AA Rankings for 12/5/21

[karl(east)]

Well, that was an eventful start to the season.

1. Edina (4-0)
-With no one else making anything resembling a statement in the first week, the Hornets slide to the top of the heap. A come-from-behind effort against Maple Grove showed their mettle, a late burst against Wayzata buried another quality opponent, and a romp over White Bear had them doing what others have not: took care of business against mid-tier teams. It’s a solid start. They should be able to stick here for at least one more week, as they take their customary bye ahead of the Holiday Classic.
This week: Idle

2. Cretin-Derham Hall (2-1)
-The Raiders abandoned any claim to a clear #1 with a loss to rival St. Thomas that has section implications. They rebounded well, however, with methodical wins over respectable Mahtomedi and Blake teams, and with everyone else in this part of the rankings suffering more concerning results, they don’t drop much. None of this really amounts to a decisive insight on this team, and the Woodbury-centric week ahead probably won’t provide that, either.
This week: Thurs vs. Woodbury, Sat at East Ridge

3. Lakeville South (2-0)
-The Cougars have won both of their games in relatively drama-free fashion, which in the first two weeks of this season counts as a pretty big win and scoots them up a few spots. Their opponents so far were not elite, though, and they really don’t get a front-line test until after Christmas.
This week: Tues at Burnsville, Sat at Apple Valley

4. Benilde-St. Margaret’s (2-1)
-The Red Knights got a solid season-opening win over Hill and went toe-to-toe with the best team in the state before the Plante brothers imposed their will. With some style points against Eden Prairie I might have slid them higher, but they didn’t really earn them. If they can hold up defensively, they certainly have the finishers to win big. Next up: a continued run through their early season meat grinder, with two more top ten teams.
This week: Wed at #8 Wayzata, Fri vs. #10 Moorhead

5. Maple Grove (2-1-1)
-A narrow loss to Edina isn’t a terrible way to start the season, and the Moorhead win was a nice touch. The Blaine tie, however, raises a few questions for a team that is still finding its identity despite the bevy of talent on hand. A big section battle with Centennial looms.
This week: Thurs vs. Anoka, Sat vs. Centennial

6. Hill-Murray (1-2)
-The Pioneers didn’t really get on track in their opening week, losing to Benilde and Hermantown; their offense couldn’t match those two prolific units, and while the traditional Hill control in all zones may come, it’s not here yet. They now launch into conference play
This week: Thurs vs. Mahtomedi, Sat vs. Hastings

7. Gentry Academy (1-0)
-For whatever it’s worth, the Stars obliterated a decent Denfeld team in their opener. They’re going to be very hard to rank against the carnage around them in the rankings, but clear and convincing wins do help the cause. Two regular powers from the land to the east could give them interesting games this week, though it’ll be hard to say what that means from a ranking perspective.
This week: Tues at Armstrong/Cooper, Fr vs. Notre Dame (WI), Sat vs. Hudson (WI)

8. Wayzata (2-1)
-On the whole, it’s a positive start for the Trojans, despite the Edina game slipping away from them. The win over Moorhead was impressive, and they smothered Duluth East as well. The coming week will tell us a lot about this team, as they host two of the state’s most prolific offenses.
This week: Wed vs. #4 Benilde-St. Margaret’s, Fri vs. Hermantown

9. Chaska (3-0)
-The Hawks opened with a bang by knocking off St. Thomas, but they didn’t really set the world on fire in wins over Duluth East and Chanhassen. The potential is there, but can they show it consistently? Their next few games give them a chance to show off their talent.
This week: Tues at Bloomington Kennedy, Thurs vs. Buffalo

10. Moorhead (2-2)
-The Spuds had a poor showing in the Turkey Trot, and needing overtime to beat Lakeville North doesn’t help the cause a ton, either. In among that, however, is a convincing win over Andover, which shows that this team has some high-end potential. Can they put it together consistently? This week will tell us a lot, as they clash with Roseau for the top spot in 8AA and deal with Benilde.
This week: Tues vs. #12 Roseau, Fri at #4 Benilde-St. Margaret’s, Sat at Buffalo

