just 10-11-2, but is 3-3-1 in the section. Losses to Minnetonka (twice) and BSM, but a win and a tie over Hopkins, and a win over North Metro and as mentioned Buffalo.

Maple Grove has a 10-12-2 overall record but is 3-1-1 in the section with one more section game to be played tomorrow against Armstrong. They lost to Minnetonka, have a win and a tie against North Metro, a win over Armstrong in their first game and as mentioned above a win over Buffalo.

Hopkins is 8-12-4 overall and just 1-4-1 in the section. Two losses to Minnetonka, one to BSM and the other to Wayzata. They beat Buffalo and tied Wayzata.

I'm sure in deciding the seedings the coaches look at other things like overall strength of schedule, big wins over other ranked teams and how they've done recently vs. earlier in the year. It will be hard for them to ignore Buffalo's overall record, but you wonder how much their head-to-head losses to Maple Grove, Wayzata and Hopkins will be counted against them. And for Hopkins how much weight will they give to their narrow 3-2 OT loss Thursday night to top ranked Minnetonka?

Any one have any predictions?

[mnhock10]

It'll be interesting to see how they seed the middle of this section, just wondering what the folks here think. On the top it's pretty clear that it'll be:

1. Minnetonka
2. Benilde-St. Margaret's

And for the play-in game I believe in all likelihood it will be:

8. Armstrong
9. Cooper

It would also appear that North Metro will be seeded 7th. But in seeding 3-6 there will be some tough decisions.

Buffalo has by far the best overall record at 18-7, but they are just 3-5 in the section. Besides their one-sided losses to Minnetonka and BSM they've lost to Maple Grove, Wayzata and Hopkins head-to-head. They have section wins against North Metro and Armstrong twice.

Wayzata is just 10-11-2, but is 3-3-1 in the section. Losses to Minnetonka (twice) and BSM, but a win and a tie over Hopkins, and a win over North Metro and as mentioned Buffalo.

Maple Grove has a 10-12-2 overall record but is 3-1-1 in the section with one more section game to be played tomorrow against Armstrong. They lost to Minnetonka, have a win and a tie against North Metro, a win over Armstrong in their first game and as mentioned above a win over Buffalo.

Hopkins is 8-12-4 overall and just 1-4-1 in the section. Two losses to Minnetonka, one to BSM and the other to Wayzata. They beat Buffalo and tied Wayzata.

I'm sure in deciding the seedings the coaches look at other things like overall strength of schedule, big wins over other ranked teams and how they've done recently vs. earlier in the year. It will be hard for them to ignore Buffalo's overall record, but you wonder how much their head-to-head losses to Maple Grove, Wayzata and Hopkins will be counted against them. And for Hopkins how much weight will they give to their narrow 3-2 OT loss Thursday night to top ranked Minnetonka?

Any one have any predictions?

I don't envy the coaches for how they have to select the 3-7 seeds, but here is my prediction.

3. Buffalo - too hard to overlook the 18-7 record.

4. Wayzata - similar record to MG but have a big upset against Eden Prairie

5. Maple Grove - better overall record than NM and Hopkins and beat Buffalo.

6. Hopkins

7. North Metro

Again though, I don't think it would be surprising to see Wayzata or Maple Grove the 3 seed. Lots to consider. I do think especially Wayzata and probably Maple Grove have had a tougher schedule than Buffalo. I guess we'll find out soon enough.

[fivehole628]

It'll be interesting to see how they seed the middle of this section, just wondering what the folks here think. On the top it's pretty clear that it'll be:

1. Minnetonka
2. Benilde-St. Margaret's

And for the play-in game I believe in all likelihood it will be:

8. Armstrong
9. Cooper

It would also appear that North Metro will be seeded 7th. But in seeding 3-6 there will be some tough decisions.

Buffalo has by far the best overall record at 18-7, but they are just 3-5 in the section. Besides their one-sided losses to Minnetonka and BSM they've lost to Maple Grove, Wayzata and Hopkins head-to-head. They have section wins against North Metro and Armstrong twice.

Wayzata is just 10-11-2, but is 3-3-1 in the section. Losses to Minnetonka (twice) and BSM, but a win and a tie over Hopkins, and a win over North Metro and as mentioned Buffalo.

Maple Grove has a 10-12-2 overall record but is 3-1-1 in the section with one more section game to be played tomorrow against Armstrong. They lost to Minnetonka, have a win and a tie against North Metro, a win over Armstrong in their first game and as mentioned above a win over Buffalo.

Hopkins is 8-12-4 overall and just 1-4-1 in the section. Two losses to Minnetonka, one to BSM and the other to Wayzata. They beat Buffalo and tied Wayzata.

