AA Rankings for 2/6/11

[karl(east)]

We are now in the home stretch, and teams are running out of time to polish up for sections. The first three weeks of Lake Conference play have given us a frontrunner but resolved little, while the two private schools joining the Lake powers in the top 5 continue to roll along. After that there’s a host of teams all capable of beating one another on any given night, though I think the top 11 are somewhat distinct from 12-20.

I've added the "need" feature again this week, and I tried to make the needs be things that teams can realistically improve in the remaining few weeks. As always, I welcome input in those fields.

1. Hill-Murray (16-3-1)
-While carnage ensues beneath them, the Pioneers continue to clip along through the underbelly of the CSC, and EP’s loss saves us from serious controversy at the top. This week is a little more challenging; South St. Paul gave them a decent game the first time around, and the outdoor game in Moorhead could be competitive; the outdoor games have tended to be low-scoring.
Need: Nothing too fancy--they just need to keep playing Hill hockey, making steady gains in all aspects as they march towards State.
This week: Tues at North St. Paul, Thurs at South St. Paul, Sat at #14 Moorhead

2. Minnetonka (15-4-1)
-Had an easy week, which allowed them to edge up in the rankings. This week, however, they get one of the hardest weeks anyone has had this year, with three games against dangerous opponents. We’ll see if they can continue to build on all their recent success, or if they, like so many of the other teams that have occupied the #2 spot this year, will immediately go tumbling. (My #1s have actually been pretty steady; #2 has been a death sentence.) Their winning streak at Pagel will certainly be tested on Thursday and, if it remains intact, Saturday as well.
Need: To make sure the defensemen get the support they need; to continue to play a complete team game.
This week: Tues at Bloomington Jefferson, Thurs vs. #7 Edina, Sat vs. #4 Eden Prairie

3. Benilde-St. Margaret’s (18-2)
-A strong win over Moorhead continues to bolster their standing, though it was a surprise to see the Rochester Century game stay close for a while. The schedule this week sandwiches Shattuck between two NSC wins-to-be; the SSM game will certainly be an interesting test for this team’s defense.
Need: Defense, defense, defense.
This week: Tues at Spring Lake Park, Thurs vs. Shattuck-St. Mary’s, Sat vs. Irondale

4. Eden Prairie (15-5-1)
-It wasn’t a banner week for the Eagles, who barely scraped by Hermantown and once again came up short against Edina. For my money they’re still the most talented team I’ve seen this year, but that title doesn’t win them any awards. Yet another very difficult week ahead, as they get their second chances with their two 6AA Lake rivals.
Need: To turn their control of play into more goals.
This week: Thurs vs. #5 Wayzata, Sat at #2 Minnetonka

5. Wayzata (15-4-1)
-6th straight win over Edina gets them back on track after the rough loss to Minnetonka, and has them on the verge of making a leap in the rankings. To do so, they need another big Lake win, and Eden Prairie provides them with just such an opportunity this Thursday. After that, they head on an outdoor odyssey up in Moorhead against Roseau.
Need: Nothing glaring; they will probably need to score a bit more than they have been lately to beat EP.
This week: Thurs at #4 Eden Prairie, Sat at Roseau (in Moorhead)

6. Maple Grove (16-3-2)
-Not a stellar week for the Crimson, as they scrape by Champlin Park and then end up in a tie with Centennial. It’s probably still enough for the top seed in the section, which is big--it’ll force Blaine and Centennial to play in a semifinal. Next up are a couple of mid-level NWSC teams. A pair of wins will give them the conference crown.
Need: A little more scoring punch.
This week: Tues at Robbinsdale Armstrong, Thurs vs. Elk River

