FINAL AA Rankings
Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2009 12:49 am
Time to do this one last time. I had no idea this would develop into a weekly thing when I started it, but I'm glad I've seen it through, and I hope you've enjoyed them too.
1. EDEN PRAIRIE
-Congrats to the state champs. They were probably the most consistent team in the state from start to finish and methodically moved through the state tournament, unfazed by whatever their opponents threw at them. A very deserving state champion. Leddy has my vote for Mr. Hockey as well, and even without him they'll be a threat to repeat next time around.
2. Moorhead
-The record isn't anywhere near the other teams up here, but they peaked at the right time and earned 2nd place with that stunningly easy upset of Edina. It was an excellent team effort, and though they finished 2nd once again, the Spuds have a lot to be proud of. They played EP closer than the score indicated.
3. Blaine
-The Bengals claimed 3rd with a solid win over CDH and gave EP an excellent run along the way. Bjugstad showed some great flashes, Harper was very solid, and the first line was fun to watch too. They've established a bit of a stranglehold on their section, and the competition has its work cut out for them to catch up.
4. Edina
-I'm sorry if you read my comment on them on the East-Edina thread; this is a repeat. But I think it's worth saying twice:
"This season has to be a tough one to swallow for Edina, with all the expectations that have been heaped on this senior class over the past three years. They've been the standard to which everyone has judged themselves over this time period, and that's quite a burden to throw upon a group of high schoolers. I am not an Edina fan, but I have a ton of respect for this hockey program and this group of seniors. I find it very admirable that they stuck together throughout their high school careers and always carried themselves with class. They may never have gotten the result they wanted, but they should never be viewed as failures; they set the standard for Minnesota hockey for 3 years and all managed to earn their D-1 scholarships without leaving their school or community. That is commendable, and I wish them all the best of luck, whether they're off to Minnesota, Harvard, Notre Dame, Holy Cross, or Juniors. They've been a pleasure to watch."
They did very well against an incredibly difficult schedule, but ran into some hot potatoes at the wrong time. There's a bit of rebuilding to do now, though.
5. Cretin-Derham Hall
-Using strong defense, a hot goalie, and timely goals, they somehow slipped into the top 4, and gave everyone they played a pretty good game. Despite being one of the less talented teams in the field, they played great hockey when it mattered. A relatively young team that we probably have not heard the last of.
6. Duluth East
-Probably the flashiest 2-and-out ever, as they completely controlled the CDH game but could not get the goals to go in, then had the extreme misfortune of drawing Edina in the consolation round, where they played a good game but came up on the short end. For more of my thoughts on them, see the East-Edina thread.
7. Minnetonka
-Had a very strong year, particularly towards the end, and there's no shame in losing a hard-fought section final to the eventual state champion. It was a very young team, and we're likely to hear quite a bit about them next year. EP vs. Minnetonka already looks like a great matchup in 09-10.
8. Bloomington Jefferson
-After cruising along at or near the top of the rankings most of the year, they were humbled by Edina. I was not completely surprised to see them lose, or even lose by several goals, but I was expecting a bit more. The good news is that they still had an exceptional 2-loss season, and they too should be great next year.
9. Hill-Murray
-For all that happened this year, 6th at state is quite an accomplishment. Perhaps not "against all odds," but certainly against many, and they certainly played like defending champions in the OT section wins. They also gave EP perhaps the best run of anyone; for the 2nd and 3rd periods, they looked like the Hill team of last year in their style of play. They came up short in the end, but this could be a scary team the next few years, now that they've got some experience under their belt.
10. Holy Angels
-Gave Edina a better run than Jefferson did, but that still wasn't enough to really become a major factor on the statewide picture. Congrats to Mattson and co. on a solid year; it's too bad he didn't get a better chance to showcase what he's capable of.
11. Benilde-St. Margaret's
-Also gave EP a very good game, but couldn't get it done in the end. This was not the section to be in when rebuilding from a 3rd-place finish the year before.
12. Wayzata
-Another victim of 6AA; they played well throughout the season but were always a step behind the top two in the section. The depth of the program suggests that they'll continue to be a major factor.
13. Elk River
-Looked very strong towards the end of the year until they ran into a Duluth East team playing perhaps its best game of the year. With a freshman goaltender, they'll be around for a bit too. They're definitely back on the map after a brief hiatus.
14. Roseau
-Moorhead's run through state hauls them up a bit; they finished out the year much better than they started it, though were still a ways short of the Spuds this year.
15. Centennial
-Great season on paper, but they faded badly towards the end, and getting put in running time in a section final is never pretty.
Others who deserve some mention:
-Hopkins; the 5th-best team in an incredibly strong section.
-Rochester Century; hey, they got a few big wins, went to state, and didn't completely embarrass themselves.
