Final AA Rankings 2015

[karl(east)]

Here’s one last perfunctory set of rankings. The annual reflection essay will be along tonight or tomorrow, too.

1. LAKEVILLE NORTH
-It doesn’t get much better than perfection. They were #1 from the time they beat Edina in December, and there was just no weakness, with two superb lines and four of the best defensemen you’ll ever see, all in front of a D-I goalie. They are the highly deserving champions.

2. Duluth East
-Who ever could have imagined this? A team that was barely staying afloat in the top 25 at times this season came together at the right time, and put together one of the all-time great runs through the Tourney. The upset of Edina was one for the ages, and this team will join North in Tourney lore for its performance in the clutch.

3. Edina
-The Hornets had arguably their best regular season in recent memory, but it all came apart on Friday night at the X. They did well to bounce back and claim third-place honors, and who would ever want to bet against them? This senior class leaves with a heap of accomplishments to its name that no upset can ever diminish.

4. Eden Prairie
-It was an adventure at times, but the Eagles fought (literally) their way through a 6AA minefield, put together a very impressive win over Blaine in the opening round, then gave Lakeville a very good fight in the semis before coming up short. If players stick around here, the future is very bright.

5. St. Thomas Academy
-The Cadets were stunned in the opening round of the Tourney, but they bounced back to take home consolation honors. AA is a different ballgame, but making it to the X was an important step for the program.

6. Blaine
-Broke through to get back to the X, though the showing against Eden Prairie was a bit disappointing. They did manage to break 5AA’s long State losing steak.

7. Bemidji
-The Lumberjacks proved they belonged at this year’s Tourney, rebounding from an ugly first few minutes to give Edina a real fight and playing St. Thomas tight as well. It won’t take another 29 years for a return trip.

8. Hill-Murray
-Never quite got going at State, but they did well to get there with a thin offense, and were plenty dangerous all season long.

9. Elk River
-It was heartbreak once again for the Elks, who came even closer to finally finishing off Duluth East before it all went wrong. Someday, they will manage to break through again.

10. Minnetonka
-In a mild surprise after a down season the year before, the Skippers fought their way to the 6AA title game and pushed Eden Prairie to the limit once they were there. After a brief detour, they’re back on the state scene.

11. Benilde-St. Margaret’s
-Also gave Eden Prairie a good game, though they came up short, and things never seemed to quite come together for this talented crew.

12. Holy Family
-Had their best season to date, though a tough seed left them unable to win a playoff game.

13. Grand Rapids
-This one looks better in retrospect, as the Thunderhawks took Duluth East to the brink but couldn’t quite pull it off. There’s plenty of reason to be optimistic about the future here.

14. Moorhead
-Came on pretty strong toward the end and played Bemidji tough, but missed the X for a second straight year.

15. White Bear Lake
-A strong regular season once again came crashing down in a semifinal loss to Stillwater.

Honorable Mention:

Wayzata. Loads of talent, but things seemed to slowly come apart all the way down the stretch.

Farmington. Had some good flashes in the best year in school history and made a second straight section final before falling to the North juggernaut.

Burnsville. Did well to beat Prior Lake, though they’d be best served by forgetting all about that 2AA final.

Eastview. Took down Cretin in a mild upset in the 3AA semis, and did a good job of hanging around with St. Thomas Academy in the final, too.

Centennial. Got a strong win over improving Anoka to make a section final, but got flattened by Blaine once they were there.

There are plenty of other teams that could merit a mention, but we’ll stop there. Thanks again to all the teams, coaches, and everyone else who puts in the work to make high school hockey great. Thanks to all the people who get broadcasts up on TV, radio, or online, or who collect and share scores and game stories. And thanks, of course, to all of you for reading, commenting, and making this forum what it is. It’s been a pleasure, as always, and we’ll start the countdown to next season soon enough!

[nahc]

Karl, thanks to you for all your great posts throughout the year!! Looked forward to each and every set of rankings that came out!!!