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greenway1969 wrote:EGF will take out Hermantown for the third straight year, this time in the semifinals. I'm assuming Hermantown makes it out of Section 7A, which is no sure bet. Hermantown used to be able to go to the finals with no real serious challenge. That is not the case anymore. The depth and quality of the number Single A teams has improved greatly over the last few years. There will probably be five quality teams (Breck, Hermantown, EGF, Mahtomedi, and Apollo) at the State Tournament with any one of them capable of winning it all. Also each of those teams will face a tough challenge just to make it to state.

rainier wrote:

Jeffy95 wrote:

Sats81 wrote:What happens if Hermantown finishes 2nd again?

That would be really cool. I love the Sports curses and it's always fun to see them continue. I was really bummed when the Red Sox won. The Skrbich curse in Hermantown ranks right up there with the Curse of the Bambino and the Curse of the Billy Goat!

What is the Skrbich curse?

Jeffy95 wrote:

rainier wrote:

Jeffy95 wrote: That would be really cool. I love the Sports curses and it's always fun to see them continue. I was really bummed when the Red Sox won. The Skrbich curse in Hermantown ranks right up there with the Curse of the Bambino and the Curse of the Billy Goat!

What is the Skrbich curse?

Garrett Skrbich was a Proctor kid and one of the first star players to open-enroll at Hermantown to play hockey. He went on to become the Hawks all-time leading scorer.

Local Legend has it that after the transfer a disgruntled Rails fan hung a Red-Tailed Hawk from Coach Plante's clothes line. On it was a note warning Coach Plante to back up his claims that only Hometown boys play for the Hawks by not allowing Skrbich a future Varsity spot.

When his warning went unheeded, he snuck into the Hermantown Arena and buried a Mexican Sugar Skull under the slab on the North Side of the rink between the Red and Blue lines. He then proclaimed that the Hawks would never win another Class A title.

Every Spring after the State Tournament the arena slab heaves in this exact spot, causing an ice out and slab repair. An annual subtle reminder that the curse lives on..............

Jeffy95 wrote:

rainier wrote:

Jeffy95 wrote: That would be really cool. I love the Sports curses and it's always fun to see them continue. I was really bummed when the Red Sox won. The Skrbich curse in Hermantown ranks right up there with the Curse of the Bambino and the Curse of the Billy Goat!

What is the Skrbich curse?

Garrett Skrbich was a Proctor kid and one of the first star players to open-enroll at Hermantown to play hockey. He went on to become the Hawks all-time leading scorer.

Local Legend has it that after the transfer a disgruntled Rails fan hung a Red-Tailed Hawk from Coach Plante's clothes line. On it was a note warning Coach Plante to back up his claims that only Hometown boys play for the Hawks by not allowing Skrbich a future Varsity spot.

When his warning went unheeded, he snuck into the Hermantown Arena and buried a Mexican Sugar Skull under the slab on the North Side of the rink between the Red and Blue lines. He then proclaimed that the Hawks would never win another Class A title.

Every Spring after the State Tournament the arena slab heaves in this exact spot, causing an ice out and slab repair. An annual subtle reminder that the curse lives on..............

Jeffy95 wrote:

rainier wrote:

Jeffy95 wrote: That would be really cool. I love the Sports curses and it's always fun to see them continue. I was really bummed when the Red Sox won. The Skrbich curse in Hermantown ranks right up there with the Curse of the Bambino and the Curse of the Billy Goat!

What is the Skrbich curse?

Garrett Skrbich was a Proctor kid and one of the first star players to open-enroll at Hermantown to play hockey. He went on to become the Hawks all-time leading scorer.

Local Legend has it that after the transfer a disgruntled Rails fan hung a Red-Tailed Hawk from Coach Plante's clothes line. On it was a note warning Coach Plante to back up his claims that only Hometown boys play for the Hawks by not allowing Skrbich a future Varsity spot.

When his warning went unheeded, he snuck into the Hermantown Arena and buried a Mexican Sugar Skull under the slab on the North Side of the rink between the Red and Blue lines. He then proclaimed that the Hawks would never win another Class A title.

Every Spring after the State Tournament the arena slab heaves in this exact spot, causing an ice out and slab repair. An annual subtle reminder that the curse lives on..............

rainier wrote:

Jeffy95 wrote:

rainier wrote: What is the Skrbich curse?

Garrett Skrbich was a Proctor kid and one of the first star players to open-enroll at Hermantown to play hockey. He went on to become the Hawks all-time leading scorer.

