AA Rankings for 1/15/12
Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2012 8:56 am
Welcome back to another week of rankings. There were a lot of big games this past week, though very few upsets, meaning there wasn’t a whole lot of movement. There’s plenty to look ahead to this week; most of the Metro-area teams are settling into conference play, including the always-entertaining Lake Conference. We also have Hockey Day on Saturday, which gives us two fine match-ups of AA teams, including our third 1-vs.-2 battle of the season.
The second record after the teams’ names are records vs. the AA top twenty, plus the consensus top three in Class A.
1. Duluth East (16-0/12-0)
-A hard-fought victory over Grand Rapids and a steady win over Eden Prairie allow the Hounds to maintain their perfect record, and they now get to load up for one last major regular season battle against a top team. While it ruins the pageantry some, moving the game against Minnetonka indoors will eliminate any possible weather disruption and give us a clear number one as we move into the stretch run. Before they get there, the Hounds have a home game against a decent Apple Valley team that did beat them last year.
This week: Tues vs. Apple Valley, Sat at #2 Minnetonka
2. Minnetonka (15-1/8-1)
-Put together yet another solid week, edging past section rival Benilde and controlling an improving Holy Angels team. The wins set the stage for a huge week of re-matches of their last two Schwan Cup games. Against Edina, they’ll try to prove a dominant win was not a fluke; against East, they’ll try to prove the opposite. With a strong week, #1 is within reach. Having both games at home certainly helps.
This week: Thurs vs. #5 Edina, Sat vs. #1 Duluth East
3. Maple Grove (14-1-1/9-1-1)
-A second win over Edina keeps the Crimson within striking distance of the top spot and has them sitting pretty as they head into their final nine games, all of which will be within the conference. Two games this week, though one is against the only other team in the Northwest Suburban that gave them a one-goal game.
This week: Thurs vs. Anoka, Sat at #13 Andover
4. Eagan (12-2/4-2)
-Found some offense in a decisive win over Burnsville, and they are now comfortably in the SSC driver’s seat. That’s a very good sign for the Wildcats, who continue with conference play against a couple of mid-level teams that could make things interesting: Prior Lake is all over the place but has knocked off a couple of ranked teams, and Lakeville South gave them a 1-goal game the first time around.
This week: Thurs vs. Prior Lake, Sat vs. Lakeville South
5. Edina (13-3/7-3)
-A win over Burnsville puts the Hornets in the driver’s seat in 2AA, but a second loss to Maple Grove shows they remain firmly behind the top group. They have another chance to prove themselves this coming week, as they try to show improvement on the 6-0 Schwan Cup whipping they suffered against Minnetonka.
This week: Thurs at #2 Minnetonka
6. Eden Prairie (9-3-1/7-3-1)
-I liked what I saw out of this team against Duluth East; they’re not on the level of the top teams, but they play a solid game in all three zones and have a strong goaltender. With continued improvement, they could be very dangerous come sections. The tough schedule continues this week, with games against two borderline top ten teams.
This week: Tues vs. #9 Hill-Murray, Thurs vs. Hopkins, Sat at #10 Wayzata
7. Benilde-St. Margaret’s (10-4/3-4)
-The loss to Minnetonka means the Red Knights will have to remain on the outside of the top group, and probably for the remainder of the season. But it did show they can hang with the frontrunner in their section, and with a healthier, improved defensive corps, they may have a very real shot at State. They’re into the meat of the conference schedule now, which makes for some easy wins.
This week: Tues vs. St. Francis, Fri vs. Chisago Lakes
8. Moorhead ( 11-3/3-3)
-A convincing win over Breck solidifies the Spuds’ position in the top ten, and the win over Brainerd also helps them out within the section. With their resume now looking stronger, the Spuds now go on the road to take on a pair of upper-tier 8A teams.
This week: Thurs at East Grand Forks, Sat at Warroad
9. Hill-Murray (9-4/3-4)
-As expected, took care of business against two CSC teams. Now, after an easy past few weeks, they go on the road to play a strong Eden Prairie squad. The game should be a good bellwether as to where the Pioneers stand against another team in this 6-10 range. After that, it’s back to conference play.
This week: Tues at #6 Eden Prairie, Sat at Henry Sibley
10. Wayzata (9-4-1/4-3-1)
-A sound win over an improving Lakeville North squad frees the Trojans to edge back into the top ten ahead of conference play. Aside from the awkward Prior Lake loss in mid-December, their resume is in very good shape. As a team unlikely to be favored in many conference games, they’re in a good position to pull off a surprise upset or two and possibly shake up the 6AA picture.
