AA Rankings for 1/27/19
Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2019 9:02 am
For the first time all season we have some intrigue at the top, and filling out the back end of the top 15 proved shockingly difficult, too. Your rankings:
1. Edina (15-2-1)
-The Hornets were the biggest winners of the craziest week to date at the top of the rankings, as they posted twin 5-2 wins over previously undefeated Minnetonka and rival Eden Prairie. While not without some holes, this team does have the most front-line talent of anyone in the state, and when they get rolling offensively, they may be the hardest team to stop. Because of that, they slide to the top of the heap this week. Wayzata headlines a three-game week ahead.
This week: Tues at Centennial, Thurs vs. #9 Wayzata, Sat at Hopkins
2. Blaine (13-2-2)
-The Bengals turned a few heads this past week when they whipped it up on Andover, and Bryce Brodzinski is on a tear. There’s a good debate on who deserves to be #2, and before Minnetonka tied Wayzata I was inclined to keep the Skippers there, but it’s hard not to ride momentum: the Bengals are undefeated in 2019, and few of their games have been close. It’s probably not a coincidence that, in a season with a lot of good teams but few to no great ones, the two teams that have showed the most offensive firepower have risen to the top of the heap for now. Their next test comes against White Bear.
This week: Tues at #10 White Bear Lake, Thurs vs. Elk River
3. Minnetonka (17-1-2)
-The Skippers had a winless week and now drop from the top spot for the first time all season. Player absences and the aftereffects of Hockey Day are legitimate points, but one also gets the sense that this group is not playing its best hockey right now, and that could be the first hint of a concern there’s been all season with this group, so that’s why they fall to #3. They will look to rebound against Prior Lake before colliding with a team that tested them a couple of weeks ago.
This week: Thurs at Prior Lake, Sat vs. #6 Eden Prairie
4. Andover (17-2-1)
-The Huskies drop a couple of spots after being taken to the woodshed by Blaine, though they did recover with a solid win over White Bear. As with Minnetonka, there’s some question about Hockey Day recovery in that loss, but to date the Blaine game is the lone outlier in an otherwise very consistent, solid season.
This week: Thurs vs. Centennial, Sat vs. #5 Maple Grove
5. Maple Grove (14-3-1)
-The Crimson rebounded from their loss to Blaine with a quality win over Hill-Murray and a decisive performance against Centennial, and even that Blaine loss doesn’t look so bad in retrospect. Just one game this week, but it’s a huge rematch against Andover.
This week: Sat at #4 Andover
6. Eden Prairie (10-6-2)
-The Eagles stuck around with Edina for a while before things slipped away, and while their performance against one of the Lake’s top two was once again better than the score indicates, they are going to need something more than a moral victory soon. They get their second crack at Minnetonka next.
This week: Thurs vs. Lakeville South, Sat at #3 Minnetonka
7. St. Thomas Academy (16-3-1)
-The Cadets fought off a challenge from Bloomington Jefferson and sailed from there against conference competition. They now get a chance to avenge their earlier ugly loss to Hill-Murray, which would help solidify their standing here.
This week: Thurs vs. #X Hill-Murray, Sat vs. Duluth Marshall
8. Benilde-St. Margaret’s (14-5)
-The Red Knights had little trouble with Chanhassen or Holy Angels and are now 10-2 in their last 12. They now get a chance to avenge their one questionable loss.
This week: Sat at Bloomington Jefferson
9. Wayzata (11-5-3)
-The Trojans had an eventful and ultimately very solid week, as they came back to beat Blake in an important section game and pulled out a tie against Minnetonka. If nothing else they’ve shown they can compete with the state’s best, and I’m very curious about their game with Edina this week: do they have a chance against the section foe they’ve upset in the playoffs several times in recent years?
This week: Thurs at #1 Edina, Sat vs. Grand Rapids
10. White Bear Lake (15-3-1)
-A loss to Andover is a mild setback for the Bears. The Blaine game gives them a shot to improve their standing, and they also have a section opponent that gave them a good run back near the start of January.
This week: Tues vs. #2 Blaine, Thurs at Roseville, Sat vs. Stillwater
11. Moorhead (13-6-1)
-The Spuds are surging after a solid section win over Roseau and a convincing performance against a front-line Class A team in St. Cloud Cathedral. I’ve bumped them up because they have more quality wins than Hill and seem to be putting it together now. On paper they should sustain their success this week.
