Class A Rankings 2-1-2015

[HShockeywatcher]

Not a lot of moving around this week overall, but a few big moves for a handful of teams. Next week we could have up to 4 teams with 20 wins.
Looking ahead to next week; rankings will be coming out Monday evening instead of Sunday.

Enjoy!

1. [1] Hermantown (19-2-1)
The Hawks tied Cloquet this week which was not expected, but also picked up 2 more wins. They are the top seed in the section and will have the easiest route to state in the section, although a Duluth team will be trying to give them a good game in the finals.
This week: Fri vs Brainerd

2. [2] Mahtomedi (18-2-2)
The Zephyrs shut out Hill Murray last week and have followed that up with tying Hastings this week. They finish the season with 3 games at home and this will be a huge week. They beat Hill so there's no reason they couldn't do the same with St Thomas and follow it up with a win over Tartan. They have locked up 3rd place in the conference, but beating St Thomas and some luck could get them 2nd.
This week: Tues vs St Thomas, Sat vs Tartan

3. [3] East Grand Forks (18-3)
The Green Wave are coming off a shut out win in Warroad which should solidify their top seed in the section. In their quest for the #2 seed at state, they need to not stumble and hope that Mahtomedi does.
This week: Tues @ Moorhead, Fri @ Roseau

4. [4] Duluth Marshall (15-4-2)
The Hilltoppers started the week losing to Cloquet, but rebounded with a win over Denfeld. It was a very close game and it'll be interesting to see if they meet if
This week: Thurs vs Virginia, Sat @ Holy Family

5. [5] Alexandria (18-2-1)
The Cardinals picked up another 3 wins this week, have locked up the top seed in the section and with 4 games to go a Sartell team they beat the first time around by a score of 6-1 is the only team they have left with a winning record.
This week: Tues vs Prairie Center, Fri @ Sartell-St Stephen

6. [8] Breck (17-6)
The Mustangs have avenged their earlier loss to St Paul Academy, 3 of their 4 losses to class A teams are 2, 3 and 4 on this ranking and they have won 8 in a row now with 4 shut outs in that time. They are off this week, with a game against St Thomas and Blake next week.
This week: Idle

7. [6] Delano (17-4)
The Tigers picked up their 4th loss of the season to a good Holy Family team. Having lost to only 2 Class A teams this season, one of them happens to be Breck so they will likely be the 2 seed in the section. If they can beat Orono again they should lock up the Wright County title.
This week: Tues @ Waconia, Thurs vs New Prague

8. [7] Duluth Denfeld (16-6)
The Hunters lost their only game of significance this week to Duluth Marshall, but it was a close game. This week's game should be good and they play Grand Rapids next week.
This week: Fri vs South St Paul

9. [8] St. Paul Academy (18-3)
The Spartans picked up 3 more wins last week and will probably pick up another 3 this week. Their game next week with Holy Angels will be a good prep for sections.
This week: Tues vs Providence, Wed vs Blake, Sat @ Richfield

10. [12] Fergus Falls (15-4-3)
The Otters had one game this week. In that game they shut out Apollo. Having lost to Cathedral earlier in the season, they will probably be the 3 seed in the section, but they are cruising right now and it wouldn't be surprising to see them at state.
This week: Tues @ Sartell-St Stephen, Thurs vs Wilmar

11. [11] St Cloud Apollo (15-4-2)
The Eagles have recent losses to both Alexandria and Fergus Falls where they scored a total of 1 goal in the 2 games. They have, though, won 14 of their last 16 games and are the favorite in each of their remaining games. It'll be interesting to see how they end up seeded compared to a now struggling Cathedral team.
This week: Tues @ Brainerd, Thurs vs Little Falls

12. [13] Thief River Falls (11-9)
The Prowlers picked up another 2 wins this week and go into a 3 game week. Out of all Class A teams they the most difficult remaining schedule.
This week: Mon vs Roseau, Fri @ Red Lake Falls, Sat @ Moorhead

13. [15] Orono (12-8-1)
The Spartans were 3-5 to start the season, but have only lost 3 games since then and all were to good teams. They have a remaining game with Delano where a win would be huge for section seeding.
This week: Tues @ Hutchinson, Fri vs Waconia