This week: Thurs vs. Osseo, Sat vs. #6 Eden Prairie
11. Blaine (11-4/3-4)
-A win over rival Centennial keeps the Bengals in the #2 spot in the conference and gives them a chance to edge up in the rankings. They haven’t done anything too fancy, but have beat all the teams behind them and lost all their games against teams above them. Only one game this week, and it shouldn’t be a challenge.
This week: Sat vs. Champlin Park
12. Burnsville (9-6-1/3-6-1)
-The lopsided loss to Eagan was a bad sign for a team that has been slipping backwards for a while now, and they will now need to regroup and get their SSC season back together against a potent Lakeville South team. Still, their narrow loss to Edina shows the section is still very much within reach. Their remaining games are all within the conference.
This week: Thurs at Lakeville North, Sat vs. Rosemount
13. Andover (10-5/2-5)
-An overtime win over Elk River finally gives the Huskies the big win they needed and lets them into the top 15. All but one of their losses have been by one goal, and the ugly one came against Duluth East early in the season. Suddenly, they have a chance to make some real noise in the NWSC and 7AA. They get another big test this coming weekend when they pay a visit to Maple Grove.
This week: Thurs at North Metro, Sat vs. #3 Maple Grove
14. Elk River (8-6-1/2-6-1)
-The narrow loss to Andover is a mild setback for the Elks, though losses by teams around them keep them ranked. The past few weeks have been difficult, though things don’t get a whole lot easier with a number of upcoming NWSC opponents floating around in this part of the rankings. This week, at least, provides a little relief, and they should be able to get a couple of wins.
This week: Thurs vs. Robbinsdale Armstrong, Sat at Anoka
15. Grand Rapids (10-5/2-5)
-The loss to Hermantown is not encouraging, but the tight game against East is enough to keep the Thunderhawks in the top 15. They’re running out of opportunities for important regular season wins. The week ahead is a busy one, with road games against a decent Cloquet team whom they beat in November, an alright A team in Hibbing, and a Hockey Day match-up against White Bear Lake. It’s still hard to figure out which direction this team is going.
This week: Tues at Cloquet, Thurs at Hibbing, Sat “at” White Bear Lake (in Minnetonka)
Bubble Teams
Centennial (7-7-1/1-7)
-Continue to hover along the border of the rankings; the Blaine loss isn’t too damaging to their resume, and they’ll have their chances to make up ground in the conference over the next few weeks. The week ahead is not a difficult one, with games against Coon Rapids and Champlin Park.
Lakeville South (8-5/1-4)
-Restored some order with a big win over Rochester Century and a narrow win over Apple Valley. It’s a step in the right direction, though it doesn’t show anything definitive. The next two weeks are huge for the Cougars, with consecutive games against Burnsville, Eagan, and Eden Prairie. Time to learn a lot about this team.
Cloquet (12-4/0-3)
-Continue to plug along against a relatively easy schedule. Their re-match with Grand Rapids this week should tell us if they’ve managed to improve since the start of the season.
Apple Valley (6-5-2/1-5-1)
-The Eagles continue to put together respectable results, losing narrowly to Lakeville South this past week. A busy week ahead includes road games against Duluth East and Bloomington Jefferson, who tied them the first time around. Nothing too exciting, but no one else seems to want to step up to claim this spot.
Lakeville North (8-7/1-6)
-Time to give this team a little credit: aside from Prior Lake, all the teams that have beaten them are above them, and the win over Lakeville South proved they’re a serious threat in 1AA. The next few weeks will be crucial--they play Bloomington Jefferson and Prior Lake this week, both teams that are behind them on paper but are capable of beating them.
Beyond that:
White Bear Lake (8-6-1/0-5). Just when it seemed like they were taking control of the SEC, the Bears suffer a head-scratching loss to Hastings.
Bemidji (10-6/0-3). A win over Roseau helps get the Jacks back on track.
Roseau (8-4-1/0-3). The loss to Bemidji hurts. The record is decent, but still no wins of real consequence.
Prior Lake (9-6/3-2). The wild ride continues, as they lose to Eastview but handle Bloomington Jefferson. Big games this week against Eagan and Lakeville North.
The rest of the tangled SEC web follows, along with Holy Angels and Brainerd.
Sections:
1AA
(20) Lakeville North
(17) Lakeville South
-South’s 10-1 win over Rochester Century shows this is clearly a two-team race. North is on top for now by virtue of their January 7 win, but if South takes the rematch on February 9, they should be able to pick up the top seed.