This week: Tues at Bemidji, Sat vs. Warroad
12. Hill-Murray (11-5-2)
-The Pioneers fell to Maple Grove and therefore fall in the rankings also as I move to accommodate some teams that have been playing well lately. On the flip side, the Edina win now looks even better in retrospect. The second meeting with St. Thomas should be telling, and if they can repeat their success of the first meeting, they should climb back into the top ten.
This week: Thurs at #7 St. Thomas Academy, Sat vs. North St. Paul
13. Rosemount (16-3)
-The Irish put together decisive wins over passable Burnsville and Prior Lake teams, which holds them steady here. Lakeville South, which gave them a one-goal game the first time around, headlines this week; they have no games left against ranked teams.
This week: Tues vs. Lakeville South, Sat at Shakopee
14. Cretin-Derham Hall (11-6-1)
-The Raiders had a decent week with wins over Forest Lake and Holy Family, and with no one else out there making any push to claim this spot, they take it by default. They should win twice this week, though East Ridge has been pesky at times.
This week: Thurs at Mounds View, Sat vs. East Ridge
15. Blake (11-6-1)
-The Bears blew a 2-goal third period lead against Wayzata, which probably costs them their shot at a top-3 seed in 6AA, but slide up in the rankings since no one else seems to want to be here. They should be able to rack up three more wins this week.
The Next Ten
Chaska (12-7)
-The Hawks’ loss to Centennial would suggest that their big Eden Prairie and Edina wins weren’t the sign of some turned corner: they are merely maddeningly inconsistent, and capable of beating just about anyone but also capable of losing to anyone with a halfway decent defensive effort. The rout over surging Jefferson in response only underscores that point. Chanhassen and St. Louis Park should be easy wins this week, but one never really knows with this team.
Duluth East (12-6-2)
-The Hounds’ struggles continued with a lifeless loss to Prior Lake, though they did manage to get past Eagan in overtime. They’re a sort of mirror image of Chaska; while the Hawks are a free-flowing offensive team that can crumble against good defense, the Hounds are a rigid system team that fails to live up to its talent offensively. Both have proven themselves capable of playing with anyone and suffering head-scratching losses on any given night. The week ahead features two more games that could be interesting if they’re not careful in Superior and Elk River.
Eagan (13-6)
-The Wildcats beat Prior Lake and Duluth Marshall, and fell to Duluth East despite a spirited effort. While not overly deep, they have some offensive talent and can make other teams’ lives tough if they play well defensively. They now head on a tour of 1AA featuring Farmington and Lakeville North.
Brainerd (12-6)
-Continued strong signs for the Warriors as they marched past a decent Sartell team and beat St. Cloud in a section game, and I’ve bumped them up as I think I underrated them last week. They’ve got a huge week ahead of them that includes section battles with St. Michael-Albertville and Roseau, and an Alexandria team that handled them in December slides in between those two.
Cloquet (11-9)
-The Lumberjacks are quietly building some momentum and have won seven of their last eight, and while the competition hasn’t been their toughest, they are scoring in bunches. We’ll get a better sense of how real this is when they collide with Hermantown, and their visit to Forest Lake is vital to securing a top-3 seed in 7AA.
Roseau (13-4-1)
-A difficult week drops the Rams from the top 15. The Moorhead showing was respectable, and suggests they certainly could still win this section, but they crashed and burned against St. Michael-Albertville, and probably shouldn’t have needed overtime to beat St. Cloud. The Brainerd game this week will be telling, but they have to take care of Warroad and Bemidji first.
Champlin Park (13-4)
-The Rebels are getting things back in order after the loss to Chanhassen. With Blaine being the only ranked team left on their schedule, a 20-win regular season isn’t out of the question.
Lakeville North (10-8)
-Losing to Eastview really does not help the Panthers’ case here, but they scraped past Burnsville and still have that win over South to keep them afloat here. A game with Eagan, who put them in running time in the first meeting, could be telling.
Lakeville South (10-7)
-The Cougars got an important section win over Farmington, which is especially valuable in a very open section. The schedule ramps up a bit over the next few weeks, including top 15 opponents in Rosemount and Eden Prairie this coming week, plus pesky Burnsville.
Bloomington Jefferson (11-7-1)
-The Jaguars were competitive in a loss to St. Thomas, and while they weren’t in a loss to Chaska, the former is more valuable for section purposes, and this team has done enough to hold off the likes of Buffalo and Hastings for this spot. They have a chance to improve their standing in their rematch with Benilde.