7. Edina (12-6-2)
-I watched both of their games last week, a win over EP, whom they have not lost to in ages, and a loss to Wayzata, whom they haven’t beaten in ages. In some ways they seem to be coming together, with consistent lines and the tight defense we saw down the stretch last year, but they also have a certain roughness around the edges, as the penalty issues persist. A trip to Minnetonka this week gives them a chance to avenge a rough loss at Braemar a few weeks ago.
Need: To generate more scoring chances; at the moment it seems like the offense relies heavily on poaching goals off opposition mistakes. They’ll need to do a little more than that to beat disciplined teams.
This week: Thurs at #2 Minnetonka, Sat at Hopkins

8. Burnsville (15-3-3)
-Got a win over an improving Bloomington Jefferson, and then scraped by an improving Prior Lake squad (who they beat 12-0 the first time around) in OT. Not exactly domination, but they’re getting wins when they need to get wins. Can wrap up the SSC title this week, as they take on a decent Lakeville North team, then face a challenge against Apple Valley.
Need: Stronger finishes to games, especially upper-end opponents.
This week: Thurs at Lakeville North, Sat vs. Apple Valley

9. Grand Rapids (18-3-1)
-Got an important win over Moorhead in their final regular season game against a AA opponent. They wrap up their IRC season this week; the first game is against the only team in the conference that’s given them a tight game this year. Time for them to tune up for their run through 7AA.
Need: Strong defense.
This week: Tues at Hibbing, Fri vs. International Falls

10. Duluth East (15-5)
-Limping down the stretch as they fall for the third straight week. The losses aren’t bad, but they are beginning to mount, and this team needs some sort of jolt of energy. The week ahead could really swing the direction their season goes; they may be ranked higher than both their opponents, but they are both section rivals who are gunning for upsets and section seeding position.
Need: Scoring from more than one line. They are too one-dimensional at the moment.
This week: Tues vs. Cloquet, Sat vs. Elk River

11. Eagan (14-5-2)
-Had a chance to move up some, but coughed up a 3-0 lead over Apple Valley and ended up with a tie. Regardless, it gets them the top seed in the section (for what it’s worth). Their list of achievements is pretty similar to East’s, but I’m still keeping them behind the Hounds since some of their losses are a little weaker. Should sail through a couple of SSC bottom-feeders this week.
Need: Same old story--consistency.
This week: Thurs at Eastview, Sat at Bloomington Kennedy

12. Blaine (14-4-3)
-A team I should probably be giving a little more respect; they’re playing well down the stretch, and seem to have overcome some rough results earlier in January. Should win their next three before they get a season-ending second shot at Centennial, who roughed them up in their last meeting.
Need: To keep on getting great defense and goalie play, since they’re not going to outshoot other good opponents.
This week: Tues at Andover, Thurs vs. Anoka

13. Holy Angels (14-6)
-Pounded out two more Missota wins in the past week, and play two more again this week, though there’s another opponent wedged in between the two that should pose a slightly larger challenge. Play three games in three days, which should be a good stamina test for a team that’s a little on the thin side.
Need: Better defensive play.
This week: Tues vs. Northfield, Wed vs. Shattuck-St. Mary’s, Thurs at Chaska

14. Moorhead (14-6-1)
-It wasn’t the Spuds’ finest week, as they couldn’t keep up with Benilde, and then dropped an OT game to Grand Rapids. Things don’t get any easier in the immediate future either, as they head to Bemidji to decide who gets the top seed in 8AA, then take on the #1 team in the state. A win in either game will have them sitting pretty as they head into sections.
Need: To take advantage of the scoring opportunities they do get.
This week: Tues at #15 Bemidji, Sat vs. #1 Hill-Murray

15. Bemidji (19-2-1)
-An emphatic win over Roseau seals a semifinal home game for the Jacks. Now they get ready for what has to be their biggest regular season home game in quite some time, as they host Moorhead in the contest for the top spot. A win would really help validate the hard-to-judge weak schedule, while a loss would probably drop them noticeably. They can’t take the Warroad game for granted, either; they only beat the Warriors by 1 the first time around.
Need: I won’t pretend to know a lot about this team since they get next to zero big media coverage, so I’ll keep it simple--they need to beat the Spuds.
This week: Tues vs. #14 Moorhead, Fri vs. Warroad

Next In Line
It’s a very tight group at the top here this week; the first five teams in particular look pretty strong right now.

