AA Rankings for 1/20/18
Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2019 7:54 am
One month from now we’ll be rolling into sections. Here’s where things stand in my book:
1. Minnetonka (17-0-1)
-The Skippers put away two more top ten challengers last week. While both Eden Prairie and Andover hung around and played well into the third period, the Skippers have ways of just burying opponents late. They head back home now for two huge Lake Conference battles, including the renewal of a rivalry with the last team to beat them nearly a calendar year ago.
This week: Thurs vs. #3 Edina, Sat vs. #11 Wayzata
2. Andover (16-1-1)
-The Huskies took their first tumble of the season on the shoes of Lake Bemidji. On the plus side, they did outplay Minnetonka for long stretches 5-on-5, and things only crumbled after a goaltending change they won’t be making in a big playoff game; they certainly looked like they belong in the top two or three teams in the state. We’ll get better perspective on that over their next few games, which features one of the toughest stretches on their schedule.
This week: Thurs at #2 Blaine, Sat at #8 White Bear Lake
3. Edina (13-2-1)
-The Hornets suffered a setback in their home-and-home series with Hill, but with enough churn behind them in the rankings, they stay put at #3. We’ll get a much better sense of what this team is made of in the next seven days when they travel to top-ranked Minnetonka and rival Eden Prairie. Does their talent put them in a narrow top tier, or are they right in the middle of the mess with everyone else?
This week: Thurs at #1 Minnetonka, Sat at #6 Eden Prairie
4. Blaine (10-2-2)
-The Bengals finally busted through to collect a quality win in a 5-3 takedown of Maple Grove. This team seems to be improving as the season goes along, and we’ll see if they can add an exclamation point in their rematch with Andover this week. They have a chance to a go on a strong run through the remainder of the season.
This week: Tues vs. Roseville, Thurs vs. #2 Andover, Sat at Anoka
5. Maple Grove (12-3-1)
-The Crimson fell in their rematch with Blaine, and some warning flags are starting to go up here. Still, they’ve done enough to hold on to a top five spot for now, and the Hill game this week gives them a chance to reassert their position here.
This week: Wed at #10 Hill-Murray, Sat vs. Centennial
6. Eden Prairie (10-5-2)
-The 4-0 scoreline didn’t tell the full story of the Eagles’ effort against Minnetonka on Thursday, and they followed that up by flashing some offensive ability against Wayzata, and therefore move up a spot. Just one game this week, and we’ll see if they can make things more interesting for the Hornets with a more intact lineup than what they put out in the December meeting.
This week: Sat vs. #3 Edina
7. St. Thomas Academy (13-3-1)
-Easy pickings for the Cadets against conference competition last week, though Tartan did stick around for a bit. This week’s game with Jefferson has an outside shot at being interesting given the Jags’ recent success. Otherwise, this easy stretch continues.
This week: Tues at Bloomington Jefferson, Thurs at South St. Paul, Sat at Simley
8. White Bear Lake (14-2-1)
-It’s not always a smooth process, but the Bears continue to put up wins while some others do not. They had an adventure against Forest Lake, but came back with a strong finish to down Cretin and stay unbeaten in conference play. The next question: what can they make of Andover?
This week: Thurs at Mounds View, Sat vs. #2 Andover
9. Benilde-St. Margaret’s (12-5)
-The Red Knights bounced back from their loss to Jefferson with a strong week that included wins over Lakeville North and conference rival Chaska. With strong goaltending and a good array of young offensive weapons, this team continues to build, and is certainly looking like the second-best team in 6AA at the moment. They should be able to collect a pair of Ws this week.
This week: Thurs at Chanhassen, Sat at Holy Angels
10. Hill-Murray (10-4-2)
-A weekend split with Edina is a positive result for the Pioneers, who had otherwise been hanging their coonskin cap on just one quality win. This team has now shown that, when enough goes right, they can take down just about anyone. They get another crack at a top ten opponent this week.