Local Legend has it that after the transfer a disgruntled Rails fan hung a Red-Tailed Hawk from Coach Plante's clothes line. On it was a note warning Coach Plante to back up his claims that only Hometown boys play for the Hawks by not allowing Skrbich a future Varsity spot.

When his warning went unheeded, he snuck into the Hermantown Arena and buried a Mexican Sugar Skull under the slab on the North Side of the rink between the Red and Blue lines. He then proclaimed that the Hawks would never win another Class A title.

Every Spring after the State Tournament the arena slab heaves in this exact spot, causing an ice out and slab repair. An annual subtle reminder that the curse lives on..............

Hilarious!

The Skrbich curse does bring up an interesting dilemma for Plante. He can't break the curse unless he stops allowing open enrollees, but if he stops allowing open enrollees to play, his team won't be good enough to win it anyway. Fascinating.

HShockeywatcher wrote:There are still 4 teams in the top 5 who haven't lost to a Class A team, the only loss coming in OT by Apollo to the team ranked right above them.
There is one key match up at the top this week and plenty of matchups with ranked teams so things could look very different next week.
Are there any teams you would like to see being mentioned that aren't? Let me know.

Enjoy!

1. [1] Hermantown (13-2-1)
The Hawks shut out Grand Rapids on the road, beat Cathedral, beat Greenway on the road and lost a close one to Bemidji. Their next 3 games are at home culminating with hosting their best Class A opponent of the season in Mahtomedi on Saturday.
Tues 1/19 vs Proctor, Fri 1/22 vs White Bear Lake, Sat 1/23 vs Mahtomedi

2. [2] Breck (13-3)
The Mustangs won 3 games on the road and with their win over Apollo solidified themselves as a Top 2 team. A slip up against SPA or @ Mahtomedi in their 24th game could drop them or a Hermantown slip could bump them up. They play their next 6 games at home.
Tues 1/19 vs Chanhassen, Thurs 1/21 vs Providence Academy

3. [3] St Cloud Apollo (13-2)
The Eagles played their biggest game of the season and lost in OT to Breck, showing they can keep it close. If seedings stay put, they could match up again in the semifinals at state. Their only two games of note are both next week, playing Little Falls on the road and hosting Hibbing.
Tues 1/19 @ Sauk Rapids-Rice, Thurs 1/23 @ Alexandria

4. [4] Mahtomedi (11-4)
The Zephyrs picked up a conference win at St Thomas but followed that up with a loss to Tartan. They still don't have a loss to a Class A team, although the rankings would indicate that will change in a week as they travel to Hermantown this Saturday. Can they hand Hermantown their first Class A loss?
Thurs 1/21 @ Hastings, Sat 1/23 @ Hermantown

5. [7] Hibbing (14-1)
The Bluejackets have done nothing but win this season until they suffered their first loss to a very good Grand Rapids team. With no Class A losses and a game at Apollo in a couple weeks, the only place they can go is up. This week they have 3 important home games, both for section and potentially state seeding.
Tues 1/19 vs Denfeld, Fri 1/22 vs Warroad, Sat 1/23 vs Thief River Falls

6. [8] East Grand Forks (11-5-1)
The Green Wave have pretty lopsided losses on back to back days to Breck and SPA in the beginning of December, but aside from that have a very good resume. As is the majority of their schedule, the rest of the way they are playing 8A, 8AA or ND teams. It'd be hard to imagine East Grand Forks cracking the top 5 even if they run the table, but there's only 1 way to find out...
Tues 1/19 @ Thief River Falls, Thurs 1/21 vs Grand Forks Red River, Sat 1/23 @ Grand Forks Central

7. [6] Delano (11-5)
The Tigers still only have Class A losses to Breck (by 2) and Hermantown (by 3) and now have a schedule that doesn't seem to shine too much. Their game one win over Blake just got better and their 1 goal loss to Holy Family is quite impressive. Can they win two more on the road, including a surging Litchfield team?
Tues 1/19 @ Mound Westonka, Fri @ Litchfield

8. [5] St Paul Academy (12-4)
The Spartans were upset by Blake in a game at seems to be more of a testament to Blake being underrated than showing the true colors of SPA. Now to match their regular season record of last year they're going to have to win out, beating Breck on the road. This Saturday's game in Breck appears to be their toughest until the Breck game.
Tues 1/19 @ Minnehaha Academy, Thurs 1/21 vs Minneapolis, Sat 1/23 @ St Paul Johnson

9. [9] Thief River Falls (12-4)
The Prowlers have two Class A losses to the top two teams so they really could be potentially be much higher if they keep winning. They have 3 really important games this week; how many can they win?
Tues 1/19 vs East Grand Forks, Fri 1/22 @ Denfeld, Sat 1/23 @ Hibbing

