Section 7AA

[D3Referee]

Official:

1. Duluth East
2. Grand Rapids
3. Elk River
4. Cloquet
5. Forest Lake
6. Andover
7. St. Francis
8. STMA
9. Cambridge

If anyone has a beef here, it's Andover; apparently the coaches decided that win over Cloquet wasn't enough to overcome an otherwise mediocre season.

I am a little surprised that Rapids gets the 2 seed. Not only were they beat by St. Francis and shut out by Forest lake, but they didn't have a single regulation win through 6 section games this season and just one win at all in those 6 section games, sneaking an OT win against Elk River.

If you can win 1 of 6 section games and still wrap up the 2 seed, I wonder what the seeding criteria was?

By contrast,St. Francis had just as many wins as GR (17), had a winning section record (4-2) and that included a win over Grand Rapids.

Forest lake is also a winning team in the section, including a shut out of GR

[alcloseshaver]

Should have the 2 seed open, no one really deserves it.

[D3Referee]

Should have the 2 seed open, no one really deserves it.

I think you can make a case for GR to have the 4 seed, but I think St. Francis should be #2 and Forest Lake should be #3 ... not that it matters what I think. You still have to beat whoever they put in front of you, regardless of seeding. Good luck to all the boys!

[karl(east)]

Should have the 2 seed open, no one really deserves it.

That's really what it comes down to. It's not hard to argue against Rapids as the 2-seed with those two bad section losses, but it's hard to argue for someone else.

Elk River? Lost to GR, haven't beaten anyone better than Maple Grove, lopsided losses against a number of the top teams they've played.

Cloquet? They really don't have a quality win over a AA team.

Forest Lake? Playing well recently, but pounded 7-1 by Cloquet; beyond Rapids, Cretin is the only real quality win here.

Andover? Lost to Elk River twice, barely above .500 despite wins over Cloquet and Eden Prairie

St. Francis? Lost to Cloquet, Forest Lake, no real big wins beyond GR, and a couple of other bad losses.

Rapids has the bad losses, but the computer rankings all really like them, and if we're going to give some of the teams they beat excuses (ie. the Benilde game being outside), we need to do the same for Rapids (ie. Bischoff being out injured for the first month).

Yes, normally you'd like to seed by record in the section, but 7AA is such an awkward section. Most of the Metro sections are dominated by 1 or 2 conferences so there are a lot of section games, and even in 8AA, all the good teams play each other twice. But 7AA is so haphazard that you really need to look beyond that.

[TheHockeyDJ]

Should have the 2 seed open, no one really deserves it.

I think you can make a case for GR to have the 4 seed, but I think St. Francis should be #2 and Forest Lake should be #3 ... not that it matters what I think. You still have to beat whoever they put in front of you, regardless of seeding. Good luck to all the boys!

St. Francis as the 2 is beyond ridiculous. They have a nice record, but who wouldn't with that schedule. And let's be real, their goalie stole that game vs. Rapids just the same way Denfeld's goalie robbed Duluth East. It would have been different if St. Francis outshot Rapids, reality is Rapids dominated game play but Hanson was on that night. Rapids was relying on their first line then, now they are getting scoring from 3 lines on a consistent basis and GR is totally healthy now. Gonna be an interesting quarterfinal Tuesday for Rapids, St. F., Elk River, Andover, CEC, and Forest Lake. I think we all know East is awaiting their semi-final opponent at this point.

[old goalie85]

No way SF should be # 2, certainly not ahead of FL. A nd no I don't think FL should be 2. [they are starting to play better]

[allstatebenders]

It is kind of ridiculous that GR got the #2 seed. I guess section head to head games don't matter in 7AA.

[gitter]

It is kind of ridiculous that GR got the #2 seed. I guess section head to head games don't matter in 7AA.

They do to an extent. One or two games down not a season make. Coaches rank teams based on how good they think they are. Clearly every coach in 7AA thinks Rapids is pretty good as they all ranked them very high in order to get the #2 seed (with the exception of Rapids, because coaches do not rank their own team).

This is nothing new. In 93-94 Cloquet beat East twice in the regular season, only to have East seeded #1 and Cloquet seeded #2. Despite going 0-2 against Cloquet the coaches thought East was the better team and deserving of the #1 seed.

