AA Rankings for 12/23/18
Posted: Sun Dec 23, 2018 7:58 am
As we hit the holidays things are making decent sense here, but there are a ton of games between quality teams this week, so I don’t expect that to last. Rankings:
1. Minnetonka (8-0)
-The beat goes on for the top-ranked Skippers, who have now rattled off 22 wins in a row dating back to last season. Their venture into St. Louis Park will feature one bona fide top team and two 7AA lurkers that have shown occasional flashes of quality against other top teams, but have also struggled to find any rhythm.
This week: Tradition at the Park—Thurs vs. Cloquet, Fri vs. #3 Maple Grove, Sat vs. Elk River
2. Edina (7-0-1)
-The Hornets finished off Cretin with a 7-3 win. While there may be less talent and the scoring may be more dependent on the control of the elite defensemen, the actual offensive output so far is not showing any signs of a drop-off from a season ago. Their opponents in the Hockey For Life tournament in Prior Lake run the gamut in terms of depth, front-end talent, and performance relative to preseason expectations.
This week: Hockey for Life Classic—Thurs vs. #12 Moorhead, Fri vs. #11 St. Thomas Academy, Sat vs. Chaska
3. Maple Grove (6-0-1)
-No games for the Crimson this past week, but they edge up on the strength of their tie relative to Andover’s. After the early tie with Edina they now get a crack at Minnetonka, and will face two other teams that are capable of an upset, at the very least.
This week: Tradition at the Park—Thurs vs. Lakeville South, Fri vs. #1 Minnetonka, Sat vs. Cloquet
4 Andover (7-0-1)
-While the Huskies remain undefeated, the tie with Blaine does hurt their standing a little. This team is deep and solid defensively, but they don’t exactly pile up the goals against high-quality competition. While many of the other teams have some serious opponents over the next week, the Huskies stay home to play two teams they should beat with some comfort.
This week: Thurs vs. Bloomington Jefferson, Sat vs. Armstrong/Cooper
5. Duluth East (7-1)
-The Hounds found some offense this past week, and collected a couple of respectable wins in the process. At this point they’re pretty clearly the best team with a loss on their record, and as other teams’ schedules intensify they’re in a good place to climb. Champlin Park is a potential trap game ahead of another top ten showdown on Saturday.
This week: Fri at Champlin Park, Sat at #7 Blaine
6. Eden Prairie (6-2-1)
-While not without their blemishes, the Eagles appear to be the leader among the teams chasing the top five at this point following their dramatic win over Blaine. On paper they should win all of their games in Prior Lake, but an upset in any one of them wouldn’t be a total surprise, either.
This week: Hockey for Life Classic—Thurs vs. Chaska, Fri vs. #12 Moorhead, Sat vs. Lakeville North
7. Blaine (5-2-1)
-The Bengals had a strong week despite not winning a game, as they earned a tie with Andover and pushed Eden Prairie to the brink in a back-and-forth affair. The two games were very different stylistically, leaving some questions as to whether they can lock down defensively in these big games or should simply play run and gun hockey. They’ve got another shot to prove their mettle against a top-end team this week.
This week: Sat vs. #5 Duluth East
8. White Bear Lake (8-1-1)
-The Bears notched their all-important win over Hill, and are now in position to claim the top seed in 4AA. That’s not nothing in a section that looks like a three-team race, but they’ll have to show they can improve over the second half, or else it will be an all too familiar script. Just one game this week, and it should be a win.
This week: Sat vs. Grand Rapids
9. Wayzata (6-2-1)
-A tie with Buffalo raises some doubts about the Trojans, but with a head-to-head win over Hill they stay ahead of the up-and-down Pioneers. If they repeat that sort of questionable result, the effects will be more drastic. Their St. Louis Park slate is all teams ranked behind them, though they won’t be a walk in the park, either.
This week: Classic in the Park—Thurs vs. Elk River, Fri vs. Benilde-St. Margaret’s, Sat vs. Holy Family
10. Hill-Murray (6-2)
-The Pioneers had a mixed bag of a rivalry week as they put a beating on St. Thomas but came up short against White Bear. The potential is clearly here; how much can they improve over the course of a season? They are the class of a diminished Schwan Cup Gold, and should have a chance to prove they belong in the top ten.
This week: Schwan Cup Gold—Thurs vs. Burnsville, Fri vs. Cretin-Derham Hall, Sat vs. Centennial
11. St. Thomas Academy (5-2-1)
-The Cadets crashed and burned against Hill. That raises some questions heading into one of the more interesting holiday tournament slates of anyone out there, as they face completely untested Stillwater, the high-flying Hornets, and a solid Moorhead club. They draw the short straw in terms of rankings this week, but it’s not hard to imagine this all changing if things go their way in the next few days.
