The Real Bantam A Rankings!!!

[boblee]

Does anyone have more Roseville results than the GR game?

[jebado7]

Hermantown should not even be mentioned they are terrible

[Duluth East Hockey Fan]

Interesting quotes about the Shattuck Tournament. From my perspective, Duluth East should be in top ten but not at #2. Didn't impress anyone at Shattuck Tourney although they made it to the final against EP. From what I heard Shattuck was last in their own tourney. Maybe a gracious host or a rebuilding year for a usually strong team. Yes, DE beat Shattuck but tied Edina and Green Bay. DE won by a shootout in both ties but doesn't reflect that DE is so powerful.

EP is definitely at the top as Centennial, Edina and Wayzata did not impress at this weekend tourney. Edina, tied DE and Green Bay but lost both in shootouts. Beat Shattuck, a surprise, and lost easily to Dallas in the 3rd place game.

Centennial, your ranking at #5, played Green Bay in the 5th place game and won. Green Bay looked tired and Centennial looked good but didn't show up most of the weekend beating Wayzata in a shootout but losing to EP and Dallas. Wayzata, a last minute replacement for a Chicago team, probably wasn't mentally prepared for the tournament but will definitely learn from the experience.

Bottom line is that the Bantam level is very competitive and no team is a lock for the state title. Last year Edina and Centennial were the early favorites but next March in Alexandria it will be interesting who takes home the hardware.

The following are my gut picks for State at Bantam A in no paticuliar order:
Eden Priaire
Centennial
Duluth East
Tartan
Edina
Bloomington Jefferson
Wayzata

There is no doubt in my mind that it will be fun to watch and enjoy from a fans viewpoint.

First it would be impossible to see EP, Jefferson and Edina in the State tournament. With the new regional format, at best D6 could get two in. I don't know who they are matched up with as far as Districts in that region, but I have to think it would be hard for any District to get two teams in, and it will be impossible for them to get three in.

Next, I completely agree with you, EP is without a doubt the best team in the state right now, but I wouldn't say that DE wasn't impressive all weekend. They played even games with everyone there but EP who really should have beaten them 9 - 2. If I were an EP fan I would be more worried about the fact that they couldn't blow out what looked like an out-of-sync DE team. EP came ready to play and DE did not, that in my opinion is the bottom line.

I would say that DE is as impressive as a defensive team as any team in the state. They never gave up more than 13 shots in the first three games, and even those shots were from the perimeter. I personally think that you just watched a preview of the State final, if the brackets set up. These two teams are clearly number 1 and number 2.

So I guess what I'm asking you is? If they weren't impressive why? Cause they didn't blow anyone out? I think if you look at the game from front to back, they have one of the best goalies, they have a very strong set of defensemen, and three balanced lines. They lost to a good team on Sunday and right now a better team than they are, but DE is impressive!!! I'm sure there are some teams out there that have faced them that would agree.

If DE isn't up at number 2 who is? At least qualify your statement.

I say it goes a little something like this:

1. EP
2. DE
3. Wayzata
4. Tartan
5. Centennial
6. Jefferson
7. Andover
8. White Bear Lake
9. Brainerd
10. Edina

[Osseohockey4]

Moorhead beat Andover 2-1 and i think that moorhead has a chance to be in the top 10 instead of Andover

[hockeyfreak9587]

kk

[snipin the twine]

Moorhead beat Andover 2-1 and i think that moorhead has a chance to be in the top 10 instead of Andover

and then they lost to Lakeville South

[Co[D]18]

hermantown won their tourny playing... willmar, armstrong, and lakeville north.

[Osseohockey4]

yea but moorhead also beat us 3-2 and minnetonka 8-3[/quote]

[MNSS]

does andover deserve to be ranked that high for beating centennial 1 time...who else have they beat Duluth E? Edina? Ep? WBL? who have they beaten? they just lost to Moorhead? and it is a game no scrimmage. so those are there 2 toughest games? lets get this figured out. Tartan beats WBL once and they are #4 on someones list didnt they lose to CG and woodbury? the problem with this is they dont ever beat the good teams on a regular basis and when they do beat them ther rankers put them there. you cant play 2 top teams and be considered a top 5 let alone a top 10. the guys doing the rankings here better start watching the games to the end.

[ilikehockey77]

wow MNSS couldnt agree with you more!! Norris your rankings are very accurate but are like LPH and MHJ in one way, it seems you put a team up on there because they beat a top team once or a couple of fairly good teams in a row. Sometimes weaker teams beat top teams, it happens, but that doesnt mean that rankings (norris fan's, LPH, MHJ) need to put that team up near the top or alot higher than they were before. Not rippin on you Norris Fan in anyway, because personally i think your rankings are great! But just saying that a team should have to win regularly against higher ranked teams than them to become one of the highly ranked teams.

[hockeyguy11]

tartan and cottage grove play on wednesday. we'll see what happens.

[rbkhockey19]

well see in march!!!

[plunk]

Andover beat brainerd twice at their rink before the season started. That scrimmage was part of Brainerds tryout process. There were B/C level players playing in those games for Brainerd. I do believe you play Brainerd in a jamboree this weekend. This will be a better test of how the teams compare.

[Rattlin' Cages]

Andover is a good team from what i'm told and do deserve respect however, if you're game against Moorhead didn't count because it was a scrimmage then the two games against Brainerd can't mean anything because I was told they were still in tryouts. Were those games on the same weekend or spread out? If they were spread out you would have reason to boast.

How's Jefferson and EP doing overall? Heard good things but haven't seen them.

I agree that when some teams win big games the reaction is to put them high in the rankings. The only ranking that matters is the final one!

Who are the top 5?

[MoJo]

looks good to me

[Chuck Norris Fan]

MNSS,

I guess my response would be that, although I agree with most of your argument, I find it hard to put Centennial above Andover or WBL over Tartan, because they have lost to them. My take is if you are a top team then prove it every night because everyone is gunning for you. EP and DE are doing just that, the Jags, the Cougars, the Bears and the Trojans seem softer this year so as soon as I see some life from them they will be on top of those one hit wonder teams, because experince counts. But until then if you get smacked around by a team and they are doing well they will be high in the rankings...... what can i say it is not a perfect science and I hope you like these better than LPH and MHJ.

[Pucknutz69]

Tartan - CG scrimmages were without refs at the very start of the season. Tartan ahs proved they are a team to watch and CG has shown signs of 2nd year player leadership. CG dominated MV 5 - 1. They will be strong by the end of the year, they have been hit by injuries and sickness. Lost 1 forward in the Hopkins tourney for the year.

How are the other teams doing with injuries? or sicknesses?

[hockeyfreak9587]

kk

[fuzzyfriend18]

anyone know how good cloquet is this year (bantam A)?

[denied xx]

any predections on the CG-tartan game tonight?

[DAbears25]

6-1 tartan is my prediction

[denied xx]

close, tartan beat CG 5-1

[youngblood52]

it was close tgoing into the third 2-1, but then tartan pulled away

[denied xx]

yes, both teams had a very good game i thought.

[youngblood52]

CG looked like it had a shorter bench and it looked like they were wearing down towards the end