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I don't know if I could have said it better myself. I am curious how you would all vote if you were at the section 1A seeding meeting and the season ended with scores as are now. Me personally would be:
1. Lourdes
2. Red Wing
3. New Prague
4. Mankato West
5. Albert Lea
6. Northfield
7. Faribault
8. Le Sueur/St. Peter/L/M-L
9. La Crescent
10. Austin
11. Waseca
12. Mankato East

The Universe wrote:*Clap Clap Clap*
I don't know if I could have said it better myself. I am curious how you would all vote if you were at the section 1A seeding meeting and the season ended with scores as are now. Me personally would be:
1. Lourdes
2. Red Wing
3. New Prague
4. Mankato West
5. Albert Lea
6. Northfield
7. Faribault
8. Le Sueur/St. Peter/L/M-L
9. La Crescent
10. Austin
11. Waseca
12. Mankato East

I have seen most of these team play...at least from the top 8 or so. It's Lourdes then the rest. I do think NP is 2 and RW is 3 but RW doesn't overly impress. You absolutely can not put a 3-13 or whatever they are team, Faribault, above LS/SP. I know in 9 out of 10 years that would be the case. This year's LS/SP team I have seen is pretty heavy senior dominated and is a blip on the radar....but deserves to be ahead of Faribault. I am not sure there is much difference between them and West, Northfield, and AL to be honest. So, I would probably go:

1. Lourdes
2. NP
3. RW
4. Albert Lea
5. West
6. LS/SP
7. Northfield
8. Faribault
9. La Crescent
10. Waseca
11. Austin
12. East

Nice work Scarlet, but just a little correction The Lourdes NP game was 5-3

Nice review Scarlett....you really put in a lot of time with some of your posts.

But...

Continuing on to the Big 9 trend, we look at Mankato West (8-8-1). The young Scarlets squad has had an up and down season. Goaltender Zach Fox has had to be solid for West this season and is showing to be arguably one of the best goaltenders in the section. I don’t think we’ve seen the best game out of the Scarlets this season, but I also don’t know what it’s going to take to trigger West to play to their potential. After these two Big 9 teams, we begin to look towards the Missota Conference.

Have you ever heard the saying "if it looks like a duck, and sounds like a duck, then it probably is a duck"? They are what they are. Some good, some bad....exactly what you would expect from a young team. They will start reaching their potential next year or the year after.

I'll respectfully disagree with New Prague 2 and Red Wing 3 for the simple fact that Red Wing beat New Prague earlier this month. The teams have similar records. How they end up depends on when they do the seeding. NP's last game is against Red Wing. If the seeding is before that game, RW should get the nod. IF NP beats red wing, give it to the Trojans.
I do agree that LSP with 10 wins should be seeded ahead of Faribault with 3 wins, regardless of strenghth of schedule. Give teh Bulldogs some credit.

Gretzky9 wrote:Nice review Scarlett....you really put in a lot of time with some of your posts.

But...

Continuing on to the Big 9 trend, we look at Mankato West (8-8-1). The young Scarlets squad has had an up and down season. Goaltender Zach Fox has had to be solid for West this season and is showing to be arguably one of the best goaltenders in the section. I don’t think we’ve seen the best game out of the Scarlets this season, but I also don’t know what it’s going to take to trigger West to play to their potential. After these two Big 9 teams, we begin to look towards the Missota Conference.

Have you ever heard the saying "if it looks like a duck, and sounds like a duck, then it probably is a duck"? They are what they are. Some good, some bad....exactly what you would expect from a young team. They will start reaching their potential next year or the year after.

I know all of the players personally and have watched them all play since they were all bantams, so I think I can give a fair assessment on what I can expect. I'm simply saying that we haven't seen a complete game out of the Scarlets against a strong opponent. I'm not even trying to project where that itself can take the Scarlets, but I do believe they are better than what they have shown so far this season.

scarlethockey33 wrote:

Gretzky9 wrote:Nice review Scarlett....you really put in a lot of time with some of your posts.

But...

