AA Rankings for 12/16/18

[karl(east)]

Here’s this week’s effort:

1. Minnetonka (7-0)
-The Skippers continue to march along and roll past quality teams, maintaining their stellar defensive record; they gave up two goals to Moorhead, which qualifies as their worst defensive performance of the season. They don’t have the firepower they had a season ago, but they’re deep and relentless. Just one game this week, and it shouldn’t be one that has them sweating too much.
This week: Tues vs. Bloomington Jefferson

2. Edina (6-0-1)
-The Hornets steamrolled their way through their annual holiday classic, including a convincing win over Eden Prairie; the quality of their wins is enough to edge them into the second spot for now. Their second line had a strong week, and the development of some scoring depth makes this a much more dangerous team. They face a reeling section foe in Cretin this week.
This week: Fri vs. #15 Cretin-Derham Hall

3. Andover (6-0)
-Not much to report from the Huskies after an easy win over Anoka. The in-conference stakes get a bit higher this week, as they face section rival Elk River and a strong Blaine team.
This week: Tues at Elk River, Thurs vs. #12 Blaine

4. Duluth East (4-1)
-The Hounds continue to plug along with tight games against quality teams; they appear strong, but aren’t showing the firepower of the top two teams. A busy week on the road awaits them, including an interesting test with North.
This week: Tues at Centennial, Thurs at Duluth Marshall, Sat at #11 Lakeville North

5. St. Thomas Academy (5-1-1)
-A convincing win over Benilde was a positive sign for the Cadets. They have another one game week as they continue their tour of the AA metro private schools and face rival Hill.
This week: Thurs at #9 Hill-Murray

6. Maple Grove (6-0-1)
-The Crimson picked up an important section win by knocking off Blaine, though the tight contest shows they’ll be in for a fight in the rematch and potentially the section final. They now get a bye week.
This week: Idle

7. Eden Prairie (4-2-1)
-Jack Jensen’s absence hurt the Eagles in a rough loss to Edina in the Holiday Classic, but they otherwise acquitted themselves well. They now look to build some consistency against section foe Prior Lake and a quality Blaine team.
This week: Thurs vs. Prior Lake, Sat vs. #12 Blaine

8. Wayzata (5-2)
-A dominant win over Cretin gives the Trojans a leg up in the race for a top-2 seed in 6AA, and sends a statement about this team’s ability on both ends of the ice. This looks like a team on the rise, though that early loss to Maple Grove keeps them from going any higher in the rankings. If the early results are real, they should keep things rolling this week.
This week: Thurs at Buffalo, Sat vs. Armstrong

9. Hill-Murray (5-1)
-Easy pickings for the Pioneers against conference foes. Things ramp up considerably this week, as they face their two greatest rivals, both of whom have arguably looked stronger than they have in the early going, White Bear shaky tie aside. Time to learn a little more about these young Pioneers.
This week: Thurs vs. #5 St. Thomas Academy, Sat at #10 White Bear Lake

10. White Bear Lake (6-1-1)
-White Bear’s gonna White Bear: after rolling along and looking like a quality team for the first three weeks of the season, the Bears had a characteristic in-conference clunker and tied East Ridge. Assuming they avoid further miscues against Roseville, that sets up an unpredictable battle between the two longtime 4AA rivals on Saturday.
This week: Thurs vs. Roseville, Sat vs. #9 Hill-Murray

11. Lakeville North (5-1)
-The Panthers continue to quietly plug along, winning comfortably against South Suburban teams and edging their way upward in the rankings. The stakes get a little higher this week, with a date with a quality Eagan team followed by Duluth East.
This week: Tues vs. Eagan, Sat vs. #4 Duluth East

12. Blaine (5-1)
-The Bengals had a week of tight games with rivals, as they scraped past Centennial but fell to Maple Grove. That leaves them in the second spot in 5AA for the time being. It was also their first game against real front-line competition, so the upcoming tough week will help give us a better idea of where they belong.
This week: Thurs at #3 Andover, Sat at #7 Eden Prairie

13. Moorhead (4-3)
-The loss to Roseau throws up some red flags for the Spuds, but they rebounded by beating Benilde and giving Minnetonka a respectable game on their swing south over the weekend. They have a formidable top line, but will need to develop some depth to hang with the state’s best. This coming weekend features a road trip to Itasca County, which looks like two wins on paper, but neither one is a guarantee.
This week: Fri at Greenway, Sat at Grand Rapids

14. Blake (3-2)
-Couldn’t muster much against Minnetonka, which isn’t a huge surprise, but bounced back by taking care of Greenway. Still waiting to get a better feel on this team, and this week’s game against St. Louis Park probably won’t really help in that regard.