10. [10] St Cloud Cathedral (11-5)
The Crusaders have lost to the top 3 teams and 2 more ranked above them. On the docket this week are two potential upsets as Little Falls is on a 13 game win streak and Blake just upset SPA.
Tues 1/19 @ Little Falls, Sat 1/23 vs Blake

11. [12] Greenway (15-3)
They Raiders continue to win and played a close game with Hermantown. They should pick up 3 more wins this week before having another crack at Hibbing next week.
Tues 1/19 @ Virginia, Thurs 1/21 vs North Shore, Fri 1/22 @ International Falls

12. [-] Blake ( 8-8 )
The Bears are shut out Kennedy, beat SPA and beat Denfeld in 3 of their last 4 games. With the exception of their 1 goal Orono loss, their losses have been to quality opponents; 3 to teams ranked above them and 4 to AA teams. Winning their 3 games this week would be huge and they still have home and away games with Breck before sections.
Tues 1/19 @ Providence Academy, Thurs 1/21 @ Minnehaha Academy, Sat 1/23 @ Cathedral

13. [11] Duluth Denfeld (9-8-1)
The Hunters are a team who have played a lot of different teams and been in almost all of the games. Their score with Hermantown indicates they probably aren't going to state, but what about making it to the section final? Tuesday's game likely determines if they are a top 3 seed in the section or not.
Tues 1/19 @ Hibbing, Fri 1/22 vs Warroad, Sat 1/23 vs Thief River Falls

14. [13] Totino-Grace (7-8-1)
The Eagles have the most difficult Class A schedule to compare to others as there are only 5 Class A opponents. Their most recent loss was by 1 goal to Elk River so it's hard to think they're terrible. 6 games from now they play Mahtomedi on the road in what will likely determine section seeding and they should be battle tested.
Tues 1/19 @ Holy Angels, Thurs 1/21 vs Armstrong, Sat 1/23 @ Irondale

15. [-] Little Falls (15-2)
The Fliers are on a 13 game win streak in which they have allowed 10 goals. The competitions hasn't been great, so their next 3 games (Apollo next week) will determine how good this team really is.
Tues 1/19 vs Cathedral, Sat 1/23 vs Fergus Falls



Litchfield (14-2)
Tues 1/19 @ Orono, Fri 1/22 vs Delano

Luverne (14-4)
The Cardinals
Mon 1/18 @ Mankato East, Sat 1/23 @ New Prague

[14] Sartell-St Stephen (12-5)
The Sabres
Tues 1/19 vs Brainerd, Fri 1/22 vs St Cloud Tech

GoldyGopher wrote:

HShockeywatcher wrote:There are still 4 teams in the top 5 who haven't lost to a Class A team, the only loss coming in OT by Apollo to the team ranked right above them.
There is one key match up at the top this week and plenty of matchups with ranked teams so things could look very different next week.
Are there any teams you would like to see being mentioned that aren't? Let me know.

Enjoy!

1. [1] Hermantown (13-2-1)
The Hawks shut out Grand Rapids on the road, beat Cathedral, beat Greenway on the road and lost a close one to Bemidji. Their next 3 games are at home culminating with hosting their best Class A opponent of the season in Mahtomedi on Saturday.
Tues 1/19 vs Proctor, Fri 1/22 vs White Bear Lake, Sat 1/23 vs Mahtomedi

2. [2] Breck (13-3)
The Mustangs won 3 games on the road and with their win over Apollo solidified themselves as a Top 2 team. A slip up against SPA or @ Mahtomedi in their 24th game could drop them or a Hermantown slip could bump them up. They play their next 6 games at home.
Tues 1/19 vs Chanhassen, Thurs 1/21 vs Providence Academy

3. [3] St Cloud Apollo (13-2)
The Eagles played their biggest game of the season and lost in OT to Breck, showing they can keep it close. If seedings stay put, they could match up again in the semifinals at state. Their only two games of note are both next week, playing Little Falls on the road and hosting Hibbing.
Tues 1/19 @ Sauk Rapids-Rice, Thurs 1/23 @ Alexandria

4. [4] Mahtomedi (11-4)
The Zephyrs picked up a conference win at St Thomas but followed that up with a loss to Tartan. They still don't have a loss to a Class A team, although the rankings would indicate that will change in a week as they travel to Hermantown this Saturday. Can they hand Hermantown their first Class A loss?
Thurs 1/21 @ Hastings, Sat 1/23 @ Hermantown

