AA Rankings for 12/16/18
Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2018 10:28 am
Here’s this week’s effort:
1. Minnetonka (7-0)
-The Skippers continue to march along and roll past quality teams, maintaining their stellar defensive record; they gave up two goals to Moorhead, which qualifies as their worst defensive performance of the season. They don’t have the firepower they had a season ago, but they’re deep and relentless. Just one game this week, and it shouldn’t be one that has them sweating too much.
This week: Tues vs. Bloomington Jefferson
2. Edina (6-0-1)
-The Hornets steamrolled their way through their annual holiday classic, including a convincing win over Eden Prairie; the quality of their wins is enough to edge them into the second spot for now. Their second line had a strong week, and the development of some scoring depth makes this a much more dangerous team. They face a reeling section foe in Cretin this week.
This week: Fri vs. #15 Cretin-Derham Hall
3. Andover (6-0)
-Not much to report from the Huskies after an easy win over Anoka. The in-conference stakes get a bit higher this week, as they face section rival Elk River and a strong Blaine team.
This week: Tues at Elk River, Thurs vs. #12 Blaine
4. Duluth East (4-1)
-The Hounds continue to plug along with tight games against quality teams; they appear strong, but aren’t showing the firepower of the top two teams. A busy week on the road awaits them, including an interesting test with North.
This week: Tues at Centennial, Thurs at Duluth Marshall, Sat at #11 Lakeville North
5. St. Thomas Academy (5-1-1)
-A convincing win over Benilde was a positive sign for the Cadets. They have another one game week as they continue their tour of the AA metro private schools and face rival Hill.
This week: Thurs at #9 Hill-Murray
6. Maple Grove (6-0-1)
-The Crimson picked up an important section win by knocking off Blaine, though the tight contest shows they’ll be in for a fight in the rematch and potentially the section final. They now get a bye week.
This week: Idle
7. Eden Prairie (4-2-1)
-Jack Jensen’s absence hurt the Eagles in a rough loss to Edina in the Holiday Classic, but they otherwise acquitted themselves well. They now look to build some consistency against section foe Prior Lake and a quality Blaine team.
This week: Thurs vs. Prior Lake, Sat vs. #12 Blaine
8. Wayzata (5-2)
-A dominant win over Cretin gives the Trojans a leg up in the race for a top-2 seed in 6AA, and sends a statement about this team’s ability on both ends of the ice. This looks like a team on the rise, though that early loss to Maple Grove keeps them from going any higher in the rankings. If the early results are real, they should keep things rolling this week.
This week: Thurs at Buffalo, Sat vs. Armstrong
9. Hill-Murray (5-1)
-Easy pickings for the Pioneers against conference foes. Things ramp up considerably this week, as they face their two greatest rivals, both of whom have arguably looked stronger than they have in the early going, White Bear shaky tie aside. Time to learn a little more about these young Pioneers.
This week: Thurs vs. #5 St. Thomas Academy, Sat at #10 White Bear Lake
10. White Bear Lake (6-1-1)
-White Bear’s gonna White Bear: after rolling along and looking like a quality team for the first three weeks of the season, the Bears had a characteristic in-conference clunker and tied East Ridge. Assuming they avoid further miscues against Roseville, that sets up an unpredictable battle between the two longtime 4AA rivals on Saturday.
This week: Thurs vs. Roseville, Sat vs. #9 Hill-Murray
11. Lakeville North (5-1)
-The Panthers continue to quietly plug along, winning comfortably against South Suburban teams and edging their way upward in the rankings. The stakes get a little higher this week, with a date with a quality Eagan team followed by Duluth East.
This week: Tues vs. Eagan, Sat vs. #4 Duluth East
12. Blaine (5-1)
-The Bengals had a week of tight games with rivals, as they scraped past Centennial but fell to Maple Grove. That leaves them in the second spot in 5AA for the time being. It was also their first game against real front-line competition, so the upcoming tough week will help give us a better idea of where they belong.
This week: Thurs at #3 Andover, Sat at #7 Eden Prairie
13. Moorhead (4-3)
-The loss to Roseau throws up some red flags for the Spuds, but they rebounded by beating Benilde and giving Minnetonka a respectable game on their swing south over the weekend. They have a formidable top line, but will need to develop some depth to hang with the state’s best. This coming weekend features a road trip to Itasca County, which looks like two wins on paper, but neither one is a guarantee.