15. Cretin-Derham Hall (2-3)
-It’s time to start raising some real questions about Raiders, who gave up nine goals to Forest Lake in a wild win and were thoroughly shut down by Wayzata in an important section game. The Edina game this week will be telling.
This week: Thurs vs. Mounds View, Sat at #2 Edina

The Next Ten

Rosemount (5-1)
-A loss to Prior Lake dumps the Irish out of the top 15, but it’s not a terrible loss, and they rebounded by edging past Lakeville South. They should win contests against Shakopee and East Ridge this week.

Stillwater (4-0)
-It’s hard to say too much given the competition, but the Ponies are certainly cruising, outscoring their opponents 33-2 across four wins. It really doesn’t get much more difficult this week either, as they pay visits to Woodbury and Forest Lake. After that, the level of competition will change considerably.

Eagan (4-2)
-The Wildcats seesawed back from a bad week last week to a good week this past week, including a lopsided defeat of Eastview. Just one game this week, but it’s a big one against Lakeville North.

Prior Lake (4-2)
-Collected a quality win by knocking off Rosemount. A bigger test against Eden Prairie awaits this week, and gives them a chance to repeat last year’s upset to snare a higher seed in 2AA.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s (4-3)
-Mustered just one goal in both of their losses this past week; falling to St. Thomas and Moorhead isn’t terrible, but keeps them out of the realm of the ranked. Things ease up some this week against Armstrong/Cooper and Duluth Marshall.

Holy Family (3-4)
-Took some steps in the right direction this past week by shellacking Greenway and Delano, though a return to the top 15 will require more success against AA contenders. They won’t get that chance this week, as they face two of the better Metro area A teams in Orono and Northfield

Lakeville South (3-2)
-The Cougars have cleaned up on the teams they should beat but fallen in their two competitive games. Their game with Burnsville this week will help with positioning in this section of the rankings.

Burnsville (2-4)
-The record isn’t great, but the losses are all against good teams and they have a win over Eagan. Lakeville South is up this week.

Chaska (4-3)
-Restored some sanity with a blowout win over Orono. Their first game this week is against Buffalo, which on paper isn’t huge, but can’t be ignored when a team has lost to Sartell and Eveleth; after that, we’ll get a much better sense of this mysterious team’s potential when they take on the top-ranked Skippers.

Roseau (5-2-1)
-The Rams had a banner week with three wins over 8AA competition, including an eye-catching 6-2 shellacking of Moorhead. They have losses to Centennial and Grand Rapids, and needed overtime to get by Buffalo, so they’re certainly capable of losing to mediocre competition. That said, the Moorhead win shows their potential, and between a couple of legitimate stars up front and a veteran defense and goaltender, they have the ingredients to make a run. The 8AA tour continues with a visit to Bemidji this week.

And now, sections:

1AA
11 Lakeville North
22 Lakeville South
-Early returns aren’t great for the pack chasing the Lakevilles. North is off to a strong start and South has done respectably, though we’re still waiting for more tests for both of them against nonconference competition. Rochester Century is probably #3 right now and may not lose anytime soon, but the loss to Duluth Marshall hurts their shot at claiming a top-2 seed.

2AA
1 Minnetonka
7 Eden Prairie
19 Prior Lake
21 Holy Family
24 Chaska
-The two Lake powers have risen to the top here as Chaska and Holy Family have taken some lumps in the early going. Prior Lake is also inserting itself into the conversation for a quality seed with a decent start, and with games against Eden Prairie and Chaska in the next two weeks, they’ll have a chance to start building some points there. Chaska also meets Minnetonka and Eden Prairie in the coming weeks, meaning its seeding fate could soon be sealed.

3AA
5 St. Thomas Academy
16 Rosemount
23 Burnsville
18 Eagan
-The top team is clear, but this section may have the largest tier of quality teams after that, with Rosemount, Burnsville, Eagan, and Bloomington Jefferson all showing signs of respectability, if not more. Rosemount has beaten Burnsville and Burnsville has beaten Eagan, which is the reasoning behind the current order here, but there’s lots of time for change.

