Where in the heck is the 7AA chatter....

[alcloseshaver]

Possible scenario, Hermantown struggles against AA teams or doesn't win the title and then we hear this. See... we are an A school.
As for the GR and ER next week should be fun at Braemar, check back after the Classic for thoughts.

[elliott70]

Are the thoughts of Hermantown moving up based on anything but speculation from the bored members?

I got a quote from a Hermantown guy who is tight with the coach.
"One more year in the cycle and then we will move."
Interpret it anyway you want. That was made in private conversation last March.

A majority of the HT people I know would like to move up, but not all.
This year's AA games will give everyone a good idea how they stack up for a longer period of time than the last five years (crystal ball to the future opportunities).

In the meantime they are not in 7AA, so the questions are....

GR not that good after the first 3....?
D still a big problem... ?

Elk River perhaps the best in 7AA?

So far Rapids has allowed 2 goals in 2 games. Not a bad start to answer your D question.

The question I saw was more along the lines of breaking out of the zone.
I am giving credit to the G for the 2 in 2.

[elliott70]

Continuing....

Perhaps Karl is giving too much credit to the Greyhounds. Will DEast really be a factor this year?

Two games in and Cloquet does not have a win against average competition, is Kniven too optimistic?
Perhaps Dec 15th game will give us answers to both these questions.

And of course, courageous little Duluth Marshall, was the jump to AA too much. A win over short handed Proctor means little to nothing. Two losses to good AA teams in close fashion might indicate the transition is starting to take hold. They have East on the 22nd so by Christmas we will have a good idea.

Andover has a couple of wins and a decent loss against Moorhead...
so what's their chances.

St Francis ahs a couple of wins but not impressive.. Perhaps they should join with Forest Lake and Cambridge and pull a Monti.

[mnjake28]

In the rankings Elk River's D got picked apart. They have played two easy teams, but their D is their strength. Everyone on D returned this past year and added around 10 pounds. These guys are not going to get pushed around like last year and it's going to be fun watching them play against top-tier talent. These guys are incredible!

There goal tending is suspect and probably their weak spot. (The first two games the average shots on goal by period is 2-4-4.5). The goalies have only faced weak shots and have not been tested.

Totino-Grace comes into Elk River on Thursday.

[Jeffy95]

Possible scenario, Hermantown struggles against AA teams or doesn't win the title and then we hear this. See... we are an A school.
As for the GR and ER next week should be fun at Braemar, check back after the Classic for thoughts.

That was my worry after the Wayzata game but it's only one game. That game was a lot closer than the final score. They should bounce back, they have as much talent on that team as all but a handful of teams in AA.

Winning the A title is not in question. They will cakewalk through just like they did last year. The over under on goals against in the playoffs is probably 2.

[HShockeywatcher]

I would expect them to be in the section finals their first year with a 50-50 shot at winning that game.

I think the biggest speculation question is, "how would being in AA affect Hermantown positively or negatively?"

Would being AA attract more players/families and get them to put even better teams on the ice than in the past? Players who may have left in the past because of being in the small tournament may now stay.
Would being AA mean smaller likelihood of going to state and a deterrent to some players?

Or would they end up fielding exactly the same teams as they have been and just be in a different section?

[Section 8 guy]

I think the biggest question is are the teams Htown has had over the past 3-5 years an indication of how their teams will be over the next 3-5 years.

[rainier]

I think the biggest question is: Does Htown want to keep breezing to the A title game every year or do they want to compete in the AA playoffs against teams with levels of talent similar to theirs?

I think Cloquet is still a year away from making serious noise in 7AA, due to the bulk of their talent being sophomores.

[kniven]

Continuing....

Perhaps Karl is giving too much credit to the Greyhounds. Will DEast really be a factor this year?

Two games in and Cloquet does not have a win against average competition, is Kniven too optimistic?
Perhaps Dec 15th game will give us answers to both these questions.

