Now that most 7A teams have played about half of their section games, here is one fan's thoughts on the potential seedings.
1. Duluth Marshall- (2-0, W-Hibbing, Greenway)
#1 with a bullet, not so much for their 7A record but for their performance in games against top competition. I doubt any of the other 7A teams would have had as good a showing. Only have two more sections games left, against Denfeld and Virginia, and they should win both.
2. Hibbing- (4-1, W-Greenway, Virginia, Two Harbors, I-Falls: L-Duluth Marshall)
Their win over I-Falls puts them at this spot. Their only 7A loss is to Marshall, and a win over Denfeld this Tuesday would really cement this seed for them. Section games remaining are against I-Falls, Virginia, Denfeld, and Eveleth-Gilbert.
3. I-Falls- (6-2, W-Greenway, E-G twice, Silver Bay, Virginia, Denfeld: L-Hibbing, Virginia)
Their big win over Denfeld pushes them here. No other quality 7A wins other than Virginia, who they split with. I-Falls' rematch with Hibbing will be huge, and a Broncos win could very well put them at #2. Besides Hibbing, the only other section teams Falls plays are Ely and Two Harbors, two certain victories.
4. Duluth Denfeld- (3-1, W-Virginia, Greenway, E-G: L-I-Falls)
They beat Virginia soundly, but their recent loss to I-Falls holds them back. They only have two section games left, Hibbing and Marshall. If they beat Hibbing then they could easily move up to #2, especially if Hibbing beats I-Falls again. If they beat Marshall also, then they would likely have enough quality section wins to pass Marshall and steal the #1 seed.
5. Virginia- (2-3, W-I. Falls, E-G: L-Hibbing, Denfeld, I-Falls)
Even with a whopping seven section games remaining (Marshall, Hibbing, Two Harbors, Greenway twice, E-G, Silver Bay), it will be tough for Virginia to move up much without beating Hibbing and pulling a huge upset over Marshall. If the Blue Devils do indeed get the 5 seed, Hibbing, Denfeld, and I-Falls will be doing whatever they can to stay away from that 4-seed; Virginia can absolutely beat any of those three teams.
The rest:
Greenway
Silver Bay
Ely
Eveleth-Gilbert
Two Harbors
Should be fun watching how this shakes out.
7A Rankings
Moderators: Mitch Hawker, east hockey, karl(east)
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I agree 100%, rainer.
Whats amazing is that it could be a mess real fast if Virginia were to upset Duluth Marshall and the following also played out:
Denfeld knocks off Hibbing
Hibbing completes the sweep of I Falls
Virginia salvages a split with Hibbing
That is not entirely unlikely (Marshall has struggled to win in Virginia - even when they have been heavily favored going a few years back) It would setup this (in no particular order):
Marshall 3-1 (Loss to Virginia, did not play I Falls)
Virginia 9-3 (Wins over everyone but Denfeld, losses to Hibbing, Denfeld, and I Falls)
Hibbing 6-3 (Wins over everyone but Marshall and Denfeld, also a loss to Virginia)
Denfeld 4-2 (Wins over Virginia and Hibbing, Losses to Marshall and I Falls)
I Falls 8-3 (Did not play Marshall, but has wins over Virginia and Denfeld, but also lost to Hibbing twice and Virginia once.
I wouldn't even know where to start to try and seed that mess. That would be an interesting seeding meeting to say the least, especially given the lack of respect Duluth Marshall tends to get from the Iron Range coaches and the fact that they don't play I Falls.
A similar scenario could play out with a Denfeld upset of Marshall and some other twists in the other games.
-OR-
If both Denfeld and Virginia pulled off upsets over Marshall, Marshall still could see a #5 seed.
In reality, Marshall should manage to grab the #1 seed though. Hibbing, Virginia, Denfeld, and I Falls are all a coin flip to me. If they played a round robin tournament (and I wouldn't mind watching that
), it would probably end in a 4-way tie. On any night any of these four can beat any of the other three.
This might be the most unpredictable year we've had in quite a while in 7A, especially in the 4 vs 5 quarterfinal and the 2 vs 3 semifinal games.
It will be fun to watch it all play out.