2AA
5 Edina
12 Burnsville
-Edina is probably safely in the top spot after their win over Burnsville, and the Blaze would need to suffer a dramatic upset or two to lose the #2 spot. Prior Lake took steps towards solidifying the 3-seed with a win over Jefferson. After that, it gets interesting; for now I like Holy Angels at 4, though Jefferson is in the picture as well, and we can’t completely discount Chanhassen yet, either.
3AA
4 Eagan
(19) Apple Valley
Woodbury
-Not much change here recently: Eagan is still the frontrunner, Apple Valley hangs around #20, and Woodbury remains on the list due to their close game a few weeks ago against Eagan. Beyond that, it’s a mess.
4AA
9 Hill-Murray
White Bear Lake
-With wins over Roseville and Stillwater in the past two weeks, White Bear has the inside track for the 2-seed. Right now, it looks like a pretty familiar script: Hill on top, White Bear chasing them, Stillwater and Roseville a step behind.
5AA
3 Maple Grove
11 Blaine
(16) Centennial
-Not much change here either, as the Crimson maintain the top spot and Blaine proves what we suspected by beating Centennial. The top three all have another game against one another before the season ends.
6AA
2 Minnetonka
6 Eden Prairie
7 Benilde-St. Margaret’s
10 Wayzata
-The Tonka win over Benilde should keep them ahead of the Red Knights in the seeding, though the rest is still pretty unsettled, as any number of things could happen in the upcoming Lake Conference home-and-home match-ups between Minnetonka, Eden Prairie, and Wayzata. The rescheduled Wayzata-Benilde game will also be key.
7AA
1 Duluth East
13 Andover
14 Elk River
15 Grand Rapids
(18) Cloquet
-The Hounds’ win over Grand Rapids coupled with Elk River’s loss to Andover just about seals up the top seed, but that Andover win fouls up the 2-4 spots. If the season ended today, Andover has an argument the #2 seed and Grand Rapids could be relegated to #4, setting up a potentially very interesting semifinal. Still, the coaches may take more into account when seeding. Elk River and Andover meet again on January 31.
8AA
8 Moorhead
Bemidji
Roseau
-Bemidji’s win over Roseau pushes them towards the 2-seed, though the top three teams all play each other again before the season ends. Moorhead’s win over Brainerd confirms the Spuds’ status as frontrunner and the Warriors’ position at #4.
The second record after the teams’ names are records vs. the AA top twenty, plus the consensus top three in Class A.
1. Duluth East (16-0/12-0)
-A hard-fought victory over Grand Rapids and a steady win over Eden Prairie allow the Hounds to maintain their perfect record, and they now get to load up for one last major regular season battle against a top team. While it ruins the pageantry some, moving the game against Minnetonka indoors will eliminate any possible weather disruption and give us a clear number one as we move into the stretch run. Before they get there, the Hounds have a home game against a decent Apple Valley team that did beat them last year.
This week: Tues vs. Apple Valley, Sat at #2 Minnetonka
2. Minnetonka (15-1/8-1)
-Put together yet another solid week, edging past section rival Benilde and controlling an improving Holy Angels team. The wins set the stage for a huge week of re-matches of their last two Schwan Cup games. Against Edina, they’ll try to prove a dominant win was not a fluke; against East, they’ll try to prove the opposite. With a strong week, #1 is within reach. Having both games at home certainly helps.
This week: Thurs vs. #5 Edina, Sat vs. #1 Duluth East
3. Maple Grove (14-1-1/9-1-1)
-A second win over Edina keeps the Crimson within striking distance of the top spot and has them sitting pretty as they head into their final nine games, all of which will be within the conference. Two games this week, though one is against the only other team in the Northwest Suburban that gave them a one-goal game.
This week: Thurs vs. Anoka, Sat at #13 Andover
4. Eagan (12-2/4-2)
-Found some offense in a decisive win over Burnsville, and they are now comfortably in the SSC driver’s seat. That’s a very good sign for the Wildcats, who continue with conference play against a couple of mid-level teams that could make things interesting: Prior Lake is all over the place but has knocked off a couple of ranked teams, and Lakeville South gave them a 1-goal game the first time around.
This week: Thurs vs. Prior Lake, Sat vs. Lakeville South
5. Edina (13-3/7-3)
-A win over Burnsville puts the Hornets in the driver’s seat in 2AA, but a second loss to Maple Grove shows they remain firmly behind the top group. They have another chance to prove themselves this coming week, as they try to show improvement on the 6-0 Schwan Cup whipping they suffered against Minnetonka.