This week: Wed vs. #5 Maple Grove, Sat vs. Grand Rapids
11. Wayzata (10-5-2)
-A bad second period blew up on the Trojans against Eden Prairie, and temporarily sets them back. The challenges grow this week when they face section rival Blake and the top-ranked Skippers.
This week: Thurs at Blake, Sat at #1 Minnetonka
12. Chaska (10-6)
-A loss to Benilde ends a six-game winning streak for the Hawks. While potent, they still seem fairly easily contained by teams that show good defensive discipline, and have some question marks in back. The week ahead is a busy one, including a Centennial team that could pose a stylistic problem for the Hawks and both Bloomingtons, including conference-leading Jefferson.
This week: Tues at Centennial, Thurs at Bloomington Jefferson, Sat at Bloomington Kennedy
13. Roseau (12-2-1)
-The Rams pulled out a narrow win over East Grand Forks to keep their win streak alive. This coming week will be the moment of truth for this squad, as they have their rematch with Moorhead and also deal with a couple of other section opponents, all on the road.
This week: Tues at #15 Moorhead, Fri at St. Michael-Albertville, Sat at St. Cloud
14. Rosemount (14-3)
-Nothing came pretty for the Irish this past week, as they eked out wins over Farmington and Eastview, but they continue to win games. Two more mid-table opponents capable of an upset await them.
This week: Tues at Burnsville, Sat at Prior Lake
15. Moorhead (11-6-1)
-A strong win over Duluth East restored some order for the Spuds, who have shown they’re capable of playing with top-end teams when they’re on their game. They’ve got a big week ahead that includes a battle for the top seed in the section and one of the best teams in Class A.
This week: Tues vs. #13 Roseau, Sat vs. St. Cloud Cathedral
The Next Ten
Duluth East (10-5-2)
-The wheels fell off the Greyhound bus on a road trip west over the weekend. While they’ve shown they can compete with most anyone over the course of the season, the anemic offense continues to flounder, and this runs the risk of snowballing in a hurry. They’ve got a busy week ahead of them, and while they’re better than their three opponents (Forest Lake, Prior Lake, Eagan) on paper, none of those seem like safe wins at this point.
Cretin-Derham Hall (9-6-1)
-The Raiders continue to hover here, as a one-goal win over Stillwater and a one-goal loss to White Bear keeps them on the outside of the top 15 looking in. They have a chance to go on a bit of a run toward the end of the season here; we’ll see if they can build some momentum or continue to putter along. Forest Lake and Holy Family are up this week.
Blake (10-5-1)
-The Bears continue to send mixed signals as they had to fight back to tie Burnsville, but rebounded with a comfortable win over St. Michael-Albertville. Wayzata looms this week, and with games against both the Trojans and Cretin left on the schedule, this team still controls its destiny to avoid what will be a difficult 4/5 game in the quarterfinals.
Lakeville North (9-7)
-The Panthers pulled out a valuable win against rival South and gave Benilde a decent game as well. Eastview and Burnsville await this week.
Lakeville South (8-7)
-The Cougars lost a tight one to rival North, which hurts their 1AA positioning somewhat. They’ve got Farmington this week, which isn’t a safe game and could really complicate the section if the Tigers pull it out.
Hastings (12-3)
-The Raiders rolled over Henry Sibley in their only action this past week. More of the same should await them in dates with Red Wing and North St. Paul.
Eagan (11-5)
-This team has been all over the map, but certainly has the firepower to cause problems for just about anyone.
Cloquet (8-9)
-The Lumberjacks are building some steam now; they cruised against Grand Rapids, and while they took some time in putting Denfeld away, the Hunters have been tough at times this season. On paper the wins should continue to come this week, as they face off against Virginia, Superior, and Bemidji.
Bloomington Jefferson (10-5-1)
-The Jaguars kept up the momentum with solid wins over Apple Valley and Woodbury. We’ll learn just how real this winning streak is this coming week when they collide with St. Thomas Academy and Chaska.
Brainerd (10-6)
-None of the Warriors’ losses are terrible, and the win over Duluth East gives them something to boost their standing here. Sartell and St. Cloud await this week.
