AA Rankings for 1/24/21

[karl(east)]

Last week was too boring, you say? Well, this week made up for that, as there was all sorts of excitement up and down the top 15. This doesn’t necessarily mean things got any clearer, mind you, but this where we stand:

1. Maple Grove (4-0)
-Eden Prairie’s fall from grace means we have a new number one, and it’s an easy enough decision to slide up the old number two. The Crimson marauded their way past weaker competition, including a rapid reschedule against Dodge County that took the place of Covid-plagued Totino and robbed us of our first chance to give them a real test. We’ll try again on that front this week when they collide with Centennial.
This week: Sat at #12 Centennial

2. Lakeville South (4-0)
-How much stock do we put in dominance over a closed-loop schedule? This will be the great ranking challenge of 2021. The Cougars smashed rival North and have outscored their opponents 28-1 in four games, which is about as thorough as it gets. Still, they have yet to face a top 25 team, and we may not know till late March how good the South Suburban is relative to everyone else. The Rosemount game this week will give us a better sense of where they stand relative to those who they do play.
This week: Thurs at #13 Rosemount, Sat at Apple Valley

3. Cretin-Derham Hall (4-0)
-Like South, the Raiders are rolling along, outscoring the not-so-impressive opposition 24-4 so far. A 7-1 win over White Bear seems to shrink the list of teams that could give them a real game during the regular season. Remaining potential competition includes Stillwater and…just maybe, the undefeated Forest Lake team they’ll see on Saturday?
This week: Thurs vs. East Ridge, Sat vs. Forest Lake

4. St. Thomas Academy (4-0)
-It wasn’t a decisive week for the Cadets, as they struggled to put away Tartan and had a second tight contest with Hastings, so I’ve decided to leave them put instead of sliding them up: while it is very difficult to compare, I just don’t quite think the body of work is as thorough as that of South or Cretin. Their offense gets a chance to romp this coming week.
This week: Tues at Simley, Thurs at South St. Paul

5. Grand Rapids (4-0)
-A win over Hill-Murray shows the Thunderhawks can contend on a statewide level, and also how they can contend: with rigid defense and with Jack Peart leading from the blue line. With the Lake Conference muddle, that solid win makes them one of the bigger climbers in this week’s rankings. Just one game this week, but it’s against an archnemesis East team who is still a bit of a mystery at this point.
This week: Thurs vs. Duluth East

6. Eden Prairie (2-1)
-The Wayzata win made it seem like the Eagles were plugging along as advertised. The Edina loss, on the other hand, did not. Is this going to be the same story as last season, where the Eagles seem to have the most top-end talent but never seem to take control of things the way they could? Or perhaps should we just conclude that this is who they are? The week ahead is a relative reprieve, though they can’t take Holy Family for granted.
This week: Thurs at Buffalo, Sat vs. Holy Family

7. Benilde-St. Margaret’s (4-0)
-Good signs for the Red Knights, as they held off Mahtomedi and beat a respectable Blake team, which will help their positioning in 6AA. Early surprise St. Louis Park could be competitive on Tuesday; after that, they really shouldn’t face a serious test again until mid-February. That will probably only help them in these rankings.
This week: Tues vs. St. Louis Park, Thurs at Bloomington Kennedy

8. Hill-Murray (2-1)
-While still plenty stout defensively, the firepower has not been there for the Pioneers in the early going, with just six goals in three games. The defending champs have their annual home-and-home with Edina this week, which will give us a better sense of whether the power outage is a genuine source of concern or not.
This week: Thurs vs. #14 Edina, Sat at #14 Edina

9. Roseau (4-0)
-Dispatched of a decent St. Cloud team without too much trouble, which keeps them edging up here. Rival Warroad is on the docket, plus a good North Dakota team that beat East Grand Forks already this season. With their schedule, all they can really do for now is keep the beat going and slide on up as other teams lose.
This week: Tues vs. Warroad, Sat at Grand Forks Central (ND)

10. Prior Lake (3-0-1)
-The Lakers took a step back this past week when they tied Rosemount and let Burnsville hang around. They haven’t lost yet, but they certainly aren’t performing as decisively as conference rival Lakeville South. The schedule this week would seem to lend itself to finding their stride again.
This week: Thurs at Eagan, Sat vs. Eastview