4AA
9 Hill-Murray
10 White Bear Lake
17 Stillwater
-Some strong signs in this one from its big three teams, though we’re still waiting to see just how good Stillwater really is. The annual White Bear-Hill game this Saturday will give us an early frontrunner.

5AA
6 Maple Grove
12 Blaine
-The Crimson are the early frontrunner for the top seed after edging Blaine on Saturday. After that, Centennial looks like it still has enough in the tank to be the 3-seed, and Champlin is the next in line for paper, though the 4-seed is certainly open for the taking if anyone can make a move.

6AA
2 Edina
8 Wayzata
14 Blake
15 Cretin-Derham Hall
20 Benilde-St. Margaret’s
-As in 2AA, the two Lake teams have risen to the front here. Edina plays Cretin in the next two weeks, while Wayzata plays Benilde; wins by those two may just lock up the top two spots for those two teams, in some order. Wayzata’s win over Cretin has the Raiders tumbling into the private school chase pack here and in need of some wins to climb back toward the top; those three do not play each other, which could complicate things come seeding time.

7AA
3 Andover
4 Duluth East
-The Huskies’ overtime win over the Hounds has them in front early on, while Cloquet’s rough start raises the question of whether they’ll be able to play well enough to still claim the 3-seed via QRF, even in a relatively thin 7AA. Elk River’s win over Grand Rapids has the Elks edging toward a home game in sections, but with QRF there’s still a lot to be decided here.

8AA
25 Roseau
13 Moorhead
Brainerd
St. Michael-Albertville
-Before the season I called this section an open free-for-all, and it’s delivering so far. Roseau’s convincing win over Moorhead coupled with Moorhead’s convincing win over Brainerd is my guide for the early seeding order, but there are so many games between all of the teams here that it seems silly to say much about which teams have the inside track in the section.

[elliott70]

7AA
We all know its And and DEast
but what we are curious about is your 3 4 5 and 6 teams

[InThePipes]

Awesome job as always!

[7TIMECHAMPS]

Just a quick note that the Rams were without goaltender Oliver Lee on the weekend due to illness. Hoping to see him return against Bemidji on Thursday.

[elliott70]

Just a quick note that the Rams were without goaltender Oliver Lee on the weekend due to illness. Hoping to see him return against Bemidji on Thursday.

I don't think he should rush it, rest until Friday or so.

[karl(east)]

7AA
We all know its And and DEast
but what we are curious about is your 3 4 5 and 6 teams

If the season ended today...

1. Andover
2. Duluth East
3. Elk River
4. Grand Rapids
5. Cloquet
6. Duluth Marshall
7. Forest Lake

But, lots of time for the Lumberjacks to make up lost ground, beginning with their date with the Elks in St. Louis Park in two weeks.

[O-townClown]

Hockey in the Park
1 Minnetonka
6 Maple Grove
8 Wayzata
20 Benilde
21 Holy Family
22 Lakeville S
NR Cloquet
NR Elk River

Hockey For Life
2 Edina
5 St. Thomas
7 Eden Prairie
11 Lakeville N
13 Moorhead
17 Stillwater
19 Prior Lake
24 Chaska

Two great events coming up December 27-29!!

[CakeScout17]

12/16 rankings and quick thoughts on Edina Holiday classic:

1. Tonka
2. Andover
3. DE
4. MG
5. Edina
6. St T
7. Wayzata
8 - 12 - as interchangeable as it gets, right?

The Edina Classic showed some deeper depth among Edina's 2nd & 3rd lines, but 'down' squads among GR & ER make it tough to qualify. EP was going to provide a real test but w/o Jensen (and Jones) it still remains a bit of an empty comparison. On paper, a full EP roster means instead of a 6-1 slap maybe its 4-3? 5-4? Maybe it's a loss for Edina but thats quite a gap to make up. I guess we will see come January Lake play for true clarity.
As much as Edina is showing a 'bit' more grit than in last 4 years its hard to move them up the ranks as, to date, their only 'top 5' gauge was an early season OT shootout loss to MG. So by eye test I still place MG over Edina and my top 3 teams appear as deep as Edina, maybe slightly more balanced and offer a bit more 'jam' than Edina albeit by the slimmest of margins. IF and when Edina takes down Tonka in Lake Play? Then Id move them up, but the string of recent wins is good, but not sure any are 'signature' wins.

