A Rankings for 2/1/26

[ClassAGuy]

Just two weeks to go in the regular season! The Top 10 continues to stay very steady as teams gear up for their playoff run, but we did see a group of Lakers make a splash and crash into the Top 15 this week. Week #11 Rankings Below:

1. Hermantown (16-3-3)
Past Week Results: W 5-0 #11 East Grand Forks, L 4-5 Moorhead
Upcoming Schedule: 2/6 @ Benilde St Margarets, 2/7 vs Holy Angels
The Hawks did nothing to hurt their standing at the top of the Class A Rankings this week as they hit the road and took on the two Defending State Champs. They opened with a nice shutout win over East Grand Forks as they slowly wore the Greenwave into submission to finish up their Class A slate of games in the regular season. They did drop the weekend finale to the Spuds, but they hung around and made it interesting in the end, and nothing hurt with quality loss there. Now they have two private schools this week as they take on Benilde and Holy Angels.

2. Hibbing/Chisholm (18-2-2)
Past Week Results: W 4-3 #11 East Grand Forks, W 6-3 Rock Ridge, W 7-0 Superior (Wis.)
Upcoming Schedule: 2/2 @ Bemidji
Hibbing seems to be kicking things into gear as we enter February. This week was one of the Bluejackets best as they hopped on a bus and made the 8-hour-plus round trip and got revenge over East Grand Forks in a Monday Matinee. They then returned home and picked up a good win over their rival Rock Ridge, and then finished the week by thumping Superior. Lots to like about the progression and outlook of this group as we close in on playoff time, and this week they will look to stay hot on a Monday trip to Bemidji.

3. Sartell (17-3-0)
Past Week Results: W 6-0 Willmar, W 4-2 #7 Cloquet/Esko/Carlton
Upcoming Schedule: 2/2 @ Totino Grace, 2/5 vs Fergus Falls, 2/6 vs #12 Detroit Lakes
The Sabres just continue to win hockey games as they remain the lone unbeaten team vs Class A Competition as we enter February. They had another strong week as they picked up their first Section 6A win when they shutout Willmar, and then they picked up their best win to date when they took down Cloquet/Esko/Carlton, something both #4 Warroad & #5 Mahtomedi could not do, to solidify their spot here in the rankings. This week, they can wrap up their fifth straight CLC title when they face Fergus Falls and Detroit Lakes.

4. Warroad (15-5-1)
Past Week Results: W 7-0 Roseau, W 2-0 Thief River Falls
Upcoming Schedule: 2/2 @ #11 East Grand Forks, 2/7 @ West Fargo Sheyenne (N.D.)
Warroad did what they needed to do this week as they took care of their rival Roseau with ease, picking up the bragging rights with a season sweep over the Rams. Things did get more interesting than they would have wanted when they went to Thief River Falls to end the week, as they did have to sneak out a tight win, and did not allow a goal on the week, which is always a good trend late in the year. Now they have the rematch with the Greenwave on a Monday night at the site of the playoff upset a year ago to provide a great test for this Warriors team.

5. Mahtomedi (11-9-2)
Past Week Results: W 4-1 #21 Chisago Lakes, L 3-5 Hill Murray
Upcoming Schedule: 2/5 @ Simley, 2/7 vs Hastings
The Zephyrs won the most important game of the week as they went on the road and took care of Chisago Lakes, which puts them in the driver's seat for the #1 seed in Section 4A. They did drop their other game to a good Hill Murray club, but who, below them in Class A, would beat the Pioneers? They seem very solid at the number 5 spot, and this week will look to lock up the top seed as they have two section games vs Simley and Hastings, both of which they will be heavily favored to win.

