The Week Ahead in 7AA

[karl(east)]

Now that we're more or less 2/3 of the way through the regular season, section races will really start heating up, and few pictures are as convoluted as 7AA. The four top teams have all posted very inconsistent results, and there's a deep second tier of teams that could all cause an upset or two. Below is a rundown on section games this week.

Tuesday:
Duluth East at Forest Lake
-Potentially dangerous game for the Greyhounds on the road aginst a team that upset Grand Rapids early in the season. East needs to win to maintain their status as the frontrunner in 7AA. They probably will, but anything can happen. A win by FL and they will be in the mix for a top-4 seed.
Cloquet at Duluth Marshall
-Big LSC matchup, and should be a close, hard-fought game as usual. Marshall is probably the favorite, but Cloquet is looking to build momentum after their Rapids loss and get back into the section picture.
Grand Rapids at Bemidji
North Metro Stars at Anoka

Thursday:
Greenway at Grand Rapids
-Rivalry game for the Thunderhawks, and their meeting earlier this year was very competitive. Not one to be taken lightly.
Elk River at Anoka
-The Elks proved they can cause problems with an improbable upset of Duluth East, but the results of these teams' first meeting seems to indicate this one won't be that close. We'll see.
Woodbury at Forest Lake
Maple Grove at Andover

Friday:
Edina at Cloquet
-Very interesting matchup, as one of the state's top teams comes up to visit the Jacks. Cloquet could make things interesting but haven't really shown that they have what it takes to keep up with Edina.
Blaine at Duluth East
-A reasonably good cities power comes up to visit the Greyhounds, though Blaine hasn't done much with the few tests it's had so far this year. Blaine will be coming off a game against Centennial the night before.

Saturday:
Coon Rapids at Andover
Maple Grove at Elk River
Cretin-Derham Hall at Forest Lake
Blaine at Cloquet
-Comes across as a pretty even matchup to me, but Blaine will be playing for the third day in a row against good teams, which can't be easy.
Edina at Duluth East
-The heavily anticipated Battle of the Cakeaters. Grand Rapids' performance against Edina leads me to believe the Greyhounds have a chance to keep it close. I'm very interested to see just how much East has improved, and this is the best test they could get.
Anoka at Grand Rapids
-The biggest game of the week in 7AA. In my estimation, the winner will jump into position for the #2 seed in the section, while the loser will end up 3rd or 4th. If East loses to Cloquet (or Forest Lake, for that matter), the winner will move into the top slot.

So...what do you think?

[TheHockeyDJ]

If Grand Rapids beats Anoka, and CEC beats East. Then anything other than GR as the #1 seed would be an absolute travesty.

I hope those results take place and get the following seedings:

1. Grand Rapids
2. Cloquet
3. Duluth East
4. Anoka
5. Forest Lake
6. Elk River
7. Andover

This would put East against a team they lost to in the quarterfinals, and it would be Cloquet against a team they tied in round 1. Plus, if East and CEC win, they'd play each other in the 2nd game of the semi-finals (which ofcourse, is always a great atmosphere). Anoka v. Forest Lake would be a highly competitive game.

[karl(east)]

Personally, I'm hoping Rapids brings down Anoka...the last thing I'd want would be a highly-ranked cities team. But I'm very confident the Greyhounds can win against Cloquet in 17 days. I guess that would leave me with:

1. East
2. Rapids
3. Cloquet (could be #4)
4. Anoka
5. Flake
6. Elk River
7. Andover

[hockey59]

If Grand Rapids beats Anoka, and CEC beats East. Then anything other than GR as the #1 seed would be an absolute travesty.

I hope those results take place and get the following seedings:

1. Grand Rapids
2. Cloquet
3. Duluth East
4. Anoka
5. Forest Lake
6. Elk River
7. Andover

This would put East against a team they lost to in the quarterfinals, and it would be Cloquet against a team they tied in round 1. Plus, if East and CEC win, they'd play each other in the 2nd game of the semi-finals (which ofcourse, is always a great atmosphere). Anoka v. Forest Lake would be a highly competitive game.