This week: Fri at Greenway, Sat at Grand Rapids
14. Blake (3-2)
-Couldn’t muster much against Minnetonka, which isn’t a huge surprise, but bounced back by taking care of Greenway. Still waiting to get a better feel on this team, and this week’s game against St. Louis Park probably won’t really help in that regard.
15. Cretin-Derham Hall (2-3)
-It’s time to start raising some real questions about Raiders, who gave up nine goals to Forest Lake in a wild win and were thoroughly shut down by Wayzata in an important section game. The Edina game this week will be telling.
This week: Thurs vs. Mounds View, Sat at #2 Edina
The Next Ten
Rosemount (5-1)
-A loss to Prior Lake dumps the Irish out of the top 15, but it’s not a terrible loss, and they rebounded by edging past Lakeville South. They should win contests against Shakopee and East Ridge this week.
Stillwater (4-0)
-It’s hard to say too much given the competition, but the Ponies are certainly cruising, outscoring their opponents 33-2 across four wins. It really doesn’t get much more difficult this week either, as they pay visits to Woodbury and Forest Lake. After that, the level of competition will change considerably.
Eagan (4-2)
-The Wildcats seesawed back from a bad week last week to a good week this past week, including a lopsided defeat of Eastview. Just one game this week, but it’s a big one against Lakeville North.
Prior Lake (4-2)
-Collected a quality win by knocking off Rosemount. A bigger test against Eden Prairie awaits this week, and gives them a chance to repeat last year’s upset to snare a higher seed in 2AA.
Benilde-St. Margaret’s (4-3)
-Mustered just one goal in both of their losses this past week; falling to St. Thomas and Moorhead isn’t terrible, but keeps them out of the realm of the ranked. Things ease up some this week against Armstrong/Cooper and Duluth Marshall.
Holy Family (3-4)
-Took some steps in the right direction this past week by shellacking Greenway and Delano, though a return to the top 15 will require more success against AA contenders. They won’t get that chance this week, as they face two of the better Metro area A teams in Orono and Northfield
Lakeville South (3-2)
-The Cougars have cleaned up on the teams they should beat but fallen in their two competitive games. Their game with Burnsville this week will help with positioning in this section of the rankings.
Burnsville (2-4)
-The record isn’t great, but the losses are all against good teams and they have a win over Eagan. Lakeville South is up this week.
Chaska (4-3)
-Restored some sanity with a blowout win over Orono. Their first game this week is against Buffalo, which on paper isn’t huge, but can’t be ignored when a team has lost to Sartell and Eveleth; after that, we’ll get a much better sense of this mysterious team’s potential when they take on the top-ranked Skippers.
Roseau (5-2-1)
-The Rams had a banner week with three wins over 8AA competition, including an eye-catching 6-2 shellacking of Moorhead. They have losses to Centennial and Grand Rapids, and needed overtime to get by Buffalo, so they’re certainly capable of losing to mediocre competition. That said, the Moorhead win shows their potential, and between a couple of legitimate stars up front and a veteran defense and goaltender, they have the ingredients to make a run. The 8AA tour continues with a visit to Bemidji this week.
And now, sections:
1AA
11 Lakeville North
22 Lakeville South
-Early returns aren’t great for the pack chasing the Lakevilles. North is off to a strong start and South has done respectably, though we’re still waiting for more tests for both of them against nonconference competition. Rochester Century is probably #3 right now and may not lose anytime soon, but the loss to Duluth Marshall hurts their shot at claiming a top-2 seed.
2AA
1 Minnetonka
7 Eden Prairie
19 Prior Lake
21 Holy Family
24 Chaska
-The two Lake powers have risen to the top here as Chaska and Holy Family have taken some lumps in the early going. Prior Lake is also inserting itself into the conversation for a quality seed with a decent start, and with games against Eden Prairie and Chaska in the next two weeks, they’ll have a chance to start building some points there. Chaska also meets Minnetonka and Eden Prairie in the coming weeks, meaning its seeding fate could soon be sealed.