1. Minnetonka (17-0-1)
-The Skippers put away two more top ten challengers last week. While both Eden Prairie and Andover hung around and played well into the third period, the Skippers have ways of just burying opponents late. They head back home now for two huge Lake Conference battles, including the renewal of a rivalry with the last team to beat them nearly a calendar year ago.
This week: Thurs vs. #3 Edina, Sat vs. #11 Wayzata
2. Andover (16-1-1)
-The Huskies took their first tumble of the season on the shoes of Lake Bemidji. On the plus side, they did outplay Minnetonka for long stretches 5-on-5, and things only crumbled after a goaltending change they won’t be making in a big playoff game; they certainly looked like they belong in the top two or three teams in the state. We’ll get better perspective on that over their next few games, which features one of the toughest stretches on their schedule.
This week: Thurs at #2 Blaine, Sat at #8 White Bear Lake
3. Edina (13-2-1)
-The Hornets suffered a setback in their home-and-home series with Hill, but with enough churn behind them in the rankings, they stay put at #3. We’ll get a much better sense of what this team is made of in the next seven days when they travel to top-ranked Minnetonka and rival Eden Prairie. Does their talent put them in a narrow top tier, or are they right in the middle of the mess with everyone else?
This week: Thurs at #1 Minnetonka, Sat at #6 Eden Prairie
4. Blaine (10-2-2)
-The Bengals finally busted through to collect a quality win in a 5-3 takedown of Maple Grove. This team seems to be improving as the season goes along, and we’ll see if they can add an exclamation point in their rematch with Andover this week. They have a chance to a go on a strong run through the remainder of the season.
This week: Tues vs. Roseville, Thurs vs. #2 Andover, Sat at Anoka
5. Maple Grove (12-3-1)
-The Crimson fell in their rematch with Blaine, and some warning flags are starting to go up here. Still, they’ve done enough to hold on to a top five spot for now, and the Hill game this week gives them a chance to reassert their position here.
This week: Wed at #10 Hill-Murray, Sat vs. Centennial
6. Eden Prairie (10-5-2)
-The 4-0 scoreline didn’t tell the full story of the Eagles’ effort against Minnetonka on Thursday, and they followed that up by flashing some offensive ability against Wayzata, and therefore move up a spot. Just one game this week, and we’ll see if they can make things more interesting for the Hornets with a more intact lineup than what they put out in the December meeting.
This week: Sat vs. #3 Edina
7. St. Thomas Academy (13-3-1)
-Easy pickings for the Cadets against conference competition last week, though Tartan did stick around for a bit. This week’s game with Jefferson has an outside shot at being interesting given the Jags’ recent success. Otherwise, this easy stretch continues.
This week: Tues at Bloomington Jefferson, Thurs at South St. Paul, Sat at Simley
8. White Bear Lake (14-2-1)
-It’s not always a smooth process, but the Bears continue to put up wins while some others do not. They had an adventure against Forest Lake, but came back with a strong finish to down Cretin and stay unbeaten in conference play. The next question: what can they make of Andover?
This week: Thurs at Mounds View, Sat vs. #2 Andover
9. Benilde-St. Margaret’s (12-5)
-The Red Knights bounced back from their loss to Jefferson with a strong week that included wins over Lakeville North and conference rival Chaska. With strong goaltending and a good array of young offensive weapons, this team continues to build, and is certainly looking like the second-best team in 6AA at the moment. They should be able to collect a pair of Ws this week.
This week: Thurs at Chanhassen, Sat at Holy Angels
10. Hill-Murray (10-4-2)
-A weekend split with Edina is a positive result for the Pioneers, who had otherwise been hanging their coonskin cap on just one quality win. This team has now shown that, when enough goes right, they can take down just about anyone. They get another crack at a top ten opponent this week.
This week: Wed vs. #5 Maple Grove, Sat vs. Grand Rapids
11. Wayzata (10-5-2)
-A bad second period blew up on the Trojans against Eden Prairie, and temporarily sets them back. The challenges grow this week when they face section rival Blake and the top-ranked Skippers.