Whats amazing is that it could be a mess real fast if Virginia were to upset Duluth Marshall and the following also played out:
Denfeld knocks off Hibbing
Hibbing completes the sweep of I Falls
Virginia salvages a split with Hibbing
That is not entirely unlikely (Marshall has struggled to win in Virginia - even when they have been heavily favored going a few years back) It would setup this (in no particular order):
Marshall 3-1 (Loss to Virginia, did not play I Falls)
Virginia 9-3 (Wins over everyone but Denfeld, losses to Hibbing, Denfeld, and I Falls)
Hibbing 6-3 (Wins over everyone but Marshall and Denfeld, also a loss to Virginia)
Denfeld 4-2 (Wins over Virginia and Hibbing, Losses to Marshall and I Falls)
I Falls 8-3 (Did not play Marshall, but has wins over Virginia and Denfeld, but also lost to Hibbing twice and Virginia once.
I wouldn't even know where to start to try and seed that mess. That would be an interesting seeding meeting to say the least, especially given the lack of respect Duluth Marshall tends to get from the Iron Range coaches and the fact that they don't play I Falls.
A similar scenario could play out with a Denfeld upset of Marshall and some other twists in the other games.
-OR-
If both Denfeld and Virginia pulled off upsets over Marshall, Marshall still could see a #5 seed.
In reality, Marshall should manage to grab the #1 seed though. Hibbing, Virginia, Denfeld, and I Falls are all a coin flip to me. If they played a round robin tournament (and I wouldn't mind watching that
), it would probably end in a 4-way tie. On any night any of these four can beat any of the other three.This might be the most unpredictable year we've had in quite a while in 7A, especially in the 4 vs 5 quarterfinal and the 2 vs 3 semifinal games.
It will be fun to watch it all play out.
Not much change in 7A lately, but here is an update. Section record in parenthesis.
1. Duluth Marshall (2-0) W:Hibbing, Greenway. L:none. Left to play: Virginia and Denfeld.
They only way Marshall doesn't get the top seed is if they lose to both Virginia and Denfeld, which is extremely unlikely. They will only have played 4 section games, but their overall resume this season is by far the best in 7A.
2. Hibbing (5-1) W:Virginia, I-Falls, Denfeld, Two Harbors, Greenway. L:Marshall. Left to play: I-Falls, Virginia, E-G.
If Hibbing beats I-Falls next Thursday, that should lock up the #2 seed for them no matter what happens vs Virginia. But a loss to both of those teams would likely drop them to #3.
3. I-Falls (7-2) W:Virginia, Denfeld, E-G twice, Greenway, Silver Bay, Ely. L: Hibbing and Virginia. Left to play: Two Harbors.
I-Falls must beat Hibbing to move up to #2, and even then they may need Virginia to beat Hibbing also. They don't play Marshall at all, which, even though it would be a tough game, it would at least give them a better chance to move up.
4. Denfeld (3-2) W:Virginia, Greenway, E-G. L:I-Falls, Hibbing. Left to play: Marshall.
Without a win over Marshall, #4 is as high as Denfeld can get given their losses to Hibbing and I-Falls. If Virginia beats Hibbing, then Denfeld likely falls to #5.
5. Virginia (4-3) W:I-Falls, E-G, Two Harbors, Greenway. L: Hibbing, Denfeld, I-Falls. Left to play:Marshall, Hibbing, Greenway, E-G, Silver Bay.
Virginia can pass Denfeld by beating Hibbing, and if they upset Marshall too they could find themselves as high as #3, passing the loser of the Hibbing/I-Falls game.
The rest:
Silver Bay
Greenway
E-G
Ely
Two Harbors
1. Duluth Marshall (2-0) W:Hibbing, Greenway. L:none. Left to play: Virginia and Denfeld.
They only way Marshall doesn't get the top seed is if they lose to both Virginia and Denfeld, which is extremely unlikely. They will only have played 4 section games, but their overall resume this season is by far the best in 7A.
2. Hibbing (5-1) W:Virginia, I-Falls, Denfeld, Two Harbors, Greenway. L:Marshall. Left to play: I-Falls, Virginia, E-G.
If Hibbing beats I-Falls next Thursday, that should lock up the #2 seed for them no matter what happens vs Virginia. But a loss to both of those teams would likely drop them to #3.
3. I-Falls (7-2) W:Virginia, Denfeld, E-G twice, Greenway, Silver Bay, Ely. L: Hibbing and Virginia. Left to play: Two Harbors.
I-Falls must beat Hibbing to move up to #2, and even then they may need Virginia to beat Hibbing also. They don't play Marshall at all, which, even though it would be a tough game, it would at least give them a better chance to move up.