11. Minnetonka (2-1)
-After a healthy-looking start to the season, the Skippers dropped to Wayzata in overtime despite tying the game late in regulation. Growing pains are to be expected here. It’s no real cause for concern at this point, and they get a second crack at the Trojans right away.
This week: Thurs vs. #15 Wayzata, Sat vs. Buffalo

12. Centennial (4-0)
- This is where this starts to get messy. The Cougars needed overtime to beat a Champlin Park team that got roughed up by Rogers earlier in the week; it’s hard to tell which of those two results is the fluke. The Totino game (if it happens) will be an interesting one, but the Saturday date with Maple Grove will be the real test of this team’s mettle.
This week: Thurs at Totino-Grace, Sat at #1 Maple Grove

13. Rosemount (3-0-1)
- A tie with Prior Lake is certainly a positive sign for the Irish, who really don’t seem to be missing too much of a beat so far. They’ll face the other front-line South Suburban team, Lakeville South, this week; another competitive showing will show they’re a legitimate contender.
This week: Thurs vs. #2 Lakeville South, Sat at Farmington

14. Edina (2-1-1)
-So, which Edina is the real Edina? The version that ties a St. Louis Park team that barely beats Bloomington Kennedy and gets shut out by Minnetonka? Or the one that takes care of Eden Prairie? For now, we’ll go with the early season cop-out: split the difference and wait for more results. The Hill series this week will tell us more.
This week: Fri at #8 Hill-Murray, Sat vs. #8 Hill-Murray

15. Wayzata (1-2)
-After a kludgy the start to the season, the Trojans came to life with a strong showing against Minnetonka. It’s a step in the right direction, and after the immediate rematch, they move into a stretch against a more forgiving part of the Lake. And so we ask the seemingly eternal question with this program: can they find some consistency?
This week: Thurs at #11 Minnetonka, Sat at St. Michael-Albertville

The Next Ten

Blake (2-1)
-A 5-2 loss to Benilde keeps the Bears hovering on the fringes here, and would seem to have them pegged about right. St. Michael-Albertville is their only opponent this coming week.

Totino-Grace (0-0)
-Covid-era awkwardness looms large here. Get well soon, Eagles, so that we rankers know what to make of you. If they can get going it’ll be a big week, with Centennial and Andover both up on the schedule.

Andover (4-0)
-The Huskies haven’t played anyone particularly good yet, but rolling over Elk River is a good sign that they’ll remain among the top handful of teams in 7AA. They face somewhat more interesting competition this week in Champlin and (potentially) Totino.

St. Louis Park (3-0-1)
-Needing overtime to beat Bloomington Kennedy doesn’t exactly boost the resume, but they are still undefeated and have the Edina tie, and will have a crack at Benilde this week.

Holy Family (2-1)
-The Fire pulled out an OT win over Hastings, who has otherwise looked respectable so far. A date with Eden Prairie looms.

St. Michael-Albertville (2-2)
-After a rough start against a couple of top AA teams, the Knights slipped past Moorhead and beat rival Buffalo, which keeps them in a promising position in 8AA. Blake and Wayzata this week will provide a better sense of how real this team is.

Hastings (1-3)
-Had a close call with Holy Family and a second decent showing against St. Thomas, but sooner or later they do need to start winning some games. The next five weeks of their schedule should allow for plenty of that. New Prague is the lone opponent this coming week.

Forest Lake (4-0)
-Not playing anyone of great consequence, but they are undefeated and doing it smoothly enough, and now get a shot at Cretin. Thanks to QRF, they could be in line for a very friendly seed in 7AA.

Rogers (3-1)
-Wins over Blaine and Champlin Park make for a respectable start; the loss is to Andover, which isn’t terrible by any means. They are on the easier side of the Northwest Suburban and may not face a serious test again until Totino on February 9.

Moorhead (1-2)
-Flip a coin between these guys and Chaska for the last team in; I’ll go with the team I had higher previously, and I’m just guessing a loss to STMA will hold up better in the long run than one to St. Louis Park. They’ve got a Fargo team and then Warroad this coming week.

We’ll make a first foray into sections now, too:

1AA
2 Lakeville South
22 Hastings
Lakeville North
Owatonna
-No dramatic changes here in the early going, but there is more clarity than in some other sections. Hastings’ competitive early showings has solidified the Raiders’ hold on a potential top-two seed. Owatonna beat Mayo who beat Century, so the Huskies grab the early lead for the best of the rest title.

