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This past week was filled with lots of amazing match ups, with many teams stepping up, others disappointing and a group of lower ranked teams beating up on each other. Hermantown has done everything they needed to to climb to the top spot and stay there for probably the rest of the season. There was a lot of movement below them and still a lot of exciting games to be played over the next 6 weeks!

Enjoy!

1. [2] Hermantown (11-2)
The Hawks changed holiday tournaments this year and boy was that a good call. They beat one of WI's top teams, handled Duluth Marshall and followed that up with a shut out of East Grand Forks. They do still have a few games that looking past would be a bad idea, but they will be the favorite in every game they play going forward.
This week: Tues vs Grand Rapids, Fri @ St Cloud Cathedral

2. [1] Duluth Marshall (11-1)
The Hilltoppers have only one loss but it is against the top team and it wasn't close. They will travel to Hermantown next week for a rematch to try to reclaim the top spot. This week, though, they have a game they should definitely not overlook on Tuesday. Mahtomedi, who has only lost one game will try to hand Marshall their second loss.
This week: Tues vs Mahtomedi, Thurs vs Superior

3. [3] East Grand Forks (10-3)
The Green Wave had a quality holiday tournament where they only dropped 1 game, getting shut out by Hermantown, and followed that up by beating Blaine at home. With all of their remaining MN teams coming from sections 8A or 8AA, they can only go down from here.
This week: Thurs vs Kittson Central, Fri vs Grand Forks Central

4. [4] Mahtomedi (11-1)
The Zephyrs picked up 4 wins last week in 4 games they were favored to win. This week they play 2 games they are not favored for a chance to really prove themselves. With their only loss being to Hill Murray, there is still a lot Mahtomedi can prove if they keep winning.
This week: Tues @ Duluth Marshall, Thurs vs St Thomas Academy, Sat @ Tartan

5. [5] Breck (8-4)
The Mustangs started the Schwan Cup strong, allowing 1 goal in 2 games, but could not manage to score against a solid Centennial team. This week they host two teams who will give them a good fight before going on the road to play two good private schools next week.
This week: Tues vs St Paul Academy, Thurs @ Minnehaha Academy, Sat vs Moorhead

6. [8] Alexandria (10-0-1)
The Cardinals picked up 3 wins over 8A opponents, which is good for their ranking and rising a few spots. That record is going to be challenged this week as they host a Moorhead team they haven't beaten once in the last 10 years. There has been a few 1 goal losses in that time, but they have never been victorious. With the team right above them also hosting Moorhead in the same week, rankings will be solidified even more after this week.
This week: Tues vs Moorhead, Thurs @ Willmar

7. [14] St. Cloud Cathedral (9-4)
The Crusaders started the yeat with 3 losses, but have gone 9-1 in their last 10 games and they still have a lot of quality opponents on their schedule. They still play both the #1 and #2 teams in the regular season, hosting Hermantown this week.
This week: Tues @ Prairie Center, Fri vs Hermantown

8. [10] Delano (8-3)
The Tigers didn't pick up any impressive wins, but they only lost to East Grand Forks by 2 goals and now their Kennedy and Blake wins are still looking pretty good. Now they get into the meat of their Wright County schedule and will be tested on Tuesday.
This week: Tues @ Holy Family, Thurs vs Waconia, Sat @ Rochester Lourdes

9. [-] Duluth Denfeld (9-4)
The Hunters had been hard to rank without any notable wins on their schedule yet, but the holiday tournament helped as they picked up a win over St Paul Academy, they kept it close with Bemidji and there are now more common opponent games that look more impressive for them than others. This week they play a game against East that seems like it may be winnable.
This week: Mon vs Duluth East, Thurs @ Proctor

10. [6] Warroad (9-5-1)
The Warriors are dealing with some injuries and have been struggling as of late going 2-2-1 in the last week in 5 games that were all decided by 1 goal or less.
This week: Thurs vs Roseau, Sat vs Crookston

