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I hope you all had a happy Hockey Day. Just four weeks to go until sections. Need I say more?

1. Lakeville North (17-0)
-The pressure is mounting on the Panthers, but they survived a test against Duluth East and scored a decisive blowout against Farmington to secure the top seed in 1AA. This week they face Burnsville, who is the one top-flight opponent left on their schedule. With a win, the path to 25-0 is probably clear.
This week: Thurs at #11 Burnsville, Sat at Apple Valley

2. Edina (14-1-2)
-The Hornets scored a convincing win over Wayzata to keep the pressure on top-ranked North. With St. Thomas losing twice this past week, the top tier now consists of the same two teams that were there from the start, and the Hornets are right there to snag the top spot should North falter. It’s back to Lake Conference action this week, with a road game against Minnetonka posing one of their toughest remaining challenges.
This week: Thurs vs. Hopkins, Sat at #5 Minnetonka

3. St. Thomas Academy (14-2)
-The undefeated season has come to an end, though I’m giving the Cadets some benefit of the doubt for their outdoor loss on Hockey Day. Their strong season to date gives them enough of a cushion over Hill and the 6AA teams, though their losses this past week eliminate any margin for error they might have had. They shouldn’t have any trouble getting back into the win column this week.
This week: Tues vs. Totino-Grace, Thurs at Simley

4. Hill-Murray (12-5)
-The Pioneers pulled out the Hockey Day win over St. Thomas, and survived an adventure against Tartan as well. If this team can generate enough offense, they’ll be one of the most dangerous teams in the state down the stretch. Mahtomedi could pose a challenge this week, though they weren’t much trouble back in their December meeting.
This week: Thurs at Henry Sibley, Sat at Mahtomedi

5. Minnetonka (11-5-1)
-This is a case where we trust recent history over overall record: the Skippers are on a roll, winning six straight and showing great offensive potential against a number of quality teams. This coming week will be a huge one at Pagel, as they can either build on this momentum, or regress back to the messy 6AA pack. Time to learn how real this Skipper surge is.
This week: Thurs vs. #8 Wayzata, Sat vs. #2 Edina

6. Benilde-St. Margaret’s (9-6-2)
-A win over St. Thomas Academy keeps the Red Knights climbing upward; they finally seem to be coming together as a unit. They face another team on the rise in Blaine this week, and a second win over Jefferson would effectively hand them a conference title, too.
This week: Tues at #9 Blaine, Sat vs. Bloomington Jefferson

7. Elk River (13-4)
-After a string of wins that gave encouraging signs about the Elks’ defense, they coughed up six goals in a loss to Blaine. Given their relatively weak schedule down the stretch, that could prove costly when it comes to State seeding. Still, they are the class of their section, and a win over Andover this week should guarantee the top spot in 7AA. Kiersted’s status bears watching.
This week: Thurs vs. Andover, Sat at Coon Rapids

8. Wayzata (8-7-2)
-A win over Eden Prairie helped stem the Trojans’ downward slide, though their record in recent games remains pretty ugly. Edina is the clear frontrunner in the Lake Conference, but if they can take down Minnetonka this week, they could reclaim some stake to the #2 spot there, and Grand Rapids poses a mystery sort of challenge, too. Time to learn if this team belongs among the state’s elite or not.
This week: Thurs at #5 Minnetonka, Fri vs. Grand Rapids

9. Blaine (10-5)
-The Bengals have been up and down this season, but this past week was definitely a high point, with a win over Centennial that should clinch the 5AA top seed and a huge win over Elk River. Benilde this week is their lone remaining ranked opponent, though they have a score to settle with Anoka, too.
This week: Tues vs. #6 Benilde-St. Margaret’s, Thurs at Champlin Park, Sat vs. Anoka

10. Eden Prairie (10-7)
-The Eagles were competitive in both their Lake games this past week, but lost both of them, and perhaps more troublingly remain winless against 6AA competition. This week offers some chance to restore order before a brutal finish to their schedule.
This week: Thurs at Bloomington Jefferson, Sat at Hopkins

