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I am not going to cast a vote for anyone in particular. Way too early for that but i would hope that those that make these decisions would look at who makes their teammates better. I for one would rather see this go to an exceptional athlete that makes those around her better rather than an exceptional athlete that skates with the puck until they can get a shot on goal and/or focuses primarily on the offensive end. Big difference in value to a team in my opinion. I am not saying anyone in particular does this, just that lots of players can do that if they want to but that does not make them the best. Assists should matter as much or more than goals and so should the +/- tally.

Nimrod wrote:I am not going to cast a vote for anyone in particular. Way too early for that but i would hope that those that make these decisions would look at who makes their teammates better. I for one would rather see this go to an exceptional athlete that makes those around her better rather than an exceptional athlete that skates with the puck until they can get a shot on goal and/or focuses primarily on the offensive end. Big difference in value to a team in my opinion. I am not saying anyone in particular does this, just that lots of players can do that if they want to but that does not make them the best. Assists should matter as much or more than goals and so should the +/- tally.

Totally agree, Nimrod, and I'd go a step further in saying that when they go to crown the Ms. Hockey award I hope they fully consider the merits of those who play great defense that allows their team to win - not just the player who scores the most goals.

EP looked unstoppable during their 4 game scrimmages today. Best 3 Starting D in the state.

Rux wrote:EP looked unstoppable during their 4 game scrimmages today. Best 3 Starting D in the state.

Dad..please elaborate on this one..also have you checked out the top 3 D at HM, LN, Tonka, Wayzata or NWC?

36Guy wrote:

Rux wrote:EP looked unstoppable during their 4 game scrimmages today. Best 3 Starting D in the state.

Dad..please elaborate on this one..also have you checked out the top 3 D at HM, LN, Tonka, Wayzata or NWC?

That's funny because you are a dad that promotes your team a lot, good times. Well if you consider it your team as you had to move to be on a winner.

allhoc11 wrote:

36Guy wrote:

Rux wrote:EP looked unstoppable during their 4 game scrimmages today. Best 3 Starting D in the state.

Dad..please elaborate on this one..also have you checked out the top 3 D at HM, LN, Tonka, Wayzata or NWC?

That's funny because you are a dad that promotes your team a lot, good times. Well if you consider it your team as you had to move to be on a winner.

Funny! #uneducated#personal#peace

Rux wrote:EP looked unstoppable during their 4 game scrimmages today. Best 3 Starting D in the state.

Eden Prairie 0 Hill-Murray 5

I'm sorry, this is a cheap shot, but I can't resist. Maybe this clown*** and other clown***es will avoid posting here if they know they'll be reminded later what immense clown***es they are. If you follow where I've drifted here......

Otter wrote:

Rux wrote:EP looked unstoppable during their 4 game scrimmages today. Best 3 Starting D in the state.

Eden Prairie 0 Hill-Murray 5

I'm sorry, this is a cheap shot, but I can't resist. Maybe this clown*** and other clown***es will avoid posting here if they know they'll be reminded later what immense clown***es they are. If you follow where I've drifted here......

Last year Hill-Murray had great defense. This year they can score too. EP needs to stiffen up their defense in front of the net.

Otter wrote:Maybe this clown*** and other clown***es will avoid posting here if they know they'll be reminded later what immense clown***es they are. If you follow where I've drifted here......

Yes, you need to avoid hyperbole when talking about teenage athletes. But at the same time, you have to wonder about this sort of reaction, too.

D6 Girls Fan wrote:

Otter wrote:Maybe this clown*** and other clown***es will avoid posting here if they know they'll be reminded later what immense clown***es they are. If you follow where I've drifted here......

Yes, you need to avoid hyperbole when talking about teenage athletes. But at the same time, you have to wonder about this sort of reaction, too.

I think it is a little funny that when the conference as a whole has a 25-1-1 start, there is a bit of parent chirping on the 1 loss. I can tell you that the scouting report on EP was that it would be tough to replace Mac with young tenders. I was not at the HM game but it looked like shots were pretty even, when you have younger kids in the net you will have nights like that.

Will be interesting to see how the Lake fares now that the schedules will stiffen up a bit. I think scouting reports are pretty much true to form so far. These girls all have a lot of personal history playing with and against each other from U10s on, every team is a rival, and they all want to take the conference. This is what makes Minnesota HS Hockey great. It is going to be a fun winter.

I'll still say that all 5 teams will be within a game of 4-4 at season's end.

Conference action kicks off today with the Top 4 ranked Class AA teams playing consecutive games at the Plymouth Ice Center:

4PM #4AA Edina (11-0-1) vs. #1AA Minnetonka (8-0-0)
6PM #2AA Hopkins (10-0-0) vs. #3AA Wayzata (11-0-1)

Pretty amazing that all four teams are undefeated going into conference play. Should be two excellent games to see if you don't have other plans!

MNHockeyFan wrote:Conference action kicks off today with the Top 4 ranked Class AA teams playing consecutive games at the Plymouth Ice Center:

4PM #4AA Edina (11-0-1) vs. #1AA Minnetonka (8-0-0)
6PM #2AA Hopkins (10-0-0) vs. #3AA Wayzata (11-0-1)

Pretty amazing that all four teams are undefeated going into conference play. Should be two excellent games to see if you don't have other plans!