11. [7] Thief River Falls (6-6)
The Prowlers finally get to .500 but it may only be for a few weeks. After their next two games, they play 4 ranked teams in a row, including Warroad who previously beat them by 1.
This week: Tues vs Park Rapids

12. [9] St. Paul Academy (10-2)
The Spartans pick up 3 easy wins this week but a crushing loss to Denfeld. This is likely the sign that Denfeld is better than ranked last week and not yet an indication that St Paul Academy is much worse than those behind them. They play a very good Breck team this week who they have had some close games with in recent years. The Spartans' ranking from here on out will be tied to how others around them do if they continue to win as Breck and Blake are the only notable opponents left on their schedule.
This week: Tues @ Breck

13. [16] Fergus Falls (8-3-1)
The Otters picked up a couple wins at home over lesser MN teams then lost in OT to a ND team. Likely the 4 seed in section 6A, they should be able to pick up 3 wins this week.
This week: Tues vs Sartell-St Stephen, Thurs @ Sauk Rapids-Rice, Sat vs Red Wing

14. [17] Detroit Lakes (6-4-1)
The Lakers don't have any quality wins yet, but their losses and tie hold them close to quality teams. Detroit Lakes has one remaining game against a team currently with a winning record, so a 20 win season is actually a realistic possibility at this point.
This week: Thurs @ Fargo North, Sat @ Grafton/Park River

15. [18] St Cloud Apollo (6-2-2)
The Eagles allowed 1 goal in the last 5 games they've played. Their losses to Fergus Falls and Cathedral keep them below, but their ties with Alex and Bemidji show they are not a team to be taken lightly. Their Saturday game against Orono will be a big game for both squads.
This week: Tues vs Brainerd, Thurs @ River Lakes, Sat vs Orono

16. [11] Blake (3-6)
The Bears picked up 2 losses to 2 good AA teams. They still have no losses to unranked Class A teams so they aren't the easiest to figure out at this point. Having only played 9 games so far, there is a lot of hockey left for Blake; can they be .500 at the end of the week in a week that includes playing Kennedy on the road?
This week: Tues vs Providence Academy, Thurs @ Kennedy, Sat vs Mound Westonka

17. [12] Orono (5-5-1)
The Spartans went 1-1-1 in the Schwan's Cup but only lost to Hopkins by 2. This week they will be tested in St Cloud.
This week: Tues @ Mound Westonka, Thurs vs Hutchinson, Sat @ St Cloud Apollo

18. [13] New Prague (9-4)
The Trojans did the best they could with their week in shutting out their lone opponent. Since their early win over Cathedral, the two teams have gone in opposite directions; can New Prague right the ship heading into Wright County play?
This week: Tues @ Litchfield

19. [-] Sartell-St. Stephen (8-4)
The Sabres are in a unique position after losing 4 of their last 5. They don't have any bad losses, they have 1 goal losses to St Cloud teams, and won the games against the teams not mentioned here on their schedule. Unless some results change the second time around, they are in line for the 5 seed in the section, but will be the strongest 5 seed in any section.
This week: Tues @ Fergus Falls

20. [-] Northfield (7-4-1)
The Raiders sneak onto the rankings after picking up some wins last week. 9 of their 12 games have been decided by 1 goal or less and the three were by 2, 2 and 3. They are in a lot of close games and have a realistic shot of making the section finals.
This week: Tues @ Owatonna, Thurs vs Faribault


Teams to watch


St Paul Como Park (12-0)
The Cougars have more wins than any other team in state, so they are definitely worth mentioning. Their next 5 opponents have losing records so picking up wins isn't out of the question, but they play Minneapolis and Johnson both twice to close out the season.
This week: Mon @ St Louis Park, Wed vs Henry Sibley

[15] Luverne (13-2)
The Cardinals show they can play as they beat a quality Spring Lake Park team but also showed they can be shut down as they lost to Kennedy. They will continue to score as they only have one game against a notable opponent in Johnson, but at this point they will likely be unseeded at state again this year.
This week: Tues vs Fairmont, Sat @ Willmar