Impressed by Elk River goalie, Josh Koziol - as he made 3-4 highlight reel saves Friday night and kept Edina from netting double digit goals. By the way - the game-winning, OT goal by ER Saturday night should NOT have counted. ER forward caved in on GR goalie, in the crease, knocking goalie to the ground and a full 2 SECONDS later the puck crawled across the line. Ref was right on top of it and NEVER blew the whistle nor did he signal the goal! HE was absolutely unsure of proper call to make and then, and only then did he signal a good goal AFTER the ER players pointed at puck. Late call, unsure call and an obvious non-goal. Not even ER parents sitting with us above the goal thought it was a good goal/call. But in OT of a low-scoring game, maybe enough was enough...? Too bad for GR. Shouldn't have counted.

Looking forward to January and the EP/Edina tilts w/ full EP roster. Edina seems to drift mentally if they get up a few goals while taking foot off the gas and subsequently take a few undisciplined penalties. Need to tighten that up mentally and NEVER take foot off the gas...Good as soph G, Louden Hogg is/will be he needs to be less aggressive in coming out of the crease as far as he does...good to cut down the angles but stay anchored, young man. Leaves back door/weak side wide open bit too much as he ends up over-committed and on his stomach doing 'the minnow' on a dry dock in August - Hopefully film work, a sit down w/ Harding and experience will take care of this. Come sections or state - that just won't win the tight games vs. top teams. I do have to admit though, fandom aside...that Hornet D is suffocating and virtually mistake-free. Is it actually better than last year? It is. Senior leadership on D will do that.

[MWS coach]

I had a different take on the ER goal then you did green. Puck was uncovered in the crease. ER player was pushed into GR goalie which resulted both he, GR player and goalie in the net/crease. It was adifferent player that then put the puck in the net. Puck was never covered and net never came off. Whistle never was blown, why wouldn't this be a good goal?

[WestMetro]

Here is Lee first PageStat rankings

http://minnhock.com/ps2019.htm

Lee, HTown in top 10 a little surprising after loss to BSM? And could you give us a few words on why Eagan is so high, compared to Stillwater they have 2 losses and goal differential is not as great?
On the flip side, I would have intuitively guessed SCC would have cracked the top 20/15?

Thanks, and appreciate your work on PageStat!

[WestMetro]

Cake/MWS

Here is the video, the GWG is approximately at 38.15

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ha4VLFiMpOc&fea ... r_embedded

[east hockey]

Here is Lee first PageStat rankings

http://minnhock.com/ps2019.htm

Lee, HTown in top 10 a little surprising after loss to BSM? And could you give us a few words on why Eagan is so high, compared to Stillwater they have 2 losses and goal differential is not as great?
On the flip side, I would have intuitively guessed SCC would have cracked the top 20/15?

Thanks, and appreciate your work on PageStat!

Roughly, here is the deal with Eagan vs. Stillwater (the momentum factor isn't taken into account, but it doesn't count for much in the early going anyway. For those curious, momentum gives a heavier weight to more recently played games by a given team)

Eagan SOS 18.907+(22/6)=22.57
Stillwater SOS 15.444+(31/4)=23.19

Huge edge to Eagan in SOS.

Also factoring into this is Stillwater has only played four games. Last season's PS isn't wiped out until a team has played seven games. Eagan has played six games, so they're almost there. If Stillwater keeps up what they're doing, this year's PS will gradually bump out last year's PS (which was over 5 points lower)

On the surface, SCC looks like top 15. They're also hurt by low SOS (16.455). I was slightly surprised by this, also-I expected them to place higher until I analyzed the SOS stuff.

I haven't posted the SOS yet to minnhock.com. Probably next week.

Lee

[east hockey]

After posting, I realized I hadn't responded to the Hermantown thing. Their SOS ranks 12th so far (19.589). Combine this with their average margin of victory, and here they are. I wasn't surprised by their rating at all, but that's because I've been running these ratings for the past two weeks and they've been up there nearly every time.

Lee

[MWS coach]

Cake/MWS

Here is the video, the GWG is approximately at 38.15

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ha4VLFiMpOc&fea ... r_embedded

I still think it looks like a good goal. No whistle and wasn't covered. Live puck in the crease. I would agree not conclusive, but I also don't see anything that should overturn the call.