Continuing on to the Big 9 trend, we look at Mankato West (8-8-1). The young Scarlets squad has had an up and down season. Goaltender Zach Fox has had to be solid for West this season and is showing to be arguably one of the best goaltenders in the section. I don’t think we’ve seen the best game out of the Scarlets this season, but I also don’t know what it’s going to take to trigger West to play to their potential. After these two Big 9 teams, we begin to look towards the Missota Conference.

Have you ever heard the saying "if it looks like a duck, and sounds like a duck, then it probably is a duck"? They are what they are. Some good, some bad....exactly what you would expect from a young team. They will start reaching their potential next year or the year after.

I know all of the players personally and have watched them all play since they were all bantams, so I think I can give a fair assessment on what I can expect. I'm simply saying that we haven't seen a complete game out of the Scarlets against a strong opponent. I'm not even trying to project where that itself can take the Scarlets, but I do believe they are better than what they have shown so far this season.

I've seen them too. They are an average team. Good young players...emphasis on young. I hope you're not going to keep up with the "I do believe they are better than they have played" mantra when the season is over. My point was they are over half way through their season.....should they improve...maybe, but they are what they are. They have played well at times and not so well at times from what I have seen and heard.....just like 80% of the teams (take out the top 10% and the bottom 10%) in the state can say about their play this year.

Gretzky9 wrote:

scarlethockey33 wrote:

Gretzky9 wrote:Nice review Scarlett....you really put in a lot of time with some of your posts.

But...

Continuing on to the Big 9 trend, we look at Mankato West (8-8-1). The young Scarlets squad has had an up and down season. Goaltender Zach Fox has had to be solid for West this season and is showing to be arguably one of the best goaltenders in the section. I don’t think we’ve seen the best game out of the Scarlets this season, but I also don’t know what it’s going to take to trigger West to play to their potential. After these two Big 9 teams, we begin to look towards the Missota Conference.

Have you ever heard the saying "if it looks like a duck, and sounds like a duck, then it probably is a duck"? They are what they are. Some good, some bad....exactly what you would expect from a young team. They will start reaching their potential next year or the year after.

I know all of the players personally and have watched them all play since they were all bantams, so I think I can give a fair assessment on what I can expect. I'm simply saying that we haven't seen a complete game out of the Scarlets against a strong opponent. I'm not even trying to project where that itself can take the Scarlets, but I do believe they are better than what they have shown so far this season.

I've seen them too. They are an average team. Good young players...emphasis on young. I hope you're not going to keep up with the "I do believe they are better than they have played" mantra when the season is over. My point was they are over half way through their season.....should they improve...maybe, but they are what they are. They have played well at times and not so well at times from what I have seen and heard.....just like 80% of the teams (take out the top 10% and the bottom 10%) in the state can say about their play this year.

I completely respect your view Gretzky9. I might be a Scarlets' fan, but I honestly do try to stay pretty moderate on my bias. As for whenever the end of the season comes, it is what it is, and you can't do much more than just accept it. I think at the end of the season it's not about asking questions or making assumptions, it's about looking at the results and making the logical conclusions. To be honest, as a fan I'll continue to hope to see my Scarlets play better, and hopefully no one takes that the wrong way.

scarlethockey33 wrote:

Gretzky9 wrote:

scarlethockey33 wrote: I know all of the players personally and have watched them all play since they were all bantams, so I think I can give a fair assessment on what I can expect. I'm simply saying that we haven't seen a complete game out of the Scarlets against a strong opponent. I'm not even trying to project where that itself can take the Scarlets, but I do believe they are better than what they have shown so far this season.

I've seen them too. They are an average team. Good young players...emphasis on young. I hope you're not going to keep up with the "I do believe they are better than they have played" mantra when the season is over. My point was they are over half way through their season.....should they improve...maybe, but they are what they are. They have played well at times and not so well at times from what I have seen and heard.....just like 80% of the teams (take out the top 10% and the bottom 10%) in the state can say about their play this year.

I completely respect your view Gretzky9. I might be a Scarlets' fan, but I honestly do try to stay pretty moderate on my bias. As for whenever the end of the season comes, it is what it is, and you can't do much more than just accept it. I think at the end of the season it's not about asking questions or making assumptions, it's about looking at the results and making the logical conclusions. To be honest, as a fan I'll continue to hope to see my Scarlets play better, and hopefully no one takes that the wrong way.