3AA
5 St. Thomas Academy
16 Rosemount
23 Burnsville
18 Eagan
-The top team is clear, but this section may have the largest tier of quality teams after that, with Rosemount, Burnsville, Eagan, and Bloomington Jefferson all showing signs of respectability, if not more. Rosemount has beaten Burnsville and Burnsville has beaten Eagan, which is the reasoning behind the current order here, but there’s lots of time for change.
4AA
9 Hill-Murray
10 White Bear Lake
17 Stillwater
-Some strong signs in this one from its big three teams, though we’re still waiting to see just how good Stillwater really is. The annual White Bear-Hill game this Saturday will give us an early frontrunner.
5AA
6 Maple Grove
12 Blaine
-The Crimson are the early frontrunner for the top seed after edging Blaine on Saturday. After that, Centennial looks like it still has enough in the tank to be the 3-seed, and Champlin is the next in line for paper, though the 4-seed is certainly open for the taking if anyone can make a move.
6AA
2 Edina
8 Wayzata
14 Blake
15 Cretin-Derham Hall
20 Benilde-St. Margaret’s
-As in 2AA, the two Lake teams have risen to the front here. Edina plays Cretin in the next two weeks, while Wayzata plays Benilde; wins by those two may just lock up the top two spots for those two teams, in some order. Wayzata’s win over Cretin has the Raiders tumbling into the private school chase pack here and in need of some wins to climb back toward the top; those three do not play each other, which could complicate things come seeding time.
7AA
3 Andover
4 Duluth East
-The Huskies’ overtime win over the Hounds has them in front early on, while Cloquet’s rough start raises the question of whether they’ll be able to play well enough to still claim the 3-seed via QRF, even in a relatively thin 7AA. Elk River’s win over Grand Rapids has the Elks edging toward a home game in sections, but with QRF there’s still a lot to be decided here.
8AA
25 Roseau
13 Moorhead
Brainerd
St. Michael-Albertville
-Before the season I called this section an open free-for-all, and it’s delivering so far. Roseau’s convincing win over Moorhead coupled with Moorhead’s convincing win over Brainerd is my guide for the early seeding order, but there are so many games between all of the teams here that it seems silly to say much about which teams have the inside track in the section.
1. Minnetonka (7-0)
-The Skippers continue to march along and roll past quality teams, maintaining their stellar defensive record; they gave up two goals to Moorhead, which qualifies as their worst defensive performance of the season. They don’t have the firepower they had a season ago, but they’re deep and relentless. Just one game this week, and it shouldn’t be one that has them sweating too much.
This week: Tues vs. Bloomington Jefferson
2. Edina (6-0-1)
-The Hornets steamrolled their way through their annual holiday classic, including a convincing win over Eden Prairie; the quality of their wins is enough to edge them into the second spot for now. Their second line had a strong week, and the development of some scoring depth makes this a much more dangerous team. They face a reeling section foe in Cretin this week.
This week: Fri vs. #15 Cretin-Derham Hall
3. Andover (6-0)
-Not much to report from the Huskies after an easy win over Anoka. The in-conference stakes get a bit higher this week, as they face section rival Elk River and a strong Blaine team.
This week: Tues at Elk River, Thurs vs. #12 Blaine
4. Duluth East (4-1)
-The Hounds continue to plug along with tight games against quality teams; they appear strong, but aren’t showing the firepower of the top two teams. A busy week on the road awaits them, including an interesting test with North.
This week: Tues at Centennial, Thurs at Duluth Marshall, Sat at #11 Lakeville North
5. St. Thomas Academy (5-1-1)
-A convincing win over Benilde was a positive sign for the Cadets. They have another one game week as they continue their tour of the AA metro private schools and face rival Hill.
This week: Thurs at #9 Hill-Murray
6. Maple Grove (6-0-1)
-The Crimson picked up an important section win by knocking off Blaine, though the tight contest shows they’ll be in for a fight in the rematch and potentially the section final. They now get a bye week.
This week: Idle
7. Eden Prairie (4-2-1)
-Jack Jensen’s absence hurt the Eagles in a rough loss to Edina in the Holiday Classic, but they otherwise acquitted themselves well. They now look to build some consistency against section foe Prior Lake and a quality Blaine team.