2AA
6 Eden Prairie
10 Prior Lake
11 Minnetonka
20 Holy Family
-Nothing has really changed here since preseason, but no one is really making a statement yet that would lock any of this into place. Stay tuned for the next update in two weeks, as Eden Prairie plays both Tonka and Holy Family over the next two weeks.

3AA
4 St. Thomas Academy
13 Rosemount
Burnsville
Eastview
-Preseason I gave St. Thomas runaway favorite status, but it has tightened somewhat, with the Cadets looking beatable and Rosemount appearing solid, to the extent that we can judge teams with zero crossover games. Beyond that, Burnsville has at least been competitive against stronger teams, but it really looks like a void after that. I’m settling for Eastview in the absence of any other real option.

4AA
8 Hill-Murray
White Bear Lake
East Ridge
Mounds View
-None of the teams in the usual trio here are making a very strong case in the early going. Stillwater lost to Mounds View who lost to East Ridge, which is the reason for those unexpected names climbing their way up here, but there are plenty more games among that group plus White Bear, who held off East Ridge narrowly on Saturday. Hill is basically the top seed by default right now.

5AA
1 Maple Grove
12 Centennial
17 Totino-Grace
Champlin Park
-Hard to say too much here; Centennial’s win over Champlin helps their positioning, but with Champlin losing badly to Rogers, that doesn’t seem as impressive as I thought it might have a few weeks ago, and Totino’s state of limbo doesn’t help much, either. Theoretically there are plenty of upcoming games here, so we’ll see if we can say more in a few weeks’ time.

6AA
3 Cretin-Derham Hall
7 Benilde-St. Margaret’s
16 Blake
14 Edina
15 Wayzata
19 St. Louis Park
-Lake Conference anarchy only helps the teams not in it, and Benilde has given itself great position for a top-2 seed now that they’ve beaten Blake, who beat Wayzata. The Lake teams have some work to do to get out of the 4/5 game, and since that conference just lends itself to piling up some losses, it may be a tough hole to escape. It’s still very early in this race, though.

7AA
5 Grand Rapids
18 Andover
23 Forest Lake
Duluth East
-Rapids has only solidified its spot at the top here, while Andover’s early returns suggest they still have some chance of defending their title. My preseason interest in Elk River now appears misguided. I’m not convinced Forest Lake is actually better than Duluth East, but if ever a team was in position to claim a high seed thanks to QRF, it’s these Rangers, who have the benefit of an all-AA schedule in a soft conference that QRF will have no frame of reference for given the complete lack of crossover games. We’ll get a better sense of how competitive this thing is with the East-Rapids game this coming week.

8AA
9 Roseau
21 St. Michael-Albertville
24 Rogers
Moorhead
-Roseau’s frontrunner status is obvious at this point. After that, STMA has some claim to a decent seed after the win over Moorhead. I’m giving Rogers the nudge for a higher seed based on the strong showing against Champlin, but St. Cloud is somewhere in there too, and we still have a lot to learn here. A storyline to watch: I believe the Spuds have been a top-2 seed in this section every year since the start of the two-class era.

[HSLinemaker]

Great Job! Thanks again.

[mnmouth]

Hey Karl - multiple sources report that Rapids adds a game at Denfeld for this Tuesday (1/26) at Heritage. Early 4:30 p.m. start

[Brodziak Fan Club]

Thanks for the great work as always, Karl. Nothing better than rankings and coffee on a Sunday morning.

[karl(east)]

Hey Karl - multiple sources report that Rapids adds a game at Denfeld for this Tuesday (1/26) at Heritage. Early 4:30 p.m. start

I'm told this has been canceled as Denfeld appears to be on virus lockdown, unfortunately.

[Stang5280]

8AA
9 Roseau
21 St. Michael-Albertville
24 Rogers
Moorhead
-Roseau’s frontrunner status is obvious at this point. After that, STMA has some claim to a decent seed after the win over Moorhead. I’m giving Rogers the nudge for a higher seed based on the strong showing against Champlin, but St. Cloud is somewhere in there too, and we still have a lot to learn here. A storyline to watch: I believe the Spuds have been a top-2 seed in this section every year since the start of the two-class era.

Moorhead was a #4 in 2000 and 1998. They had a down three-year stretch back then.

Rogers has an impressive group of sophomores. I’m curious to see what they can develop into.

[thefatcat]

My goodness 6AA is a meatgrinder. Add in Holy Angels, which isn't an easy out for an opposing team come playoff time. I'm going to predict whoever takes 6AA this season takes the state tourney....a team residing in 6AA has taken in 6 times since 2010...yeesh.