4. Denfeld (3-2) W:Virginia, Greenway, E-G. L:I-Falls, Hibbing. Left to play: Marshall.
Without a win over Marshall, #4 is as high as Denfeld can get given their losses to Hibbing and I-Falls. If Virginia beats Hibbing, then Denfeld likely falls to #5.
5. Virginia (4-3) W:I-Falls, E-G, Two Harbors, Greenway. L: Hibbing, Denfeld, I-Falls. Left to play:Marshall, Hibbing, Greenway, E-G, Silver Bay.
Virginia can pass Denfeld by beating Hibbing, and if they upset Marshall too they could find themselves as high as #3, passing the loser of the Hibbing/I-Falls game.
The rest:
Silver Bay
Greenway
E-G
Ely
Two Harbors
Still no real movement in the rankings, but here is an update. Section record in parentheses.
1. Duluth Marshall (4-0) W:Virginia, Denfeld, Hibbing, Greenway. L:None
No section games remaining. Marshall further cemented their spot at the top with 6-0 and 7-2 poundings of Denfeld and Virginia, respectively. It will take a big upset to keep Marshall from a trip to St. Paul.
2. Hibbing (6-1) W:Virginia, Denfeld, I-Falls (twice), Two Harbors, Greenway. L:Marshall. Remaining:E-G, Virginia. Hibbing ensured themselves the 2 seed by finishing the sweep of I-Falls. With a healthy Adam Johnson back in the fold, Hibbing will be looking to advance to their 10th consecutive 7A final and a shot at knocking off the 800 lb. gorilla known as the Hilltoppers.
3. I-Falls (8-3) W:Virginia, Denfeld, E-G (twice), Ely, Greenway, Two Harbors, Silver Bay. L:Virginia, Hibbing (twice). No section games remaining. Falls is firmly entrenched here at 3 and will be looking forward to getting another crack at Hibbing when the two teams meet in the semis. (Barring a cataclysmic collapse in the quarters.)
4. Duluth Denfeld (3-3) W:Virginia, Greenway, E-G. L:Hibbing, I-Falls, Marshall. No section games remaining. Pretty simple for Denfeld, they lost to the three teams above them and beat the teams behind them. A matchup against Virginia in the quarterfinals is all but certain.
5. Virginia (6-4) W:I-Falls, E-G (twice), Two Harbors, Greenway, Silver Bay. L:Hibbing, Marshall, Denfeld, I-Falls. Remaining: Hibbing, Greenway. If they beat Hibbing next week, that would give Virginia a split with the 2 and 3 seeds, which may be enough for them to move ahead of Denfeld. Although it makes no difference because they will play Denfeld in the quarters either way, they would get them at home.
6. Eveleth-Gilbert (6-6) W:Two Harbors (twice), Ely (twice), Silver Bay (twice). L:I-Falls (twice), Virginia (twice), Denfeld, Greenway. Remaining: Hibbing, Greenway. Even another loss to Greenway wouldn't drop E-G, as they swept the 7 seed Silver Bay. The Golden Bears will make the long bus trip to the border to face the Broncos in the quarters.
7. Silver Bay (5-5) W:Ely (twice), Two Harbors (twice), Greenway. L:E-G (twice), Virginia, Ely, I-Falls. Remaining:Greenway. Will play one of the teams they are 5-1 against in a play-in game for a chance to go to Hibbing.
8. Ely (3-6) W:Greenway, Silver Bay, Two Harbors. L:Greenway, I-Falls, E-G (twice), Silver Bay (twice). Remaining:Two Harbors. The Wolves are 3-3 against teams 7-10, so they have an even shot of advancing to the quarters.
9. Two Harbors (2-8) W:Greenway (twice). L:I-Falls, Virginia, Hibbing, Ely, E-G (twice), Silver Bay (twice). Remaining:Ely. Hard to see the Agates getting past the play-in game.
10. Greenway (2-9) W:Ely, E-G. L:Two Harbors (twice), Denfeld, Virginia, Hibbing, Marshall, Falls, Silver Bay, Ely. Remaining:Silver Bay, Virginia, E-G. Although they are the only 7-10 team with a win over E-G, the Raiders lost twice to Two Harbors, which makes it all but impossible to put them any higher. If they beat E-G again and also Silver Bay, then they may get a higher seed, but they will be in a play-in game no matter what.