This week: Thurs vs. Prior Lake, Sat vs. #12 Blaine
8. Wayzata (5-2)
-A dominant win over Cretin gives the Trojans a leg up in the race for a top-2 seed in 6AA, and sends a statement about this team’s ability on both ends of the ice. This looks like a team on the rise, though that early loss to Maple Grove keeps them from going any higher in the rankings. If the early results are real, they should keep things rolling this week.
This week: Thurs at Buffalo, Sat vs. Armstrong
9. Hill-Murray (5-1)
-Easy pickings for the Pioneers against conference foes. Things ramp up considerably this week, as they face their two greatest rivals, both of whom have arguably looked stronger than they have in the early going, White Bear shaky tie aside. Time to learn a little more about these young Pioneers.
This week: Thurs vs. #5 St. Thomas Academy, Sat at #10 White Bear Lake
10. White Bear Lake (6-1-1)
-White Bear’s gonna White Bear: after rolling along and looking like a quality team for the first three weeks of the season, the Bears had a characteristic in-conference clunker and tied East Ridge. Assuming they avoid further miscues against Roseville, that sets up an unpredictable battle between the two longtime 4AA rivals on Saturday.
This week: Thurs vs. Roseville, Sat vs. #9 Hill-Murray
11. Lakeville North (5-1)
-The Panthers continue to quietly plug along, winning comfortably against South Suburban teams and edging their way upward in the rankings. The stakes get a little higher this week, with a date with a quality Eagan team followed by Duluth East.
This week: Tues vs. Eagan, Sat vs. #4 Duluth East
12. Blaine (5-1)
-The Bengals had a week of tight games with rivals, as they scraped past Centennial but fell to Maple Grove. That leaves them in the second spot in 5AA for the time being. It was also their first game against real front-line competition, so the upcoming tough week will help give us a better idea of where they belong.
This week: Thurs at #3 Andover, Sat at #7 Eden Prairie
13. Moorhead (4-3)
-The loss to Roseau throws up some red flags for the Spuds, but they rebounded by beating Benilde and giving Minnetonka a respectable game on their swing south over the weekend. They have a formidable top line, but will need to develop some depth to hang with the state’s best. This coming weekend features a road trip to Itasca County, which looks like two wins on paper, but neither one is a guarantee.
This week: Fri at Greenway, Sat at Grand Rapids
14. Blake (3-2)
-Couldn’t muster much against Minnetonka, which isn’t a huge surprise, but bounced back by taking care of Greenway. Still waiting to get a better feel on this team, and this week’s game against St. Louis Park probably won’t really help in that regard.
15. Cretin-Derham Hall (2-3)
-It’s time to start raising some real questions about Raiders, who gave up nine goals to Forest Lake in a wild win and were thoroughly shut down by Wayzata in an important section game. The Edina game this week will be telling.
This week: Thurs vs. Mounds View, Sat at #2 Edina
The Next Ten
Rosemount (5-1)
-A loss to Prior Lake dumps the Irish out of the top 15, but it’s not a terrible loss, and they rebounded by edging past Lakeville South. They should win contests against Shakopee and East Ridge this week.
Stillwater (4-0)
-It’s hard to say too much given the competition, but the Ponies are certainly cruising, outscoring their opponents 33-2 across four wins. It really doesn’t get much more difficult this week either, as they pay visits to Woodbury and Forest Lake. After that, the level of competition will change considerably.
Eagan (4-2)
-The Wildcats seesawed back from a bad week last week to a good week this past week, including a lopsided defeat of Eastview. Just one game this week, but it’s a big one against Lakeville North.
Prior Lake (4-2)
-Collected a quality win by knocking off Rosemount. A bigger test against Eden Prairie awaits this week, and gives them a chance to repeat last year’s upset to snare a higher seed in 2AA.
Benilde-St. Margaret’s (4-3)
-Mustered just one goal in both of their losses this past week; falling to St. Thomas and Moorhead isn’t terrible, but keeps them out of the realm of the ranked. Things ease up some this week against Armstrong/Cooper and Duluth Marshall.
Holy Family (3-4)
-Took some steps in the right direction this past week by shellacking Greenway and Delano, though a return to the top 15 will require more success against AA contenders. They won’t get that chance this week, as they face two of the better Metro area A teams in Orono and Northfield
Lakeville South (3-2)
-The Cougars have cleaned up on the teams they should beat but fallen in their two competitive games. Their game with Burnsville this week will help with positioning in this section of the rankings.