With all due respect, I feel like you're going to lose this one scarlet. From the get go on this thread this year and years past I have found you to be very biased towards Mankato West. I think the majority of users on this thread all have a team they would like to see excel and play to the best of their abilities but that's something you save for in the bakery (or bar) when you're with your buddies. Let's try to get back to the section and not Mankato.

The Universe wrote:

scarlethockey33 wrote:

Gretzky9 wrote: I've seen them too. They are an average team. Good young players...emphasis on young. I hope you're not going to keep up with the "I do believe they are better than they have played" mantra when the season is over. My point was they are over half way through their season.....should they improve...maybe, but they are what they are. They have played well at times and not so well at times from what I have seen and heard.....just like 80% of the teams (take out the top 10% and the bottom 10%) in the state can say about their play this year.

I completely respect your view Gretzky9. I might be a Scarlets' fan, but I honestly do try to stay pretty moderate on my bias. As for whenever the end of the season comes, it is what it is, and you can't do much more than just accept it. I think at the end of the season it's not about asking questions or making assumptions, it's about looking at the results and making the logical conclusions. To be honest, as a fan I'll continue to hope to see my Scarlets play better, and hopefully no one takes that the wrong way.

With all due respect, I feel like you're going to lose this one scarlet. From the get go on this thread this year and years past I have found you to be very biased towards Mankato West. I think the majority of users on this thread all have a team they would like to see excel and play to the best of their abilities but that's something you save for in the bakery (or bar) when you're with your buddies. Let's try to get back to the section and not Mankato.

One last point on this mini-topic for west. My real point I guess was that there are so many teams that play the year out with fans always talking too much about "what could be" or "I just don't think they have played to their capabilities"....when the reality is that at some point you have to look at your team and say....for this year maybe this is what this team is...and enjoy. West should be happy their 10th graders are playing as well as they are because if they didn't they would be in a world of hurt. So, maybe this team is really over achieving a bit when you look at it that way. Regardless, from a non-West fan I have seen them enough to think they are getting a lot out of the season so far.

Gretzky9 wrote:

The Universe wrote:

scarlethockey33 wrote: I completely respect your view Gretzky9. I might be a Scarlets' fan, but I honestly do try to stay pretty moderate on my bias. As for whenever the end of the season comes, it is what it is, and you can't do much more than just accept it. I think at the end of the season it's not about asking questions or making assumptions, it's about looking at the results and making the logical conclusions. To be honest, as a fan I'll continue to hope to see my Scarlets play better, and hopefully no one takes that the wrong way.

With all due respect, I feel like you're going to lose this one scarlet. From the get go on this thread this year and years past I have found you to be very biased towards Mankato West. I think the majority of users on this thread all have a team they would like to see excel and play to the best of their abilities but that's something you save for in the bakery (or bar) when you're with your buddies. Let's try to get back to the section and not Mankato.

One last point on this mini-topic for west. My real point I guess was that there are so many teams that play the year out with fans always talking too much about "what could be" or "I just don't think they have played to their capabilities"....when the reality is that at some point you have to look at your team and say....for this year maybe this is what this team is...and enjoy. West should be happy their 10th graders are playing as well as they are because if they didn't they would be in a world of hurt. So, maybe this team is really over achieving a bit when you look at it that way. Regardless, from a non-West fan I have seen them enough to think they are getting a lot out of the season so far.

All Scarlett said "I don’t think we’ve seen the best game out of the Scarlets this season and haven't played to their full capabilities". I don't see anything bias in that statement. No excuses, not saying they should a/would a/could a bet this team or that team. Every team should be saying they haven't played there best yet, if they have peaked, its too early. You guys are acting like he said they are going to win the section, loosen up a bit. If you guys don't like reading about West then start posting about the team you follow, that way we can all pick your posts apart. The season is just starting to get really good!

anyway... it's another Thursday and that means some another big night of high school games:

Games for January 26th:

L-H/SP at Redwood Valley
Owatonna at Albert Lea
Century at Faribault
Red Wing at Northfield
Fairmont at Waseca

Red Wing at Northfield definitely the highlight game for tonight. Personally I think Red Wing is gonna get some revenge for earlier in the season, as they have been playing pretty well as of late (3-1-1 in their last 5 games). Northfield has been pretty shaky as of late with losses to Chaska and Shakopee 2-1, both which are teams which Red Wing beat pretty convincingly (Chaska 7-1, Shakopee 5-1) but how about some other thoughts on this one?