We all know what happened to Little Falls last season, and as long as that type of insane upset doesn't occur, the semifinals are all but set.
Denfeld/Virginia winner vs Marshall
I-Falls vs Hibbing
Marshall will be in the 7A final, and the winner of Hibbing/Falls will be an underdog, but I think either of those teams can beat Marshall if they play at the top of their game. This section is Marshall's to lose.
1. Duluth Marshall (4-0) W:Virginia, Denfeld, Hibbing, Greenway. L:None
No section games remaining. Marshall further cemented their spot at the top with 6-0 and 7-2 poundings of Denfeld and Virginia, respectively. It will take a big upset to keep Marshall from a trip to St. Paul.
2. Hibbing (6-1) W:Virginia, Denfeld, I-Falls (twice), Two Harbors, Greenway. L:Marshall. Remaining:E-G, Virginia. Hibbing ensured themselves the 2 seed by finishing the sweep of I-Falls. With a healthy Adam Johnson back in the fold, Hibbing will be looking to advance to their 10th consecutive 7A final and a shot at knocking off the 800 lb. gorilla known as the Hilltoppers.
3. I-Falls (8-3) W:Virginia, Denfeld, E-G (twice), Ely, Greenway, Two Harbors, Silver Bay. L:Virginia, Hibbing (twice). No section games remaining. Falls is firmly entrenched here at 3 and will be looking forward to getting another crack at Hibbing when the two teams meet in the semis. (Barring a cataclysmic collapse in the quarters.)
4. Duluth Denfeld (3-3) W:Virginia, Greenway, E-G. L:Hibbing, I-Falls, Marshall. No section games remaining. Pretty simple for Denfeld, they lost to the three teams above them and beat the teams behind them. A matchup against Virginia in the quarterfinals is all but certain.
5. Virginia (6-4) W:I-Falls, E-G (twice), Two Harbors, Greenway, Silver Bay. L:Hibbing, Marshall, Denfeld, I-Falls. Remaining: Hibbing, Greenway. If they beat Hibbing next week, that would give Virginia a split with the 2 and 3 seeds, which may be enough for them to move ahead of Denfeld. Although it makes no difference because they will play Denfeld in the quarters either way, they would get them at home.
6. Eveleth-Gilbert (6-6) W:Two Harbors (twice), Ely (twice), Silver Bay (twice). L:I-Falls (twice), Virginia (twice), Denfeld, Greenway. Remaining: Hibbing, Greenway. Even another loss to Greenway wouldn't drop E-G, as they swept the 7 seed Silver Bay. The Golden Bears will make the long bus trip to the border to face the Broncos in the quarters.
7. Silver Bay (5-5) W:Ely (twice), Two Harbors (twice), Greenway. L:E-G (twice), Virginia, Ely, I-Falls. Remaining:Greenway. Will play one of the teams they are 5-1 against in a play-in game for a chance to go to Hibbing.
8. Ely (3-6) W:Greenway, Silver Bay, Two Harbors. L:Greenway, I-Falls, E-G (twice), Silver Bay (twice). Remaining:Two Harbors. The Wolves are 3-3 against teams 7-10, so they have an even shot of advancing to the quarters.
9. Two Harbors (2-8) W:Greenway (twice). L:I-Falls, Virginia, Hibbing, Ely, E-G (twice), Silver Bay (twice). Remaining:Ely. Hard to see the Agates getting past the play-in game.
10. Greenway (2-9) W:Ely, E-G. L:Two Harbors (twice), Denfeld, Virginia, Hibbing, Marshall, Falls, Silver Bay, Ely. Remaining:Silver Bay, Virginia, E-G. Although they are the only 7-10 team with a win over E-G, the Raiders lost twice to Two Harbors, which makes it all but impossible to put them any higher. If they beat E-G again and also Silver Bay, then they may get a higher seed, but they will be in a play-in game no matter what.
We all know what happened to Little Falls last season, and as long as that type of insane upset doesn't occur, the semifinals are all but set.
Denfeld/Virginia winner vs Marshall
I-Falls vs Hibbing
Marshall will be in the 7A final, and the winner of Hibbing/Falls will be an underdog, but I think either of those teams can beat Marshall if they play at the top of their game. This section is Marshall's to lose.