And of course, courageous little Duluth Marshall, was the jump to AA too much. A win over short handed Proctor means little to nothing. Two losses to good AA teams in close fashion might indicate the transition is starting to take hold. They have East on the 22nd so by Christmas we will have a good idea.

Andover has a couple of wins and a decent loss against Moorhead...
so what's their chances.

St Francis ahs a couple of wins but not impressive.. Perhaps they should join with Forest Lake and Cambridge and pull a Monti.

Yea, I'm always optimistic with my team. This forum has really gotten lame though. The lack of banter from 7AA fan is sad. You know it's pretty bad when all topics seems to end up talk of Hermantown. The Hawks are a fine program but irrelevant. They dominant A in the playoffs every year. I don't care. It's a boring take. That's like having a discussion on how water is the wettest. Indian and Hound fan have apparently gone somewhere to die. I'm the only Cloquet diehard on the board ever. I do enjoy the metro hockey talk though. Season is a long one though. Maybe East and Indian fan will start barking at some point on here. It's fun to read these 2 fan bases go back and forth on here with an occasional chirp from others.

[karl(east)]

*Sigh* I guess I'll roust myself from my slumber...

Hard to say too much about East yet, as the two teams they've played are probably the two biggest surprises in AA over the first week and a half. (One a good surprise, one not so good.) Nor do I think the Cloquet game will be a very good barometer, since that one's almost always close regardless of talent level. Marshall may be the same way, based on our sample size of one from last year. From a ranking standpoint, the games with Bemidji, Lakeville North, and Centennial over the next couple weeks will be the most valuable.

Andover has certainly looked decent in the early going, so that game with East on Saturday is worth keeping an eye on. If they continue to improve, they could easily join Cloquet and Marshall and maybe East in that middle tier. They're a young team, so the big question with the Huskies (as with Cloquet and Marshall and to some extent East) is how well those kids develop over the course of the year.

Looks like Flake will be hanging out with the Cambridges and St. Francises of the world this year.

Just hard to say too much yet. GR is really the only top team that has been tested against known quantities, and basically performed as expected.

[elliott70]

*Sigh* I guess I'll roust myself from my slumber...

Hard to say too much about East yet, as the two teams they've played are probably the two biggest surprises in AA over the first week and a half. (One a good surprise, one not so good.) Nor do I think the Cloquet game will be a very good barometer, since that one's almost always close regardless of talent level. Marshall may be the same way, based on our sample size of one from last year. From a ranking standpoint, the games with Bemidji, Lakeville North, and Centennial over the next couple weeks will be the most valuable.

Andover has certainly looked decent in the early going, so that game with East on Saturday is worth keeping an eye on. If they continue to improve, they could easily join Cloquet and Marshall and maybe East in that middle tier. They're a young team, so the big question with the Huskies (as with Cloquet and Marshall and to some extent East) is how well those kids develop over the course of the year.

Looks like Flake will be hanging out with the Cambridges and St. Francises of the world this year.

Just hard to say too much yet. GR is really the only top team that has been tested against known quantities, and basically performed as expected.

Can East win any of these?
GR might win one of these, but I am thinking 7AA is overrated.

[north_bear]

*Sigh* I guess I'll roust myself from my slumber...

Hard to say too much about East yet, as the two teams they've played are probably the two biggest surprises in AA over the first week and a half. (One a good surprise, one not so good.) Nor do I think the Cloquet game will be a very good barometer, since that one's almost always close regardless of talent level. Marshall may be the same way, based on our sample size of one from last year. From a ranking standpoint, the games with Bemidji, Lakeville North, and Centennial over the next couple weeks will be the most valuable.

Andover has certainly looked decent in the early going, so that game with East on Saturday is worth keeping an eye on. If they continue to improve, they could easily join Cloquet and Marshall and maybe East in that middle tier. They're a young team, so the big question with the Huskies (as with Cloquet and Marshall and to some extent East) is how well those kids develop over the course of the year.