Anoka is now 12-4, and have won 6 of their past 7 games...the only loss being a non-conf. game vs. Wayzata where they played their #2 goalie (on the road) and he had a rough outing.

Anoka balanced their top 2 lines after the Wayzata game:

O'Neill centering Belisle & Derks and Scott centering Olson & Olstad...and it has really helped the team get more balanced scoring.

Since this change, they've come back from a 2 goal 3rd period deficit (on the road ) vs. Osseo to win 4-3 in OT, beat Champlain Park (on the road) 4-0 and last night they beat Centennial 7-4. They also beat Blaine 3-1 and Andover 1-0 in OT during January.

JD Wells has won his past 5 starts in goal... allowing a total of 8 goals in those 5 wins. Tyler Manthey is back in the line-up at D and healthy, having recovered from a football knee injury...and Anoka's top 4 D have played significantly better in the past 7 games...Jake Sorterberg, their # 5 D has also recovered from an early season injury and has also played well in recent games.

This is a big week for the Tornadoes...North Metro on Tuesday...ER on Thursday...and Grand Rapids on Saturday.

[TheHockeyDJ]

Speaking of the tornadoes, will they have a good fan following at the DECC in the semi-finals if they get there? GR, East, and CEC usually have I would say 1500 - 2000 fans. Elk River the last two years had about 400-500, and that might be generous. 2 years ago Elk River had a loud student section, last year was even less fans for ER and very queit, no student section at all.

[ColdasIce]

If Grand Rapids beats Anoka, and CEC beats East. Then anything other than GR as the #1 seed would be an absolute travesty.

I hope those results take place and get the following seedings:

1. Grand Rapids
2. Cloquet
3. Duluth East
4. Anoka
5. Forest Lake
6. Elk River
7. Andover

This would put East against a team they lost to in the quarterfinals, and it would be Cloquet against a team they tied in round 1. Plus, if East and CEC win, they'd play each other in the 2nd game of the semi-finals (which ofcourse, is always a great atmosphere). Anoka v. Forest Lake would be a highly competitive game.

are you kidding? do you remember east killing your team on their home ice just a couple of weeks agao???? didn't you just lose to hibbing???? and
i certainly believe strength of schedule will play into who is number one seed in this section? east third??? no way

[EREmpireStrikesBack]

Can't argue that this is a big week, it'll be nice to see some things get straightened out a little and the seedings start to take shape. Or at least I hope...

[TheHockeyDJ]

If Grand Rapids beats Anoka, and CEC beats East. Then anything other than GR as the #1 seed would be an absolute travesty.

I hope those results take place and get the following seedings:

1. Grand Rapids
2. Cloquet
3. Duluth East
4. Anoka
5. Forest Lake
6. Elk River
7. Andover

This would put East against a team they lost to in the quarterfinals, and it would be Cloquet against a team they tied in round 1. Plus, if East and CEC win, they'd play each other in the 2nd game of the semi-finals (which ofcourse, is always a great atmosphere). Anoka v. Forest Lake would be a highly competitive game.

are you kidding? do you remember east killing your team on their home ice just a couple of weeks agao???? didn't you just lose to hibbing???? and
i certainly believe strength of schedule will play into who is number one seed in this section? east third??? no way

ColdasIce, you are only focused in on a small part of the picture. What about games vs. Cloquet and Elk River. In that case Grand Rapids has the edge over Duluth East. And if East loses to CEC at the DECC, then East will be 0-3 in games vs. CEC and Elk River. GR would be 2-0-1 in those 3 games. So now you throw in the head to head East GR game and now East is a spectacular 1-3 and Rapids is 2-1-1.

[karl(east)]

This is the way I'd break it down.

So far, against other top-4 teams:
East 2-1
Rapids 1-1-1
Cloquet 1-1-1
Anoka 0-1
All have one game left against another top 4 team.

Against the whole section (section games left in parenthesis):
East 2-2 (2)
Rapids 1-2-1 (1)
Cloquet 2-1-2 (1)
Anoka 3-1 (3) It should be noted that only 2 of Anoka's 7 section games are against top 4 teams, the other teams play 4.