This week: Hockey for Life Classic—Thurs vs. #15 Stillwater, Fri vs. #2 Edina, Sat vs. #12 Moorhead
12. Moorhead (6-3)
-The Spuds had some challenges with Grand Rapids, but got out of their Itasca County visit with a pair of wins. Nothing comes easy with their holiday tournament draw as they head on a third straight weekend road trip; we’ll see how they hold up defensively against the firepower of Edina and Eden Prairie.
This week: Hockey for Life Classic—Thurs vs. #2 Edina, Fri vs. #6 Eden Prairie, Sat vs. #15 Stillwater
13. Eagan (5-2)
-The Wildcats snatched some headlines this past week when they put presumed conference frontrunner Lakeville North into running time. Their two losses (Burnsville and Cloquet) aren’t great, but they also appear to be one of the more explosive teams out there, as they’ve scored at least five in all of their wins. As usual, they head to South St. Paul for their holiday tourney, where they should be the class of the field.
This week: South St. Paul Premier Tournament—Wed vs. Hopkins, Thurs and Fri vs. TBD
14. Rosemount (7-1)
-Rolling along against mid-tier opponents; the record is great, but the best team they’ve played is Lakeville South, which currently sits at 20 in these rankings. They got a pleasant opening draw against Chanhassen in their holiday tournament, and on paper should be able to at least make the final.
This week: Hilltopper Holiday Classic—Thurs vs. Chanhassen, Fri and Sat vs. TBD
15. Stillwater (6-0)
-Undefeated, but still basically untested. That all changes this week, as they face three teams that all currently sit between 11 and 16. We’ll know if they belong here or not very quickly.
This week: Hockey for Life Classic—Thurs vs. #11 St. Thomas Academy, Fri vs. Lakeville North, Sat vs. #12 Moorhead
The Next Ten
Lakeville North (5-3)
-The Panthers had a rough week, as they were not terribly competitive against Eagan and Duluth East. Hockey for Life games against Stillwater and Prior Lake give them a chance to climb back into the top 15, and they get another crack at a front-line team when they close their tournament against Eden Prairie.
Blake (4-2)
-Beat St. Louis Park in their lone game this past week. They’re an interesting wild card in the Hilltopper Holiday Classic, where they open with a good one against Hermantown.
Cretin-Derham Hall (2-4)
-Showed some signs of fight in the early stages against Edina, but it got away from them, and the package really just hasn’t come together yet here. They play in the Schwan Cup Gold round robin, where Hill will be their biggest test, but this team also has to prove it can take care of the likes of Burnsville and Centennial right now.
Benilde-St. Margaret’s (6-3)
-Cruised against two teams they should beat. Their performance in the St. Louis Park tournament will be a valuable proving ground, as they play one ranked team in Wayzata and the two teams that are immediately below them here.
Lakeville South (4-2)
-A 4-0 shutout of Burnsville boosts the Cougars a bit, and in conjunction with North’s loss has them looking more intriguing. Maple Grove this week will be their first front-line AA opponent, and they follow that up with games against two private schools in a similar area to them in the rankings, Holy Family and Benilde.
Holy Family (5-4)
-The Fire are having no problem burning through a string of Class A opponents, but the stakes will get a bit higher this week. On paper they should have the talent to beat Benilde and Lakeville South, but nothing is assured, and the Wayzata game gives them a chance to avenge an earlier loss and prove something against a top ten team.
Prior Lake (5-3)
-The Lakers’ two encounters with currently ranked teams, Eden Prairie and Eagan, have both ended in 5-1 losses, but they do have a win over Rosemount. Their other quality win is over Lakeville North, whom they’ll see again in the Hockey for Life Classic this week, along with Chaska and St. Thomas.
Roseau (6-2-1)
-Marched past Bemidji in their only action this past week to stay perfect against 8AA competition. They now host their annual holiday tournament, opening with a game against Lake of the Woods.
Brainerd (4-4)
-A solid win over Centennial nudges the Warriors back into the top 25. They’re the rare predictable team: none of their losses are bad, and they’ve beaten the teams they should beat, often convincingly. They head to the Hilltopper Holiday Classic now, where they’ll look to back up their earlier 9-2 win over Bemidji in the first round.
Burnsville (2-5)
-The win over Eagan is keeping the Blaze going here, but only barely. A good performance in the Schwan Cup Gold could strengthen their record and help them hold off a bunch of teams nipping at their heels here.