This week: Thurs at #2 Minnetonka
6. Eden Prairie (9-3-1/7-3-1)
-I liked what I saw out of this team against Duluth East; they’re not on the level of the top teams, but they play a solid game in all three zones and have a strong goaltender. With continued improvement, they could be very dangerous come sections. The tough schedule continues this week, with games against two borderline top ten teams.
This week: Tues vs. #9 Hill-Murray, Thurs vs. Hopkins, Sat at #10 Wayzata
7. Benilde-St. Margaret’s (10-4/3-4)
-The loss to Minnetonka means the Red Knights will have to remain on the outside of the top group, and probably for the remainder of the season. But it did show they can hang with the frontrunner in their section, and with a healthier, improved defensive corps, they may have a very real shot at State. They’re into the meat of the conference schedule now, which makes for some easy wins.
This week: Tues vs. St. Francis, Fri vs. Chisago Lakes
8. Moorhead ( 11-3/3-3)
-A convincing win over Breck solidifies the Spuds’ position in the top ten, and the win over Brainerd also helps them out within the section. With their resume now looking stronger, the Spuds now go on the road to take on a pair of upper-tier 8A teams.
This week: Thurs at East Grand Forks, Sat at Warroad
9. Hill-Murray (9-4/3-4)
-As expected, took care of business against two CSC teams. Now, after an easy past few weeks, they go on the road to play a strong Eden Prairie squad. The game should be a good bellwether as to where the Pioneers stand against another team in this 6-10 range. After that, it’s back to conference play.
This week: Tues at #6 Eden Prairie, Sat at Henry Sibley
10. Wayzata (9-4-1/4-3-1)
-A sound win over an improving Lakeville North squad frees the Trojans to edge back into the top ten ahead of conference play. Aside from the awkward Prior Lake loss in mid-December, their resume is in very good shape. As a team unlikely to be favored in many conference games, they’re in a good position to pull off a surprise upset or two and possibly shake up the 6AA picture.
This week: Thurs vs. Osseo, Sat vs. #6 Eden Prairie
11. Blaine (11-4/3-4)
-A win over rival Centennial keeps the Bengals in the #2 spot in the conference and gives them a chance to edge up in the rankings. They haven’t done anything too fancy, but have beat all the teams behind them and lost all their games against teams above them. Only one game this week, and it shouldn’t be a challenge.
This week: Sat vs. Champlin Park
12. Burnsville (9-6-1/3-6-1)
-The lopsided loss to Eagan was a bad sign for a team that has been slipping backwards for a while now, and they will now need to regroup and get their SSC season back together against a potent Lakeville South team. Still, their narrow loss to Edina shows the section is still very much within reach. Their remaining games are all within the conference.
This week: Thurs at Lakeville North, Sat vs. Rosemount
13. Andover (10-5/2-5)
-An overtime win over Elk River finally gives the Huskies the big win they needed and lets them into the top 15. All but one of their losses have been by one goal, and the ugly one came against Duluth East early in the season. Suddenly, they have a chance to make some real noise in the NWSC and 7AA. They get another big test this coming weekend when they pay a visit to Maple Grove.
This week: Thurs at North Metro, Sat vs. #3 Maple Grove
14. Elk River (8-6-1/2-6-1)
-The narrow loss to Andover is a mild setback for the Elks, though losses by teams around them keep them ranked. The past few weeks have been difficult, though things don’t get a whole lot easier with a number of upcoming NWSC opponents floating around in this part of the rankings. This week, at least, provides a little relief, and they should be able to get a couple of wins.
This week: Thurs vs. Robbinsdale Armstrong, Sat at Anoka
15. Grand Rapids (10-5/2-5)
-The loss to Hermantown is not encouraging, but the tight game against East is enough to keep the Thunderhawks in the top 15. They’re running out of opportunities for important regular season wins. The week ahead is a busy one, with road games against a decent Cloquet team whom they beat in November, an alright A team in Hibbing, and a Hockey Day match-up against White Bear Lake. It’s still hard to figure out which direction this team is going.
This week: Tues at Cloquet, Thurs at Hibbing, Sat “at” White Bear Lake (in Minnetonka)
Bubble Teams
Centennial (7-7-1/1-7)
-Continue to hover along the border of the rankings; the Blaine loss isn’t too damaging to their resume, and they’ll have their chances to make up ground in the conference over the next few weeks. The week ahead is not a difficult one, with games against Coon Rapids and Champlin Park.