I'm sure in deciding the seedings the coaches look at other things like overall strength of schedule, big wins over other ranked teams and how they've done recently vs. earlier in the year. It will be hard for them to ignore Buffalo's overall record, but you wonder how much their head-to-head losses to Maple Grove, Wayzata and Hopkins will be counted against them. And for Hopkins how much weight will they give to their narrow 3-2 OT loss Thursday night to top ranked Minnetonka?

Any one have any predictions?

I don't envy the coaches for how they have to select the 3-7 seeds, but here is my prediction.

3. Buffalo - too hard to overlook the 18-7 record.

4. Wayzata - similar record to MG but have a big upset against Eden Prairie

5. Maple Grove - better overall record than NM and Hopkins and beat Buffalo.

6. Hopkins

7. North Metro

Sounds about right

[mnhock10]

Seeds for section 6 have been posted.

1. Minnetonka

2. BSM

3. Maple Grove

4. Wayzata

5. Buffalo

7. North Metro

8. Armstrong

9. Cooper

Guess I am a bit surprised MG beats out Wayzata for the 3 seed with a losing record when Wayzata has a winning record, same results against teams within the section and a win against EP and MG tied Armstrong last night...

Anyway, should be some fun competition to watch in the next few weeks.

[mnhock10]

Seeds for section 6 have been posted.

1. Minnetonka

2. BSM

3. Maple Grove

4. Wayzata

5. Buffalo

7. North Metro

8. Armstrong

9. Cooper

Guess I am a bit surprised MG beats out Wayzata for the 3 seed with a losing record when Wayzata has a winning record, same results against teams within the section and a win against EP and MG tied Armstrong last night...

Anyway, should be some fun competition to watch in the next few weeks.

Sorry... forgot 6. which would be Hopkins...

[fivehole628]

Semi finals are set for Wednesday.

Minnetonka vs. Buffalo
5:30

Hopkins vs. Benilde
7:30

[Gov78]

Semi finals are set for Wednesday.

Minnetonka vs. Buffalo
5:30

Hopkins vs. Benilde
7:30

Tonka should be ready to step up and not make the game against Buffalo close. I know they weren't happy with throwing 59 shots against Armstrong but the game was close (on the scoreboard) until the 3rd period.

BSM/Hopkins could be interesting while on paper it looks very one sided Hopkins can surprise and BSM didn't look real sharp against North Metro.

[mnsportsnetwork]

The Minnesota Sports Broadcast Network will be broadcasting both the semifinal match-ups of Section 6AA on Wednesday night, as well as the Section 6AA Final on Friday night.

Fans interested in tuning in can go to MSBN's website, at www.MnSportsNetwork.com!

[Bison Buddy]

Probably two of the states top three teams here...BSM and Tonka (Roseville is the other)....Will Wayzata, Buffalo, Hopkins (oops), Maple Grove and others be able to play competitively?

About two weeks from the start of the season...your thoughts......

[MNHockeyFan]

Probably two of the states top three teams here...BSM and Tonka (Roseville is the other)....Will Wayzata, Edina, Buffalo, Maple Grove and others be able to play competitively?

About two weeks from the start of the season...your thoughts......

Minnetonka and BSM are the clear favorites, but as we've seen in previous years upsets can and do happen.

P.S. Note that Edina is in Section 2AA!

[mnhock10]

Probably two of the states top three teams here...BSM and Tonka (Roseville is the other)....Will Wayzata, Buffalo, Hopkins (oops), Maple Grove and others be able to play competitively?

About two weeks from the start of the season...your thoughts......

A simple answer.... no, they won't. They may not get blown out but I don't see any of those teams challenging BSM or Minnetonka.

[luckyEPDad]

Probably two of the states top three teams here...BSM and Tonka (Roseville is the other)....Will Wayzata, Buffalo, Hopkins (oops), Maple Grove and others be able to play competitively?

About two weeks from the start of the season...your thoughts......

A simple answer.... no, they won't. They may not get blown out but I don't see any of those teams challenging BSM or Minnetonka.

I find it interesting that Wayzata is a perennial girls youth hockey powerhouse while Minnetonka is so-so. When it comes to HS girls hockey the roles reverse. Is this a talent bubble, or are Minnetonka's association rules doing a better job at developing players at the cost of a some victories?

[Silent But Deadly]

Probably two of the states top three teams here...BSM and Tonka (Roseville is the other)....Will Wayzata, Buffalo, Hopkins (oops), Maple Grove and others be able to play competitively?

About two weeks from the start of the season...your thoughts......

A simple answer.... no, they won't. They may not get blown out but I don't see any of those teams challenging BSM or Minnetonka.

