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Here are some new rankings. This is really the toughest time of the year to do this, with a bunch of games in the books but not nearly enough crossover between teams to build a very logical order. This is still a combination of preseason guesswork and records to date. The general rule: one can be a fluke, but two results in a certain direction means there’s something to it. Here we go:

1. Benilde-St. Margaret’s (7-0)
-The Red Knights pulled out a thriller over Eden Prairie to claim the top spot. No one is clicking as well as Benilde so far; their depth is excellent, and they’re at least somewhat better in back than in recent years. The tough tests continue this week, as they face yet another Mr. Hockey candidate and some added firepower up front. A win there, and they’re a very convincing number one.
This week: Tues vs. #3 Blaine, Sat vs. Moorhead

2. Eden Prairie (4-1)
-The Eagles showed some flaws in the loss the Benilde, but with no one else making much of claim to this spot, an overtime loss on the road to the new #1 isn’t going to cause too much damage. We’ll get a bit more perspective on this team in the Edina tournament, where they are the odds-on favorite. Considering that they never beat Edina in this one, it’s a chance to make a statement.
This week: Edina Holiday Classic—Thurs vs. #15 Elk River, Fri vs. #9 Grand Rapids, Sat vs. #7 Edina

3. Blaine (6-0)
-The Bengals took care of their top two challengers for Northwest Suburban supremacy to remain undefeated. Their depth isn’t on par with the other teams in this area of the rankings, but they’re getting things done fairly smoothly. Nothing will come easy this coming week, as they get the new #1, a tough Tonka team, and a bit of a trap game with Anoka.
This week: Tues at #1 Benilde-St. Margaret’s, Thurs at #13 Minnetonka, Sat vs. Anoka

4. Stillwater (6-0)
-The top three are clear; for this spot, I just shrug and toss out a name: undefeated is undefeated, so here are the Ponies making their first ever appearance in the top five. It wasn’t pretty, but they have that win over Lakeville North in their one quality game to date, and they have been rolling through the Suburban East with authority. There’s no reason not to expect two more wins this coming week.
This week: Thurs vs. Bloomington Jefferson, Sat at Mounds View

5. Wayzata (6-2)
-Wayzata had a very Wayzata week, as they scored little but held their opponents to less. The Breck win is a strong one this year, and Anoka is no pushover, either. Their big game of the coming week is against surging Holy Family.
This week: Thurs at #10 Holy Family, Sat vs. Buffalo

6. Bemidji (5-0-1)
-The Jacks had no trouble piling up goals this past week against some of the better 8A teams and Rogers; they don’t climb because they’re going to be closely tied to Grand Rapids, their one quality AA opponent to date. They’ll look to keep rolling against the defending Class A champs and a Brainerd team that may actually be one of their better competitors in 8AA.
This week: Tues at East Grand Forks, Sat vs. Brainerd

7. Edina (5-2)
-The Hornets are beneficiaries of other team’s stumbles, and move up a few spots They’ve been near unbeatable in their own tournament over recent years, so this coming week should be a very good barometer for an Edina team that has a few more question marks than they usually do.
This week: Edina Holiday Classic—Thurs vs. #9 Grand Rapids, Fri vs. #15 Elk River, Sat vs. #2 Eden Prairie

8. Lakeville North (2-2)
-The Panthers are all over the place early on. The offense is explosive, and there was some defensive progress in the win over Grand Rapids. The Farmington loss, however, makes 1AA a lot more interesting. They’re getting some benefit of the doubt because of how much they’re controlling games, but until they prove they can contain top teams regularly, there will be questions. The schedule eases up some now.
This week: Thurs at Apple Valley, Sat at Rosemount

9. Grand Rapids (5-2-1)
-The Thunderhawks steamrolled Cloquet, but blew a chance to solidify a top-5 spot with the loss to Lakeville North. Both of their losses have been in overtime to very talented teams, though, so they’ve shown they can compete with anyone. Their trip to Edina gives them more chances to get a signature win, and the Elk River game has section seeding implications.
This week: Edina Holiday Classic—Thurs vs. #5 Edina, Fri vs. #2 Eden Prairie, Sat vs. #15 Elk River

10. Holy Family (7-2)
-The Fire hung seven on St. Thomas Academy in a solid win, and have now rattled off five in a row. They’re showing some scoring depth, which is a noticeable improvement over recent years. Just one game this week, but it will be a good test against another quality team.
This week: Thurs vs. #5 Wayzata