[green4]

12/16 rankings and quick thoughts on Edina Holiday classic:

1. Tonka
2. Andover
3. DE
4. MG
5. Edina
6. St T
7. Wayzata
8 - 12 - as interchangeable as it gets, right?

The Edina Classic showed some deeper depth among Edina's 2nd & 3rd lines, but 'down' squads among GR & ER make it tough to qualify. EP was going to provide a real test but w/o Jensen (and Jones) it still remains a bit of an empty comparison. On paper, a full EP roster means instead of a 6-1 slap maybe its 4-3? 5-4? Maybe it's a loss for Edina but thats quite a gap to make up. I guess we will see come January Lake play for true clarity.
As much as Edina is showing a 'bit' more grit than in last 4 years its hard to move them up the ranks as, to date, their only 'top 5' gauge was an early season OT shootout loss to MG. So by eye test I still place MG over Edina and my top 3 teams appear as deep as Edina, maybe slightly more balanced and offer a bit more 'jam' than Edina albeit by the slimmest of margins. IF and when Edina takes down Tonka in Lake Play? Then Id move them up, but the string of recent wins is good, but not sure any are 'signature' wins.

I don't know many players or two players that could turn around a 6-1 wiping into a one goal game or the wild thought that they could somehow win. Eden Prairie is probably plenty capable of beating Edina later this year, but they lost 6-1. I don't think it matters what two 17 year old kids you tossed on that ice, they got outplayed. But hey, clearly I'm the bias Edina fan between the two of us.

[CakeScout17]

I had a different take on the ER goal then you did green. Puck was uncovered in the crease. ER player was pushed into GR goalie which resulted both he, GR player and goalie in the net/crease. It was adifferent player that then put the puck in the net. Puck was never covered and net never came off. Whistle never was blown, why wouldn't this be a good goal?

Although captured on video I was directly above the goal and saw it firsthand. My perspective/opinion does seem to be backed up by the video. The two GR players pushed down on the ER player into the goalie (all within the crease) and goalie knocked down. If you wash the video a few times you'll see the lack of the 'push into' and more of a couple of knuckles on dual backchecks into the ER player downward and he fell on goalie - in the crease. A good 2 seconds later the puck does cross the line and even then the ref makes no call UNTIL AFTER the ER kids motion for goal...THEN the ref calls for goal.

The refs then proceed to convene for minute or two and discuss. Watching that discussion live? No definitive call was made. Priceless expressions on each refs face - debatable? Sure. From my POV...? No goal. Goalie interference and lack of immediate call to thus have to provide conclusive evidence to overturn. Neither was avail...so they called it good. But in real time, from 15 ft above? No goal.

Maybe Im wrong. But not one person out of about 10 lined along ledge above the goal thought it counted. Oh well...

[CakeScout17]

12/16 rankings and quick thoughts on Edina Holiday classic:

1. Tonka
2. Andover
3. DE
4. MG
5. Edina
6. St T
7. Wayzata
8 - 12 - as interchangeable as it gets, right?

The Edina Classic showed some deeper depth among Edina's 2nd & 3rd lines, but 'down' squads among GR & ER make it tough to qualify. EP was going to provide a real test but w/o Jensen (and Jones) it still remains a bit of an empty comparison. On paper, a full EP roster means instead of a 6-1 slap maybe its 4-3? 5-4? Maybe it's a loss for Edina but thats quite a gap to make up. I guess we will see come January Lake play for true clarity.
As much as Edina is showing a 'bit' more grit than in last 4 years its hard to move them up the ranks as, to date, their only 'top 5' gauge was an early season OT shootout loss to MG. So by eye test I still place MG over Edina and my top 3 teams appear as deep as Edina, maybe slightly more balanced and offer a bit more 'jam' than Edina albeit by the slimmest of margins. IF and when Edina takes down Tonka in Lake Play? Then Id move them up, but the string of recent wins is good, but not sure any are 'signature' wins.

I don't know many players or two players that could turn around a 6-1 wiping into a one goal game or the wild thought that they could somehow win. Eden Prairie is probably plenty capable of beating Edina later this year, but they lost 6-1. I don't think it matters what two 17 year old kids you tossed on that ice, they got outplayed. But hey, clearly I'm the bias Edina fan between the two of us.

Not many can, you're right. But add in Jensen and last years' #2 scorer on EP and, as stated, 'on paper' this might have been a 1-goal game? Sure. Hence, as much as that scenario IS possible it's still quantified by the 'thats quite a gap to make up' line above...hardly a wild thought as you seem to agree that maybe 'EP is plenty capable of beating Edina later this year'...? So then these 2 players DO make a difference? Right. They do/they might - we shall see come conf play. Nothing wrong w/ being a clearly biased Edina fan, but objectivity is my compass. Karl taught me that.