I wouldn't be so sure that Albert Lea will beat Owatonna, based on the recent scores of both teams.

6-1 Owatonna with 7 min left in 3rd. 3 pp goals for Owatonna. Ouch

I definitely haven't been keeping track of Owatonna, Huskies defeat the Tigers to a 6-1 final

That makes the unbeaten streak for Owatonna at 9 games. They are 7-0-2 since December 26.

New Prague is off to the Nort country this weekend. They play Cloquet tonight and Hermantown tomorrow. Should be a fun trip for their team. Represent 1A and GOOD LUCK!

New Prague 2
Cloquet 3
final

I have not seen the other teams in 1A this year, but I would not want to face New Prague's goalie in a playoff game. Today's game against Htown was the best performance by a Single A goalie I have seen all year. Nice looking sophomore class for NP as well.......

nota612er wrote:I have not seen the other teams in 1A this year, but I would not want to face New Prague's goalie in a playoff game. Today's game against Htown was the best performance by a Single A goalie I have seen all year. Nice looking sophomore class for NP as well.......

I really like how NP is playing right now. I have seen them play a couple times this year and think they are #2 in 1A. They seem to be getting a little better as we approach playoffs. I also agree on your take regarding Morris...but I really think the best goalie in 1A is Amsden from LS/SP. He is really solid and will make up for mistakes by his D. Close but I would take him over Morris. Also saw LS/SP tonight after seeing them earlier this year. I like the way they play. Not elite by any means like Lourdes but not far off where everyone else is at.

Gretzky9 wrote:

nota612er wrote:I have not seen the other teams in 1A this year, but I would not want to face New Prague's goalie in a playoff game. Today's game against Htown was the best performance by a Single A goalie I have seen all year. Nice looking sophomore class for NP as well.......

I really like how NP is playing right now. I have seen them play a couple times this year and think they are #2 in 1A. They seem to be getting a little better as we approach playoffs. I also agree on your take regarding Morris...but I really think the best goalie in 1A is Amsden from LS/SP. He is really solid and will make up for mistakes by his D. Close but I would take him over Morris. Also saw LS/SP tonight after seeing them earlier this year. I like the way they play. Not elite by any means like Lourdes but not far off where everyone else is at.

Sorry...hit the send button. LS/SP is a bit of a surprise this year for where they are at. Not in top 4 of 1A but don't sleep on them either. I understand their schedule is a result of top schools in 1A not wanting to play them....and by accounts from LS/SP people rightly so most years. But they are a nice club this year. Won't do anything in the playoffs but a nice little story for them this year I suppose.

Lourdes falls to Delano. Thought Lourdes should have won this one but it seems that Lourdes defense is stuggling a little bit. Failed to pick up the back door on a couple of goals and didn't help out their goalie (Neumann) even to the point of knocking a Delano player onto Neumann's back while he's was down on the ice.

Anyone make the trip up North that got eyes on New Prague's games? Curious how they went, sounds like they played Cloquet close (1 goal diff.) and surprised me with a 3-5 loss to #1 ranked Hermantown. Any insight?
Also surprised to see Lourdes fall to Delano. I'll be very interested to see Lourdes take on Breck and Blake only 3 days between each other.
Also didn't expect Red Wing to lose to Northfield. Albert Lea continues to struggle going 2-6 in their last 8 with wins over Austin and Winona.

Section 1A should be interesting in the next few weeks and playoff time.

Lourdes seems to be the team to beat. Lots of scoring power with players who have experience with playoffs.
I think northfield and new prague will be 2 and 3
AL and RW up in the air for #4. Al always plays hard in sections and RW has a load of seniors which always helps come post season
It will be a fun section playoff

Northfield lost to NP 6-0, but has beaten RW twice and Albert Lea, both of which have beaten NP. Don't count West out of the mix either. It will be interesting to see how Nos. 2 through 6 pan out.