11. Prior Lake (4-1)
-After a season-opening loss to Eden Prairie, the Lakers have collected four straight convincing wins against middling South Suburban competition by a combined score of 26-3. Burnsville is up next, which gives them another shot at a quality win; Eastview isn’t a free win, either.
This week: Thurs at Burnsville, Sat vs. Eastview

12. Hill-Murray (3-2)
-The Pioneers got back on track some with twin 5-2 wins over White Bear Lake and Maple Grove. They’ve got nothing but road conference games until the Schwan Cup; the Mahtomedi game certainly could be a good one, though they should be able to collect wins over the directional St. Pauls.
This week: Tues at Mahtomedi, Thurs at South St. Paul, Sat at North St. Paul

13. Minnetonka (3-2)
-The Skippers rolled to a 7-1 win over Moorhead, which gives them a little boost. More tests await them this week, including Blaine and Hermantown at home.
This week: Tues at Chanhassen, Thurs vs. #3 Blaine, Sat vs. Hermantown

14. Centennial (4-2)
-Gave Blaine a pretty good game, which bodes well for a young team looking ahead toward the 5AA playoffs, and scraped by a pesky Andover team. They get their next challenge this week in a road trip to Duluth, and Maple Grove has looked pretty competitive in the early going, too.
This week: Tues vs. Duluth East, Thurs vs. Maple Grove

15. Elk River (5-1)
-Grabbed narrow wins over decent Maple Grove and Anoka teams, but fell to Blaine; everything has basically gone according to preseason predictions so far. They’re in for a tough week in Edina, and getting anything out of those three games would be pretty big.
This week: Edina Holiday Classic—Thurs vs. #2 Eden Prairie, Fri vs. #7 Edina, Sat vs. #9 Grand Rapids

The Next Ten

Duluth East (4-2)
-The Hounds have been going steadily downhill since that big opening win over Wayzata, and suffered ugly losses to Cloquet and St. Michael-Albertville. The scoring has gone dry, the back end isn’t without questions, and perhaps most importantly, penalty troubles persist. The week ahead isn’t a terribly comfortable one either; Centennial has won three straight over East, and that meeting with Duluth Marshall has all sorts of interesting undercurrents.

Farmington (4-2-1)
-A big win over Lakeville North makes a statement for the Tigers in 1AA. They were outshot heavily and also got killed by Edina and Eden Prairie, so it would be a bit premature to stick them too high, but they’re showing they have some potential.

Burnsville (2-3-1)
-After an 0-3 start the Blaze found their legs this week with wins over Jefferson and Eagan. Two of those losses were narrow ones to state powers, and the Farmington tie isn’t any great blemish either; only the Benilde loss stands out as ugly. They’re not a powerhouse, but they’re probably at the top of 3AA by default at the moment. This week’s game with Prior Lake should be instructive.

St. Thomas Academy (3-2-1)
-A bad loss to Holy Family does nothing to help the Cadets’ case, and they have yet to get a real quality win, either. There’s some good young talent here, but apparently it will take some time to jell. Henry Sibley and Tartan are up this week.

Brainerd (4-0)
-Hey, why not? They beat an okay Jefferson team and have rolled over everyone else. Bemidji should provide a reality check this week.

Eastview (4-1-1)
-The Lightning took a stumble against Rosemount, but have beaten a few other okay teams and tied St. Thomas Academy.

Bloomington Jefferson (4-3)
-Lost to the three teams above them, and won comfortably over the ones below.

Maple Grove (4-5)
-The record isn’t great, but they’re hanging in there against the top teams better than most of the others around here.

Moorhead (3-2)
-Have a couple of big wins, but their games against better AA teams have both been big losses. They make their first Twin Cities road trip this week with visits to Benilde and Bloomington Jefferson.

White Bear Lake (5-2)
-Lost to Hill and also have a blemish against Roseville, but beat everyone else.

Next in line: Anoka, Cloquet, Rosemount

Time for the first of the bi-weekly section seed discussions.

1AA
17 Farmington
8 Lakeville North
-This one got interesting in a hurry, as Farmington exposed Lakeville North’s goaltending and defensive woes in a win on Thursday. Those two will meet again in mid-January, which will likely decide the top seed. Lakeville South, meanwhile, isn’t looking too relevant in its early games, so this is looking like a two-horse race. Further south, Rochester John Marshall is off to the best start.