6. Delano (16-4-1)
Past Week Results: W 12-1 Hutchinson, W 5-4 OT #9 Blake, W 5-4 Holy Family
Upcoming Schedule: 2/3 @ Southwest Christian/Richfield, 2/6 vs Lakeville South
Delano had a great week as they were able to pretty much lock up the #1 seed in Section 2A with an overtime thrilling win over Blake, and they then wrapped up the week by winning the Wright County Conference as they swept, which is believed to be for the first time in program history, Holy Family. This week, they have a Section 2A game vs Southwest Christian/Richfield before having a good test with Lakeville South as they look to continue to play good hockey.

7. Cloquet/Esko/Carlton (12-10-0)
Past Week Results: W 9-0 Duluth Denfeld, W 1-0 Superior (Wis), L 2-4 #3 Sartell
Upcoming Schedule: 2/5 @ #9 Blake, 2/7 vs Roseau
The Lumberjacks started the week well as they were able to shut out both Denfeld and Superior for Conference wins. They then went on the road and played a great game vs Sartell, and while they did suffer the loss, they showed again how tough they are as they went stride for stride with the Sabres. They will look to get back in the win column this week, but it won't be as easy as a tough trip to the Top 10 Blake looms as they look to hold on to this spot in the rankings.

8. Northfield (17-2-0)
Past Week Results: W 5-0 Rochester Mayo, W 9-3 Mankato East, W 5-2 Rochester Century/JM
Upcoming Schedule: 2/2 vs Mankato East. 2/5 vs Owatonna, 2/7 @ Faribault
Northfield just continued their domination of Big Nine Conference competition as the Raiders ran their win streak to eight straight games, handling Mayo, Mankato East, and Century/John Marshall with relative ease. They should only continue to win this week, as they have three more conference games that they will be heavily favored to win as they march their way to another conference title down south this winter.

9. Blake (13-7-2)
Past Week Results: L 4-5 OT #6 Delano, L 1-6 Holy Angels
Upcoming Schedule: 2/5 vs #7 Cloquet/Esko/Carlton, 2/7 @ #22 Mankato West
The Bears had a tough week as they lost a heartbreaker in overtime on the road to start the week at Delano, which will likely make them the #2 seed for the Section 2A playoffs. They were not able to shake off that loss to end the week as they were not particularly competitive in a loss to Holy Angels, but nobody in this portion of the rankings has been. They will look to get back on track this week as they have two Top 25 Class A games with #7 CEC and #22 Mankato West to have a chance to move up or down in the rankings.

10. Breck (15-5-1)
Past Week Results: W 3-2 #23 Minneapolis, W 6-3 Chaska
Upcoming Schedule: 2/5 @ Hopkins, 2/7 @ #20 Rochester Lourdes
Breck jumped back into the Top Ten after a strong showing this week that saw them win a very heated game with Minneapolis, which has plenty of flavor with the coaching change and player movement from the offseason. The win was important as it opens the door again for the Mustangs to be the #3 seed in a very deep Section 2A, as they own a win over the 612, who beat Orono to wash out the head-to-head OT loss to the Spartans early this year. Now they will look to keep winning this week, but the trip to Lourdes will be intriguing.

11. East Grand Forks (9-11-1)
Past Week Results: L 3-4 #2 Hibbing/Chisholm, L 2-5 Moorhead, L 0-5 #1 Hermantown
Upcoming Schedule: 2/2 vs #4 Warroad, 2/6 vs #18 Northern Lakes
The Greenwave went winless this week, but showed in each of those games that they are getting closer and closer to their playoff form. They were able to give Hibbing a scare to begin the week, and they actually led the Spuds in the 3rd period. The game vs the top-ranked Hawks was much closer than the final score indicated, but the big concern was the absence of Jace Panzer, as if he misses extended time that might be too much for the Defending Champs to overcome. Things don't get any easier this week with two more Top 20 games vs #4 Warroad and #18 Northern Lakes on the docket.