[karl(east)]

8AA
9 Roseau
21 St. Michael-Albertville
24 Rogers
Moorhead
-Roseau’s frontrunner status is obvious at this point. After that, STMA has some claim to a decent seed after the win over Moorhead. I’m giving Rogers the nudge for a higher seed based on the strong showing against Champlin, but St. Cloud is somewhere in there too, and we still have a lot to learn here. A storyline to watch: I believe the Spuds have been a top-2 seed in this section every year since the start of the two-class era.

Moorhead was a #4 in 2000 and 1998. They had a down three-year stretch back then.

Rogers has an impressive group of sophomores. I’m curious to see what they can develop into.

Hah, guess it has happened in the 2-class era (contra my claim on the podcast), but still a pretty respectable streak the Spuds have going. Guessing we could see a lot of them and Rogers in 8AA over the next couple seasons.

And yeah, 6AA is nasty (yet again). We'll see if any team can really even separate itself there.

[elliott70]

Jerry's Class AA Minnesota Boys High School Hockey Rankings January 24, 2021
Maple Grove

Lakeville South

Benilde=St. Margaret

Eden Prairie

Grand Rapids

Hill Murray

Prior Lake

St. Thomas Academy

Edina

Cretin=Derham Hall

5 Teams to Watch: Blake, Centennial, Minnetonka, Roseau and Wayzata.

[elliott70]

From minny Ice
1. Maple Grove (4-0)
Last Week’s Rank: #3
Game Results:
vs. Armstrong/Cooper – W 9-2
vs. Dodge County – W 12-1

With Eden Prairie and Hill-Murray slipping up, this was the easiest part of this week’s rankings. Moving last week’s #3 team in Maple Grove to the top spot was a no-brainer. Especially considering they expectedly demolished their opponents this week. Although it would have been nice to see them have a game against actual competition, Covid cancelled their game against Totino-Grace. However, a matchup against Centennial is a good start.


2. Benilde-St. Margaret’s (4-0)
Last Week’s Rank: #5
Game Results:
vs. #4A Mahtomedi – W 3-2
@ #16 Blake – W 5-2

Here comes the chaos. With no clear consensus among the community on where to put BSM. While it is, of course, early, the Red Knights have taken care of business against quality opposition. They may face a challenge in upstart St. Louis Park, but if they weather that storm they’ll be smooth sailing for a while.


3. Lakeville South (4-0)
Last Week’s Rank: #7
Game Results:
vs. Shakopee – W 9-1
vs. Lakeville North – W 6-0

Wow. Absolute domination from Lakeville South to begin the season. Allowing a single goal in four games is nothing to sneeze at. Even if the schedule is less than desirable for a potential contender. With Rosemount posing the only real threat, the Cougars may be the best team on paper in the state.


4. St. Thomas Academy
Last Week’s Rank: #4
Game Results:
vs. Tartan – W 7-5
vs. Hastings – W 4-0

Another week seemingly means another week treading water for the Cadets. Struggling to put teams with extraordinarily less talent. The hope is it’s a hiccup of an odd season. If not though, things could go sideways quickly.

5. Grand Rapids (4-0)
Last Week’s Rank: #8
Game Results:
vs. Duluth Marshall – W 5-0
@ #8 Hill-Murray – W 2-1


Garnering this early season’s biggest win highlights how dangerous this team can be. Although they won’t blow you off the ice offensively, their stoic defense is up there with the best.

6. Prior Lake (3-0-1)
Last Week’s Rank: #6
Game Results:
@ #13 Rosemount – T 2-2
@ Burnsville – W 6-3

Winning in the manner the Lakers are doing isn’t going to do then any favors. Their tie against respectable, but beatable Rosemount, shows that. It’s also tough for this team to win over hearts when conference foe, Lakeville South, is dismantling their schedule with ease.

7. Eden Prairie (2-1)
Last Week’s Rank: #1
Game Results:
vs. #17 Wayzata – W 5-2
vs. #14 Edina – L 3-1

How the mighty have fallen. For now. Their dismissal of the Trojans made it seem nothing was wrong at Eden Prairie. While that still very much is the case, losing at home to a confounding Edina team raises some questions about the program as a whole. Is Lee Smith the best Eden Prairie can do? Building stunningly talented rosters on an annual basis only to perpetually fall short? Sure, they have a couple of titles. But you have to thank Kyle Rau for them. Buffalo shouldn’t be an issue this week but they should be conscientious of a solid Holy Family squad.