11. Burnsville (9-7-1)
-A week after the ugly loss to Lakeville South, the Blaze bounced back with a convincing win over Farmington, and for the most part have looked solid against quality competition. With Lakeville North and a section battle with Prior Lake on the docket, this is their biggest week of the regular season. Can they get out of this seemingly eternal rut of good-but-not-great?
This week: Thurs vs. #1 Lakeville North, Sat at Prior Lake

12. White Bear Lake (13-3)
-Rebounded from their Cretin loss with a pair of impressive wins over Suburban East teams. The schedule finally grows a bit more challenging this week, as two northern powers pay visits to Vadnais. They should be good warm-ups for the following week, which will make or break their 4AA seeding fate.
This week: Fri vs. Hermantown, Sat vs. Grand Rapids

13. Bemidji (14-3-1)
-A second win over Moorhead should lock up the top seed in 8AA for the Lumberjacks, but a pair of losses to top-flight Class A teams does raise some doubt about their ability to compete with the AA elite. They basically have to run the table to tread water; arguably their toughest remaining test will be this coming week against undefeated Alexandria.
This week: Tues vs. Sauk Rapids-Rice, Sat at Alexandria

14. Holy Family (8-6-2)
-Steamrolled Mound-Westonka, as expected. Section games certainly suggest they can compete with anyone in 6AA, but a couple of bad losses to Class A teams hold them back for now. They continue with Wright County play this week, though Orono might be able to give them a game.
This week: Tues at Waconia, Thurs at Orono

15. Farmington (12-5)
-The Tigers had a tough week as they failed to give Lakeville North or Burnsville very good fights, but they’ve done enough against a tough South Suburban slate to stay toward the top of this convoluted tier of teams. Things ease up over the next couple of weeks, so wins here are essential for their ranking fate.
This week: Thurs vs. Apple Valley, Sat at Rosemount

Bubble Teams

Prior Lake (9-6-1)
-A loss to Rosemount has the Lakers sliding backwards, though they did pull out a decent win over Lakeville South. A pivotal 2AA game against Burnsville looms this week.

Moorhead (10-6-2)
-A second loss to Bemidji puts the Spuds out of the running for the top seed, but they can probably lock up the 2-seed in 8AA with a win over Roseau on Saturday.

Cretin-Derham Hall (9-4-3)
-Got past Forest Lake in their lone game this past week. A big SEC battle with Stillwater is up next; they lost 6-3 the first time around. This team has been surging in the right direction lately, but could use another quality win to make it all a lot more convincing.

Stillwater (13-4)
-The schedule’s been pretty easy, but the Ponies deserve some credit for their success against a conference of large metro schools. This week brings a rematch with Cretin, and a win would solidify their top-20 standing.

Centennial (8-8)
-Still probably the second-most dangerous 5AA team, and they gave Blaine a second one-goal game this past week, but a loss to Andover drops them from the top 20. They can clinch the 2-seed with a win over Maple Grove this week; a loss complicates things.

Lakeville South (7-7-1)
-Lost to Prior Lake, which keeps them hovering around #20 here. Their game with Eastview this week has some ranking relevance.

Bloomington Jefferson (10-7)
-Sailed through an easier week, but have to deal with Benilde and Eden Prairie this week.

After that, in no particular order: Anoka, Grand Rapids, Duluth East, Hopkins, St. Michael-Albertville

karl(east) wrote: 7. Elk River (13-4)
-After a string of wins that gave encouraging signs about the Elks’ defense, they coughed up six goals in a loss to Blaine. Given their relatively weak schedule down the stretch, that could prove costly when it comes to State seeding. Still, they are the class of their section, and a win over Andover this week should guarantee the top spot in 7AA. Kiersted’s status bears watching.
This week: Thurs vs. Andover, Sat at Coon Rapids

What is going on with Kiersted?

TheInsider wrote:

karl(east) wrote: 7. Elk River (13-4)
-After a string of wins that gave encouraging signs about the Elks’ defense, they coughed up six goals in a loss to Blaine. Given their relatively weak schedule down the stretch, that could prove costly when it comes to State seeding. Still, they are the class of their section, and a win over Andover this week should guarantee the top spot in 7AA. Kiersted’s status bears watching.
This week: Thurs vs. Andover, Sat at Coon Rapids

What is going on with Kiersted?