14. [14] Warroad (11-12-1)
The Warriors have been losing a lot of games lately. They have a 1 goal loss to Crookston and a 1 goal win over Detroit Lakes; will they end up with the 4th seed in the section? Can they avoid ending the season with a losing record by not losing to Bemidji this week?
This week: Fri vs Bemidji

15. [13] Detroit Lakes (14-5-2)
The Lakers haven't played the most difficult schedule, but they have 5 players with more than 20 points and 2 with over 50 and have scored as few as 2 goals only 3 times this season, so they will be scoring. With a win over Crookston, they should be at least the 4 seed in the section and possibly 3 depending on how the section views Warroad.
This week: Tues vs Bagley, Thurs @ Northern Lakes

16. [15] Hibbing (11-7-3)
The Bluejackets picked up two wins last week and likely will do the same this week. They only have section games remaining. After tying with Duluth Marshall and losing to Denfeld, they will likely be the 4 seed. They play against Hermantown to close out the season; can they compete with the Hawks?
This week: Tues vs Greenway, Fri vs Eveleth-Gilbert

17. [19] New Prague (14-6)
The Trojans started the year 7-0 and are 7-6 since then with Cathedral being the highest highest ranked opponent they've beaten this season. They are still probably the favorite to win their section, but some of their games have been very close. Can they pick up more than one win this week?
This week: Tues vs Holy Family, Thurs @ Delano, Sat @ Lourdes

18. [10] St. Cloud Cathedral [11-9]
The Crusaders lost to Orono last week and followed that up by getting shut out by Little Falls this week. The only top 7 team they haven't lost to is Duluth Marshall and they beat #8 Denfeld, so they still wouldn't be a surprise to see at state, but it's looking more like a semifinal loss is more likely. Despite their struggles, they should get the 2 seed in their section.
This week: Tues Monticello, Sat @ Holy Angels

19. [-] St Paul Johnson (12-5-2)
The Governors have had a very interesting season without the toughest schedule, but took St Paul Academy to OT this week. They went 1-1 with South St Paul this season and lost twice to SPA, so it'll be interesting to see how they are seeded.
This week: Tues @ New Richmond, Sat vs St Paul Como Park

20. [18] Sartell-St. Stephen (14-5-1)
The Sabres have zero "quality wins" this season and have a bad loss as well. With 4 ranked teams ahead of them in their section, this would be the week to pick up a quality win or two if they want to not be the 5 seed in sections.
This week: Tues vs Fergus Falls, Fri vs Alexandria, Sat @ Princeton

[hockey9011]

I wouldn't say that Sartell has a "bad" loss. They lost to #5 Alex, #11 Apollo twice, #18 Cathedral, and #10 AA Bemidji. The tie to SRR was not good though.

[RRubberbeeskit]

I wouldn't say that Sartell has a "bad" loss. They lost to #5 Alex, #11 Apollo twice, #18 Cathedral, and #10 AA Bemidji. The tie to SRR was not good though.

9011: Personally I would say a 6-1 loss to a strong Cardinal team was a butt whooping but not necessarily "bad" .

[hockey9011]

I wouldn't say that Sartell has a "bad" loss. They lost to #5 Alex, #11 Apollo twice, #18 Cathedral, and #10 AA Bemidji. The tie to SRR was not good though.

9011: Personally I would say a 6-1 loss to a strong Cardinal team was a butt whooping but not necessarily "bad" .

Oh that was not a good game by any means.. They scored on their first two shots plus an own goal on the sabres.. It avalanched on them very quickly although Alex was clearly the better team..

[RRubberbeeskit]

I wouldn't say that Sartell has a "bad" loss. They lost to #5 Alex, #11 Apollo twice, #18 Cathedral, and #10 AA Bemidji. The tie to SRR was not good though.

9011: Personally I would say a 6-1 loss to a strong Cardinal team was a butt whooping but not necessarily "bad" .

Oh that was not a good game by any means.. They scored on their first two shots plus an own goal on the sabres.. It avalanched on them very quickly although Alex was clearly the better team..

9011: Thanks for the insight on that game. That's what makes this forum great getting feedback from those that were there. Then again some of the bickering on the 3A thread kills me.
This Tuesday's Otters vs Sabres matchup should be a good one if both teams are going full tilt.