I find it interesting that Wayzata is a perennial girls youth hockey powerhouse while Minnetonka is so-so. When it comes to HS girls hockey the roles reverse. Is this a talent bubble, or are Minnetonka's association rules doing a better job at developing players at the cost of a some victories?

Tonka has alot of depth in their Junior class....that has been instrumental to their success (not to mention Ramsey & Friend). I don't follow their youth program as well.

Wayzata on the other hand is moving up. They appear to be getting better at keeping their talent at home....which I suspect will produce better outcomes going forward. Last year they benefitted greatly from their new head coach, Becky Wacker.

While I think BSM & Tonka are the teams to beat this year and next, don't be surprised if Wayzata and Buffalo give them a game on a given night.

[sinbin]

Minnetonka has been a perennial girls youth power, having won I think 4 state championships in the last 5 years as well as a 2nd place, 3rd place, and several other state appearances at 12's and 14's. I think the tail-end of this bubble is the current sophomore class. EP, Edina, and Wayzata have taken over in recent years due to their larger youth numbers. I think one thing that has helped Tonka (not sure of the other programs) is that MOST of their players have stayed at home in HS (J. Burns being one notable exception) and not transferred to one of the B's. Wayzata certainly has lost a stellar youth player or two to the B's, so their HS program has taken a few hits. Not sure how many girls youth state championships Wayzata has won. I know Edina and EP have earned quite a few banners recently.

Mtka lost a lot with Ramsey, Friend, et al from last year's team moving to college hockey, but have a couple sophomores and 1 great freshman moving up. They'll be a (relatively) young team, with almost no seniors, but most Soph's and all of the Jr's are used to playing for championships. That being said, any number of teams could win the title season.

[allhoc11]

Minnetonka has been a perennial girls youth power, having won I think 4 state championships in the last 5 years as well as a 2nd place, 3rd place, and several other state appearances at 12's and 14's. I think the tail-end of this bubble is the current sophomore class. EP, Edina, and Wayzata have taken over in recent years due to their larger youth numbers. I think one thing that has helped Tonka (not sure of the other programs) is that MOST of their players have stayed at home in HS (J. Burns being one notable exception) and not transferred to one of the B's. Wayzata certainly has lost a stellar youth player or two to the B's, so their HS program has taken a few hits. Not sure how many girls youth state championships Wayzata has won. I know Edina and EP have earned quite a few banners recently.

Mtka lost a lot with Ramsey, Friend, et al from last year's team moving to college hockey, but have a couple sophomores and 1 great freshman moving up. They'll be a (relatively) young team, with almost no seniors, but most Soph's and all of the Jr's are used to playing for championships. That being said, any number of teams could win the title season.

Well said, I think again like last year this is a two team race, but with the key losses Tonka has I'd change my order of favorite, making BSM the favorite this year, and Tonka their most significant challenger depending on how quickly those young kids grow up and adapt to the HS game.

[Silent But Deadly]

If seeding was based on Krach as of today.....

1. BSM
2. Minnetonka
3. Hopkins
4. Maple Grove
5. Buffalo
6. Wayzata
7. Robinsdale Armstrong/Cooper
8. North Metro

Clearly BSM & Minnetonka are going to be the favorites in this section. #3 through #7 could move around a bit. Wayzata is surging with recent wins over Tonka, Irondale & Hopkins. Armstrong/Cooper seems to play alot of these teams even..with four games ending in ties and four OT losses.

[Sparlimb]

If seeding was based on Krach as of today.....

1. BSM
2. Minnetonka
3. Hopkins
4. Maple Grove
5. Buffalo
6. Wayzata
7. Robinsdale Armstrong/Cooper
8. North Metro

Clearly BSM & Minnetonka are going to be the favorites in this section. #3 through #7 could move around a bit. Wayzata is surging with recent wins over Tonka, Irondale & Hopkins. Armstrong/Cooper seems to play alot of these teams even..with four games ending in ties and four OT losses.

BSM is sure tough but how do you bet against Minnetonka with their success the past 2 years? Should be quite a final.

[backdoor]

If seeding was based on Krach as of today.....

1. BSM
2. Minnetonka
3. Hopkins
4. Maple Grove
5. Buffalo
6. Wayzata
7. Robinsdale Armstrong/Cooper
8. North Metro

Clearly BSM & Minnetonka are going to be the favorites in this section. #3 through #7 could move around a bit. Wayzata is surging with recent wins over Tonka, Irondale & Hopkins. Armstrong/Cooper seems to play alot of these teams even..with four games ending in ties and four OT losses.

I thought the state high school league adopted a revamped QRF for seeding purposes? QRF section ranking are different; Benilde, Minnetonka, Hopkins, Wayzata, Maple Grove, Buffalo.