Green4: this makes me think of last year Edina/Tonka!
Post EP game last December left a wobbly DK and Crosby's separated shoulder nicked up as Edina was a shell of itself versus Tonka at Schwans as they were dominated in Tonka I. Then, both DK & Crosby healthy healthy for late January Tonka II and, albeit at Braemar, Edina spanks Tonka 8-2 in the most electric Hornet performance since '14 title game vs LV North. Conversely, deduct DK and Vorlicky for Tonka III at Pagel and Edina loses 5-3. Coincidence or correlation? The Rule of 2?

Rubes decide & debate...but seems plausible when you're talking 2, top-6 forwards. But again, we shall see come Lake play - I truly hope I'm wrong and the Hornet waxes EP twice more this season!

[green4]

12/16 rankings and quick thoughts on Edina Holiday classic:

1. Tonka
2. Andover
3. DE
4. MG
5. Edina
6. St T
7. Wayzata
8 - 12 - as interchangeable as it gets, right?

The Edina Classic showed some deeper depth among Edina's 2nd & 3rd lines, but 'down' squads among GR & ER make it tough to qualify. EP was going to provide a real test but w/o Jensen (and Jones) it still remains a bit of an empty comparison. On paper, a full EP roster means instead of a 6-1 slap maybe its 4-3? 5-4? Maybe it's a loss for Edina but thats quite a gap to make up. I guess we will see come January Lake play for true clarity.
As much as Edina is showing a 'bit' more grit than in last 4 years its hard to move them up the ranks as, to date, their only 'top 5' gauge was an early season OT shootout loss to MG. So by eye test I still place MG over Edina and my top 3 teams appear as deep as Edina, maybe slightly more balanced and offer a bit more 'jam' than Edina albeit by the slimmest of margins. IF and when Edina takes down Tonka in Lake Play? Then Id move them up, but the string of recent wins is good, but not sure any are 'signature' wins.

I don't know many players or two players that could turn around a 6-1 wiping into a one goal game or the wild thought that they could somehow win. Eden Prairie is probably plenty capable of beating Edina later this year, but they lost 6-1. I don't think it matters what two 17 year old kids you tossed on that ice, they got outplayed. But hey, clearly I'm the bias Edina fan between the two of us.

Not many can, you're right. But add in Jensen and last years' #2 scorer on EP and, as stated, 'on paper' this might have been a 1-goal game? Sure. Hence, as much as that scenario IS possible it's still quantified by the 'thats quite a gap to make up' line above...hardly a wild thought as you seem to agree that maybe 'EP is plenty capable of beating Edina later this year'...? So then these 2 players DO make a difference? Right. They do/they might - we shall see come conf play. Nothing wrong w/ being a clearly biased Edina fan, but objectivity is my compass. Karl taught me that.

Green4: this makes me think of last year Edina/Tonka!
Post EP game last December left a wobbly DK and Crosby's separated shoulder nicked up as Edina was a shell of itself versus Tonka at Schwans as they were dominated in Tonka I. Then, both DK & Crosby healthy healthy for late January Tonka II and, albeit at Braemar, Edina spanks Tonka 8-2 in the most electric Hornet performance since '14 title game vs LV North. Conversely, deduct DK and Vorlicky for Tonka III at Pagel and Edina loses 5-3. Coincidence or correlation? The Rule of 2?

Rubes decide & debate...but seems plausible when you're talking 2, top-6 forwards. But again, we shall see come Lake play - I truly hope I'm wrong and the Hornet waxes EP twice more this season!

Sometimes teams just play bad, even good ones. Just because EP could beat Edina later in the year doesn't mean they had any business making this game competitive when you add in two players, they played poorly. It wasn't their night, you make it sound like the games have already been calculated out.
Do you really think adding those two Edina kids somehow turned a loss to Minnetonka and flipped it into a running time game? Or is it more likely that the best team in the state had a bad game? Im sure the two kids helped, but to imagine they had an 8 goal difference is a thought I don't agree with. Same goes for this EP-Edina game, I don't buy the thought that two kids could stop the rest of the team from playing poorly.

[goldy313]

1AA North, as of now, is the clear #1. After that is a mess, with South, Hastings, Mayo, Farmington, and Century all in the mix.