Merry Christmas!
1. Minnetonka (8-0)
-The beat goes on for the top-ranked Skippers, who have now rattled off 22 wins in a row dating back to last season. Their venture into St. Louis Park will feature one bona fide top team and two 7AA lurkers that have shown occasional flashes of quality against other top teams, but have also struggled to find any rhythm.
This week: Tradition at the Park—Thurs vs. Cloquet, Fri vs. #3 Maple Grove, Sat vs. Elk River
2. Edina (7-0-1)
-The Hornets finished off Cretin with a 7-3 win. While there may be less talent and the scoring may be more dependent on the control of the elite defensemen, the actual offensive output so far is not showing any signs of a drop-off from a season ago. Their opponents in the Hockey For Life tournament in Prior Lake run the gamut in terms of depth, front-end talent, and performance relative to preseason expectations.
This week: Hockey for Life Classic—Thurs vs. #12 Moorhead, Fri vs. #11 St. Thomas Academy, Sat vs. Chaska
3. Maple Grove (6-0-1)
-No games for the Crimson this past week, but they edge up on the strength of their tie relative to Andover’s. After the early tie with Edina they now get a crack at Minnetonka, and will face two other teams that are capable of an upset, at the very least.
This week: Tradition at the Park—Thurs vs. Lakeville South, Fri vs. #1 Minnetonka, Sat vs. Cloquet
4 Andover (7-0-1)
-While the Huskies remain undefeated, the tie with Blaine does hurt their standing a little. This team is deep and solid defensively, but they don’t exactly pile up the goals against high-quality competition. While many of the other teams have some serious opponents over the next week, the Huskies stay home to play two teams they should beat with some comfort.
This week: Thurs vs. Bloomington Jefferson, Sat vs. Armstrong/Cooper
5. Duluth East (7-1)
-The Hounds found some offense this past week, and collected a couple of respectable wins in the process. At this point they’re pretty clearly the best team with a loss on their record, and as other teams’ schedules intensify they’re in a good place to climb. Champlin Park is a potential trap game ahead of another top ten showdown on Saturday.
This week: Fri at Champlin Park, Sat at #7 Blaine
6. Eden Prairie (6-2-1)
-While not without their blemishes, the Eagles appear to be the leader among the teams chasing the top five at this point following their dramatic win over Blaine. On paper they should win all of their games in Prior Lake, but an upset in any one of them wouldn’t be a total surprise, either.
This week: Hockey for Life Classic—Thurs vs. Chaska, Fri vs. #12 Moorhead, Sat vs. Lakeville North
7. Blaine (5-2-1)
-The Bengals had a strong week despite not winning a game, as they earned a tie with Andover and pushed Eden Prairie to the brink in a back-and-forth affair. The two games were very different stylistically, leaving some questions as to whether they can lock down defensively in these big games or should simply play run and gun hockey. They’ve got another shot to prove their mettle against a top-end team this week.
This week: Sat vs. #5 Duluth East
8. White Bear Lake (8-1-1)
-The Bears notched their all-important win over Hill, and are now in position to claim the top seed in 4AA. That’s not nothing in a section that looks like a three-team race, but they’ll have to show they can improve over the second half, or else it will be an all too familiar script. Just one game this week, and it should be a win.
This week: Sat vs. Grand Rapids
9. Wayzata (6-2-1)
-A tie with Buffalo raises some doubts about the Trojans, but with a head-to-head win over Hill they stay ahead of the up-and-down Pioneers. If they repeat that sort of questionable result, the effects will be more drastic. Their St. Louis Park slate is all teams ranked behind them, though they won’t be a walk in the park, either.
This week: Classic in the Park—Thurs vs. Elk River, Fri vs. Benilde-St. Margaret’s, Sat vs. Holy Family
10. Hill-Murray (6-2)
-The Pioneers had a mixed bag of a rivalry week as they put a beating on St. Thomas but came up short against White Bear. The potential is clearly here; how much can they improve over the course of a season? They are the class of a diminished Schwan Cup Gold, and should have a chance to prove they belong in the top ten.
This week: Schwan Cup Gold—Thurs vs. Burnsville, Fri vs. Cretin-Derham Hall, Sat vs. Centennial
11. St. Thomas Academy (5-2-1)
-The Cadets crashed and burned against Hill. That raises some questions heading into one of the more interesting holiday tournament slates of anyone out there, as they face completely untested Stillwater, the high-flying Hornets, and a solid Moorhead club. They draw the short straw in terms of rankings this week, but it’s not hard to imagine this all changing if things go their way in the next few days.