Strength of schedule, according to Minnhock:
1. East
2. Cloquet
3. Rapids
4. Anoka

[grindiangrad-80]

Today I'm guessing it will end up like this:
1 East
2 Anoka
3 GR
4 CEC
5 Elks
6 Forest Lake
7 Andover
8 Cambridge
9 St Francis

[Penalty Shot]

Karl, Nice job, IF East can beat Forest Lake and Cloquet it would seem to me that East could grab the number 1 seed as long as they dont have any serious meltdowns the rest of the way. The number 1 seed looks to be more important this year then in years past due to the ability of the 5,6 and 7 seeds. Cloquet, Anoka, Grand Rapids, East, Elk River, Forest Lake, and Andover all appear to be dangerous on any given night. I would also say that if Cloquet, East Anoka, and Rapids play to their abilities they will be a tough opponent for anyone to knock out! It should be interseting. Lets go Hounds!

[EREmpireStrikesBack]

Today I'm guessing it will end up like this:
1 East
2 Anoka
3 GR
4 CEC
5 Elks
6 Forest Lake
7 Andover
8 Cambridge
9 St Francis

Very nicely done. Gets my approval.

[grindiangrad-80]

I wouldn't want to bet $1 on any of the section games.
It seems more wide open this year than ever.
No matter who comes out of here, it won't be a big surprise.

[elliott70]

Tuesday:
Duluth East at Forest Lake
EAST

Cloquet at Duluth Marshall
DM

Grand Rapids at Bemidji
Bemidji

North Metro Stars at Anoka
Anoka

Thursday:
Greenway at Grand Rapids
Rapids

Elk River at Anoka
Anoka

Woodbury at Forest Lake
Woodbury

Maple Grove at Andover
Maple Grove

Friday:
Edina at Cloquet
Edina

Blaine at Duluth East
East

Saturday:
Coon Rapids at Andover
Coon Rapids

Maple Grove at Elk River
Maple Grove

Cretin-Derham Hall at Forest Lake
Cretin

Blaine at Cloquet
Blaine

Edina at Duluth East
Edina

Anoka at Grand Rapids
Anoka

[elliott70]

Today I'm guessing it will end up like this:

1 Anoka
2 East
3 GR
4 CEC
5 Elks
6 Forest Lake
7 Andover
8 Cambridge
9 St Francis

No upsets in the qfinals
semis
Anoka over CEC
GR over East

GR over Anoka for the 3-peat.

[PASTRAPIDSFAN]

Today I'm guessing it will end up like this:

1 Anoka
2 East
3 GR
4 CEC
5 Elks
6 Forest Lake
7 Andover
8 Cambridge
9 St Francis

No upsets in the qfinals
semis
Anoka over CEC
GR over East

GR over Anoka for the 3-peat.

You must have your flannel underwear on, there creeping up a bit and you cant think straight.

[hockey59]

Speaking of the tornadoes, will they have a good fan following at the DECC in the semi-finals if they get there? GR, East, and CEC usually have I would say 1500 - 2000 fans. Elk River the last two years had about 400-500, and that might be generous. 2 years ago Elk River had a loud student section, last year was even less fans for ER and very queit, no student section at all.

RR - not sure why all the hand ringing from you regarding Anoka's fan base? As your probably aware, Anoka is about 150 miles from Duluth...so while it won't be a massive turn-out...Anoka will get their share of fans...probably about 500...at the DECC.

This Saturday in GR, Anoka will probably have about 150 fans at the game...but I doubt it will affect the outcome of the game (either way). At the HS level, most of the advantage of playing at home is being familiar with your own rink and not having to travel...conversely, most of the disadvantage of being on the road is travel related and not being familiar with your opponents rink.

Having a lot of fans at any HS game tends to help both teams...so I'm hoping its a full house at IRA Arena on Saturday!

[elliott70]

Today I'm guessing it will end up like this:

1 Anoka
2 East
3 GR
4 CEC
5 Elks
6 Forest Lake
7 Andover
8 Cambridge
9 St Francis

No upsets in the qfinals
semis
Anoka over CEC
GR over East

GR over Anoka for the 3-peat.

You must have your flannel underwear on, there creeping up a bit and you cant think straight.

Yeah, that's a problem, sometimes...
Go Indians!