2AA
2 Eden Prairie
10 Holy Family
11 Prior Lake
13 Minnetonka
-No doubt for now that Eden Prairie belongs at the top of the heap here, but all three teams in the chase pack were on the move this past week with some big wins. Holy Family’s win over Minnetonka boosts their seeding credentials, and hast them at #2 for now. We have yet to see how Prior Lake slots in with the Fire and the Skippers.

3AA
18 Burnsville
19 St. Thomas Academy
21 Eastview
22 Bloomington Jefferson
-Write the teams’ names on scraps of paper, toss them up in the air, and pick them up: whatever order you get is probably as good as anything I can come up with here. Burnsville’s win over Jefferson has them at the top for now, and Eastview and STA stay linked by their tie. Burnsville and Eastview play the next important game here on the 23rd.

4AA
4 Stillwater
12 Hill-Murray
25 White Bear Lake
-Stillwater is the top team here for now, but it’s hard to say if they have a big gap on Hill or not. Those two meet on January 23. White Bear and Woodbury are next in line for now, and they play on the 22nd.

5AA
3 Blaine
14 Centennial
23 Maple Grove
Anoka
-Blaine did what they needed to do against Centennial, but certainly didn’t slam the door in this section. Anoka and Maple Grove hover in there and could cause trouble if they can improve. Blaine-Anoka and Centennial-Maple Grove are on the docket this week.

6AA
1 Benilde-St. Margaret’s
5 Wayzata
7 Edina
-Edina as a 3-seed? Unless they sweep Wayzata in Lake Conference play, it could certainly happen. The lack of an Edina-Benilde game could end up costing someone. Hopkins is probably the default #4 for now, but that area is unsettled.

7AA
9 Grand Rapids
15 Elk River
16 Duluth East
-This past week suggested we should calm any 7AA hype some. Grand Rapids claims the early lead for the 1-seed after East’s mystifying week, but there’s not much to say beyond that. The group beyond the top three looks pretty messy, but Cloquet’s wins over East and Marshall has them in the 4-spot in the early going.

8AA
6 Bemidji
20 Brainerd
24 Moorhead
-Bemidji looks to be leaving the rest of this section in the dust. Undefeated Brainerd is the default #2 right now, though their Bemidji game this week will show us how real that is. Moorhead, which has taken lumps against good teams but beat Roseau, is also in the top 3 conversation. St. Michael-Albertville turned some heads with that win over East, but they’ve also got ties with Roseau and Buffalo, who aren’t exactly tearing things up, so that could be an issue come seeding time.

Karl,
You must have nailed it, no comments.

Bemidji should probably be #3 or Stillwater.

I think, maybe just a bit too harsh on your own boys. The STMA game is bad, but I give them a pass for the cloquet game. I would have had them in 12-15 range. I think they will come back strong this week.

Im not buying Stillwater yet, so I would have them below Bemidji, but I agree, after the top 3 I am not convinced by anyone.

Fun read, Karl!

Good writeup

Lots of parity this year, all top teams will be losing several, maybe 5

Stillwater and Bemidji among best records so far, and likely to end up with best won/loss records for the regular season. And one or both will be at the X. But are they top 5?

Top 3 looks pretty good for right now, gets murky quickly after that . (Note two of the top 3s were not even in many pundits top 5s in preseason. )

As usual, there is always the questions of who should be in the top 10 right now, vs predicting who will be there at the end of the regular season.

Double check: HT vs Mtka is 7 pm Friday night, not Saturday?

Random top 10 biggest surprises since opening of regular season. In no particular order and not meant to be all inclusive.

o Nolan Sullivan being leading scorer for EP
o Pioneers losing 2 straight at home, especially after poaching another Elite from Roseau, and not ranked in top 10
o Farmington gets blown out by Edina but beats LVN
o Eastview is 4 and 1
o Wayzata ranked in top 5
o Wyatt Aamodt still not committed
o HT ends up tied with Hopkins
o Cade Gleekel seems to add yet another inch and 10 pounds.
o Duluth East loses to STMA
o Holy Family not blown out in first game of Turkey Trot

Had the opportunity to watch the first 2 periods of the Bemidji-Rogers game. Bemidji plays a very solid team game. Move the puck very well, roll all lines, aggressive on the forecheck. Certainly a talented team. Will be interesting to see if the 10th grade goalie can hold up all year for them.