[old goalie85]

It would be nice if 7aa would play home and away w/each other during the season. I don't think it would work w/the # of SEC games FL plays though. If we dropped the tourny @ X-mas we could play East/Rapids/CEC twice. We don't even see ER. SMA will be a up and comer in the next few years as well. So I guess I don't know.

[northwoods oldtimer]

It is kind of ridiculous that GR got the #2 seed. I guess section head to head games don't matter in 7AA.

Very weak section in a very weak "State of Hockey". MN Hockey development at this stage is a total joke! Hey but opportunity knocks for all teams to get to St. Paul......I for one will boycott the great MSHSL get together this season, not worth the road trip to the saintly city. I do hope Randolph wins the title, he deserves it only real coach left in the game.

[gitter]

Very weak section in a very weak "State of Hockey". MN Hockey development at this stage is a total joke!

Tom Ward would disagree with you.

The demise of Minnesota high school hockey?

Shattuck-St. Mary’s coach Tom Ward scoffs at the notion.

“People that think Minnesota high school hockey is dead and gone, or that high school hockey is dead and gone, don’t know what they are talking about,” Ward said on Wednesday, Feb. 6, after his Sabres lost to No. 2-ranked Benilde-St. Margaret’s 5-2 at the St. Louis Park Rec Center. “They absolutely don’t know what they are talking about.

“We’ve played teams from all over the country and all over the world at our level, and these guys are as good as anybody we play all year long.”

[east hockey]

It is kind of ridiculous that GR got the #2 seed. I guess section head to head games don't matter in 7AA.

They do to an extent. One or two games down not a season make. Coaches rank teams based on how good they think they are. Clearly every coach in 7AA thinks Rapids is pretty good as they all ranked them very high in order to get the #2 seed (with the exception of Rapids, because coaches do not rank their own team).

This is nothing new. In 93-94 Cloquet beat East twice in the regular season, only to have East seeded #1 and Cloquet seeded #2. Despite going 0-2 against Cloquet the coaches thought East was the better team and deserving of the #1 seed.

If memory serves me correctly from watching the video tape of that game, Cloquet had the last change and was in their home uniforms, indicating they were seeded higher than East.

Lee

[clojacks1]

It is kind of ridiculous that GR got the #2 seed. I guess section head to head games don't matter in 7AA.

They do to an extent. One or two games down not a season make. Coaches rank teams based on how good they think they are. Clearly every coach in 7AA thinks Rapids is pretty good as they all ranked them very high in order to get the #2 seed (with the exception of Rapids, because coaches do not rank their own team).

This is nothing new. In 93-94 Cloquet beat East twice in the regular season, only to have East seeded #1 and Cloquet seeded #2. Despite going 0-2 against Cloquet the coaches thought East was the better team and deserving of the #1 seed.

If memory serves me correctly from watching the video tape of that game, Cloquet had the last change and was in their home uniforms, indicating they were seeded higher than East.

Lee

Wasn't there a time when East would wear their Away uni's just to play with the other teams prep? I seem to remember a game at the DECC where both teams came out in either their Home or Away because East had the choice and chose the unexpected and made the other team change? Seem's like whoever it was didn't have the right uni's with them too.

[grandindian]

It is kind of ridiculous that GR got the #2 seed. I guess section head to head games don't matter in 7AA.

Very weak section in a very weak "State of Hockey". MN Hockey development at this stage is a total joke! Hey but opportunity knocks for all teams to get to St. Paul......I for one will boycott the great MSHSL get together this season, not worth the road trip to the saintly city. I do hope Randolph wins the title, he deserves it only real coach left in the game.

Wow. Not sure where you are coming from with that comment Northwoods. I think you been drinking the wrong Kool Aid. I think the amount of up and coming teams in 7AA is a great thing, look at the great quarterfinal games that are lined up for next week. And as far as Randolph is concerned, yeah he has a nice record. But he does have quite a resource there to draw off in terms of players. As far as I am concerned there are better coaches doing more with a whole lot less.

[clojacks1]

Has anyone heard any further info on the situation in Cloquet with the post season "evaluation" of Esse? Odd timing....

[gitter]

It is kind of ridiculous that GR got the #2 seed. I guess section head to head games don't matter in 7AA.

They do to an extent. One or two games down not a season make. Coaches rank teams based on how good they think they are. Clearly every coach in 7AA thinks Rapids is pretty good as they all ranked them very high in order to get the #2 seed (with the exception of Rapids, because coaches do not rank their own team).