-Burnsville; a good team stuck in a difficult section.
-Apple Valley; they sure got a hot goalie at the right time, and almost snuck into the X.
-Woodbury; a very strong regular season, but a disappointing finish.
-White Bear Lake and Stillwater; gave Hill great games, but neither was able to make it over the hump.
-Maple Grove; they made a nice splash and put themselves on the high school hockey map.
-------
Acknolwedgments:
First, thank you to my sources for information (in no particular order), including
1. This excellent forum, which gives me a chance to hear what many different people are thinking about the teams I have ranked this year.
2. www.minnhock.com, whose archives are the source of practically all of my knowledge of hockey history, and whose PS2 was a helpful reference at times.
3. www.followthepuck.com, for the best-organized team schedules and an incredible amount of information on HS hockey.
4. www.prephockeynorth.com, for the best information anywhere for hockey on my favorite part of the state.
5. WEBC 560, my lifeline to Duluth East hockey.
6. MSBN, for many quality broadcasts of high school games around the state.
7. www.myfoxhockey.com, for the chance to see the occasional game.
8. The MSHSL website, for enrollment and section alignment info.
9. The other radio stations out there who are forward-thinking enough to put their broadcasts online for all to enjoy.
I apologize to the sources that I'm sure I've missed; your work is very much appreciated.
Also, if I can donate modest sums to #s 3 and 4 as a broke college student to help keep them running, so can you. It would be a shame to lose either of these wonderful websites.
Thanks to dueling for picking up where my knowledge and time constraints leave off and putting together great weekly A rankings.
Thanks to everyone who has commented on these rankings and engaged in civil discussion about them; your contributions helped me, made me think things over, and in the end made them stronger. I feel the biggest strength of what I have done is the ease with which one can discuss the rankings, instead of simply seeing an explanation-less list of teams with numbers by them. I'd like to thank people individually, but I won't for fear of leaving somebody out. Without the contributions, these rankings are nothing. I hope you've enjoyed them.
Also, a shoutout to whoever it was that picked me out in the concourse tonight.
I've received several questions over whether I'll do this next year; I can't really say at this point. I'd like to, but then, there are a lot of things that I'd like to do with my life, and who knows what might get in the way. No matter what, I've had a lot of fun following this season from afar, and seeing 10 AA state tourney games in person over the past three days was a blast. I didn't realize until I left Minnesota what a special thing it is that we have here, and it's the sort of thing that could keep bringing me back for years. Thanks a for a fun season.
1. EDEN PRAIRIE
-Congrats to the state champs. They were probably the most consistent team in the state from start to finish and methodically moved through the state tournament, unfazed by whatever their opponents threw at them. A very deserving state champion. Leddy has my vote for Mr. Hockey as well, and even without him they'll be a threat to repeat next time around.
2. Moorhead
-The record isn't anywhere near the other teams up here, but they peaked at the right time and earned 2nd place with that stunningly easy upset of Edina. It was an excellent team effort, and though they finished 2nd once again, the Spuds have a lot to be proud of. They played EP closer than the score indicated.
3. Blaine
-The Bengals claimed 3rd with a solid win over CDH and gave EP an excellent run along the way. Bjugstad showed some great flashes, Harper was very solid, and the first line was fun to watch too. They've established a bit of a stranglehold on their section, and the competition has its work cut out for them to catch up.
4. Edina
-I'm sorry if you read my comment on them on the East-Edina thread; this is a repeat. But I think it's worth saying twice:
"This season has to be a tough one to swallow for Edina, with all the expectations that have been heaped on this senior class over the past three years. They've been the standard to which everyone has judged themselves over this time period, and that's quite a burden to throw upon a group of high schoolers. I am not an Edina fan, but I have a ton of respect for this hockey program and this group of seniors. I find it very admirable that they stuck together throughout their high school careers and always carried themselves with class. They may never have gotten the result they wanted, but they should never be viewed as failures; they set the standard for Minnesota hockey for 3 years and all managed to earn their D-1 scholarships without leaving their school or community. That is commendable, and I wish them all the best of luck, whether they're off to Minnesota, Harvard, Notre Dame, Holy Cross, or Juniors. They've been a pleasure to watch."
They did very well against an incredibly difficult schedule, but ran into some hot potatoes at the wrong time. There's a bit of rebuilding to do now, though.
5. Cretin-Derham Hall
-Using strong defense, a hot goalie, and timely goals, they somehow slipped into the top 4, and gave everyone they played a pretty good game. Despite being one of the less talented teams in the field, they played great hockey when it mattered. A relatively young team that we probably have not heard the last of.
6. Duluth East
-Probably the flashiest 2-and-out ever, as they completely controlled the CDH game but could not get the goals to go in, then had the extreme misfortune of drawing Edina in the consolation round, where they played a good game but came up on the short end. For more of my thoughts on them, see the East-Edina thread.