[CakeScout17]

I think you're misinterpreting by taking a hypothetical as an absolute. I stated 'on paper' and 2-3 'maybe' prefixes that connote conjecture - that this proposed scenario might happen. A theory, if you will. It then reminded me of last years' Tonka/Edina narrative. 2 players down? Loss. Even strength? Win. 2 down? Loss.

Noting more, Nothing less. Well, maybe a lot less.

[MWS coach]

I had a different take on the ER goal then you did green. Puck was uncovered in the crease. ER player was pushed into GR goalie which resulted both he, GR player and goalie in the net/crease. It was adifferent player that then put the puck in the net. Puck was never covered and net never came off. Whistle never was blown, why wouldn't this be a good goal?

Although captured on video I was directly above the goal and saw it firsthand. My perspective/opinion does seem to be backed up by the video. The two GR players pushed down on the ER player into the goalie (all within the crease) and goalie knocked down. If you wash the video a few times you'll see the lack of the 'push into' and more of a couple of knuckles on dual backchecks into the ER player downward and he fell on goalie - in the crease. A good 2 seconds later the puck does cross the line and even then the ref makes no call UNTIL AFTER the ER kids motion for goal...THEN the ref calls for goal.

The refs then proceed to convene for minute or two and discuss. Watching that discussion live? No definitive call was made. Priceless expressions on each refs face - debatable? Sure. From my POV...? No goal. Goalie interference and lack of immediate call to thus have to provide conclusive evidence to overturn. Neither was avail...so they called it good. But in real time, from 15 ft above? No goal.

Maybe Im wrong. But not one person out of about 10 lined along ledge above the goal thought it counted. Oh well...

I was there as well, but on the Edina side of rink where student section is. Could clearly see the puck was never covered from there. It was right in front of the goalies leg pad, but puck was in the crease, thus no goal tender interference. Delayed call by ref, guessing he didn't know where the puck was, but just because he didn't call it a goal right away doesn't change the call. Is what it is and guess we just agree to disagree. One last comment, look in the background, young #27 from EP calling it a goal is hilarious! He was more definitive then the ref!

[hockey59]

I had a different take on the ER goal then you did green. Puck was uncovered in the crease. ER player was pushed into GR goalie which resulted both he, GR player and goalie in the net/crease. It was adifferent player that then put the puck in the net. Puck was never covered and net never came off. Whistle never was blown, why wouldn't this be a good goal?

Although captured on video I was directly above the goal and saw it firsthand. My perspective/opinion does seem to be backed up by the video. The two GR players pushed down on the ER player into the goalie (all within the crease) and goalie knocked down. If you wash the video a few times you'll see the lack of the 'push into' and more of a couple of knuckles on dual backchecks into the ER player downward and he fell on goalie - in the crease. A good 2 seconds later the puck does cross the line and even then the ref makes no call UNTIL AFTER the ER kids motion for goal...THEN the ref calls for goal.

The refs then proceed to convene for minute or two and discuss. Watching that discussion live? No definitive call was made. Priceless expressions on each refs face - debatable? Sure. From my POV...? No goal. Goalie interference and lack of immediate call to thus have to provide conclusive evidence to overturn. Neither was avail...so they called it good. But in real time, from 15 ft above? No goal.

Maybe Im wrong. But not one person out of about 10 lined along ledge above the goal thought it counted. Oh well...

I was there as well, but on the Edina side of rink where student section is. Could clearly see the puck was never covered from there. It was right in front of the goalies leg pad, but puck was in the crease, thus no goal tender interference. Delayed call by ref, guessing he didn't know where the puck was, but just because he didn't call it a goal right away doesn't change the call. Is what it is and guess we just agree to disagree. One last comment, look in the background, young #27 from EP calling it a goal is hilarious! He was more definitive then the ref!

Well, I guess the M boys can do it all...at the rink!