A second-to-last look at sections in the regular season:
1AA
23 Lakeville North
24 Lakeville South
Hastings
Rochester Century
-Here’s a section that certainly isn’t sorting itself out very clearly as time goes along. The question all along here has been how to compare the Lakevilles with their mediocre records against tough schedules to Hastings and Century with their gaudy records and easy schedules, with zero crossover games between those two groups. With Hastings losing to East Ridge and Century getting pounded by Albert Lea, the Lakevilles are rising to the top in my book. South still has the best overall body of work, but lost to North. Still, given the history here I would not be stunned to see 20+ win Hastings and Century teams go higher, and Hastings in particular can still make a transitive argument through Eagan. The Century-Mayo rematch is this week, while Farmington and North play next week; the North-South rematch is the following week, along with a Hastings-Farmington game that could be the key to measuring the Raiders against the South Suburban teams.
2AA
3 Minnetonka
16 Chaska
6 Eden Prairie
Holy Family
-The only question really left here is whether an Eden Prairie win in their rematch with Minnetonka would be enough to claim a 2-seed given Chaska’s struggles. Given the history of deference to head-to-head match-ups, I’d guess not, but it’s at least possible, especially if the Eagles can go on a more sustained run in Lake play. Holy Family and Prior lake meet next week to decide who gets home ice in the 4-5 game; I think the Hawks have done enough that they’re not at risk of slipping.
3AA
7 St. Thomas Academy
13 Rosemount
18 Eagan
Burnsville
-St. Thomas has the top seed clinched and is undefeated against section competition, albeit with some adventures along the way. The Eagan-Rosemount rematch will settle the 2- and 3-seeds next Saturday. That leaves some debate for the 4-seed, where a Burnsville win over Eagan on Tuesday would probably settle things; an Eastview win could be enough to tip things in the Lightning’s favor. Jefferson, despite its stronger record, has lost to both of those teams, and given their schedule aren’t really in an obvious separate tier. As a result, I think the Jags will be stuck at #6, but stranger things have happened.
4AA
10 White Bear Lake
12 Hill-Murray
Stillwater
Irondale
-This section remains unchanged, and is unlikely to change between now and the end of the season. Stillwater has struggled enough overall that I don’t think the Ponies can change anything even if they do beat White Bear in their rematch this coming Saturday.
5AA
2 Blaine
5 Maple Grove
22 Champlin Park
Centennial
-While not locked in, Blaine’s win in the second meeting does give them a seeming edge over Maple Grove in the race for the top seed. I’m not sure there’s huge value in getting that seed, as both Champlin Park and Centennial (whose order won’t be resolved until next Saturday) are pesky enough that each team could face a problematic semifinal opponent.
6AA
1 Edina
8 Benilde-St. Margaret’s
9 Wayzata
14 Cretin-Derham Hall
15 Blake
-Wayzata can do no worse than the 3-seed after beating Blake, so I don’t think there will be any argument for changing the top three unless the Trojans can beat Edina twice in Lake play. Cretin and Blake will meet in the last week of the regular season to decide home ice in their quarterfinal clash. This section now constitutes one-third of the top 15, though I don’t expect that to last.
7AA
4 Andover
17 Duluth East
20 Cloquet
Forest Lake
-When was 7AA last this weak? East’s recent performance means their games with Elk River and Cloquet over the next few weeks suddenly matter a lot more than they did at the start of the month. Elk River, after a tie to Anoka, might be playing its way out of a top-4 seed in QRF if they don’t right the ship, while the Forest Lake-Cloquet game will certainly matter for positioning. Grand Rapids may now be safe for at least a 6-seed after beating Marshall, but probably needs a win over Wayzata or Cloquet to go any higher.
8AA
11 Moorhead
19 Brainerd
21 Roseau
St. Michael-Albertville
-Moorhead’s win over Roseau coupled with Roseau’s loss to STMA has the Spuds in the driver’s seat for the top seed now. In theory the Roseau-Brainerd game on Saturday should settle the 2 vs. 3 debate, but with a ton of section games left, it’s not implausible that Brainerd could be anywhere between 1 and 4. STMA’s quality win over Roseau has the Knights up into a top-4 spot, likely against Bemidji (though the Lumberjacks still have some games that could confuse this further), while Buffalo’s weak section record despite some quality results elsewhere will likely make them one of the less pleasant 6-seeds out there. So, let’s watch what happens over the next couple weeks then try this again.