7. Minnetonka
-Had a very strong year, particularly towards the end, and there's no shame in losing a hard-fought section final to the eventual state champion. It was a very young team, and we're likely to hear quite a bit about them next year. EP vs. Minnetonka already looks like a great matchup in 09-10.
8. Bloomington Jefferson
-After cruising along at or near the top of the rankings most of the year, they were humbled by Edina. I was not completely surprised to see them lose, or even lose by several goals, but I was expecting a bit more. The good news is that they still had an exceptional 2-loss season, and they too should be great next year.
9. Hill-Murray
-For all that happened this year, 6th at state is quite an accomplishment. Perhaps not "against all odds," but certainly against many, and they certainly played like defending champions in the OT section wins. They also gave EP perhaps the best run of anyone; for the 2nd and 3rd periods, they looked like the Hill team of last year in their style of play. They came up short in the end, but this could be a scary team the next few years, now that they've got some experience under their belt.
10. Holy Angels
-Gave Edina a better run than Jefferson did, but that still wasn't enough to really become a major factor on the statewide picture. Congrats to Mattson and co. on a solid year; it's too bad he didn't get a better chance to showcase what he's capable of.
11. Benilde-St. Margaret's
-Also gave EP a very good game, but couldn't get it done in the end. This was not the section to be in when rebuilding from a 3rd-place finish the year before.
12. Wayzata
-Another victim of 6AA; they played well throughout the season but were always a step behind the top two in the section. The depth of the program suggests that they'll continue to be a major factor.
13. Elk River
-Looked very strong towards the end of the year until they ran into a Duluth East team playing perhaps its best game of the year. With a freshman goaltender, they'll be around for a bit too. They're definitely back on the map after a brief hiatus.
14. Roseau
-Moorhead's run through state hauls them up a bit; they finished out the year much better than they started it, though were still a ways short of the Spuds this year.
15. Centennial
-Great season on paper, but they faded badly towards the end, and getting put in running time in a section final is never pretty.
Others who deserve some mention:
-Hopkins; the 5th-best team in an incredibly strong section.
-Rochester Century; hey, they got a few big wins, went to state, and didn't completely embarrass themselves.
-Burnsville; a good team stuck in a difficult section.
-Apple Valley; they sure got a hot goalie at the right time, and almost snuck into the X.
-Woodbury; a very strong regular season, but a disappointing finish.
-White Bear Lake and Stillwater; gave Hill great games, but neither was able to make it over the hump.
-Maple Grove; they made a nice splash and put themselves on the high school hockey map.
-------
Acknolwedgments:
First, thank you to my sources for information (in no particular order), including
1. This excellent forum, which gives me a chance to hear what many different people are thinking about the teams I have ranked this year.
2. www.minnhock.com, whose archives are the source of practically all of my knowledge of hockey history, and whose PS2 was a helpful reference at times.
3. www.followthepuck.com, for the best-organized team schedules and an incredible amount of information on HS hockey.
4. www.prephockeynorth.com, for the best information anywhere for hockey on my favorite part of the state.
5. WEBC 560, my lifeline to Duluth East hockey.
6. MSBN, for many quality broadcasts of high school games around the state.
7. www.myfoxhockey.com, for the chance to see the occasional game.
8. The MSHSL website, for enrollment and section alignment info.
9. The other radio stations out there who are forward-thinking enough to put their broadcasts online for all to enjoy.
I apologize to the sources that I'm sure I've missed; your work is very much appreciated.
Also, if I can donate modest sums to #s 3 and 4 as a broke college student to help keep them running, so can you. It would be a shame to lose either of these wonderful websites.
Thanks to dueling for picking up where my knowledge and time constraints leave off and putting together great weekly A rankings.
Thanks to everyone who has commented on these rankings and engaged in civil discussion about them; your contributions helped me, made me think things over, and in the end made them stronger. I feel the biggest strength of what I have done is the ease with which one can discuss the rankings, instead of simply seeing an explanation-less list of teams with numbers by them. I'd like to thank people individually, but I won't for fear of leaving somebody out. Without the contributions, these rankings are nothing. I hope you've enjoyed them.
Also, a shoutout to whoever it was that picked me out in the concourse tonight.
I've received several questions over whether I'll do this next year; I can't really say at this point. I'd like to, but then, there are a lot of things that I'd like to do with my life, and who knows what might get in the way. No matter what, I've had a lot of fun following this season from afar, and seeing 10 AA state tourney games in person over the past three days was a blast. I didn't realize until I left Minnesota what a special thing it is that we have here, and it's the sort of thing that could keep bringing me back for years. Thanks a for a fun season.