This is nothing new. In 93-94 Cloquet beat East twice in the regular season, only to have East seeded #1 and Cloquet seeded #2. Despite going 0-2 against Cloquet the coaches thought East was the better team and deserving of the #1 seed.

If memory serves me correctly from watching the video tape of that game, Cloquet had the last change and was in their home uniforms, indicating they were seeded higher than East.

Lee

No, I played in that game. Cloquet was in purple.

Edit: Also here, in case I'm losing my memory.

http://www.hmpioneers.net/hockey/playoffs.php?Year=1994

[grindiangrad-80]

I would say that this section is as wide open as any. These games are going to be great.

[Tenoverpar]

East will walk through this section, book your room Duluth-ites'

[grindiangrad-80]

East will walk through this section, book your room Duluth-ites'

That is very possible.

[grandindian]

East will walk through this section, book your room Duluth-ites'

That is very possible.

Yup. Very possible....

[northwoods oldtimer]

It is kind of ridiculous that GR got the #2 seed. I guess section head to head games don't matter in 7AA.

Very weak section in a very weak "State of Hockey". MN Hockey development at this stage is a total joke! Hey but opportunity knocks for all teams to get to St. Paul......I for one will boycott the great MSHSL get together this season, not worth the road trip to the saintly city. I do hope Randolph wins the title, he deserves it only real coach left in the game.

Wow. Not sure where you are coming from with that comment Northwoods. I think you been drinking the wrong Kool Aid. I think the amount of up and coming teams in 7AA is a great thing, look at the great quarterfinal games that are lined up for next week. And as far as Randolph is concerned, yeah he has a nice record. But he does have quite a resource there to draw off in terms of players. As far as I am concerned there are better coaches doing more with a whole lot less.

Have gone to a few high school games this season expecting competitive hockey only to have a girls hockey game break out. North, South, East or West it is a girls game plain and simple. Enjoy the show i am going fishing. You can call it great hockey all you want to, whatever floats your boat you are free to spend and observe. MSHSL will gladly take your money.

[elliott70]

Very weak section in a very weak "State of Hockey". MN Hockey development at this stage is a total joke! Hey but opportunity knocks for all teams to get to St. Paul......I for one will boycott the great MSHSL get together this season, not worth the road trip to the saintly city. I do hope Randolph wins the title, he deserves it only real coach left in the game.

Wow. Not sure where you are coming from with that comment Northwoods. I think you been drinking the wrong Kool Aid. I think the amount of up and coming teams in 7AA is a great thing, look at the great quarterfinal games that are lined up for next week. And as far as Randolph is concerned, yeah he has a nice record. But he does have quite a resource there to draw off in terms of players. As far as I am concerned there are better coaches doing more with a whole lot less.

Have gone to a few high school games this season expecting competitive hockey only to have a girls hockey game break out. North, South, East or West it is a girls game plain and simple. Enjoy the show i am going fishing. You can call it great hockey all you want to, whatever floats your boat you are free to spend and observe. MSHSL will gladly take your money.

oldie, what the hcek you talkin' about...
never seen some many quality teams as this year, um, uh,,,,
too much acid, flashin' back to 1972 there for a minute.

[TheHockeyDJ]

Northwoods has totally lost his mind. HS hockey talent is down, a freshmen with size and scoring goals on a varsity second line belongs in bantams...it's just one terrible take after another.

[northwoods oldtimer]

Wow. Not sure where you are coming from with that comment Northwoods. I think you been drinking the wrong Kool Aid. I think the amount of up and coming teams in 7AA is a great thing, look at the great quarterfinal games that are lined up for next week. And as far as Randolph is concerned, yeah he has a nice record. But he does have quite a resource there to draw off in terms of players. As far as I am concerned there are better coaches doing more with a whole lot less.

Have gone to a few high school games this season expecting competitive hockey only to have a girls hockey game break out. North, South, East or West it is a girls game plain and simple. Enjoy the show i am going fishing. You can call it great hockey all you want to, whatever floats your boat you are free to spend and observe. MSHSL will gladly take your money.

oldie, what the hcek you talkin' about...
never seen some many quality teams as this year, um, uh,,,,
too much acid, flashin' back to 1972 there for a minute.

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[GPGT]

East will walk through this section, book your room Duluth-ites'

Rooms already booked, Hoping East, Denfeld or Marshall and Htown make it down