1. Edina (15-2-1)
-The Hornets were the biggest winners of the craziest week to date at the top of the rankings, as they posted twin 5-2 wins over previously undefeated Minnetonka and rival Eden Prairie. While not without some holes, this team does have the most front-line talent of anyone in the state, and when they get rolling offensively, they may be the hardest team to stop. Because of that, they slide to the top of the heap this week. Wayzata headlines a three-game week ahead.
This week: Tues at Centennial, Thurs vs. #9 Wayzata, Sat at Hopkins
2. Blaine (13-2-2)
-The Bengals turned a few heads this past week when they whipped it up on Andover, and Bryce Brodzinski is on a tear. There’s a good debate on who deserves to be #2, and before Minnetonka tied Wayzata I was inclined to keep the Skippers there, but it’s hard not to ride momentum: the Bengals are undefeated in 2019, and few of their games have been close. It’s probably not a coincidence that, in a season with a lot of good teams but few to no great ones, the two teams that have showed the most offensive firepower have risen to the top of the heap for now. Their next test comes against White Bear.
This week: Tues at #10 White Bear Lake, Thurs vs. Elk River
3. Minnetonka (17-1-2)
-The Skippers had a winless week and now drop from the top spot for the first time all season. Player absences and the aftereffects of Hockey Day are legitimate points, but one also gets the sense that this group is not playing its best hockey right now, and that could be the first hint of a concern there’s been all season with this group, so that’s why they fall to #3. They will look to rebound against Prior Lake before colliding with a team that tested them a couple of weeks ago.
This week: Thurs at Prior Lake, Sat vs. #6 Eden Prairie
4. Andover (17-2-1)
-The Huskies drop a couple of spots after being taken to the woodshed by Blaine, though they did recover with a solid win over White Bear. As with Minnetonka, there’s some question about Hockey Day recovery in that loss, but to date the Blaine game is the lone outlier in an otherwise very consistent, solid season.
This week: Thurs vs. Centennial, Sat vs. #5 Maple Grove
5. Maple Grove (14-3-1)
-The Crimson rebounded from their loss to Blaine with a quality win over Hill-Murray and a decisive performance against Centennial, and even that Blaine loss doesn’t look so bad in retrospect. Just one game this week, but it’s a huge rematch against Andover.
This week: Sat at #4 Andover
6. Eden Prairie (10-6-2)
-The Eagles stuck around with Edina for a while before things slipped away, and while their performance against one of the Lake’s top two was once again better than the score indicates, they are going to need something more than a moral victory soon. They get their second crack at Minnetonka next.
This week: Thurs vs. Lakeville South, Sat at #3 Minnetonka
7. St. Thomas Academy (16-3-1)
-The Cadets fought off a challenge from Bloomington Jefferson and sailed from there against conference competition. They now get a chance to avenge their earlier ugly loss to Hill-Murray, which would help solidify their standing here.
This week: Thurs vs. #X Hill-Murray, Sat vs. Duluth Marshall
8. Benilde-St. Margaret’s (14-5)
-The Red Knights had little trouble with Chanhassen or Holy Angels and are now 10-2 in their last 12. They now get a chance to avenge their one questionable loss.
This week: Sat at Bloomington Jefferson
9. Wayzata (11-5-3)
-The Trojans had an eventful and ultimately very solid week, as they came back to beat Blake in an important section game and pulled out a tie against Minnetonka. If nothing else they’ve shown they can compete with the state’s best, and I’m very curious about their game with Edina this week: do they have a chance against the section foe they’ve upset in the playoffs several times in recent years?
This week: Thurs at #1 Edina, Sat vs. Grand Rapids
10. White Bear Lake (15-3-1)
-A loss to Andover is a mild setback for the Bears. The Blaine game gives them a shot to improve their standing, and they also have a section opponent that gave them a good run back near the start of January.
This week: Tues vs. #2 Blaine, Thurs at Roseville, Sat vs. Stillwater
11. Moorhead (13-6-1)
-The Spuds are surging after a solid section win over Roseau and a convincing performance against a front-line Class A team in St. Cloud Cathedral. I’ve bumped them up because they have more quality wins than Hill and seem to be putting it together now. On paper they should sustain their success this week.
This week: Tues at Bemidji, Sat vs. Warroad
12. Hill-Murray (11-5-2)
-The Pioneers fell to Maple Grove and therefore fall in the rankings also as I move to accommodate some teams that have been playing well lately. On the flip side, the Edina win now looks even better in retrospect. The second meeting with St. Thomas should be telling, and if they can repeat their success of the first meeting, they should climb back into the top ten.