11. Andover (2-1)
-The Huskies had a mixed bag in their 8AA start, as they managed to rescue a game late against Roseau and fell flat against Moorhead. As a result, they nest between those two teams for now, and this ranking feels very transitive. Holy Family, which has looked decent in the early going, could create a challenge this week.
This week: Thurs vs. Osseo, Sat vs. Holy Family

12. Roseau (2-1)
-A solid showing against Minnetonka was a nice start for the Rams, though is dampened some by the Skippers’ loss to Rogers; they gave Andover a good battle too, which does suggest they belong somewhere in this neighborhood. This coming week will tell a fuller story, though, as they face their longtime 8AA rival and meet a Grand Rapids team that is certainly capable of sliding up the table.
This week: Tues at #10 Moorhead, Fri vs. Grand Rapids

13. Prior Lake (1-1)
-A season-opening loss to Holy Family is a head-scratcher for the Lakers and dumps them out of the top ten. They’re down one member of their elite top line, but still have no business losing games like that. Section play should allow them to pad the record a bit now.
This week: Tues at Farmington, Sat at Eagan

14. St. Thomas Academy (1-2)
-It’s hard to imagine a more baffling start to a season. The Cadets beat preseason #1 Cretin, suffered a disappointing but understandable loss to Chaska, and then came out and laid an egg against Eastview. Their only affair this coming week requires them to solve Ben Dardis.
This week: Sat at Mahtomedi

15. Blaine (1-1-1)
-The Bengals are trending upward after tying Maple Grove; they also gave South a decent run before succumbing. With the other two 7AA contenders not doing much to boost their standing in the early going, they are among the winners of the first few weeks. Their lone game this week comes against Rogers, another team on the rise.
This week: Thurs vs. Rogers

The Next Ten

Grand Rapids (4-0)
-Haven’t faced a front-line opponent yet, and mild adventures with Duluth East and Forest Lake aren’t exactly going to boost their stock. They need to take care of business against these weaker teams. The stakes get a little higher this week when they visit Roseau and Warroad.

Centennial (2-0)
-Shellacked a decent Eastview team that was fresh off a win over St. Thomas, so these Cougars bear watching. It’s a big week of section play ahead of them, with Champlin Park up first and a visit to frontrunner Maple Grove after that.

Rogers (2-1)
-The Royals knocked off Minnetonka despite being somewhat short-handed, which suggests they have some real upside here. They were reasonably competitive in their loss to South, too. The Blaine game this week has some real potential.
This week: Thurs at Blaine, Sat vs. St. Cloud

Eden Prairie (0-2)
-While the Eagles couldn’t muster a win in the Champions Cup, they did show they’re still a respectable squad even with all the graduation losses. For a young team, hanging around with Hill and pushing Benilde toward the brink are good signs, and they are very much in the 2AA picture. On paper they should get in the win column against Blake and Duluth East this week.

Lakeville North (0-1)
-Taking Moorhead to overtime in a season-opening road game isn’t a bad start for the Panthers. A contest with Shakopee this week is somewhat interesting.

St. Michael-Albertville (2-0)
-A convincing 5-0 result against Blake and a win over Sartell have this team looking pretty good in the early going. They can make a lot of progress toward a top-3 seed with wins over Elk River and Bemidji this coming week.

Minnetonka (2-2)
-The Skippers have lost both of their games to date against decent opponents, with the Rogers loss in particular being a black mark. St. Louis Park and Bloomington Jefferson this week give them a chance to stabilize things.

Stillwater (0-0)
-The Ponies make their debut this coming week against rival White Bear, which will help set the tone in 4AA. Park is also on the schedule.