Lakeville South (8-5/1-4)
-Restored some order with a big win over Rochester Century and a narrow win over Apple Valley. It’s a step in the right direction, though it doesn’t show anything definitive. The next two weeks are huge for the Cougars, with consecutive games against Burnsville, Eagan, and Eden Prairie. Time to learn a lot about this team.
Cloquet (12-4/0-3)
-Continue to plug along against a relatively easy schedule. Their re-match with Grand Rapids this week should tell us if they’ve managed to improve since the start of the season.
Apple Valley (6-5-2/1-5-1)
-The Eagles continue to put together respectable results, losing narrowly to Lakeville South this past week. A busy week ahead includes road games against Duluth East and Bloomington Jefferson, who tied them the first time around. Nothing too exciting, but no one else seems to want to step up to claim this spot.
Lakeville North (8-7/1-6)
-Time to give this team a little credit: aside from Prior Lake, all the teams that have beaten them are above them, and the win over Lakeville South proved they’re a serious threat in 1AA. The next few weeks will be crucial--they play Bloomington Jefferson and Prior Lake this week, both teams that are behind them on paper but are capable of beating them.
Beyond that:
White Bear Lake (8-6-1/0-5). Just when it seemed like they were taking control of the SEC, the Bears suffer a head-scratching loss to Hastings.
Bemidji (10-6/0-3). A win over Roseau helps get the Jacks back on track.
Roseau (8-4-1/0-3). The loss to Bemidji hurts. The record is decent, but still no wins of real consequence.
Prior Lake (9-6/3-2). The wild ride continues, as they lose to Eastview but handle Bloomington Jefferson. Big games this week against Eagan and Lakeville North.
The rest of the tangled SEC web follows, along with Holy Angels and Brainerd.
Sections:
1AA
(20) Lakeville North
(17) Lakeville South
-South’s 10-1 win over Rochester Century shows this is clearly a two-team race. North is on top for now by virtue of their January 7 win, but if South takes the rematch on February 9, they should be able to pick up the top seed.
2AA
5 Edina
12 Burnsville
-Edina is probably safely in the top spot after their win over Burnsville, and the Blaze would need to suffer a dramatic upset or two to lose the #2 spot. Prior Lake took steps towards solidifying the 3-seed with a win over Jefferson. After that, it gets interesting; for now I like Holy Angels at 4, though Jefferson is in the picture as well, and we can’t completely discount Chanhassen yet, either.
3AA
4 Eagan
(19) Apple Valley
Woodbury
-Not much change here recently: Eagan is still the frontrunner, Apple Valley hangs around #20, and Woodbury remains on the list due to their close game a few weeks ago against Eagan. Beyond that, it’s a mess.
4AA
9 Hill-Murray
White Bear Lake
-With wins over Roseville and Stillwater in the past two weeks, White Bear has the inside track for the 2-seed. Right now, it looks like a pretty familiar script: Hill on top, White Bear chasing them, Stillwater and Roseville a step behind.
5AA
3 Maple Grove
11 Blaine
(16) Centennial
-Not much change here either, as the Crimson maintain the top spot and Blaine proves what we suspected by beating Centennial. The top three all have another game against one another before the season ends.
6AA
2 Minnetonka
6 Eden Prairie
7 Benilde-St. Margaret’s
10 Wayzata
-The Tonka win over Benilde should keep them ahead of the Red Knights in the seeding, though the rest is still pretty unsettled, as any number of things could happen in the upcoming Lake Conference home-and-home match-ups between Minnetonka, Eden Prairie, and Wayzata. The rescheduled Wayzata-Benilde game will also be key.
7AA
1 Duluth East
13 Andover
14 Elk River
15 Grand Rapids
(18) Cloquet
-The Hounds’ win over Grand Rapids coupled with Elk River’s loss to Andover just about seals up the top seed, but that Andover win fouls up the 2-4 spots. If the season ended today, Andover has an argument the #2 seed and Grand Rapids could be relegated to #4, setting up a potentially very interesting semifinal. Still, the coaches may take more into account when seeding. Elk River and Andover meet again on January 31.
8AA
8 Moorhead
Bemidji
Roseau
-Bemidji’s win over Roseau pushes them towards the 2-seed, though the top three teams all play each other again before the season ends. Moorhead’s win over Brainerd confirms the Spuds’ status as frontrunner and the Warriors’ position at #4.