12. Detroit Lakes (13-8-0)
Past Week Results: W 6-2 Fergus Falls, W 4-2 #13 St Cloud Cathedral
Upcoming Schedule: 2/2 vs Crookston, 2/5 vs Little Falls, 2/6 @ #3 Sartell
The Lakers, as previously noted, have been the most underrated team in Class A, as they did not even receive a vote in the Coaches Poll somehow two weeks ago. Well, they are now (12-4-0) vs Minnesota teams, and they have a season split with the team above them in EGF and a win over the team below in Cathedral. This spot feels deserved, and hopefully, the Class A coaches will get this team ranked correctly this coming week, as it's a big one for them as they can lock up the #3 seed in 8A with a win over Crookston, and then they will take on Sartell for the CLC title on Friday.

13. St Cloud Cathedral (12-10-0)
Past Week Results: W 6-4 #15 Northern Lakes, W 7-3 Providence Academy, L 2-4 #12 Detroit Lakes
Upcoming Schedule: 2/5 @ River Lakes
The Crusaders were able to win the Granite Ridge Conference when they swept Northern Lakes to begin the week, and they then picked up a tricky road win over a scary Providence Academy team. Things went south, though, to end the week as they lost their leading scorer, Bo Schmidt, to injury, and his absence was felt in their loss to Detroit Lakes. They will need him to be healthy this coming week as they go on the road and take on a scrappy River Lakes, and a win will give them the #1 seed in Section 5A.

14. Monticello (14-4-3)
Past Week Results: W 3-0 Princeton, W 2-1 #23 Minneapolis
Upcoming Schedule: 2/4 @ Northern Edge, 2/4 Cambridge-Isanti
The Moose are now in playoff form as they are playing their typical low-scoring, structured base hockey we have become so accustomed to with this program. This week, they only gave up one goal in two games, but they still have some scoring issues that allowed Princeton and Minneapolis to hang around. However, the defense is this team's strength and now they will look to lock up the Mississippi Eight Conference title with two more winnable games.

15. International Falls (16-1-2)
Past Week Results: W 13-0 Moose Lake Area, W 4-3 OT Red Lake Falls, W 5-3 Crookston
Upcoming Schedule: 2/3 @ Red Lake Falls, 2/5 vs Moose Lake Area, 2/6 @ Greenway, 2/7 vs North Shore
The Broncos were able to pick up three more wins, but the bigger news was off the ice as they lost leading scorer Anthony Yerxa to a lower-body injury, and he missed the weekend games vs Red Lake Falls and Crookston. His extended absence will be something to keep an eye on, but The Falls did well this past week, picking up more wins. A tough rematch with Red Lake Falls awaits this week before some Section 7A matchups they should win.

16. Waseca (14-5-2)
Past Week Results: W 5-4 OT Owatonna, W 5-0 Little Falls, W 4-2 #18 Northern Lakes
Upcoming Schedule: 2/3 vs Windom, 2/5 vs Fairmont, 2/7 @ Marshall
The Bluejays had themselves a great week as they as they continued their upward push in these rankings of late. Waseca was able to hit the road and find three wins, taking out Owatonna in overtime, shutting out Little Falls, and then picking up their best win of the year when they were able to come back on Northern Lakes to pick up a Northern Swing Sweep! Now it should be smooth sailing as they have three winnable Conference games this week, as they build momentum for the 1A playoffs.

17. Luverne (20-3-0)
Past Week Results: W 5-1 Marshall, W 17-1 Worthington, W 9-4 Austin
Upcoming Schedule: 2/7 @ Minnesota River
Roll Cards Roll continued their leisurely stroll through Southern Minnesota competition as they rolled past Marshall, Worthington, and Austin with ease this week and became the first Class A team to reach 20 wins on the year. They will look to keep the good times going this week as they have a trip to Minnesota River that is a must-win if they want to keep their grip on the Section 3A top seed.