Left the Blaine game with an injury early and did not return.

Reiterating my weekly comment as to how hard to rank below the top 5 this year.

And now to add Karls complexity, the Tonka Skippers! On almost no ones top tier radar screen at beginnning of the season, but have racked up a series of good wins against quality teams, and all losses were close except the 2nd loss to the Cadets. For some reason they really have had EPs number, holding a high potent offense to 4 and 2 goals so far.

Not having seen them I have no right to really assess, but coming down the stretch do they really have the depth for the rest of the Lake Conference schedule and Section 6? On the other hand, when I look at my own preseason post Elite League top players list, I see 2 Tonka seniors, 1 top junior, 1 top sophomore and 1 freshman. And that list didnt even include Green or Bertogliat who are 3rd and 4th in their scoring. Plus Berger in net at .906, and Hanson is getting a lot of minutes too at .898.

I see Doug Hagen has them at 14th in his latest FTP ranking system, about where Mitch had them a week ago.

Since I looked at State seeding on the A side, I might as well do a AA rundown, too:

-North is clearly #1 if they win out, maybe even if they lose once, with their head-to-head win against Edina.
-Edina is in line for #2, and, like North, would probably need to lose twice to drop further, given their difficult schedule and 2 head-to-head wins over Hill.
-STA/Hill are 3/4 and their second meeting will probably decide their order, as long as they take care of business in other games--they both have a couple that might pose a challenge.
-I can't really see the 6AA rep going unseeded at this point, given the difficulty of the section. That would only happen if the eventual winner ends up with a lot of losses down the stretch here.
-After the Blaine loss, Elk River may be the odd team out for a seed, though they're next in line if one of the top 4 goes down in sections. No one else from 7AA has a realistic shot at a seed.
-Next in line would probably be a team like White Bear or Burnsville that manages to pull off the big upset. I can't foresee a 1AA or 3AA team other than the favorite being seeded.
-It'd be a very difficult road for a 5AA or 8AA champion to get seeded. Blaine has some shot, but a lot of things need to fall into place; Bemidji may be a pretty good 8AA team, but seeding odds aren't very high after their last two losses. No one else in those sections has a shot.

This has the chance to be an absolutely loaded tournament field, as in 2012. We've got 7 different sections in the top 9, and the 8th has a team that was in that group as recently as last week.

"13. Bemidji (14-3-1)
-A second win over Moorhead should lock up the top seed in 8AA for the Lumberjacks, but a pair of losses to top-flight Class A teams does raise some doubt about their ability to compete with the AA elite. They basically have to run the table to tread water; arguably their toughest remaining test will be this coming week against undefeated Alexandria.
This week: Tues vs. Sauk Rapids-Rice, Sat at Alexandria "


Not arguing your slotting Bemidji at #13. Its as good as place as any.

But the week Bemidji had gives no credence to doubting their ability to compete.
They beat Moorhead (for the second time) who has competed very well beating your #5 and #8 teams and tying your #6 and #14 teams.
They lost on the road to Mitch's #7 (overall) team (while down 4 players and on the road).
And they lost to Mitch's #4 team (overall).

When they are back at full strength and stumble against some lesser teams then I will allow you to doubt their ability to compete, but not until then.

Hey Elliott......
How about when they "stumbled" into running time AT HOME with Grand Rapids? Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm?

hadenuf wrote:Hey Elliott......
How about when they "stumbled" into running time AT HOME with Grand Rapids? Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm?

That was a fluke...
And it ended a close game with the Indians scrambling at the end in a 3 goal difference game.

I hope they beat Elk River so we can get a shot at them in the semis (or finals) at the X....

If you had not stop at the Corner prior to the game you would have noticed.....

elliott70 wrote:

hadenuf wrote:Hey Elliott......
How about when they "stumbled" into running time AT HOME with Grand Rapids? Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm?

That was a fluke...
And it ended a close game with the Indians scrambling at the end in a 3 goal difference game.

I hope they beat Elk River so we can get a shot at them in the semis (or finals) at the X....

If you had not stop at the Corner prior to the game you would have noticed.....