West,

Great post (points for insight and humor). Two people asked me this week if I also posted under your moniker - haha, not sure if that is a good sign or bad!!!

YHH, I can't keep up with your schedule or vast quantity of knowledge and topics.

Just being a senior citizen in the west metro and all

And I get bumped off grid due to grandsons games. Like last Sat or upcoming Tues nite,where I might get to SLP in time for 3rd

Otherwise, Right now at home in my easy chair deciding how many top team games a guy my age can stand on Thurs Frid and Sat. I'm thinking 8.30 at Braemar both Th and Sat, and 7 pm at Pagel Friday . A rare chance to see Wyatt in the west metro

Btw, great photo post on the winning OT goal at Ames!

green4 wrote:I think, maybe just a bit too harsh on your own boys. The STMA game is bad, but I give them a pass for the cloquet game. I would have had them in 12-15 range. I think they will come back strong this week.

green4 may be right on being too harsh on East. I was surprised to see them drop all the way from No. 3 to out of the Top 15. As green4 says the 12-15 range might be more accurate at this stage.

MNHockeyFan wrote:

green4 wrote:I think, maybe just a bit too harsh on your own boys. The STMA game is bad, but I give them a pass for the cloquet game. I would have had them in 12-15 range. I think they will come back strong this week.

green4 may be right on being too harsh on East. I was surprised to see them drop all the way from No. 3 to out of the Top 15. As green4 says the 12-15 range might be more accurate at this stage.

Karl may not be harsh. PageStat has them at #20 in AA this after Saturday's loss to STMA.

Lee

east hockey wrote:Karl may not be harsh. PageStat has them at #20 in AA this after Saturday's loss to STMA.

Lee

OK, thanks for that info. I was just having a hard time believing there are 15 teams better than they are. And that they're that much worse of a team than they were a week ago.

I do realize that they need to be penalized for those two losses; it's just a question of how much. Or, the previous consensus may very well have been totally wrong, and they're simply not as good as most thought they'd be.

MNHockeyFan wrote:

east hockey wrote:Karl may not be harsh. PageStat has them at #20 in AA this after Saturday's loss to STMA.

Lee

OK, thanks for that info. I was just having a hard time believing there are 15 teams better than they are. And that they're that much worse of a team than they were a week ago.

I do realize that they need to be penalized for those two losses; it's just a question of how much. Or, the previous consensus may very well have been totally wrong, and they're simply not as good as most thought they'd be.

Maybe I'm too harsh on East; I do think they're better than this (and performance in Elite League, HP camps, etc. would seem to confirm that). But, like I said at the top, 1 is a fluke and 2 is a trend, and no one else in the top 15 has even lost 1 game against that level of competition. So that seemed most sensible, at least for the time being. And as I kinda said last week, I did think #3 was too high to begin with.

More annoyingly, the Hub still doesn't put up a box score of the STMA game. Also a bit surprised all our STMA fans from last season haven't come back out of the woodwork to relive the game in vivid detail. Have we heard from any of them since that loss to Cloquet in sections last year?

karl(east) wrote:

MNHockeyFan wrote:

east hockey wrote:Karl may not be harsh. PageStat has them at #20 in AA this after Saturday's loss to STMA.

Lee

OK, thanks for that info. I was just having a hard time believing there are 15 teams better than they are. And that they're that much worse of a team than they were a week ago.

I do realize that they need to be penalized for those two losses; it's just a question of how much. Or, the previous consensus may very well have been totally wrong, and they're simply not as good as most thought they'd be.

Maybe I'm too harsh on East; I do think they're better than this (and performance in Elite League, HP camps, etc. would seem to confirm that). But, like I said at the top, 1 is a fluke and 2 is a trend, and no one else in the top 15 has even lost 1 game against that level of competition. So that seemed most sensible, at least for the time being. And as I kinda said last week, I did think #3 was too high to begin with.

More annoyingly, the Hub still doesn't put up a box score of the STMA game. Also a bit surprised all our STMA fans from last season haven't come back out of the woodwork to relive the game in vivid detail. Have we heard from any of them since that loss to Cloquet in sections last year?

I agree about the STMA fans. When I saw that East lost to STMA I was all excited to read their hype on the message board again - I am sorely disappointed.