5. [7] Hibbing (14-1)
The Bluejackets have done nothing but win this season until they suffered their first loss to a very good Grand Rapids team. With no Class A losses and a game at Apollo in a couple weeks, the only place they can go is up. This week they have 3 important home games, both for section and potentially state seeding.
Tues 1/19 vs Denfeld, Fri 1/22 vs Warroad, Sat 1/23 vs Thief River Falls

6. [8] East Grand Forks (11-5-1)
The Green Wave have pretty lopsided losses on back to back days to Breck and SPA in the beginning of December, but aside from that have a very good resume. As is the majority of their schedule, the rest of the way they are playing 8A, 8AA or ND teams. It'd be hard to imagine East Grand Forks cracking the top 5 even if they run the table, but there's only 1 way to find out...
Tues 1/19 @ Thief River Falls, Thurs 1/21 vs Grand Forks Red River, Sat 1/23 @ Grand Forks Central

7. [6] Delano (11-5)
The Tigers still only have Class A losses to Breck (by 2) and Hermantown (by 3) and now have a schedule that doesn't seem to shine too much. Their game one win over Blake just got better and their 1 goal loss to Holy Family is quite impressive. Can they win two more on the road, including a surging Litchfield team?
Tues 1/19 @ Mound Westonka, Fri @ Litchfield

8. [5] St Paul Academy (12-4)
The Spartans were upset by Blake in a game at seems to be more of a testament to Blake being underrated than showing the true colors of SPA. Now to match their regular season record of last year they're going to have to win out, beating Breck on the road. This Saturday's game in Breck appears to be their toughest until the Breck game.
Tues 1/19 @ Minnehaha Academy, Thurs 1/21 vs Minneapolis, Sat 1/23 @ St Paul Johnson

9. [9] Thief River Falls (12-4)
The Prowlers have two Class A losses to the top two teams so they really could be potentially be much higher if they keep winning. They have 3 really important games this week; how many can they win?
Tues 1/19 vs East Grand Forks, Fri 1/22 @ Denfeld, Sat 1/23 @ Hibbing

10. [10] St Cloud Cathedral (11-5)
The Crusaders have lost to the top 3 teams and 2 more ranked above them. On the docket this week are two potential upsets as Little Falls is on a 13 game win streak and Blake just upset SPA.
Tues 1/19 @ Little Falls, Sat 1/23 vs Blake

11. [12] Greenway (15-3)
They Raiders continue to win and played a close game with Hermantown. They should pick up 3 more wins this week before having another crack at Hibbing next week.
Tues 1/19 @ Virginia, Thurs 1/21 vs North Shore, Fri 1/22 @ International Falls

12. [-] Blake ( 8-8 )
The Bears are shut out Kennedy, beat SPA and beat Denfeld in 3 of their last 4 games. With the exception of their 1 goal Orono loss, their losses have been to quality opponents; 3 to teams ranked above them and 4 to AA teams. Winning their 3 games this week would be huge and they still have home and away games with Breck before sections.
Tues 1/19 @ Providence Academy, Thurs 1/21 @ Minnehaha Academy, Sat 1/23 @ Cathedral

13. [11] Duluth Denfeld (9-8-1)
The Hunters are a team who have played a lot of different teams and been in almost all of the games. Their score with Hermantown indicates they probably aren't going to state, but what about making it to the section final? Tuesday's game likely determines if they are a top 3 seed in the section or not.
Tues 1/19 @ Hibbing, Fri 1/22 vs Warroad, Sat 1/23 vs Thief River Falls

14. [13] Totino-Grace (7-8-1)
The Eagles have the most difficult Class A schedule to compare to others as there are only 5 Class A opponents. Their most recent loss was by 1 goal to Elk River so it's hard to think they're terrible. 6 games from now they play Mahtomedi on the road in what will likely determine section seeding and they should be battle tested.
Tues 1/19 @ Holy Angels, Thurs 1/21 vs Armstrong, Sat 1/23 @ Irondale

15. [-] Little Falls (15-2)
The Fliers are on a 13 game win streak in which they have allowed 10 goals. The competitions hasn't been great, so their next 3 games (Apollo next week) will determine how good this team really is.
Tues 1/19 vs Cathedral, Sat 1/23 vs Fergus Falls



Litchfield (14-2)
Tues 1/19 @ Orono, Fri 1/22 vs Delano

Luverne (14-4)
The Cardinals
Mon 1/18 @ Mankato East, Sat 1/23 @ New Prague

[14] Sartell-St Stephen (12-5)
The Sabres
Tues 1/19 vs Brainerd, Fri 1/22 vs St Cloud Tech

The only change I would make is move everyone down and put Luverne at #1. A clear no-brainer

TTpuckster wrote:

rainier wrote:

Jeffy95 wrote: Garrett Skrbich was a Proctor kid and one of the first star players to open-enroll at Hermantown to play hockey. He went on to become the Hawks all-time leading scorer.