18. Northern Lakes (11-9-1)
Past Week Results: L 4-6 #13 St Cloud Cathedral, W 8-1 Duluth Denfeld, L 2-4 #16 Waseca
Upcoming Schedule: 2/6 @ #11 East Grand Forks
The Lightning had another tough week as they got swept by Cathedral to start things off and lost the Conference Title in the process. There was the beatdown of Denfeld in the middle of the week, but they again had a letdown at home when they allowed Waseca to come into their rink and take them down. They still own the head-to-head wins over Chisago Lakes & Proctor, but this is not a group trending in the right direction. It won't be any easier this week with a tough trip to East Grand Forks.

19. Proctor (11-9-1)
Past Week Results: L 1-3 Alexandria
Upcoming Schedule: 2/3 vs Duluth Marshall, 2/6 vs Roseau
The Rails look like a young team that has hit the winter dog day blues as they have sputtered off a bit since riding the momentum of their season-defining upset win over the #1 Hawks. They dropped another tough contest this week to Alexandria, which is not a terrible loss, but also a team they want to be able to beat. With the calendar turning to February, it can maybe spark their youngsters with the playoffs near, as they really could use a win, but it won't be easy with games vs the Toppers and Rams up next.

20. Rochester Lourdes (14-4-2)
Past Week Results: W 2-0 New Ulm, W 12-1 La Crescent-Hokah, T 1-1 OT Minnesota River
Upcoming Schedule: 2/5 vs #25 Dodge County, 2/7 vs #10 Breck
Lourdes had their typical week as they only allowed two goals in three games played. The problem was that outside the thrashing of a struggling La Crescent crew, they only scraped out a win vs New Ulm and had to settle for a tie with Minnesota River due to their lack of goal scoring, which has been an ongoing issue. They don’t have any wins vs Top 20 teams, so they stick here, but it's an important week coming up with a big section seed game vs Dodge County and then a visit from Top 10 Breck to change the native on this team.

Next Five Notable Teams
Chisago Lakes (12-6-3)
The Wildcats had a week to forget as they started it by not really being able to challenge a Zephyrs team, a team they need to be able to beat if they want a chance to get to State in a few weeks. Then they went on the road and dropped one to Sauk Rapids-Rice, which is not the type of effort you would like to see this late in the year. All they can do now is try to pick up the pieces and get back to business this week as they have a must-win Section 4A game vs South St Paul as they look to lock up the #2 seed.

Mankato West (13-5-2)
The Scarlets just keep winning hockey games in the Big Nine Conference as they were able to pick a season sweep of their crosstown rival, Mankato East, to begin the week, and then played one of the longest games of the year as they were able to thump Red Wing but endured over an hour delay due to poor ice conditions. Now they have an important Section 3A game vs Minnesota River this week, as a win would lock them into a top two seed for playoff time.

Minneapolis (10-10-1)
The 612 Crew didn't have the best week ever as they dropped a tough one at home to #10 Breck, which now puts their Section 2A seed in Jeopardy. They did take care of Irondale in the middle of the week, but they dropped a tough one to #13 Monticello on the road in their finale. Two one-goal losses to Top 15 teams in Class A still show this team is dangerous. Now, they have a huge game this week vs Providence Academy as they need a win to secure a Top 5 seed.

Orono (7-11-3)
Orono had a decent week as they were able to pick up two needed Section 2A wins as they fight for a home quarterfinal playoff game. They were able to take care of both Waconia and Hutchinson to show they will still be a tough out come section time. They did drop a tough one to end the week vs a hot Bloomington Jefferson crew. They will look to get some more wins this week with two winnable Metro West Conference games on tap.

Dodge County (13-6-1)
The Wildcats jump into the Top 25 this week, as this is a young and improving squad. They were able to pick up three wins this week over Minnesota River, Hopkins & Irondale, and they are now (5-0-1) in their last 6 games with the tie being vs #16 Waseca. We will see if this young team can stick this week as they have games with #20 Lourdes and #23 Minneapolis, but they deserve some mention here, and if they beat the Eagles this week, they will be the #3 seed in 1A.