Looks like Flake will be hanging out with the Cambridges and St. Francises of the world this year.

Just hard to say too much yet. GR is really the only top team that has been tested against known quantities, and basically performed as expected.

Can East win any of these?
GR might win one of these, but I am thinking 7AA is overrated.

You think that every year.

[elliott70]

*Sigh* I guess I'll roust myself from my slumber...

Hard to say too much about East yet, as the two teams they've played are probably the two biggest surprises in AA over the first week and a half. (One a good surprise, one not so good.) Nor do I think the Cloquet game will be a very good barometer, since that one's almost always close regardless of talent level. Marshall may be the same way, based on our sample size of one from last year. From a ranking standpoint, the games with Bemidji, Lakeville North, and Centennial over the next couple weeks will be the most valuable.

Andover has certainly looked decent in the early going, so that game with East on Saturday is worth keeping an eye on. If they continue to improve, they could easily join Cloquet and Marshall and maybe East in that middle tier. They're a young team, so the big question with the Huskies (as with Cloquet and Marshall and to some extent East) is how well those kids develop over the course of the year.

Looks like Flake will be hanging out with the Cambridges and St. Francises of the world this year.

Just hard to say too much yet. GR is really the only top team that has been tested against known quantities, and basically performed as expected.

Can East win any of these?
GR might win one of these, but I am thinking 7AA is overrated.

You think that every year.

Especially this year when no one is stepping up to offer a rebuttal.

[north_bear]

Can East win any of these?
GR might win one of these, but I am thinking 7AA is overrated.

You think that every year.

Especially this year when no one is stepping up to offer a rebuttal.

It is probably going to be the most competitive section in the state behind 2AA. Three or four games in is a pretty small sample to claim no team is stepping up.

[elliott70]

You think that every year.

Especially this year when no one is stepping up to offer a rebuttal.

It is probably going to be the most competitive section in the state behind 2AA. Three or four games in is a pretty small sample to claim no team is stepping up.

No fans, no board members.

[north_bear]

Especially this year when no one is stepping up to offer a rebuttal.

It is probably going to be the most competitive section in the state behind 2AA. Three or four games in is a pretty small sample to claim no team is stepping up.

No fans, no board members.

Ahh. Gotcha

[grindiangrad-80]

The Injuns are off to a nice start. They are scoring goals as was expected. I think the younger guys have stepped up to fill some of the void that was left with last years graduations.

The defense is experienced and playing with some grit.

I believe their goal tending situation is as good as any team could hope for.

Again, it's a nice start. They have been fun to watch. Hopefully, they are playing well in February and March.

I'm sure there will be some epic games at the end as usual.

[Goldy Gopher]

Continuing....

Perhaps Karl is giving too much credit to the Greyhounds. Will DEast really be a factor this year?

Two games in and Cloquet does not have a win against average competition, is Kniven too optimistic?
Perhaps Dec 15th game will give us answers to both these questions.

And of course, courageous little Duluth Marshall, was the jump to AA too much. A win over short handed Proctor means little to nothing. Two losses to good AA teams in close fashion might indicate the transition is starting to take hold. They have East on the 22nd so by Christmas we will have a good idea.

Andover has a couple of wins and a decent loss against Moorhead...
so what's their chances.

St Francis ahs a couple of wins but not impressive.. Perhaps they should join with Forest Lake and Cambridge and pull a Monti.

Yea, I'm always optimistic with my team. This forum has really gotten lame though. The lack of banter from 7AA fan is sad. You know it's pretty bad when all topics seems to end up talk of Hermantown. The Hawks are a fine program but irrelevant. They dominant A in the playoffs every year. I don't care. It's a boring take. That's like having a discussion on how water is the wettest. Indian and Hound fan have apparently gone somewhere to die. I'm the only Cloquet diehard on the board ever. I do enjoy the metro hockey talk though. Season is a long one though. Maybe East and Indian fan will start barking at some point on here. It's fun to read these 2 fan bases go back and forth on here with an occasional chirp from others.