Apple Valley (14-6-1)
-A tough team to hold out of the rankings; their tie with Eagan proves a repeat 3AA title is very much within reach. Still, the earlier loss to Eagan consigns them to the 2nd seed in the section. The have a chance to make a little more noise this Saturday when they visit Burnsville, who barely beat them in the first meeting.

Stillwater (13-4-2)
-A win over White Bear Lake keeps them in the SEC hunt and makes their recent hot streak look that much better. Have a very busy end to the season, with 6 games over the next two weeks; the road trip up to Cloquet this Saturday is one game that catches my eye.

Centennial (9-9-2)
-Don’t let the record fool you; the Cougars are one of the hottest teams in the state, and their tie with Maple Grove shows they are a legitimate contender for the 5AA title. Also have a pounding of Blaine to their name. They lost to Osseo the first time the two teams played, so the rematch this week has relevance in the section seeding.

White Bear Lake (14-5-1)
-Loss to Stillwater dents their momentum and may cost them the 2-seed, but all things considered the Bears are still in decent shape--I think they are better than this ranking suggests. A couple of SEC road tests upcoming in Cretin and Forest Lake, though they handled both well the first time around.

Lakeville South (11-7-2)
-A win over Jefferson is a nice little bonus to their resume. Important week ahead, as they face a feisty Prior Lake team, and then look to guarantee themselves the top seed in 1AA against archrival North. Seem capable of representing the section well at State, though I said that about them last year, too.

Cloquet (15-6)
-Went on the offensive this past week, racking up 15 goals in wins over Hermantown and Duluth Central; they’ve clinched a share of the conference title, and beat the only team that can tie them (Hermantown). Play their biggest regular season game of the year at Duluth East on Tuesday, and follow that up with a contest versus a quality Stillwater team on Saturday.

Bloomington Jefferson (10-8-2)
-Played Burnsville and LVS well in losses; they’re still hovering there on the edge of the picture. Next up: Minnetonka.

Osseo (13-7)
-Nothing fancy, but they’re holding steady around this spot.

Elk River (9-11-1)
-Tie to Champlin Park hurts them some; very important week ahead of them as they face conference leader Maple Grove and section leader Duluth East, both on the road. The results definitely matter for section seeding.

Cretin-Derham Hall (11-8-3)
-The season’s had its peaks and valleys, but they’re winning more often than not lately, and as Edina can tell us, they are dangerous when on. Host two other quality SEC teams, WBL and Roseville, this week.

Next week I’ll go through section seedings again, and after that, it’ll be time for the section tournament edition of the rankings. The second half of the season has flown by...

[Zamman]

Love reading all your notes and wonder, how do you do it.
But, check your calendar AHA plays this week Tues, Wes and Thursday.

[Slap Shot]

As big a fan of MHS as I am I would personally flip-flop the Skippeers and the Knights, but it's not a major point of contention.

[Maple Grove Crimson#1]

Pretty spot on! U forgot MG record, 16-3-2. I bumped the crimson down aswell this week, kinda looked just a tad lack luster. Section 5AA is gonna be a blast.

[puck81]

As big a fan of MHS as I am I would personally flip-flop the Skippeers and the Knights, but it's not a major point of contention.

Agree that Benilde should be ahead of Minnetonka and why not H-M also. They did beat them both.

[LASERBLUE135]

This year is just awesome. You are kidding yourself if you don't think any of the top 15 couldn't take out any of the others on any given night. Goaltending seams to be a huge priority in the big games as is playing a full 3 periods without a major letdown.

[PuckU126]

As big a fan of MHS as I am I would personally flip-flop the Skippeers and the Knights, but it's not a major point of contention.