This week: Thurs at Blake, Sat at #1 Minnetonka
12. Chaska (10-6)
-A loss to Benilde ends a six-game winning streak for the Hawks. While potent, they still seem fairly easily contained by teams that show good defensive discipline, and have some question marks in back. The week ahead is a busy one, including a Centennial team that could pose a stylistic problem for the Hawks and both Bloomingtons, including conference-leading Jefferson.
This week: Tues at Centennial, Thurs at Bloomington Jefferson, Sat at Bloomington Kennedy
13. Roseau (12-2-1)
-The Rams pulled out a narrow win over East Grand Forks to keep their win streak alive. This coming week will be the moment of truth for this squad, as they have their rematch with Moorhead and also deal with a couple of other section opponents, all on the road.
This week: Tues at #15 Moorhead, Fri at St. Michael-Albertville, Sat at St. Cloud
14. Rosemount (14-3)
-Nothing came pretty for the Irish this past week, as they eked out wins over Farmington and Eastview, but they continue to win games. Two more mid-table opponents capable of an upset await them.
This week: Tues at Burnsville, Sat at Prior Lake
15. Moorhead (11-6-1)
-A strong win over Duluth East restored some order for the Spuds, who have shown they’re capable of playing with top-end teams when they’re on their game. They’ve got a big week ahead that includes a battle for the top seed in the section and one of the best teams in Class A.
This week: Tues vs. #13 Roseau, Sat vs. St. Cloud Cathedral
The Next Ten
Duluth East (10-5-2)
-The wheels fell off the Greyhound bus on a road trip west over the weekend. While they’ve shown they can compete with most anyone over the course of the season, the anemic offense continues to flounder, and this runs the risk of snowballing in a hurry. They’ve got a busy week ahead of them, and while they’re better than their three opponents (Forest Lake, Prior Lake, Eagan) on paper, none of those seem like safe wins at this point.
Cretin-Derham Hall (9-6-1)
-The Raiders continue to hover here, as a one-goal win over Stillwater and a one-goal loss to White Bear keeps them on the outside of the top 15 looking in. They have a chance to go on a bit of a run toward the end of the season here; we’ll see if they can build some momentum or continue to putter along. Forest Lake and Holy Family are up this week.
Blake (10-5-1)
-The Bears continue to send mixed signals as they had to fight back to tie Burnsville, but rebounded with a comfortable win over St. Michael-Albertville. Wayzata looms this week, and with games against both the Trojans and Cretin left on the schedule, this team still controls its destiny to avoid what will be a difficult 4/5 game in the quarterfinals.
Lakeville North (9-7)
-The Panthers pulled out a valuable win against rival South and gave Benilde a decent game as well. Eastview and Burnsville await this week.
Lakeville South (8-7)
-The Cougars lost a tight one to rival North, which hurts their 1AA positioning somewhat. They’ve got Farmington this week, which isn’t a safe game and could really complicate the section if the Tigers pull it out.
Hastings (12-3)
-The Raiders rolled over Henry Sibley in their only action this past week. More of the same should await them in dates with Red Wing and North St. Paul.
Eagan (11-5)
-This team has been all over the map, but certainly has the firepower to cause problems for just about anyone.
Cloquet (8-9)
-The Lumberjacks are building some steam now; they cruised against Grand Rapids, and while they took some time in putting Denfeld away, the Hunters have been tough at times this season. On paper the wins should continue to come this week, as they face off against Virginia, Superior, and Bemidji.
Bloomington Jefferson (10-5-1)
-The Jaguars kept up the momentum with solid wins over Apple Valley and Woodbury. We’ll learn just how real this winning streak is this coming week when they collide with St. Thomas Academy and Chaska.
Brainerd (10-6)
-None of the Warriors’ losses are terrible, and the win over Duluth East gives them something to boost their standing here. Sartell and St. Cloud await this week.
Hounds better get it going, they got the 715 coming over da bridge in 11 days gunning to end a 14 year losing streak 