This week: Hockey for Life Classic—Thurs vs. #15 Stillwater, Fri vs. #2 Edina, Sat vs. #12 Moorhead
12. Moorhead (6-3)
-The Spuds had some challenges with Grand Rapids, but got out of their Itasca County visit with a pair of wins. Nothing comes easy with their holiday tournament draw as they head on a third straight weekend road trip; we’ll see how they hold up defensively against the firepower of Edina and Eden Prairie.
This week: Hockey for Life Classic—Thurs vs. #2 Edina, Fri vs. #6 Eden Prairie, Sat vs. #15 Stillwater
13. Eagan (5-2)
-The Wildcats snatched some headlines this past week when they put presumed conference frontrunner Lakeville North into running time. Their two losses (Burnsville and Cloquet) aren’t great, but they also appear to be one of the more explosive teams out there, as they’ve scored at least five in all of their wins. As usual, they head to South St. Paul for their holiday tourney, where they should be the class of the field.
This week: South St. Paul Premier Tournament—Wed vs. Hopkins, Thurs and Fri vs. TBD
14. Rosemount (7-1)
-Rolling along against mid-tier opponents; the record is great, but the best team they’ve played is Lakeville South, which currently sits at 20 in these rankings. They got a pleasant opening draw against Chanhassen in their holiday tournament, and on paper should be able to at least make the final.
This week: Hilltopper Holiday Classic—Thurs vs. Chanhassen, Fri and Sat vs. TBD
15. Stillwater (6-0)
-Undefeated, but still basically untested. That all changes this week, as they face three teams that all currently sit between 11 and 16. We’ll know if they belong here or not very quickly.
This week: Hockey for Life Classic—Thurs vs. #11 St. Thomas Academy, Fri vs. Lakeville North, Sat vs. #12 Moorhead
The Next Ten
Lakeville North (5-3)
-The Panthers had a rough week, as they were not terribly competitive against Eagan and Duluth East. Hockey for Life games against Stillwater and Prior Lake give them a chance to climb back into the top 15, and they get another crack at a front-line team when they close their tournament against Eden Prairie.
Blake (4-2)
-Beat St. Louis Park in their lone game this past week. They’re an interesting wild card in the Hilltopper Holiday Classic, where they open with a good one against Hermantown.
Cretin-Derham Hall (2-4)
-Showed some signs of fight in the early stages against Edina, but it got away from them, and the package really just hasn’t come together yet here. They play in the Schwan Cup Gold round robin, where Hill will be their biggest test, but this team also has to prove it can take care of the likes of Burnsville and Centennial right now.
Benilde-St. Margaret’s (6-3)
-Cruised against two teams they should beat. Their performance in the St. Louis Park tournament will be a valuable proving ground, as they play one ranked team in Wayzata and the two teams that are immediately below them here.
Lakeville South (4-2)
-A 4-0 shutout of Burnsville boosts the Cougars a bit, and in conjunction with North’s loss has them looking more intriguing. Maple Grove this week will be their first front-line AA opponent, and they follow that up with games against two private schools in a similar area to them in the rankings, Holy Family and Benilde.
Holy Family (5-4)
-The Fire are having no problem burning through a string of Class A opponents, but the stakes will get a bit higher this week. On paper they should have the talent to beat Benilde and Lakeville South, but nothing is assured, and the Wayzata game gives them a chance to avenge an earlier loss and prove something against a top ten team.
Prior Lake (5-3)
-The Lakers’ two encounters with currently ranked teams, Eden Prairie and Eagan, have both ended in 5-1 losses, but they do have a win over Rosemount. Their other quality win is over Lakeville North, whom they’ll see again in the Hockey for Life Classic this week, along with Chaska and St. Thomas.
Roseau (6-2-1)
-Marched past Bemidji in their only action this past week to stay perfect against 8AA competition. They now host their annual holiday tournament, opening with a game against Lake of the Woods.
Brainerd (4-4)
-A solid win over Centennial nudges the Warriors back into the top 25. They’re the rare predictable team: none of their losses are bad, and they’ve beaten the teams they should beat, often convincingly. They head to the Hilltopper Holiday Classic now, where they’ll look to back up their earlier 9-2 win over Bemidji in the first round.
Burnsville (2-5)
-The win over Eagan is keeping the Blaze going here, but only barely. A good performance in the Schwan Cup Gold could strengthen their record and help them hold off a bunch of teams nipping at their heels here.
Merry Christmas!
But they didn’t...& players are entitled to do what they believe is best for their own development 
Difference is Hanus has been out of the picture longer than the MG trio 
You have the same moniker on both forums, mine is different