Local Legend has it that after the transfer a disgruntled Rails fan hung a Red-Tailed Hawk from Coach Plante's clothes line. On it was a note warning Coach Plante to back up his claims that only Hometown boys play for the Hawks by not allowing Skrbich a future Varsity spot.

When his warning went unheeded, he snuck into the Hermantown Arena and buried a Mexican Sugar Skull under the slab on the North Side of the rink between the Red and Blue lines. He then proclaimed that the Hawks would never win another Class A title.

Every Spring after the State Tournament the arena slab heaves in this exact spot, causing an ice out and slab repair. An annual subtle reminder that the curse lives on..............

Hilarious!

The Skrbich curse does bring up an interesting dilemma for Plante. He can't break the curse unless he stops allowing open enrollees, but if he stops allowing open enrollees to play, his team won't be good enough to win it anyway. Fascinating.

Well, he, or somebody in Hermantown could jack hammer the slab and take the dad burned Sugar Skull out of there.....Just sayin'...

alcloseshaver wrote:Jeffy, you are so spot on to the genius of not using the Day of Dead Skull. Most of us us would have gone with that. I might try one at Amsoil for no other reason than it has been a house of horrors for a certain NW suburban squad.

east hockey wrote:

alcloseshaver wrote:Jeffy, you are so spot on to the genius of not using the Day of Dead Skull. Most of us us would have gone with that. I might try one at Amsoil for no other reason than it has been a house of horrors for a certain NW suburban squad.

Not really. They did beat East in the '99 7AA semifinals.

Lee

alcloseshaver wrote:

east hockey wrote:

alcloseshaver wrote:Jeffy, you are so spot on to the genius of not using the Day of Dead Skull. Most of us us would have gone with that. I might try one at Amsoil for no other reason than it has been a house of horrors for a certain NW suburban squad.

Not really. They did beat East in the '99 7AA semifinals.

Lee

We do have that going for us, which is nice

alcloseshaver wrote:Jeffy, you are so spot on to the genius of not using the Day of Dead Skull. Most of us us would have gone with that. I might try one at Amsoil for no other reason than it has been a house of horrors for a certain NW suburban squad.

Jeffy95 wrote:

alcloseshaver wrote:Jeffy, you are so spot on to the genius of not using the Day of Dead Skull. Most of us us would have gone with that. I might try one at Amsoil for no other reason than it has been a house of horrors for a certain NW suburban squad.

It's not as easy to get into Amsoil but it can be done. I know a guy but it will cost you!

Jeffy95 wrote:

alcloseshaver wrote:Jeffy, you are so spot on to the genius of not using the Day of Dead Skull. Most of us us would have gone with that. I might try one at Amsoil for no other reason than it has been a house of horrors for a certain NW suburban squad.

It's not as easy to get into Amsoil but it can be done. I know a guy but it will cost you!

Mite-dad wrote:Heartbreaking loss for LF as Cathedral scores the gamewinner with 2 ticks left in regulation.

HShockeywatcher wrote:To have the discussion before the game happens and not after:
Assuming everyone else wins and Mahtomedi beats Hermantown on Saturday, is your opinion that Mahtomedi simply leap frogs the teams in front of them, becomes #1 and everyone slides down a spot or is your opinion that Breck is our new #1 and Hermantown slides down below Mahtomedi?
Both trains of thought are similarly valid.

The only Class A loss among the current top 5 is still Apollo to Breck in OT.

Shortshift wrote:

Mite-dad wrote:Heartbreaking loss for LF as Cathedral scores the gamewinner with 2 ticks left in regulation.

Did not think it would be that close of a game. Didn't expect a blowout either. Mite-dad, What are you thoughts on the game? Was this an even match-up?

pekyman wrote:

HShockeywatcher wrote:To have the discussion before the game happens and not after:
Assuming everyone else wins and Mahtomedi beats Hermantown on Saturday, is your opinion that Mahtomedi simply leap frogs the teams in front of them, becomes #1 and everyone slides down a spot or is your opinion that Breck is our new #1 and Hermantown slides down below Mahtomedi?
Both trains of thought are similarly valid.

The only Class A loss among the current top 5 is still Apollo to Breck in OT.

If Hermantown loses to Mahtomedi on Saturday, which I think they will, Breck goes to 1, Mah to 2 and Herm to 3. I think Mahtomedi wins state this year.