Agree that Benilde should be ahead of Minnetonka and why not H-M also. They did beat them both.

I disagree as do many others. At this point of the season that reason/game is moot; a long time has past and both teams have changed. (notice that no other rankings have taken that HM loss into consideration as well)

[puck81]

As big a fan of MHS as I am I would personally flip-flop the Skippeers and the Knights, but it's not a major point of contention.

Agree that Benilde should be ahead of Minnetonka and why not H-M also. They did beat them both.

I disagree as do many others. At this point of the season that reason/game is moot; a long time has past and both teams have changed. (notice that no other rankings have taken that HM loss into consideration as well)

Just because "a long time has past" doesn't mean that game is "moot". Benilde has also changed, they have gotten better as well. I'm sure a lot of people may also disagree with you. Bottom line; when the puck was dropped BSM beat both H-M and Minnetonka and that does mean something.

[Hockeydad1893]

Agree that Benilde should be ahead of Minnetonka and why not H-M also. They did beat them both.

I disagree as do many others. At this point of the season that reason/game is moot; a long time has past and both teams have changed. (notice that no other rankings have taken that HM loss into consideration as well)

Just because "a long time has past" doesn't mean that game is "moot". Benilde has also changed, they have gotten better as well. I'm sure a lot of people may also disagree with you. Bottom line; when the puck was
dropped BSM beat both H-M and Minnetonka and that does mean something.

If you look at it that way Eden Prairie has beat all 3 of the teams in front of them, I would still agree with them being number 4. Just goes to show that there is no clear cut number 1.

[starmvp]

I couldn't imagine working through the mess this year has presented us and coming up with such great rankings. Great job once again. Ranking are rankings and don't mean much, but they provide a great insight on how certain teams are doing. It comes down to who is peaking at the end of the season.....

[PuckU126]

I couldn't imagine working through the mess this year has presented us and coming up with such great rankings. Great job once again. Ranking are rankings and don't mean much, but they provide a great insight on how certain teams are doing. It comes down to who is peaking at the end of the season.....

So true...

And yes, this season is particularly more difficult because of all the unexpected wins and losses.

Its just a mess and its hard to decipher, and people should recognize this before criticizing.

[starmvp]

I couldn't imagine working through the mess this year has presented us and coming up with such great rankings. Great job once again. Ranking are rankings and don't mean much, but they provide a great insight on how certain teams are doing. It comes down to who is peaking at the end of the season.....

So true...

And yes, this season is particularly more difficult because of all the unexpected wins and losses.

Its just a mess and its hard to decipher, and people should recognize this before criticizing.

I am so tired of hearing people saying, "I think so-and-so (their hometown team) should be above so-and-so (some rival they beat while it was probably their only big win of the season)." I'll let those people criticize the rankings once their team wins state, but until then......

[HockeyMN1]

For my money 1-5 are completely equal. It has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt that any of those teams could beat any other on any given night. EP would still be ranked 1 in 6AA right now though because they beat both BSM and Tonka.

[curtiscurve]

I'll argue on Grand Rapids behalf. Seeing they are 18-3-1 with the only losses being against Duluth East, Eden Prairie and Hermantown (all were in the top 3 at the time of the losses [Hermantown class A])all on the road, they do not have a bad loss on their record. They beat Edina (in Edina), Bemidji (big), Moorhead (in Moorhead), Roseau, Warroad (big), Elk River, Brainerd (big), Cloquet (twice), along with top class A teams like Virginia (big twice), and Hibbing. I am not saying they are top 3 but I do think they should be considered in the top 5 or 6. The way East and Rapids have been playing lately, I would say the Thunderhawks have a slight edge heading into the playoffs.

[minnscout]

BSM has to be ranked number one no question about it. Karl just doesn't like their team. They just beat Moorhead on the road 6-1 and it could have been worse.It will be fun Thursday with SSM coming to town.