I love your responses. Keep them coming!

Traxler wrote:

elliott70 wrote:

hadenuf wrote:Hey Elliott......
How about when they "stumbled" into running time AT HOME with Grand Rapids? Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm?

That was a fluke...
And it ended a close game with the Indians scrambling at the end in a 3 goal difference game.

I hope they beat Elk River so we can get a shot at them in the semis (or finals) at the X....

If you had not stop at the Corner prior to the game you would have noticed.....

I love your responses. Keep them coming!

I've been doing it since 2004 when I got blasted by the best (slapshooter), the worst (BIAFP) and the now banned boys (packerboy, etal..)
Not about to stop unless I get hit by a truck (and at my age I don't jump out of the way as fast as I once did)>

elliott70 wrote:

hadenuf wrote:Hey Elliott......
How about when they "stumbled" into running time AT HOME with Grand Rapids? Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm?

That was a fluke...
And it ended a close game with the Indians scrambling at the end in a 3 goal difference game.

I hope they beat Elk River so we can get a shot at them in the semis (or finals) at the X....

If you had not stop at the Corner prior to the game you would have noticed.....

Plus, it looks, to me, as the year has progressed, Bemidji has continued to get better. That GR game was very early.

The had some good players out when they played EGF and Hermytown.
I am starting to be a believer that if they get to the X, and they should, they will make some noise down there.

JMHO

I picked Bemidji to win the section long ago so there is no bashing here.
It was fun to see the Jacks score on Rapids JV kids who suited up for varsity
that night.

hadenuf wrote:I picked Bemidji to win the section long ago so there is no bashing here.
It was fun to see the Jacks score on Rapids JV kids who suited up for varsity
that night.

Hey, I have been waiting around here for 3 hours for your response. Next time make it a little more speedy.

Oops, I forgot they stuck there JV goalie in.....
at the beginning of the game????

Sorry kid (GR goalie) not a shot at you.

Can somone please rank Bemidji at #1 so Elliott quits whining.

Thanks.

OGEE OGELTHORPE wrote:Can somone please rank Bemidji at #1 so Elliott quits whining.

Thanks.

You can do it.

Thanks, buddy.

We should cut Elliot some slack. He's waited a long time for his Lumberjacks to have a legitimate shot at state. It's great to see Bemidji in the discussion. Hope your 'jacks make it to state so I can watch them upset St. Thomas (or LVN, Edina, Hill-Murray) in the first round. I'll even buy him a couple of beers to celebrate (or maybe commiserate).

Joe says the Metro rules AA hockey..

Thats the "cold hard truth"

OGEE OGELTHORPE wrote:Joe says the Metro rules AA hockey..

Thats the "cold hard truth"

If you are speaking of the infamous Joe packer boy
Then f him.

I know I'm stating the obvious. But its weird not seeing east in the rankings. Has there been a season they haven't even been in the top 20? I think their worst record in about 20 years or so has been 14-10???

Is there anything in bantams or peewees that looks promising? They made a good run after 2011-2012 ( or whatever season it was when it was Jake, Trevor and Dom's senior year, which is in my opinion probably the top 2 teams they have ever had ).. But nothing seems to be to promising for the hounds

GPGT wrote:I know I'm stating the obvious. But its weird not seeing east in the rankings. Has there been a season they haven't even been in the top 20? I think their worst record in about 20 years or so has been 14-10???

Is there anything in bantams or peewees that looks promising? They made a good run after 2011-2012 ( or whatever season it was when it was Jake, Trevor and Dom's senior year, which is in my opinion probably the top 2 teams they have ever had ).. But nothing seems to be to promising for the hounds

They went 11-10-4 in the regular season in 03-04, then went on a run to State and finished 14-12-4. That's the only time they've been at all close to .500 in the Randolph era.

The 3 freshmen and 8th grader playing varsity this year were the core of a very, very good PeeWee team a couple years back, so if they stick around, they should keep East in the mix over the next few years. Because they got pulled up to varsity, the Bantams aren't very good. The PeeWees seem to be hovering around #20, so there may be a dip after this group moves on, but the youth numbers are pretty good, so no cause for real concern at this point.