I'm not sure why the critique of East at 16 if the comment supporting that critique is to put them at 12-15. If someone can't believe there are 15 teams better than East but can believe there are 11-14, then why the disbelief?

Traxler wrote:

karl(east) wrote:

MNHockeyFan wrote: OK, thanks for that info. I was just having a hard time believing there are 15 teams better than they are. And that they're that much worse of a team than they were a week ago.

I do realize that they need to be penalized for those two losses; it's just a question of how much. Or, the previous consensus may very well have been totally wrong, and they're simply not as good as most thought they'd be.

Maybe I'm too harsh on East; I do think they're better than this (and performance in Elite League, HP camps, etc. would seem to confirm that). But, like I said at the top, 1 is a fluke and 2 is a trend, and no one else in the top 15 has even lost 1 game against that level of competition. So that seemed most sensible, at least for the time being. And as I kinda said last week, I did think #3 was too high to begin with.

More annoyingly, the Hub still doesn't put up a box score of the STMA game. Also a bit surprised all our STMA fans from last season haven't come back out of the woodwork to relive the game in vivid detail. Have we heard from any of them since that loss to Cloquet in sections last year?

I agree about the STMA fans. When I saw that East lost to STMA I was all excited to read their hype on the message board again - I am sorely disappointed.

I'm not sure why the critique of East at 16 if the comment supporting that critique is to put them at 12-15. If someone can't believe there are 15 teams better than East but can believe there are 11-14, then why the disbelief?

OK I'll bite

The vocal "Fans" from last year were(was a relative of a SR who has graduated) and is no longer around the rink.

So no hype, kids played a good game, plain and simple.

This group of SR has played DE very respectably over the years so is this really that big of a shock?
BAA State DE 4-2 win in semi's
10th grade DE 5-1 win
11th grade DE 4-3 OT win
Sr: STMA 2-1 win.

I would also like to ask for the hockey communities thoughts and prayers to go out to a dear friend of the STMA Hockey community who passed away last Thursday, Dan Rekard, he will be missed.

Good Jr. Mitch B. Jack K. as well

Alright, I'll bite. I'm an STMA guy. I don't usually post, just like to read.
I think they have a nice team but are hardly top 20 at this point. On paper, this is the most talented, deepest, and experienced team they've ever had. The program has yet to win a Section game in it's history unless you count a "play-in" game so there's not been a lot to "hype"?
IMO there have been a few reasons for the uneven start to this season, but if I've learned one thing from reading this board, excuses are not acceptable. I also know that these kids are very inconsistent in their play, often playing to the level of the competition! The win against East was for sure a big victory for the program. It's really the first "signature" win for these kids as HS players. Obviously we played them at a good time but no excuses right!! They also played a pretty strong game against BSM to start the season even though the 6-1 score might not give you that impression. I agree with all of your assessments about the squad. You have to earn respect and hopefully Saturday was the beginning of doing that. Enjoy the season!
Karl, thanks for all your efforts with this board!!

WestMetro wrote:YHH, I can't keep up with your schedule or vast quantity of knowledge and topics.

Just being a senior citizen in the west metro and all

And I get bumped off grid due to grandsons games. Like last Sat or upcoming Tues nite,where I might get to SLP in time for 3rd

Otherwise, Right now at home in my easy chair deciding how many top team games a guy my age can stand on Thurs Frid and Sat. I'm thinking 8.30 at Braemar both Th and Sat, and 7 pm at Pagel Friday . A rare chance to see Wyatt in the west metro

Btw, great photo post on the winning OT goal at Ames!

You 2 do have too much in common, and I won't even go into what that is.

Good job Karl. Based on results so far, these rankings seem very appropriate! I'm sure there will be a lot of changes after this weeks games.

Looking forward to seeing the results of the of the Edina Classic! My guess is EP will be on top and ER will be on the bottom.

My_Kid_Loves_Hockey wrote:

Traxler wrote:

karl(east) wrote: Maybe I'm too harsh on East; I do think they're better than this (and performance in Elite League, HP camps, etc. would seem to confirm that). But, like I said at the top, 1 is a fluke and 2 is a trend, and no one else in the top 15 has even lost 1 game against that level of competition. So that seemed most sensible, at least for the time being. And as I kinda said last week, I did think #3 was too high to begin with.