[PuckU126]

BSM has to be ranked number one no question about it. Karl just doesn't like their team. They just beat Moorhead on the road 6-1 and it could have been worse.It will be fun Thursday with SSM coming to town.

Wrong.

[starmvp]

BSM has to be ranked number one no question about it. Karl just doesn't like their team. They just beat Moorhead on the road 6-1 and it could have been worse.It will be fun Thursday with SSM coming to town.

They simply aren't and shouldn't be ranked number 1 yet.....

[supertacks]

BSM has to be ranked number one no question about it. Karl just doesn't like their team. They just beat Moorhead on the road 6-1 and it could have been worse.It will be fun Thursday with SSM coming to town.

Anyone that saw the EP - BSM game knows there is no way you can put BSM #1!

[PuckU126]

BSM has to be ranked number one no question about it. Karl just doesn't like their team. They just beat Moorhead on the road 6-1 and it could have been worse.It will be fun Thursday with SSM coming to town.

Anyone that saw the EP - BSM game knows there is no way you can put BSM #1!

Tell that to minnscout...

Some scout..

[minnscout]

I was at the BSM Eden Prarie game. Jecha didn't play well and the team had a bad performace. That was Christmas and no team has improved more the Benilde. The day they moved Besse to play with Moore and Labosky the team has never looked back and has scored at will. Stop thinking about a game 1 1/2 months ago but watch the most recent games and you will know the best 2 teams in the state right now are BSM and Minnetonka.

[Hockeydad1893]

I was at the BSM Eden Prarie game. Jecha didn't play well and the team had a bad performace. That was Christmas and no team has improved more the Benilde. The day they moved Besse to play with Moore and Labosky the team has never looked back and has scored at will. Stop thinking about a game 1 1/2 months ago but watch the most recent games and you will know the best 2 teams in the state right now are BSM and Minnetonka.

I was also at the game and I would have to say that EP was for sure the better team. What was the final 6-3? A team can't improve that much not to mention the fact that 2 of bsm's goals were terrible on fords part.

[minnscout]

Like I said Jecha played bad and let in 5 soft goals. That was a long time ago and both teams are much different now. BSM plays so many Soph that it took a couple big games to knowwhat it takes. Eden prarie has Seniors and they have played in those games before.

[PuckU126]

I was at the BSM Eden Prarie game. Jecha didn't play well and the team had a bad performace. That was Christmas and no team has improved more the Benilde. The day they moved Besse to play with Moore and Labosky the team has never looked back and has scored at will. Stop thinking about a game 1 1/2 months ago but watch the most recent games and you will know the best 2 teams in the state right now are BSM and Minnetonka.

I was also at the game and I would have to say that EP was for sure the better team. What was the final 6-3? A team can't improve that much not to mention the fact that 2 of bsm's goals were terrible on fords part.

8-5 EP Win, GAME SHEET HERE

[Hockeydad1893]

I was at the BSM Eden Prarie game. Jecha didn't play well and the team had a bad performace. That was Christmas and no team has improved more the Benilde. The day they moved Besse to play with Moore and Labosky the team has never looked back and has scored at will. Stop thinking about a game 1 1/2 months ago but watch the most recent games and you will know the best 2 teams in the state right now are BSM and Minnetonka.

I was also at the game and I would have to say that EP was for sure the better team. What was the final 6-3? A team can't improve that much not to mention the fact that 2 of bsm's goals were terrible on fords part.

8-5 EP Win, GAME SHEET HERE

My apologies, 3 goal differential either way But 8 goals against... Might need some goaltending

[PuckU126]

I was also at the game and I would have to say that EP was for sure the better team. What was the final 6-3? A team can't improve that much not to mention the fact that 2 of bsm's goals were terrible on fords part.

8-5 EP Win, GAME SHEET HERE

My apologies, 3 goal differential either way But 8 goals against... Might need some goaltending

That and team defense.