You're the only Cloquet diehard in the state.

[BodyShots]

*Sigh* I guess I'll roust myself from my slumber...

Hard to say too much about East yet, as the two teams they've played are probably the two biggest surprises in AA over the first week and a half. (One a good surprise, one not so good.) Nor do I think the Cloquet game will be a very good barometer, since that one's almost always close regardless of talent level. Marshall may be the same way, based on our sample size of one from last year. From a ranking standpoint, the games with Bemidji, Lakeville North, and Centennial over the next couple weeks will be the most valuable.

Andover has certainly looked decent in the early going, so that game with East on Saturday is worth keeping an eye on. If they continue to improve, they could easily join Cloquet and Marshall and maybe East in that middle tier. They're a young team, so the big question with the Huskies (as with Cloquet and Marshall and to some extent East) is how well those kids develop over the course of the year.

Looks like Flake will be hanging out with the Cambridges and St. Francises of the world this year.

Just hard to say too much yet. GR is really the only top team that has been tested against known quantities, and basically performed as expected.

Can East win any of these?
GR might win one of these, but I am thinking 7AA is overrated.

Always, but that is what you get when the rankings come from a 7AA alumnus. If I was doing the rankings, you would probably get a 4AA slant and if you were doing the rankings, we would get an 8AA slant.

Karl, you do a great job. It's just a good time watching which 7AA teams can live up to your expectations. From history, Cloquet is always dangerous, yet always finishes 500 or worse.

[black sheep]

If East can get solid tending they may be a little under valued right now. They were right there with Rapids most of the youth years but had a few guys go different ways in Bantams that is kind of forgotten.

plus the East coaching is always worth a + or two.

[TTpuckster]

Boy, Elliott, look what you started NOW!!!

[Rocketwrister]

*Sigh* I guess I'll roust myself from my slumber...

Hard to say too much about East yet, as the two teams they've played are probably the two biggest surprises in AA over the first week and a half. (One a good surprise, one not so good.) Nor do I think the Cloquet game will be a very good barometer, since that one's almost always close regardless of talent level. Marshall may be the same way, based on our sample size of one from last year. From a ranking standpoint, the games with Bemidji, Lakeville North, and Centennial over the next couple weeks will be the most valuable.

Andover has certainly looked decent in the early going, so that game with East on Saturday is worth keeping an eye on. If they continue to improve, they could easily join Cloquet and Marshall and maybe East in that middle tier. They're a young team, so the big question with the Huskies (as with Cloquet and Marshall and to some extent East) is how well those kids develop over the course of the year.

Looks like Flake will be hanging out with the Cambridges and St. Francises of the world this year.

Just hard to say too much yet. GR is really the only top team that has been tested against known quantities, and basically performed as expected.

Can East win any of these?
GR might win one of these, but I am thinking 7AA is overrated.

Always, but that is what you get when the rankings come from a 7AA alumnus. If I was doing the rankings, you would probably get a 4AA slant and if you were doing the rankings, we would get an 8AA slant.

Karl, you do a great job. It's just a good time watching which 7AA teams can live up to your expectations. From history, Cloquet is always dangerous, yet always finishes 500 or worse.

With all the chatter of these Sophomores this year...we shall see

[kniven]

Continuing....

Perhaps Karl is giving too much credit to the Greyhounds. Will DEast really be a factor this year?

Two games in and Cloquet does not have a win against average competition, is Kniven too optimistic?
Perhaps Dec 15th game will give us answers to both these questions.

And of course, courageous little Duluth Marshall, was the jump to AA too much. A win over short handed Proctor means little to nothing. Two losses to good AA teams in close fashion might indicate the transition is starting to take hold. They have East on the 22nd so by Christmas we will have a good idea.

Andover has a couple of wins and a decent loss against Moorhead...
so what's their chances.