Class A Section by Section Rankings Week #11
Section 1A Ranking (2/1/26)
1- Northfield Raiders (17-2-0)
2- Waseca Bluejays (14-5-2)
3- Rochester Lourdes Eagles (14-4-2)
4- Dodge County Wildcats (13-6-1)
5- Winona Winhawks (11-8-0)
6- Albert Lea Tigers (13-8-0)
7- Red Wing Wingers (9-11-0)
8- La Crescent-Hokah Lancers (8-11-0)
9- Faribault Falcons (4-17-0)

1A Summary -Northfield, Waseca & Dodge County went unbeaten outside the section. Rochester Lourdes got a Section 1A win over La Crescent-Hokah. Red Wing got the Section 1A win over Winona. Albert Lea picked up a 1A win over Faribault.

Section 2A Ranking (2/1/26)
1- Delano Tigers (16-4-1)
2- Blake Bears (13-7-2)
3- Breck Mustangs (15-5-1)
4- Orono Spartans (7-11-3)
5- Minneapolis (10-10-1)
6- Waconia Wildcats (9-8-4)
7- St Louis Park Orioles (10-10-1)
8- Westonka White Hawks (8-13-1)
9- Providence Academy Lions (7-12-2)
10- Southwest Christian/Richfield Stars (8-12-1)
11- Hutchinson Tigers (2-19-0)

2A Summary- Delano picked up Section 2A wins over Blake & Hutchinson. Orono & Southwest Christian/Richfield also got a 2A win over the Tigers and the Spartans also beat Waconia but the Wildcats beat St Louis Park. Breck picked up a Section 2A win over Minneapolis. Westonka got a Section 2A win over the Stars. Providence Academy went winless outside the section.

Section 3A Ranking (2/1/26)
1- Luverne Cardinals (20-3-0)
2- Mankato West Scarlets (13-5-2)
3- Mankato East Cougars (10-11-0)
4- Minnesota River Bulldogs (9-10-2)
5- New Ulm Eagles (12-8-0)
6- Marshall Tigers (6-16-0)
7- Fairmont Cardinals (6-11-0)
8- Windom Eagles (6-14-0)
9- Redwood Valley Cardinals (4-15-0)
10- Worthington Trojans (2-19-0)

3A Summary- Luverne got a Section 3A wins over Marshall & Worthington. The Tigers and Windom picked up a 3A win over Redwood Valley. Minnesota River got a 3A win over Fairmont but the Cardinals did get a section win over the Trojans. Mankato West got the 3A sweep of Mankato East. New Ulm went winless outside the section.

Section 4A Ranking (2/1/26)
1- Mahtomedi Zephyrs (11-9-2)
2- Chisago Lakes Wildcats (12-6-3)
3- Irondale Knights (11-7-1)
4- Hastings Raiders (11-8-1)
5- Tartan North Titans (7-13-0)
6- South St. Paul Packers (9-11-1)
7- Simley Spartans (7-13-0)
8- Osseo Orioles (4-16-0)
9- St. Paul Hockey (4-14-2)
10- St. Paul Academy Spartans (1-17-0)

4A Summary- Mahtomedi got a Section 4A win over Chisago Lakes. Hastings got 4A wins over Osseo & Simley. Tartan/North also got a 4A win over the Spartans but they did get a 4A win over St Paul Academy. South St Paul picked up a 4A win over St Paul but the 651 crew did get a section win over SPA. Ironadale went winless outside of the section.

Section 5A Ranking (2/1/26)
1- St Cloud Cathedral Crusaders (12-10-0)
2- Monticello Moose (14-4-3)
3- Pine City Area Dragons (11-8-1)
4- Sauk Rapids-Rice Storm (11-10-1)
5- Litchfield Dassel Cokato Dragons (12-10-0)
6- River Lakes Stars (9-11-0)
7- Becker/Big Lake Eagles (8-12-0)
8- Princeton Tigers (2-19-1)
9- Mora/Milaca Mustangs (5-15-0)

5A Summary- Monticello got Section 5A win over Princeton but the Tigers and Sauk Rapids-Rice got a section win over Mora/Milaca. River Lakes got a Section 5A win over Becker/Big Lake. St Cloud Cathedral & Litchfield Dassel Cokato went (2-1-0) and Pine City Area went .500 outside the section.