[19] Spring Lake Park (9-4)
The Panthers played a close game with Luverne but came up on the losing end, so their upper limit is probably low. They only have 3 Class A teams left on their schedule, so they could get noticed if they put up wins in the high teens. They have probably locked up the top seed in their section, but they would likely need to win their next 11 games games and beat one or both of Centennial or Blaine to close out the season to have any shot at being seeded at state. One game at a time; can they beat Totino on the road this week?
This week: Tues @ Chisago Lakes, Thurs @ Totino-Grace

[20] South St Paul (9-4)
The Packers pick up a close loss to a Johnson team that is just as difficult to figure out as they are, who they also beat previously. This week they play a Tartan team they lost to at home already and two more conference games.
This week: Tues @ Tartan, Thurs vs Henry Sibley, Sat @ St Thomas Academy

Bloomington Kennedy (6-6)
The Eagles have 1 goal losses to both Delano and Northfield, got shut out by both Orono and Lourdes and just won the Schwan's Cup Open Division, beating Luverne in the finals. This is a very up and down team.

Totino-Grace (3-7)
The Eagles show they are not a top tier team with their loss to Roseville, but their loss to Osseo doesn't look as bad now that Warroad lost to them as well. Playing their 4 Class A team of the season, they have the opportunity to pick up their first Class A win of the season this week.
This week: Thurs vs Spring Lake Park, Sat vs Coon Rapids

Pretty good list, but I wouldn't include Northfield, and no offense to them, but they lost to a 3-11 Winona team, that was out scored 27-5 in the Open at Schwan's.

BP wrote:Pretty good list, but I wouldn't include Northfield, and no offense to them, but they lost to a 3-11 Winona team, that was out scored 27-5 in the Open at Schwan's.

Agreed That Winona squad is shaky.

You say St. Paul como has more wins than any other team in the state, but I am pretty sure at least 4 other teams have 12 or more wins.

Detroit Lakes??? Northfield???

Not your best rankings

Section 3A HockeyScout wrote:Detroit Lakes??? Northfield???

Not your best rankings

Considering DL comes from a difficult 8A section and has played multiple state ranked opponents closely they are worthy of the ranking. They have taken Fergus Falls to OT twice losing once and tying the 2nd time.
They have solid goaltending and could wind up in the 8A final.

RRubberbeeskit wrote:

Section 3A HockeyScout wrote:Detroit Lakes??? Northfield???

Not your best rankings

Considering DL comes from a difficult 8A section and has played multiple state ranked opponents closely they are worthy of the ranking. They have taken Fergus Falls to OT twice losing once and tying the 2nd time.
They have solid goaltending and could wind up in the 8A final.

You may very well be right that they could end up in the 8A final, I agree with you. However, I really struggle with the theory that losing all of your games that are difficult earn you a higher ranking than a team that wins a few tough games and loses a few. Consistently losing just doesnt equal a high ranking IMO.

BP wrote:Pretty good list, but I wouldn't include Northfield, and no offense to them, but they lost to a 3-11 Winona team, that was out scored 27-5 in the Open at Schwan's.

I agree Northfield doesn't look great, but not too many beyond Apollo on this list do. Sure, they lost to Winona in OT, but they also beat Kennedy (who beat Luverne, who beat Totino), are the only team to shut out Red Wing this year, tied a Mankato West team who started the year ranked and lost by 1 to #18 New Prague. Not to say any of that discounts the bad, but they have been doing positive things this season.

That same Kennedy team who just beat Luverne was shut by a 2-10-1 Rochester Lourdes team. Everyone that didn't make the list this week has something (or multiple somethings) on their schedule that are keeping them off.

Hibbing is a team I was turned away from after being shut out by Mound-Westonka and the Crookston tie kept me away, but I'll be watching them this week to see how they do.

notTONIGHT wrote: I really struggle with the theory that losing all of your games that are difficult earn you a higher ranking than a team that wins a few tough games and loses a few. Consistently losing just doesnt equal a high ranking IMO.

