HAPPY'S AA RANKINGS 1/2/12

[HappyHockeyFan]

Well surprisingly with all of the BIG games this past week my rankings didnt get as shook up as I would have thought. Certainly there was some movement but not as significant as was possible. Here we go !

#1 - DULUTH EAST - Champions of the Schwan Cup Gold division including a HUGE win over #2 Minnetonka keeps them firmly entrenched in the #1 spot. Another Big week for the Hounds as Maple Grove and Moorhead take a run at them.

#2 - MINNETONKA - 2nd place in the Schwan Cup Gold division keeps them where they have been all season. Some will argue that Maple Grove should be in this spot but I cant move them down for losing to a team ahead of them in the rankings. Also a Big week for the Skipper as they faceoff against Eagan and Moorhead.

#3 - MAPLE GROVE - They win the St Louis Park Championship and show that they belong where they are. A Big opportunity to upset the top of the rankings this week with a chance to knock off the Hounds.

#4 - EAGAN - They win the SSP Premier Tournament Championship but that was expected. Now they have their Biggest game of the year against Minnetonka. Time to find out what these Wildcats are made of.

#5 - EDINA - A decent showing in the Schwans Cup with 2 wins, but an ugly game against Minnetonka. It was enough though to keep them Top Five.

#6 - EDEN PRAIRIE - Good showing in the SLP Tournament taking consolation. This week a rematch with Elk River.

#7 - BENILDE ST MARGARETS - Solid second place showing in the SLP Tournament moves them up a spot. They are looking better as the season goes on. This week: Wayzata.

#8 - BURNSVILLE - Slowly moving down the rankings, tough loss against Hillmurray drops them another spot. This week: LVN, AV and Edina.

#9 - MOORHEAD - Strong showing in the SLP tournament moves them up 4 spots. Toughest week of the season upcoming with games against Duluth East and Minnetonka.

#10 - ELK RIVER - Overall rough showing in the SLP tourny but they did play Maple Grove tough. They slip a spot. This week: Rematch with Eden Prairie.


#11 - WAYZATA
#12 - BLAINE
#13 - GRAND RAPIDS
#14 - CENTENNIAL
#15 - HILLMURRAY
#16 - ROSEAU
#17 - ANDOVER
#18 - LAKEVILLE SOUTH
#19 - BRAINERD
#20 - CLOQUET

Teams to Watch: Roseville, Stillwater, Bemidji, Forest Lake, White Bear Lake

Enjoy and ANY and ALL comments welcome !!!

[Oldtimehockeyguy23]

Well done, your's make a lot more sense than Karl's this week.

[wingman]

When HM convincingly wins over both Blaine and Burnsville, keeping HM down is questionable at best....all that matters is the last 6 games of the year...

[HappyHockeyFan]

When HM convincingly wins over both Blaine and Burnsville, keeping HM down is questionable at best....all that matters is the last 6 games of the year...

Part of my ranking strategy is to make subtle moves and not overreact to a big upset or loss. Sometimes teams upset teams because the better team just had a bad night. By being patient I avoid moving a team several spots up or down only to have to move them back the next week when they lose to a team they should beat or win a game they shouldnt. So far I think my strategy has worked very well. An example is when some rankings had Grand Rapids ranked high Top Ten, I still had them in the lower half of the top ten. Then they had a bad Edina Classic and everyone dropped them like a rock, some even dropped them out of the Top Ten, whereas I only had to drop them a spot or two. If Hillmurray keeps winning they will keep climbing. And also I have seen in person most of the teams in the Top Twenty and I am not sure Hill is better than any of the teams ahead of them at this point. They looked decent when I saw them but they did not Wow me. I did move Hill up 3 spots and Moorhead 4 spots, but thats about as big a jump your gonna get out of me.