[Doc Holliday]

Arrived late for the Edina-EP game on Saturday night; got there right as Edina made it 2-0. My observations:
-Edina is definitely not as high powered as last year. Still solid, especially compared to everyone around the state, but I think you'll see a lot more 4-5-6 goal games compared to some of the 7-8-9 goal outputs from a year ago....
-BUT.....Edina's defense is REALLY good. EP had some zone time in the 2nd, but they also really didn't have many scoring chances. Giving up only 1 goal, that being on a 5 on 3, is pretty stout. Vorlicky is an absolute stud. Boltmann is right there with him, especially defensively. Reiners, Bishop & Williams are solid. They are a legit 5 deep at D. You can get away with 4 D at state because of the TV timeouts (or in Eagan's case in '14, 2 D), but regular season wise, their D depth seems to be unmatched, even over Tonka due to the numbers. I agree with the opinion that their D may be better than last year, despite losing Brinkman. Nothing to do with Brinkman; they'd be better with him, but has more to do with their core being a year older/wiser/stronger/etc.
-From what I saw, I was impressed with Hogg. Seems to be a different kind of goalie; one Edina doesn't seem to often have.
-I thought Edina really controlled the 3rd period.
-Was a lot more impressed with Chorske than I was last year; skating seems to be quite improved.
-Nevers goal in the 2nd period (the 4th one) was a pretty filthy effort, but one the EP goalie probably needs to save.
-I still like EP as a team overall; Tonka will not have an easy walk to the X. I wasn't impressed with middle Mittlestadt last year too much, but I liked him last night. Younger one too is pretty solid. I like this club; they should have a lot more success this year than last.
-I don't know how much no Jensen last night affected the outcome; it probably did more regarding throwing lines out of whack than anything regarding his talent level being absent. He's a very nice player, but I think it would be generous to say that his absence caused more than a 2 goal differential; still probably would a 3 goal game regardless.
-I thought EP's goalie in the 3rd played pretty well, even with giving up 2 goals that would have been scored on probably anybody in the state. He made a few saves that could have made the outcome even greater. It was only 2 periods, but I liked what I saw out of him more than the guy in the 2nd.

[hockey59]

Edina's defense is REALLY good. EP had some zone time in the 2nd, but they also really didn't have many scoring chances Vorlicky is an absolute stud. Boltmann is right there with him, especially defensively. Reiners, Bishop & Williams are solid. They are a legit 5 deep at D. You can get away with 4 D at state because of the TV timeouts (or in Eagan's case in '14, 2 D), but regular season wise, their D depth seems to be unmatched, even over Tonka due to the numbers. I agree with the opinion that their D may be better than last year, despite losing Brinkman. Nothing to do with Brinkman; they'd be better with him, but has more to do with their core being a year older/wiser/stronger/etc.
-From what I saw, I was impressed with Hogg. Seems to be a different kind of goalie; one Edina doesn't seem to often have.
-I thought Edina really controlled the 3rd period.
-Was a lot more impressed with Chorske than I was last year; skating seems to be quite improved.
-Nevers goal in the 2nd period (the 4th one) was a pretty filthy effort, but one the EP goalie probably needs to save.
-I still like EP as a team overall; Tonka will not have an easy walk to the X. I wasn't impressed with middle Mittlestadt last year too much, but I liked him last night. Younger one too is pretty solid. I like this club; they should have a lot more success this year than last.
-I don't know how much no Jensen last night affected the outcome; it probably did more regarding throwing lines out of whack than anything regarding his talent level being absent. He's a very nice player, but I think it would be generous to say that his absence caused more than a 2 goal differential; still probably would a 3 goal game regardless.

Haven’t seen Edina play yet this year...have seen Tonka play STA. Have to chuckle when Edina fans point out they were missing (or weren’t 100% healthy) in losses to Tonka at Ridder & Pagel, like the game at Braemar was a better barometer of the two teams last year. Problem with that logic is Edina was healthy at Xcel & Tonka was waiting for them for round 4 in the ship game...but Edina couldn’t get past DE. Tonka was the BEST team in 2017-2018...all rationalization & excuses aside . To me Luedtke is better than Vorlicky & Docter is better than Boltman, if not individually regarding the the 2nd comparison, certainly as a tandem paired with the 1st. Don’t know much about Williams or Bishop, but Reimers while good, is not exceptional. Add to Tonka having a AA champ between the pipes & basically nobody scoring more than 2 goals against them so far this year & Edina goalies often being suspect when it counts...hard to believe Edina has better D than Tonka & no way they’re a better team defensively...at least where things stand on Dec 17. And this observation comes from someone with no bias favoring Tonka or Edina.

[O-townClown]

Haven’t seen Edina play yet this year...

hard to believe Edina has better D than Tonka & no way they’re a better team defensively...at least where things stand on Dec 17.

Uninformed certainty.

Most of the Edina games are online. Watch parts of a couple and then you can make the statement without blind speculation.