That game won't really affect the top 5 seeds other than cementing Virginia at #5, thereby sending them to Duluth for the quarters. But it does mess up 6-10. If Greenway beats Silver Bay and E-G, then they may jump up to #6.7A_Hockey wrote:Now we have a real mix up to add as greenway had a 4-2 over virginia.
If Virginia beats Hibbing tonight, that may be enough to put the Blue Devils at #4 though, as they would have split with both the #2 and #3 seeds while Denfeld's only quality section win is against Virginia, which was quite a while ago.
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Here are the official seeds:
1. Duluth Marshall
2. Hibbing Chisholm
3. International Falls
4. Duluth Denfeld
5. Virginia/Mt. Iron-Buhl
6. Greenway/Nashwauk-Keewatin
7. Eveleth-Gilbert/Mesabi East
8. Silver Bay/Cook County
9. Ely/Northeast Range
10. Two Harbors
First round games (2/21):
Two Harbors @ Eveleth-Gilbert/ME
Ely/NER @ Silver Bay/CC
QF Games (2/23):
Top Bracket -
Ely/SB winner @ Duluth Marshall
Virginia/MI-B @ Duluth Denfeld
Bottom Bracket -
TH/EGME winner @ Hibbing/Chis
Greenway/NK @ Int'l Falls
Semifinal Games (2/25):
Top Bracket Winners @ Hibbing, 1:00PM
Bottom Bracket Winners @ Grand Rapids, 7:30PM
Finals (2/29)
Semifinal Winners @ Amsoil Arena, 7:30PM
1. Duluth Marshall
2. Hibbing Chisholm
3. International Falls
4. Duluth Denfeld
5. Virginia/Mt. Iron-Buhl
6. Greenway/Nashwauk-Keewatin
7. Eveleth-Gilbert/Mesabi East
8. Silver Bay/Cook County
9. Ely/Northeast Range
10. Two Harbors
First round games (2/21):
Two Harbors @ Eveleth-Gilbert/ME
Ely/NER @ Silver Bay/CC
QF Games (2/23):
Top Bracket -
Ely/SB winner @ Duluth Marshall
Virginia/MI-B @ Duluth Denfeld
Bottom Bracket -
TH/EGME winner @ Hibbing/Chis
Greenway/NK @ Int'l Falls
Semifinal Games (2/25):
Top Bracket Winners @ Hibbing, 1:00PM
Bottom Bracket Winners @ Grand Rapids, 7:30PM
Finals (2/29)
Semifinal Winners @ Amsoil Arena, 7:30PM
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I'm guessing the two head to head wins Greenway had over Eveleth carried more weight, plus the win over Virginia.rainier wrote:Greenway ahead of E-G is the only real surprise here. Now the real season can begin. Excellent!
I think the Greenway win over Virginia also cost Virginia a home game and the #4 seed.
7A fans, post your predictions here and we'll see who is the ultimate HS hockey prognosticator.
1st rd: E-G over Two Harbors, Silver Bay over Ely.
Quarters: Marshall over Silver Bay, Denfeld over Virginia, Hibbing over E-G, I-Falls over Greenway.
Semis: Marshall over Denfeld, Hibbing over I-Falls.
Final: Hibbing over Marshall
1st rd: E-G over Two Harbors, Silver Bay over Ely.
Quarters: Marshall over Silver Bay, Denfeld over Virginia, Hibbing over E-G, I-Falls over Greenway.
Semis: Marshall over Denfeld, Hibbing over I-Falls.
Final: Hibbing over Marshall
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1st Round:
Eveleth-Gilbert over Two Harbors
*Silver Bay over Ely
Quarters:
Duluth Marshall over Silver Bay
*Virginia over Duluth Denfeld
Hibbing over Eveleth-Gilbert
International Falls over Greenway
Semis:
Duluth Marshall over Virginia
*International Falls over Hibbing
Finals:
Duluth Marshall over International Falls
*These will be the most competitive games in my opinion. (The rest all have the potential for running time to me)
Eveleth-Gilbert over Two Harbors
*Silver Bay over Ely
Quarters:
Duluth Marshall over Silver Bay
*Virginia over Duluth Denfeld
Hibbing over Eveleth-Gilbert
International Falls over Greenway
Semis:
Duluth Marshall over Virginia
*International Falls over Hibbing
Finals:
Duluth Marshall over International Falls
*These will be the most competitive games in my opinion. (The rest all have the potential for running time to me)