Would you imagine anything other than two 1 goal games, should be a fun and exciting Lake Conference schedule this year!

allhoc11 wrote:

MNHockeyFan wrote:Conference action kicks off today with the Top 4 ranked Class AA teams playing consecutive games at the Plymouth Ice Center:

4PM #4AA Edina (11-0-1) vs. #1AA Minnetonka (8-0-0)
6PM #2AA Hopkins (10-0-0) vs. #3AA Wayzata (11-0-1)

Pretty amazing that all four teams are undefeated going into conference play. Should be two excellent games to see if you don't have other plans!

Would you imagine anything other than two 1 goal games, should be a fun and exciting Lake Conference schedule this year!

Still anti-climantic until they play your #!?

allhoc11 wrote:Would you imagine anything other than two 1 goal games, should be a fun and exciting Lake Conference schedule this year!

Two excellent hockey games, allhoc11, as both games could have gone either way. All four teams looked very good IMO, and it was easy to see why they are ranked 1 through 4. I didn't get there in time to see Eden Prairie, but if their easy 4-0 win over a solid Buffalo squad is any indication they should also be in the hunt for the Lake Conference title this season.

MNHockeyFan wrote:

allhoc11 wrote:Would you imagine anything other than two 1 goal games, should be a fun and exciting Lake Conference schedule this year!

Two excellent hockey games, allhoc11, as both games could have gone either way. All four teams looked very good IMO, and it was easy to see why they are ranked 1 through 4. I didn't get there in time to see Eden Prairie, but if their easy 4-0 win over a solid Buffalo squad is any indication they should also be in the hunt for the Lake Conference title this season.

EP controlled game and looked good! Never challenged.

I noticed Tonka only lists 15 players on their varsity roster. As good as they are, is that sustainable for an entire season?

Slap Shot wrote:I noticed Tonka only lists 15 players on their varsity roster. As good as they are, is that sustainable for an entire season?

Their roster lists 10 forwards, 4 defense, and 1 goaltender. The D1 committed goalie is a clear number 1. As such, there is little chance that any of the 3 goalies on the JV roster will see varsity action barring an injury, so there is little reason to add a spot there even though one of the 3 will be on the bench every game. The 10 forwards looks like pretty standard stuff. I doubt that there are any teams that routinely skate more than 3 forward lines except in blowout games, so adding more girls to the varsity roster wouldn't change anything. What sets Minnetonka apart from most teams is that they only roster 4 D. It is a formula they have been using now for at least the fourth season in a row, and we all know how it has worked out for everyone else the last 3 years.

To be fair, the Tonka team has had between 2 - 4 D1 players on D each of the past 5 years and have suffered no significant injuries during that span, so that does allow them the luxury of playing with 4 D. They've also had the additional luxury of F's who can readily switch to D plus an experienced JV D player or two who have stepped up when needed. Plus, with their offensive forechecking, their defense does not get terribly worn out. This appears to be the same 15-person roster that they've employed for a number of years, with the only change this year of subtracting a G and adding a F.

Good to know. I didn't realize it's been routine for them to carry a "short" roster at least on paper.

sinbin wrote:Plus, with their offensive forechecking, their defense does not get terribly worn out.

Yeah, it's the other team's D that get worn out!

And speaking of D, it will be interesting to see how Tonka fares in the upcoming Meltdown tournament without #8 in the lineup. I imagine one of the JV players will be getting a temporary promotion in those three games?

I think they were in a similar situation last season, but actually had two D players out for the tournament (#5 and #8, if I recall correctly) and, although they didn't win the tournament, they stymied BSM 2-1, handing them their lowest scoring game of the season, with some nice call-ups.

sinbin wrote:I think they were in a similar situation last season, but actually had two D players out for the tournament (#5 and #8, if I recall correctly) and, although they didn't win the tournament, they stymied BSM 2-1, handing them their lowest scoring game of the season, with some nice call-ups.

Tonka still makes it very tough for everyone to score against them, but my impression is that they are not quite as strong overall as last season. Their graduation losses (especially Peterson and Bowman up front & Morin on D) are hard to replace, although with their perfect record so far you would never know it!

I've said all along that Tonka will probably not be as good as last year and the door was open. And that Edina & Eden Prairie will be big factors. Hopkins and Wayzata are just as good. As for D6, BSM is also not as strong, but if their inexperienced defense figures it out, they will be super tough. And based on their last few games they might have.

Can't wait for the EP tourney this weekend to see Tonka & BSM up close.

Almost through round 1 and we 5 - 1 goal games (6 if you count the Tonka/EP non-conf game) 2 - 2 goal games, and 1 - 3 goal game.

As anticipated each game in conf play is a good paced, entertaining game. I for one think it's a shame that 3 of these teams are in the same section. I've been to a few different Lake games, and think seeing some of these teams play on a bigger stage would be good for the girls game as a whole.