This week: Thurs at #7 St. Thomas Academy, Sat vs. North St. Paul
13. Rosemount (16-3)
-The Irish put together decisive wins over passable Burnsville and Prior Lake teams, which holds them steady here. Lakeville South, which gave them a one-goal game the first time around, headlines this week; they have no games left against ranked teams.
This week: Tues vs. Lakeville South, Sat at Shakopee
14. Cretin-Derham Hall (11-6-1)
-The Raiders had a decent week with wins over Forest Lake and Holy Family, and with no one else out there making any push to claim this spot, they take it by default. They should win twice this week, though East Ridge has been pesky at times.
This week: Thurs at Mounds View, Sat vs. East Ridge
15. Blake (11-6-1)
-The Bears blew a 2-goal third period lead against Wayzata, which probably costs them their shot at a top-3 seed in 6AA, but slide up in the rankings since no one else seems to want to be here. They should be able to rack up three more wins this week.
The Next Ten
Chaska (12-7)
-The Hawks’ loss to Centennial would suggest that their big Eden Prairie and Edina wins weren’t the sign of some turned corner: they are merely maddeningly inconsistent, and capable of beating just about anyone but also capable of losing to anyone with a halfway decent defensive effort. The rout over surging Jefferson in response only underscores that point. Chanhassen and St. Louis Park should be easy wins this week, but one never really knows with this team.
Duluth East (12-6-2)
-The Hounds’ struggles continued with a lifeless loss to Prior Lake, though they did manage to get past Eagan in overtime. They’re a sort of mirror image of Chaska; while the Hawks are a free-flowing offensive team that can crumble against good defense, the Hounds are a rigid system team that fails to live up to its talent offensively. Both have proven themselves capable of playing with anyone and suffering head-scratching losses on any given night. The week ahead features two more games that could be interesting if they’re not careful in Superior and Elk River.
Eagan (13-6)
-The Wildcats beat Prior Lake and Duluth Marshall, and fell to Duluth East despite a spirited effort. While not overly deep, they have some offensive talent and can make other teams’ lives tough if they play well defensively. They now head on a tour of 1AA featuring Farmington and Lakeville North.
Brainerd (12-6)
-Continued strong signs for the Warriors as they marched past a decent Sartell team and beat St. Cloud in a section game, and I’ve bumped them up as I think I underrated them last week. They’ve got a huge week ahead of them that includes section battles with St. Michael-Albertville and Roseau, and an Alexandria team that handled them in December slides in between those two.
Cloquet (11-9)
-The Lumberjacks are quietly building some momentum and have won seven of their last eight, and while the competition hasn’t been their toughest, they are scoring in bunches. We’ll get a better sense of how real this is when they collide with Hermantown, and their visit to Forest Lake is vital to securing a top-3 seed in 7AA.
Roseau (13-4-1)
-A difficult week drops the Rams from the top 15. The Moorhead showing was respectable, and suggests they certainly could still win this section, but they crashed and burned against St. Michael-Albertville, and probably shouldn’t have needed overtime to beat St. Cloud. The Brainerd game this week will be telling, but they have to take care of Warroad and Bemidji first.
Champlin Park (13-4)
-The Rebels are getting things back in order after the loss to Chanhassen. With Blaine being the only ranked team left on their schedule, a 20-win regular season isn’t out of the question.
Lakeville North (10-8)
-Losing to Eastview really does not help the Panthers’ case here, but they scraped past Burnsville and still have that win over South to keep them afloat here. A game with Eagan, who put them in running time in the first meeting, could be telling.
Lakeville South (10-7)
-The Cougars got an important section win over Farmington, which is especially valuable in a very open section. The schedule ramps up a bit over the next few weeks, including top 15 opponents in Rosemount and Eden Prairie this coming week, plus pesky Burnsville.
Bloomington Jefferson (11-7-1)
-The Jaguars were competitive in a loss to St. Thomas, and while they weren’t in a loss to Chaska, the former is more valuable for section purposes, and this team has done enough to hold off the likes of Buffalo and Hastings for this spot. They have a chance to improve their standing in their rematch with Benilde.