Section 6A Ranking (2/1/26)
1- Sartell Sabres (17-3-0)
2- Northern Lakes Lightning (11-9-1)
3- Fergus Falls Otters (7-13-0)
4- Prairie Centre North Stars (14-6-0)
5- Breckenridge/Wahpeton Blades (9-8-1)
6- Little Falls Flyers (4-15-0)
7- Willmar Cardinals (10-10-0)
8- Morris/Benson Storm (7-11-0)
9- Wadena Deer Creek Wolverines (4-16-0)

6A Summary- Sartell got a Section 6A win over Willmar but the Cardinals got 6A win over Morris Benson Area and they and Prairie Centre got 6A wins over Wadena Deer Creek. Breckenridge/Wahpeton got a big 6A win over Little Falls. Northern Lakes went (1-2-0) & Fergus Falls went winless outside the section.

Section 7A Ranking (2/1/26)
1- Hermantown Hawks (16-3-3)
2- Hibbing/Chisholm Bluejackets (18-2-2)
3- Cloquet/Esko/Carlton Lumberjacks (12-10-0)
4- Proctor Rails (11-9-1)
5- International Falls Broncos (16-1-2)
6- Greenway Raiders (10-10-0)
7- Ely Timberwolves (7-11-0)
8- North Shore Storm (4-12-1)
9- Moose Lake Area Rebels (1-17-0)

7A Summary- Hermantown went .500, Hibbing/Chisholm went unbeaten and Cloquet/Esko/Carlton went (2-1-0) outside the Section. Greenway got Section 7A wins over North Shore & Ely. The Timberwolves and International Falls got Section 7A wins over Moose Lake Area.

Section 8A Ranking (2/1/26)
1- Warroad Warriors (15-5-1)
2- East Grand Forks Greenwave (9-11-1)
3- Detroit Lakes Lakers (13-8-0)
4- Thief River Falls Prowlers (10-11-0)
5- Crookston Pirates (13-8-1)
6- Bagley/Fosston Flyers (15-6-0)
7- Red Lake Falls Eagles (12-8-0)
8- Park Rapids Area Panthers (6-13-0)
9- Lake of the Woods Bears (2-17-0)
10- Kittson County Central Bearcats (5-14-0)

8A Summary- Warroad got a Section 8A win over Thief River Falls. The Prowlers did get an 8A win of Lake of the Woods. Crookston got a 8A win over Park Rapids. Detroit Lakes went unbeaten, Bagley/Fosston went (1-2-0) and East Grand Forks & Red Lake Falls went winless outside the section.

[ClassAGuy]

PageStat Class A Ranking (2/1/26)
1. Hermantown
2. Hibbing
3. Warroad
4. Sartell
5. Mahtomedi
6. Delano
7. Cloquet
8. East Grand Forks
9. Northfield
10. Blake
11. Breck
12. St Cloud Cathedral
13. Monticello
14. Mankato West
15. Detroit Lakes
16. International Falls
17. Waseca
18. Rochester Lourdes
19. Northern Lakes
20. Proctor

[ClassAGuy]

Legacy Class A Rankings (2/1/26)
1. Hermantown
2. Hibbing/Chisholm
3. Warroad
4. Mahtomedi
5. Delano
6. Sartell
7. Northfield
8. Blake
9. Monticello
10. Cloquet/Esko/Carlton
11. Breck
12. East Grand Forks
13. St. Cloud Cathedral
14. Waseca
15. Northern Lakes
16. Rochester Lourdes
17. International Falls
18. Chisago Lakes
19. Luverne
20. Detroit Lakes.