Blake (1-2)
-Beat Holy Family, which is enough to keep them in the top 25 despite two rather uncompetitive losses to Cretin (unsurprisingly) and STMA (more surprisingly). Eden Prairie offers this week’s biggest test, and they’ve also got rival Breck.

Shakopee (2-0)
-Needing overtime to scrape by New Prague doesn’t exactly boost one’s ranking, but they are 2-0, and will have a stiffer test against Lakeville North this coming week.

[WestMetro]

excellent analysis as usual , given the impossible task

Htown obvi would be # 1 if in AA, way deeper than i thought

i guess i might have thought about moving BSM up past LS and CDH , with their win over HM and (almost ) tie of HT . We will see how they do this week against Wayz and MH

will need a few more games under belt to see how gentry and chaska perform as Top 10ers, gut feel is both a bit too high , although could be bubblers

maple grove will still be one key players short this week i believe

[SEC Scotty]

Hill is overated Seriously they are not exactly lighting things up 5 on 5.
Great job as always Karl.

[SEC Scotty]

excellent analysis as usual , given the impossible task

Htown obvi would be # 1 if in AA, way deeper than i thought

i guess i might have thought about moving BSM up past LS and CDH , with their win over HM and (almost ) tie of HT . We will see how they do this week against Wayz and MH

will need a few more games under belt to see how gentry and chaska perform as Top 10ers, gut feel is both a bit too high , although could be bubblers

maple grove will still be one key players short this week i believe

Hermantown fun team to watch with the skill on that 1st line. Thoughts on Ty Hanson? Kid seems to have it all.

[WestMetro]

good angle insights when opponent coming up the ice
good breakout passes
moved people out of slot, and good stick position.
carried the puck up and in when appropriate . buried a bullet wrister past bsm goalie from mid slot , top shelf glove side, had to be perfect shot and it was

all in all , easy to see why Sandelin wanted him

[Stang5280]

It’s crazy how few teams have unblemished records after just a few outings, and most of the ones that do have a weaker strength of schedule. Great job as always, Karl, and I definitely do not envy the task of sorting out the mess behind Edina.

[Stang5280]

good angle insights when opponent coming up the ice
good breakout passes
moved people out of slot, and good stick position.
carried the puck up and in when appropriate . buried a bullet wrister past bsm goalie from mid slot , top shelf glove side, had to be perfect shot and it was

all in all , easy to see why Sandelin wanted him

All good stuff, WM. I would add that Ty could also add some size given how large his dad is. Obviously not guaranteed, but it would add even an extra dimension to his game. Even if he stays around the same size, Ty is a solid defender using his body position and skating ability to cut off angles.

[SEC Scotty]

good angle insights when opponent coming up the ice
good breakout passes
moved people out of slot, and good stick position.
carried the puck up and in when appropriate . buried a bullet wrister past bsm goalie from mid slot , top shelf glove side, had to be perfect shot and it was

all in all , easy to see why Sandelin wanted him

Good reads and great athleticism, several wow plays and recoveries. Kaiser, Perunovich, Anderson, Samburg, and Gallatin. Nice pipeline of d-men to UMD. Wasn't aware he was a UMD recruit. Thanks for the heads up.

[East Side Pioneer Guy]

Take a look at Gentry's schedule. For good or for ill, fair or unfair, we will have no idea how good they are until the end of the season.

[WestMetro]

ES Pio Guy

couple indications this month - Hudson and Holy Family

[East Side Pioneer Guy]

ES Pio Guy

couple indications this month - Hudson and Holy Family

Holy Family isn't in Karl's top 25 AA teams. As far as Hudson, we have no idea how they stack up against Minnesota AA teams.

But, thanks for backing me up.

[SEC Scotty]

ES Pio Guy

couple indications this month - Hudson and Holy Family

Holy Family isn't in Karl's top 25 AA teams. As far as Hudson, we have no idea how they stack up against Minnesota AA teams.

But, thanks for backing me up.

Next year Hill should schedule a home and home against Gentry instead of Edina. A new rivalry is born. Two games that I would attend.