The issue is that they play literally 5 games against ranked teams all season, they have gone 0-4-1 in that time, losing 3 of them by 1 and the other by 3. They have been in all of the games they have lost. Additionally, they aren't winning the other games marginally; in their 6 games against non-ranked teams they have allowed a combined 4 goals with 3 shut outs. Were they getting blown out in their loses, this would be different, but they weren't.

I would add that a couple of teams come to mind like Delano and Orono who have lost all of their "difficult games" as well, and there's another handful that have lost all but 1 of their difficult games. While they are winless, Detroit Lakes has done very well with all of their games. They're only 14th and probably won't rise much farther, especially if they lose again.

notTONIGHT wrote:

RRubberbeeskit wrote:

Section 3A HockeyScout wrote:Detroit Lakes??? Northfield???

Not your best rankings

Considering DL comes from a difficult 8A section and has played multiple state ranked opponents closely they are worthy of the ranking. They have taken Fergus Falls to OT twice losing once and tying the 2nd time.
They have solid goaltending and could wind up in the 8A final.

You may very well be right that they could end up in the 8A final, I agree with you. However, I really struggle with the theory that losing all of your games that are difficult earn you a higher ranking than a team that wins a few tough games and loses a few. Consistently losing just doesnt equal a high ranking IMO.

Is it the sign of the apocalypse or did 2 users really just say that DL will make the section final?

mn miracle man wrote:

notTONIGHT wrote:

RRubberbeeskit wrote: Considering DL comes from a difficult 8A section and has played multiple state ranked opponents closely they are worthy of the ranking. They have taken Fergus Falls to OT twice losing once and tying the 2nd time.
They have solid goaltending and could wind up in the 8A final.

You may very well be right that they could end up in the 8A final, I agree with you. However, I really struggle with the theory that losing all of your games that are difficult earn you a higher ranking than a team that wins a few tough games and loses a few. Consistently losing just doesnt equal a high ranking IMO.

Is it the sign of the apocalypse or did 2 users really just say that DL will make the section final?

Could and will are drastically different things.

HShockeywatcher wrote:

BP wrote:Pretty good list, but I wouldn't include Northfield, and no offense to them, but they lost to a 3-11 Winona team, that was out scored 27-5 in the Open at Schwan's.

I agree Northfield doesn't look great, but not too many beyond Apollo on this list do. Sure, they lost to Winona in OT, but they also beat Kennedy (who beat Luverne, who beat Totino), are the only team to shut out Red Wing this year, tied a Mankato West team who started the year ranked and lost by 1 to #18 New Prague. Not to say any of that discounts the bad, but they have been doing positive things this season.

That same Kennedy team who just beat Luverne was shut by a 2-10-1 Rochester Lourdes team. Everyone that didn't make the list this week has something (or multiple somethings) on their schedule that are keeping them off.



Hibbing is a team I was turned away from after being shut out by Mound-Westonka and the Crookston tie kept me away, but I'll be watching them this week to see how they do.

notTONIGHT wrote: I really struggle with the theory that losing all of your games that are difficult earn you a higher ranking than a team that wins a few tough games and loses a few. Consistently losing just doesnt equal a high ranking IMO.

The issue is that they play literally 5 games against ranked teams all season, they have gone 0-4-1 in that time, losing 3 of them by 1 and the other by 3. They have been in all of the games they have lost. Additionally, they aren't winning the other games marginally; in their 6 games against non-ranked teams they have allowed a combined 4 goals with 3 shut outs. Were they getting blown out in their loses, this would be different, but they weren't.


I would add that a couple of teams come to mind like Delano and Orono who have lost all of their "difficult games" as well, and there's another handful that have lost all but 1 of their difficult games. While they are winless, Detroit Lakes has done very well with all of their games. They're only 14th and probably won't rise much farther, especially if they lose again.

Well said HSHW. Nice to see your Attn. to detail when making your picks.