Burnsville (2-4)
-The record isn’t great, but the losses are all against good teams and they have a win over Eagan. Lakeville South is up this week.
Chaska (4-3)
-Restored some sanity with a blowout win over Orono. Their first game this week is against Buffalo, which on paper isn’t huge, but can’t be ignored when a team has lost to Sartell and Eveleth; after that, we’ll get a much better sense of this mysterious team’s potential when they take on the top-ranked Skippers.
Roseau (5-2-1)
-The Rams had a banner week with three wins over 8AA competition, including an eye-catching 6-2 shellacking of Moorhead. They have losses to Centennial and Grand Rapids, and needed overtime to get by Buffalo, so they’re certainly capable of losing to mediocre competition. That said, the Moorhead win shows their potential, and between a couple of legitimate stars up front and a veteran defense and goaltender, they have the ingredients to make a run. The 8AA tour continues with a visit to Bemidji this week.
And now, sections:
1AA
11 Lakeville North
22 Lakeville South
-Early returns aren’t great for the pack chasing the Lakevilles. North is off to a strong start and South has done respectably, though we’re still waiting for more tests for both of them against nonconference competition. Rochester Century is probably #3 right now and may not lose anytime soon, but the loss to Duluth Marshall hurts their shot at claiming a top-2 seed.
2AA
1 Minnetonka
7 Eden Prairie
19 Prior Lake
21 Holy Family
24 Chaska
-The two Lake powers have risen to the top here as Chaska and Holy Family have taken some lumps in the early going. Prior Lake is also inserting itself into the conversation for a quality seed with a decent start, and with games against Eden Prairie and Chaska in the next two weeks, they’ll have a chance to start building some points there. Chaska also meets Minnetonka and Eden Prairie in the coming weeks, meaning its seeding fate could soon be sealed.
3AA
5 St. Thomas Academy
16 Rosemount
23 Burnsville
18 Eagan
-The top team is clear, but this section may have the largest tier of quality teams after that, with Rosemount, Burnsville, Eagan, and Bloomington Jefferson all showing signs of respectability, if not more. Rosemount has beaten Burnsville and Burnsville has beaten Eagan, which is the reasoning behind the current order here, but there’s lots of time for change.
4AA
9 Hill-Murray
10 White Bear Lake
17 Stillwater
-Some strong signs in this one from its big three teams, though we’re still waiting to see just how good Stillwater really is. The annual White Bear-Hill game this Saturday will give us an early frontrunner.
5AA
6 Maple Grove
12 Blaine
-The Crimson are the early frontrunner for the top seed after edging Blaine on Saturday. After that, Centennial looks like it still has enough in the tank to be the 3-seed, and Champlin is the next in line for paper, though the 4-seed is certainly open for the taking if anyone can make a move.
6AA
2 Edina
8 Wayzata
14 Blake
15 Cretin-Derham Hall
20 Benilde-St. Margaret’s
-As in 2AA, the two Lake teams have risen to the front here. Edina plays Cretin in the next two weeks, while Wayzata plays Benilde; wins by those two may just lock up the top two spots for those two teams, in some order. Wayzata’s win over Cretin has the Raiders tumbling into the private school chase pack here and in need of some wins to climb back toward the top; those three do not play each other, which could complicate things come seeding time.
7AA
3 Andover
4 Duluth East
-The Huskies’ overtime win over the Hounds has them in front early on, while Cloquet’s rough start raises the question of whether they’ll be able to play well enough to still claim the 3-seed via QRF, even in a relatively thin 7AA. Elk River’s win over Grand Rapids has the Elks edging toward a home game in sections, but with QRF there’s still a lot to be decided here.
8AA
25 Roseau
13 Moorhead
Brainerd
St. Michael-Albertville
-Before the season I called this section an open free-for-all, and it’s delivering so far. Roseau’s convincing win over Moorhead coupled with Moorhead’s convincing win over Brainerd is my guide for the early seeding order, but there are so many games between all of the teams here that it seems silly to say much about which teams have the inside track in the section.