More annoyingly, the Hub still doesn't put up a box score of the STMA game. Also a bit surprised all our STMA fans from last season haven't come back out of the woodwork to relive the game in vivid detail. Have we heard from any of them since that loss to Cloquet in sections last year?

I agree about the STMA fans. When I saw that East lost to STMA I was all excited to read their hype on the message board again - I am sorely disappointed.

I'm not sure why the critique of East at 16 if the comment supporting that critique is to put them at 12-15. If someone can't believe there are 15 teams better than East but can believe there are 11-14, then why the disbelief?

OK I'll bite

The vocal "Fans" from last year were(was a relative of a SR who has graduated) and is no longer around the rink.

So no hype, kids played a good game, plain and simple.

This group of SR has played DE very respectably over the years so is this really that big of a shock?
BAA State DE 4-2 win in semi's
10th grade DE 5-1 win
11th grade DE 4-3 OT win
Sr: STMA 2-1 win.

I would also like to ask for the hockey communities thoughts and prayers to go out to a dear friend of the STMA Hockey community who passed away last Thursday, Dan Rekard, he will be missed.

MY prayers for him and his family.

Hey, there are the STMA fans...good to hear from you.

I think you're right that they aren't a bad team at all; I had them toward the back end of the preseason top 25. They gave East a very good game last year, too, and the sense that they got slighted in the 7AA seeding last year (lol) made me think they'd get up for this one. As Tony said on the podcast last night, they've underachieved some so far this year with the Roseau and Buffalo ties, but if the BSM game really was closer than the score made it look, maybe I've underestimated them. Anyway, it's certainly a big win for the program, and 8AA is pretty open beyond Bemidji.

The Hub finally has a box score up...shots were 35-18 East. They had double their opponents' shots in both losses this past week. Great night for Hayden, and too many East penalties.

Traxler wrote:

karl(east) wrote:

MNHockeyFan wrote: OK, thanks for that info. I was just having a hard time believing there are 15 teams better than they are. And that they're that much worse of a team than they were a week ago.

I do realize that they need to be penalized for those two losses; it's just a question of how much. Or, the previous consensus may very well have been totally wrong, and they're simply not as good as most thought they'd be.

Maybe I'm too harsh on East; I do think they're better than this (and performance in Elite League, HP camps, etc. would seem to confirm that). But, like I said at the top, 1 is a fluke and 2 is a trend, and no one else in the top 15 has even lost 1 game against that level of competition. So that seemed most sensible, at least for the time being. And as I kinda said last week, I did think #3 was too high to begin with.

More annoyingly, the Hub still doesn't put up a box score of the STMA game. Also a bit surprised all our STMA fans from last season haven't come back out of the woodwork to relive the game in vivid detail. Have we heard from any of them since that loss to Cloquet in sections last year?

I'm not sure why the critique of East at 16 if the comment supporting that critique is to put them at 12-15. If someone can't believe there are 15 teams better than East but can believe there are 11-14, then why the disbelief?

It was not really a critique, but I think the top 15 is kind of where you draw the line in High school hockey. Like the top 25 in college sports, after 15 you are practically unranked. So if you rephrase the answer, I don't think east should be unranked.
I'm not not sure I get your point either. I can't believe there are 15 teams better than East. I don't think Centennial or Elk River is better than them, I don't think many would think that either. So then you wonder why it matters to move them up one to two spots? Well, whats the difference between arguing if a team should be number 1 or number 3. Still only a few spots. Not to mention, the purpose of rankings is to discuss them.
I think we all know what team East can be, so to drop them so far after one bad week seemed hasty to me. Just my opinion.

They were too high to begin with.
Should have been 7 to 9 and then drop to 11 or 12.

But the whole purpose for these rankings is to give us hockey crazies something to do between games.

elliott70 wrote:But the whole purpose for these rankings is to give us hockey crazies something to do between games.

Haha, ain't that the truth? And if it weren't fun, we wouldn't bother!

MNHockeyFan wrote:

elliott70 wrote:But the whole purpose for these rankings is to give us hockey crazies something to do between games.

Haha, ain't that the truth? And if it weren't fun, we wouldn't bother!

That's right.

So why is Howardst so excited about Greenway when he is a Hibbing guy?
I am not sure but for the rest of us it's fun to read his ramblings.

Greenway will end up ceded behind North Shore, by the way.