Crookston is a team to keep an eye on. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they pulled the upset tonight vs Bemidji.

frozenponds wrote:Crookston is a team to keep an eye on. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they pulled the upset tonight vs Bemidji.

Hush your mouth!

frozenponds wrote:Crookston is a team to keep an eye on. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they pulled the upset tonight vs Bemidji.

Crookston is VERY frustrating to play against. Per Frank Fee, Doug Larson is the fastest player in the section.

12thgraders wrote:

frozenponds wrote:Crookston is a team to keep an eye on. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they pulled the upset tonight vs Bemidji.

Crookston is VERY frustrating to play against. Per Frank Fee, Doug Larson is the fastest player in the section.

Not only is he fast, but a very skilled player as well from what I have seen

3 St Paul Academy
1 Breck
...

frozenponds wrote:Crookston is a team to keep an eye on. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they pulled the upset tonight vs Bemidji.

No upset tonight.
Bemidji 10
Crookston 0

3 Alexandria
1 Moorhead

Owatonna 2 Northfeild 2 Please get them out of your top 20!!

Hermantown 10
Grand Rapids 2

Rapids gave no effort and goaltending was chased off the rink for Rapids

[quote="elliott70"][quote="frozenponds"]Crookston is a team to keep an eye on. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they pulled the upset tonight vs Bemidji.[/quote]

No upset tonight.
Bemidji 10
Crookston 0[/quote]

Yikes, that is what it looks like. Looks like the Alex and MHD game was the better game to watch. Alex game vs Bem will be a good one later this month. Alex stakes claim for top 5 ranking, probably not better than HTown and Marshall but I think could give EGF and Mahtomedi some fits. A MHD win over Breck should give good reason to put Alex top five.

elliott70 wrote:You say St. Paul como has more wins than any other team in the state, but I am pretty sure at least 4 other teams have 12 or more wins.

I think it's safe to say Como shouldn't be included in this conversation. Also, changing of the the guard with SPA over Breck.

Section 3A HockeyScout wrote:Owatonna 2 Northfeild 2 Please get them out of your top 20!!

Northfield you better turn and run from this forum. Once THE trout turns on you this thing is over. Watch out!

Section 3A HockeyScout wrote:Owatonna 2 Northfeild 2 Please get them out of your top 20!!

Bottom line, Northfield could compete in 3A. As could Owatonna.

Northfield did beat Bloomington Kennedy.

Whether NField s/b rated 20 or that should be Luverne is open to debate.
But that is why we have these ratings so we can have fun hashing it out.

And no one is claiming HSHW is the last word on these things.

QRF Top 30

1 Alexandria (11-0-1) 82.2
2 Mahtomedi (11-1-1) 78.0
3 Hermantown (12-2) 77.7
4 Duluth Marshall (11-1-1) 69.9
5 St. Paul Academy (11-2) 69.8
6 East Grand Forks (10-3) 69.4
7 Delano (9-3) 67.2
8 Spring Lake Park (10-4) 62.6
9 St. Cloud Cathedral (10-4) 60.2
10 St. Cloud Apollo (7-2-2) 59.7
11 Fergus Falls (8-3-2) 59.1
12 Luverne (14-2) 58.5
13 Breck (7-5-1) 58.1
14 Hutchinson (9-1-1) 58.0
15 South St. Paul (7-5) 55.8
16 Warroad (9-5-1) 55.5
17 St. Paul Como Park (12-1) 55.3
18 New Prague (10-4) 54.7
19 Faribault (9-3) 53.3
20 Sartell-St. Stephen (8-4-1) 53.1
21 Albert Lea (6-6) 49.2
22 Kittson Central (8-5) 48.9
23 Bloomington Kennedy (6-6) 48.2
24 Duluth Denfeld (9-5) 47.1
25 Princeton (6-5-2) 46.1
26 Thief River Falls (7-6) 46.0
27 Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato (7-4) 45.3
28 Northfield (7-4-2) 44.3
T-29 Orono (6-5-1) 43.9
T-29 New Ulm (9-4-1