8. Hill-Murray (2-1)
Last Week’s Rank: #2
Game Results:
vs. #5 Grand Rapids – L 2-1

The loss to Grand Rapids isn’t too much of an indictment on Hill-Murray as it was a statement for Grand Rapids. The only reason for the drop is undefeated teams are cruising and Hill had a slip up. Offense has been an issue. Netting only two goals per game. They have a home-and-home with Edina this week. The perfect opportunity for finding out what this team really is.

9. Cretin-Derham Hall (4-0)
Last Week’s Rank: #9
Game Results:
@ Cottage Grove – W 5-1
vs. White Bear Lake – W 7-1

Although they continue to win with ease and impressiveness, the lack of competition holds them back. With little to no real competition remaining, it’ll be tough for the Raiders to garner enough of my respect to push them forward. Time to root for chaos en masse, Raiders.

10. Roseau (4-0)
Last Week’s Rank: #10
Game Results:
vs. Thief River Falls – W 3-0
@ St. Cloud – W 5-1

Just keep winning is the motto for Roseau this year. Beating a good St. Cloud team and having a few more quality resume-builders on the schedule. As with Cretin though, chaos may be their best friend if they want to start jumping up.

The Next Five:
11. Centennial (4-0)
Last Week’s Rank: #13
Game Results:
vs. Spring Lake Park – W 8-1
vs. Champlin Park – W 4-3

It wasn’t pretty, needing overtime to beat Champlin. But the results are still there and they’re still counted as wins. They’ll need to buckle down this week with games at Totino (if it happens) and #1 Maple Grove.

12. Minnetonka (2-1)
Last Week’s Rank: #11
Game Results:
@ #14 Edina – W 4-0
vs. #17 Wayzata – L 4-3

Dropping solely due to their loss to Wayzata, the Skippers were expected to take some lumps. They get a rematch immediately with Wayzata too.

13. Rosemount (3-0-1)
Last Week’s Rank: #17
Game Results:
vs. #6 Prior Lake – T 2-2
vs. Apple Valley – W 7-0

Tying Prior Lake and keeping it a low scoring affair should boost some confidence in the locker room. Their biggest test comes this week against Lakeville South. If the Irish win, we will need to start a chaos meter.

14. Edina (2-1-1)
Last Week’s Rank: #12
Game Results:
vs. #12 Minnetonka – L 4-0
@ #7 Eden Prairie – W 3-1

I don’t know what to do with this Hornet team. Getting shutout at home to a good but beatable Minnetonka team. To then turn around and beat the top team in state on the road? Talk about being enigmatic. Who knows which will show up on a given night. For Hornet fan’s sake, myself included, give Giles the benefit of the doubt. Especially with their annual home-and-home with #8 Hill-Murray this week.

15. Andover (4-0)
Last Week’s Rank: #19
Game Results:
vs. Coon Rapids – W 9-1
vs. Elk River/Zimmerman – 8-2

Look who keeps climbing these rankings? While most of that is due to the sheer inconsistency of teams around them, the Huskies are silently cruising through their schedule. It’s early, but they’ll have tests in the coming weeks. Starting with Totino-Grace if they get their Covid outbreak under control.

On The Outside Looking In:
16. Blake (14);
17. Wayzata (16);
18. Totino-Grace (15);
19. St. Louis Park (20);
20. St. Michael-Albertville (25);
21. Rogers (NR);
22. Stillwater (18);
23. Forest Lake (NR);
24. Holy Family (NR);
25 Moorhead

[elliott70]

Class 2A | Jan. 27, 2021 - MN Hockey Hub
Rank Team Record Prev
1. Maple Grove 4-0-0 2
2. Benilde-St. Margaret's 5-0-0 3

3. St. Thomas Academy 5-0-0 5
4. Eden Prairie 2-1-0 1

5. Grand Rapids 4-0-0 7
6. Lakeville South 4-0-0 8

7. Cretin-Derham Hall 4-0-0 9
8. Prior Lake 3-0-1 4

9. Hill-Murray 2-1-0 6
10. Roseau 4-1-0 10

[goldy313]

Will Karl put a 1AA team #1? Clearly that goes into his thinking. Just waiting because beating a non top 4 1A team is clearly a quality win for Maple Grove!