A second-to-last look at sections in the regular season:
1AA
23 Lakeville North
24 Lakeville South
Hastings
Rochester Century
-Here’s a section that certainly isn’t sorting itself out very clearly as time goes along. The question all along here has been how to compare the Lakevilles with their mediocre records against tough schedules to Hastings and Century with their gaudy records and easy schedules, with zero crossover games between those two groups. With Hastings losing to East Ridge and Century getting pounded by Albert Lea, the Lakevilles are rising to the top in my book. South still has the best overall body of work, but lost to North. Still, given the history here I would not be stunned to see 20+ win Hastings and Century teams go higher, and Hastings in particular can still make a transitive argument through Eagan. The Century-Mayo rematch is this week, while Farmington and North play next week; the North-South rematch is the following week, along with a Hastings-Farmington game that could be the key to measuring the Raiders against the South Suburban teams.
2AA
3 Minnetonka
16 Chaska
6 Eden Prairie
Holy Family
-The only question really left here is whether an Eden Prairie win in their rematch with Minnetonka would be enough to claim a 2-seed given Chaska’s struggles. Given the history of deference to head-to-head match-ups, I’d guess not, but it’s at least possible, especially if the Eagles can go on a more sustained run in Lake play. Holy Family and Prior lake meet next week to decide who gets home ice in the 4-5 game; I think the Hawks have done enough that they’re not at risk of slipping.
3AA
7 St. Thomas Academy
13 Rosemount
18 Eagan
Burnsville
-St. Thomas has the top seed clinched and is undefeated against section competition, albeit with some adventures along the way. The Eagan-Rosemount rematch will settle the 2- and 3-seeds next Saturday. That leaves some debate for the 4-seed, where a Burnsville win over Eagan on Tuesday would probably settle things; an Eastview win could be enough to tip things in the Lightning’s favor. Jefferson, despite its stronger record, has lost to both of those teams, and given their schedule aren’t really in an obvious separate tier. As a result, I think the Jags will be stuck at #6, but stranger things have happened.
4AA
10 White Bear Lake
12 Hill-Murray
Stillwater
Irondale
-This section remains unchanged, and is unlikely to change between now and the end of the season. Stillwater has struggled enough overall that I don’t think the Ponies can change anything even if they do beat White Bear in their rematch this coming Saturday.
5AA
2 Blaine
5 Maple Grove
22 Champlin Park
Centennial
-While not locked in, Blaine’s win in the second meeting does give them a seeming edge over Maple Grove in the race for the top seed. I’m not sure there’s huge value in getting that seed, as both Champlin Park and Centennial (whose order won’t be resolved until next Saturday) are pesky enough that each team could face a problematic semifinal opponent.
6AA
1 Edina
8 Benilde-St. Margaret’s
9 Wayzata
14 Cretin-Derham Hall
15 Blake
-Wayzata can do no worse than the 3-seed after beating Blake, so I don’t think there will be any argument for changing the top three unless the Trojans can beat Edina twice in Lake play. Cretin and Blake will meet in the last week of the regular season to decide home ice in their quarterfinal clash. This section now constitutes one-third of the top 15, though I don’t expect that to last.
7AA
4 Andover
17 Duluth East
20 Cloquet
Forest Lake
-When was 7AA last this weak? East’s recent performance means their games with Elk River and Cloquet over the next few weeks suddenly matter a lot more than they did at the start of the month. Elk River, after a tie to Anoka, might be playing its way out of a top-4 seed in QRF if they don’t right the ship, while the Forest Lake-Cloquet game will certainly matter for positioning. Grand Rapids may now be safe for at least a 6-seed after beating Marshall, but probably needs a win over Wayzata or Cloquet to go any higher.
8AA
11 Moorhead
19 Brainerd
21 Roseau
St. Michael-Albertville
-Moorhead’s win over Roseau coupled with Roseau’s loss to STMA has the Spuds in the driver’s seat for the top seed now. In theory the Roseau-Brainerd game on Saturday should settle the 2 vs. 3 debate, but with a ton of section games left, it’s not implausible that Brainerd could be anywhere between 1 and 4. STMA’s quality win over Roseau has the Knights up into a top-4 spot, likely against Bemidji (though the Lumberjacks still have some games that could confuse this further), while Buffalo’s weak section record despite some quality results elsewhere will likely make them one of the less pleasant 6-seeds out there. So, let’s watch what happens over the next couple weeks then try this again.
“They’re a sort of mirror image of Chaska; while the Hawks are a free-flowing offensive team that can crumble against good defense, the Hounds are a rigid system team that fails to live up to its talent offensively. Both have proven themselves capable of playing with anyone and suffering head-scratching losses on any given night.”