[ClassAGuy]

BHS Hockey Class A Final Score (2/2/26)
#11 East Grand Forks 0
#4 Warroad 6
Final
Warroad gets the 8A Season Sweep of East Grand Forks. The Warriors jumped out early and then pulled away for the Greenwave to lock up the #1 seed, but Broden Hontvet's injury looms large.

[ClassAGuy]

LPH Official Class A Coaches Rankings (2/3/26)
1. Hermantown
2. Hibbing
3. Sartell
4. Warroad
5. Mahtomedi
6. Delano
7. Northfield
8. Cloquet/Esko/Carlton
9. Blake
10. Breck
11. East Grand Forks
12. Monticello
13. International Falls
14. Detroit Lakes
15. St Cloud Cathedral
16. Waseca
17. Luverne
18. Northern Lakes
19. Rochester Lourdes
20. Chisago Lakes

[Brodziak Fan Club]

I don’t follow East Grand Forks super closely. Their recent trend seems to be underwhelming regular season results. Obviously last year they turned it on at the right time. What are the reasons for their mediocrity between November and Mid-February? Injuries? Other factors?

[ClassAGuy]

I don’t follow East Grand Forks super closely. Their recent trend seems to be underwhelming regular season results. Obviously last year they turned it on at the right time. What are the reasons for their mediocrity between November and Mid-February? Injuries? Other factors?

This year, it's a mix of different factors; they lost a significant Senior Class from last year and are thinner, especially on the blue line. They also lost the Walter Brothers, very good defenders, who moved to Detroit Lakes, and that has been a big aid to the Lakers. For EGF to play their style, they need good defenders.

The Greenwave also do alot of the 2-3 forecheck, and like with Duluth East back in the day, that doesn't always come easy and takes time to craft and perfect, but if you can, you can be a menace come playoff time.

This group was starting to peak before last week. Since then, they have lost Panzer, the 2nd leading scorer, and Lovejoy, the leading scorer, who left the Warroad game early. They don't have scoring depth if those two are out its a huge mountain to climb.

Finally, the schedule is very tough; they are either playing Top 15 Class A teams, 8AA northern teams, or North Dakota elite, and as we saw when GF Central beat the Spuds, North Dakota hockey is good. They don't get many off nights.

Do I think they can make a run like last year? I won't ever count them out, but this team does not have the depth of last year. They also need Panzer and Lovejoy in the lineup.

[rainier2]

I don’t follow East Grand Forks super closely. Their recent trend seems to be underwhelming regular season results. Obviously last year they turned it on at the right time. What are the reasons for their mediocrity between November and Mid-February? Injuries? Other factors?

This year, it's a mix of different factors; they lost a significant Senior Class from last year and are thinner, especially on the blue line. They also lost the Walter Brothers, very good defenders, who moved to Detroit Lakes, and that has been a big aid to the Lakers. For EGF to play their style, they need good defenders.

The Greenwave also do alot of the 2-3 forecheck, and like with Duluth East back in the day, that doesn't always come easy and takes time to craft and perfect, but if you can, you can be a menace come playoff time.

This group was starting to peak before last week. Since then, they have lost Panzer, the 2nd leading scorer, and Lovejoy, the leading scorer, who left the Warroad game early. They don't have scoring depth if those two are out its a huge mountain to climb.

Finally, the schedule is very tough; they are either playing Top 15 Class A teams, 8AA northern teams, or North Dakota elite, and as we saw when GF Central beat the Spuds, North Dakota hockey is good. They don't get many off nights.

Do I think they can make a run like last year? I won't ever count them out, but this team does not have the depth of last year. They also need Panzer and Lovejoy in the lineup.

They also benefit from gaslighting the refs during the playoffs with their "Man's game" BS. Refs don't want to call majors, so they're out there trying to injure opponents knowing they'll only likely get a minor penalty, if anything. Elbows up on every hit, neck isn't part of the head, technically, so go after it.