St Francis ahs a couple of wins but not impressive.. Perhaps they should join with Forest Lake and Cambridge and pull a Monti.

Yea, I'm always optimistic with my team. This forum has really gotten lame though. The lack of banter from 7AA fan is sad. You know it's pretty bad when all topics seems to end up talk of Hermantown. The Hawks are a fine program but irrelevant. They dominant A in the playoffs every year. I don't care. It's a boring take. That's like having a discussion on how water is the wettest. Indian and Hound fan have apparently gone somewhere to die. I'm the only Cloquet diehard on the board ever. I do enjoy the metro hockey talk though. Season is a long one though. Maybe East and Indian fan will start barking at some point on here. It's fun to read these 2 fan bases go back and forth on here with an occasional chirp from others.

You're the only Cloquet diehard in the state.

Yikes! I hope not....

[karl(east)]

*Sigh* I guess I'll roust myself from my slumber...

Hard to say too much about East yet, as the two teams they've played are probably the two biggest surprises in AA over the first week and a half. (One a good surprise, one not so good.) Nor do I think the Cloquet game will be a very good barometer, since that one's almost always close regardless of talent level. Marshall may be the same way, based on our sample size of one from last year. From a ranking standpoint, the games with Bemidji, Lakeville North, and Centennial over the next couple weeks will be the most valuable.

Andover has certainly looked decent in the early going, so that game with East on Saturday is worth keeping an eye on. If they continue to improve, they could easily join Cloquet and Marshall and maybe East in that middle tier. They're a young team, so the big question with the Huskies (as with Cloquet and Marshall and to some extent East) is how well those kids develop over the course of the year.

Looks like Flake will be hanging out with the Cambridges and St. Francises of the world this year.

Just hard to say too much yet. GR is really the only top team that has been tested against known quantities, and basically performed as expected.

Can East win any of these?
GR might win one of these, but I am thinking 7AA is overrated.

Always, but that is what you get when the rankings come from a 7AA alumnus. If I was doing the rankings, you would probably get a 4AA slant and if you were doing the rankings, we would get an 8AA slant.

Karl, you do a great job. It's just a good time watching which 7AA teams can live up to your expectations. From history, Cloquet is always dangerous, yet always finishes 500 or worse.

Maybe, maybe not. I'll stand by my takes on East, GR, and ER pretty much every year since I've been doing this. There was one bad misfire on Andover one year, but that was it. With Cloquet maybe there's some East fan bias leaking in, since they tend to play the Hounds tougher than anyone else, and there is a decent history of playoff upsets under Esse. That said, I thought this was a year where they might finally start to climb out of a 20-something ranked, maybe-on-a-good-night range they've been in for a while now. The talent was there at the youth levels. Early returns are a little underwhelming, but it's early.

[kniven]

Can East win any of these?
GR might win one of these, but I am thinking 7AA is overrated.

Always, but that is what you get when the rankings come from a 7AA alumnus. If I was doing the rankings, you would probably get a 4AA slant and if you were doing the rankings, we would get an 8AA slant.

Karl, you do a great job. It's just a good time watching which 7AA teams can live up to your expectations. From history, Cloquet is always dangerous, yet always finishes 500 or worse.

Maybe, maybe not. I'll stand by my takes on East, GR, and ER pretty much every year since I've been doing this. There was one bad misfire on Andover one year, but that was it. With Cloquet maybe there's some East fan bias leaking in, since they tend to play the Hounds tougher than anyone else, and there is a decent history of playoff upsets under Esse. That said, I thought this was a year where they might finally start to climb out of a 20-something ranked, maybe-on-a-good-night range they've been in for a while now. The talent was there at the youth levels. Early returns are a little underwhelming, but it's early.

I've always thought your analysis very interesting. It's difficult being a diehard and objective at the same time with my Cloquet boys. But the purple always get respect from the Duluth East, Grand Rapids, and Elk River diehards on this board.