[grindiangrad-80]

Today I'm guessing it will end up like this:

1 Anoka
2 East
3 GR
4 CEC
5 Elks
6 Forest Lake
7 Andover
8 Cambridge
9 St Francis

No upsets in the qfinals
semis
Anoka over CEC
GR over East

GR over Anoka for the 3-peat.

Id be good with that.

[grindiangrad-80]

Today I'm guessing it will end up like this:

1 Anoka
2 East
3 GR
4 CEC
5 Elks
6 Forest Lake
7 Andover
8 Cambridge
9 St Francis

No upsets in the qfinals
semis
Anoka over CEC
GR over East

GR over Anoka for the 3-peat.

You must have your flannel underwear on, there creeping up a bit and you cant think straight.

[Indians forever]

If Grand Rapids beats Anoka, and CEC beats East. Then anything other than GR as the #1 seed would be an absolute travesty.

I hope those results take place and get the following seedings:

1. Grand Rapids
2. Cloquet
3. Duluth East
4. Anoka
5. Forest Lake
6. Elk River
7. Andover

This would put East against a team they lost to in the quarterfinals, and it would be Cloquet against a team they tied in round 1. Plus, if East and CEC win, they'd play each other in the 2nd game of the semi-finals (which ofcourse, is always a great atmosphere). Anoka v. Forest Lake would be a highly competitive game.

are you kidding? do you remember east killing your team on their home ice just a couple of weeks agao???? didn't you just lose to hibbing???? and
i certainly believe strength of schedule will play into who is number one seed in this section? east third??? no way

ColdasIce, you are only focused in on a small part of the picture. What about games vs. Cloquet and Elk River. In that case Grand Rapids has the edge over Duluth East. And if East loses to CEC at the DECC, then East will be 0-3 in games vs. CEC and Elk River. GR would be 2-0-1 in those 3 games. So now you throw in the head to head East GR game and now East is a spectacular 1-3 and Rapids is 2-1-1.

Very well said Rapids, I couldn't agree with you more. I believe there will be a much clearer picture after this weekend. Then again I know that some how Rpaids will get screwed and they will just have to fight that much harder as usual.

[karl(east)]

Hmm...no one not from East seems to want them anywhere near the top seed. I wonder why?

As for the fan base issue...anyone who thinks it doesn't have an impact at sections has never been to the DECC for a semifinal or final.

[northwoods oldtimer]

Strength of schedule, according to Minnhock:
1. East
2. Cloquet
3. Rapids
4. Anoka

karl 'marx' east guy, no way do the CEC boys get the 2 spot
They are a #4 for tops for putting Assland, Wisconsin on the schedule.

[boblee]

Here are my thoughts...

Tuesday:
Duluth East at Forest Lake
The Line: Duluth East by 2
I expect East to get the job done in one of their biggest games of the season. They have played brilliant at times and awful at others. They will not play their best game, but they will win.

Cloquet at Duluth Marshall
The Line: Duluth Marshall by 1
Cloquet always seems to play Duluth Marshall very tough. It is a huge conference game and CEC will be looking to get back on track. With that said, DM has been playing very will and will find a way to win this one. Experienced goaltending will prevail.

Grand Rapids at Bemidji
The Line: Grand Rapids by 3
Grand Rapids has been a roller coaster much like the Greyhounds have been. Bemidji is coming off of being trounced by Roseau. The Thunderhawks are coming off of a very disappointing loss to Hibbing. Grand Rapids has won the last two meetings 7-3 and 5-1. They will continue beating Bemidji and start off a great week with a nice win.

North Metro Stars at Anoka
The Line: Anoka by 3
Anoka has one of the best first lines in the state. North Metro isn't the worst team in the state, but they aren't anything to write home about. Anoka will get the win, and it may be ugly, but they will do it. Anoka will pick up momentum heading towards Grand Rapids.

Thursday:
Greenway at Grand Rapids
The Line: Grand Rapids by 2
The Thunderhawk-Raider line is very rarely more than a couple goals. Grand Rapids played a very close game with a gritty Raiders squad and will be fighting hard on Thursday. Greenway has won three straight with a combined victory of 26-6. Grand Rapids will find a way to win however, but the Raider senior class will keep it close.