Lovejoy should have had two majors in the semi last year vs Hibbing, only got a minor for the checking from behind with head contact and somehow also got away with a spear to the crotch behind the play; literally lifted the Hibbing player off the ice. In this year's Hibbing game he slashed Tate Swanson in the back of the leg well after the play as they skated by each other near center ice, dropping Swanson instantly. Somehow that was just a minor. And in the Warroad game he dished out another brutal leg slash away from the play, this time to Gavin Anderson, who limped back to the bench. Somehow the refs missed that one. Any injury this kid suffers himself is pure karma.

I couldn't tell who took out Hontvet, but they accomplished their goal of taking out a top player. It's disgraceful.

[ClassAGuy]

BHS Hockey Class A Noteable Final Scores (2/5/26)
#7 Cloquet/Esko/Carlton 2
#9 Blake 3
Final
Blake wins on Senior Night vs Cloquet/Esko/Carlton. The Bears shook up their lines and built a 3-goal lead. The Jacks battled back, but in the end, it was a nice Top 10 win for the Bears!

#20 Rochester Lourdes 0
#25 Dodge County 1
Final
Dodge County gets the Section 1A win over Lourdes. The Wildcats get the more recent win of the season split with the Eagles, and tied Waseca, who beat Lourdes. This should give them the #3 seed!

#23 Minneapolis 0
#21 Chisago Lakes 4
Final
Chisago Lakes takes down Minneapolis tonight. The Wildcats jumped out to a big 3-0 lead in the first period and never let the 612 crew back in the game. Nice road win for Chisago!

Ugly score of the year.....
#16 Waseca 24 Fairmont 0 Final....

[ClassAGuy]

BHS Hockey Class A Scores (2/6/26)
#12 Detroit Lakes 1
#3 Sartell 6
Final
Sartell cooled off a hot Detroit Lakes crew tonight. The Sabres used their depth of speed and skill to take down the Lakers and claim their 5th straight CLC Title and 11th straight win overall!

#11 East Grand Forks 4
#18 Northern Lakes 6
Final
Northern Lakes snaps its losing skid with a good comeback win over East Grand Forks. The Lightning would not give in, and they made a furious 3rd period comeback to pick up a big road win!

Another Conference Champ
#15 International Falls took down Greenway 7-0 Final to win back-to-back Conference Titles

[TTpuckster]

Last year was an anomaly for the Green Wave. Everything went right for them.

Not gonna happen this year.

I don’t believe they will even make it to the section championship.

Not this year.

[Brodziak Fan Club]

Am I correct that they have been an underperforming program (last year not included) based on their talent in the youth ranks? This year, for example they have a top-10 Bantam AA squad. They are just an intriguing case to me. It feels like they should be competing with Hermantown year after year to be considered the best program in class A.

[TTpuckster]

Maybe to some degree.
But their Bantam team last year won like 7 or 8 games
And EGF is hosting the north south challenge this weekend and the bantam and pee wee teams are both not doing well.

[elliott70]

Maybe to some degree.
But their Bantam team last year won like 7 or 8 games
And EGF is hosting the north south challenge this weekend and the bantam and pee wee teams are both not doing well.

Youth hockey hub has them ranked 9th with 3 of th ET it 8 losses coming to Moorhead.

[ClassAGuy]

Am I correct that they have been an underperforming program (last year not included) based on their talent in the youth ranks? This year, for example they have a top-10 Bantam AA squad. They are just an intriguing case to me. It feels like they should be competing with Hermantown year after year to be considered the best program in class A.

EGF the last 12 years... Has 6 State Tournament Appearances and won 3 State Titles. I think they have been doing fine. Last year was not a fluke that group won youth Titles and won when it mattered and went through the toughest road possible.

Their AA Bantam team is legit has beaten Warroad & TRF who are also Legit. 8A is one of the States best sections. The Greenwave have played in the Section Final 11 of the last 12 years.