Elk River at Anoka
The Line: Anoka by 2
For as rough of a season that Elk River has had, they have played very tough in section games including a big win over Duluth East, a team that Anoka lost too. However, Anoka beat Champlin Park and Elk River couldn't pull out the win over the Rebels. The Tornadoes will win and set up a huge game in Grand Rapids on Saturday.

Woodbury at Forest Lake
The Line: Woodbury by 4
Forest Lake is quietly having a pretty nice year, but Woodbury pounded them 6-1 earlier in the year. I would be real surprised if Woodbury beat them up that badly this time, but the Woodbury line is the way it is based on that win, and I believe they will knock off Forest Lake in this one as well.

Maple Grove at Andover
The Line: Maple Grove by 2
Andover took the Elks into overtime recently, but Maple Grove is too much of a scoring threat. It is very possible that the Andover squad is playing their best hockey of the year. Maple Grove has some goaltending competition. If Andover can score first, they can keep this one close, but the Maple Grove boys will come thru.

Friday:
Edina at Cloquet
The Line: Edina by 2
Cloquet and Edina traditionally play very close hockey games and Grand Rapids and Elk River have played Edina tight, I think this one will be too. Edina will have too much depth in the end, but more importantly, they will have better goaltending. Cloquet will keep the score close, but the Hornets will win the game.

Blaine at Duluth East
The Line: Duluth East by 2
Blaine has won 5 straight and is playing their best hockey of the year. Duluth East has been that rollercoaster, but will be getting hot and getting ready for, but not looking ahead to Edina. Blaine can score a lot of goals, but Matt Cooper has proven to be a solid fix in goal. Duluth East will find a way to win, but the Bengals will give the Greyhounds their monies worth.

Saturday:
Coon Rapids at Andover
The Line: Andover by 2
Andover beat Coon Rapids 6-2 earlier in the year and they will do it again. That's enough on this game.

Maple Grove at Elk River
The line: Maple Grove by 1
Maple Grove is a solid offensive team and I think they will bring too much for the Elks to handle. Maple Grove will make the line hold true and win the game, but the Elks will be in it until the end.

Cretin-Derham Hall at Forest Lake
The Line: Cretin-Derham Hall by 2
Cretin beat the Rangers 3-0 in their first meeting of the season. The Raiders of Cretin seem to be having a down year, but they are still a force to be reckoned with. Forest Lake will save face at the end of the week and pull off the upset over Cretin.

Blaine at Cloquet
The Line: Blaine by 1
Blaine has a great offensive attack, but Blaine plays great defense. I wanted to give Blaine the line because of the Brainerd scores alone. Blaine beat them 8-3 and Cloquet lost to them 7-2. I decided to give them the line, but I don't think it is really a tell tale sign. Cloquet will play great defense and get gret goaltending, but it won't be quiet enough. The Bengals and Lumberjacks will tie this hockey game.

Edina at Duluth East
The Line: Edina by 1
Edina is a great hockey team, and it will be a great hockey game when Duluth East shows up on the top of their rollercoaster. I am remembering what Duluth East did to Centennial at the DECC in the first half of the year. Cloquet is going to help wear down Edina and Duluth East is going to get great play from their top line and pull off the upset.

Anoka at Grand Rapids
The Line: push
This seems to be the most even and most anticipated game of the week. Grand Rapids is going to get that playoff itch this week and they will be a lot of fun to watch. I know Anoka has a very good hockey team, and that top line will give Grand Rapids all they can handle. It is time for a Grand Rapids goaltender to take this job and run, this will be the game that does it as Grand Rapids will win the game on their home ice and all but secure a top 3 seed in the section.

[PuckRanger]

Strength of schedule, according to Minnhock:
1. East
2. Cloquet
3. Rapids
4. Anoka

karl 'marx' east guy, no way do the CEC boys get the 2 spot
They are a #4 for tops for putting Assland, Wisconsin on the schedule.

That's a conference game, oldtimer. They probably would have preferred not to play that one, but they had to. I'll bet Ashland would prefer to have not played it as well...