Class A Rankings 1.31.21
Posted: Sun Jan 31, 2021 5:14 pm
Doing these rankings on a weekly basis requires some dedication, but normally it is a labor of love. Not so much this week, however. Covid pauses, blowout losses, and generally poor play had me questioning my commitment to the bit. Watching the Alexandria and Little Falls game help restore my faith, and soldier on we will during this chaotic season. Once again, the top of the rankings remain stable, while the tail end are a revolving door. Enjoy and stay safe, everyone.
1. Hermantown (6-0-0) [LW 1]
W 6-0 @ Cloquet, 10-1 vs SCC
So much for the idea of Cloquet providing a challenge. The Hawks absolutely strafed the Jacks, racing out to a 4-0 first period lead and never looking back. Cathedral was merely a bug on the windshield of this Mack truck, which should continue to roll through this week unabated, before things finally start to become interesting. Plante had six goals against SCC, with natural hat tricks in both the second and third. Hooray, I guess.
Next: Tue vs Virginia, Sat vs Brainerd
2. Gentry Academy (4-0-0) [LW 2]
W 11-0 vs Providence, W 8-0 vs Tartan
Again, so much for the thought that Tartan could pose any threat to the Stars, and poor Providence fared even worse. I understand that Gentry can only play the teams on their schedule, and booking opponents as a newer independent is difficult, but this opening stretch has been ugly. On a positive note, players like Sajevic and Reim are a joy to watch. We'll see if Little Falls can actually make things interesting this week.
Next: Tue @ Holy Angels, Thu @ Little Falls
3. Warroad (3-0-1) [LW 3]
W 6-3 @ Roseau, T 1-1 @ Moorhead
The schedule ramped up in a big way for the Warriors, and they largely delivered. Warroad pounded their rival Tuesday night, racing out to a 5-0 lead before Roseau knew what hit them. The Moorhead tie was mildly disappointing, as the Spuds are way down and Warroad needed a goal with one tick remaining to force a tie, despite 40+ shots. The wicked patch of schedule continues, with their primary challengers in 8A visiting the Gardens, followed by a Central team who defeated EGF twice.
Next: Tue vs EGF, Sat vs GF Central
4. Mahtomedi (3-2-0) [LW 4]
W 6-2 vs SPA, W 5-1 vs Simley
Finally facing some lesser competition, the Zephyrs ran their winning streak to three and drifted above .500, though it wasn't the easiest process. At the first intermission Mahtomedi found themselves down 2-1 on Tuesday and knotted 1-1 on Thursday before kicking in the afterburners down the stretch in both contests. They will have to avoid a slow start in their return engagement with Hill-Murray, who defeated Mahtomedi 2-1 in the opener, to avoid a similar fate. Relying on Dardis will also only get them so far, and guys like Adam Johnson and JD Metz need to keep producing offensively.
Next: Tue @ H-M, Sat @ Breck
5. East Grand Forks (2-4-0) [LW 5]
L 1-2 @ GF Central, L 3-5 vs GF Red River
I'm not sure any team in either class has started with a more brutal opening stretch than the Green Wave. After the offense perked up last week, it fizzled again against the two Grand Forks rivals. EGF surrendered two third-period goals against Central, who was aided by a questionable no-goal call, and they hung around with Red River until an empty-netter put things away. Despite the lackluster record, I can't justify dropping EGF below teams with far inferior talent. I would say that the Wave are happy to see the MN portion of their schedule starting, but they jump right into the deep end with #2 Warroad, and could well end the week in a 2-6 hole.
Next: Tue @ Warroad, Thu vs Moorhead
6. Little Falls (4-0-1) [LW 7]
W 6-0 @ Willmar, T 3-3 vs Alexandria
Little Falls had to be nimble to fill out their schedule after games with Sartell and River Lakes were wiped out. The win against Wilmer was routine, even if getting to that point was anything but, as the two teams agreed to play the game earlier that same day. The battle with Alex was epic; It wasn't always beautiful hockey, but the two teams fought hard and produced one of the most entertaining contests of the early season. 6A will be a slugfest, unlike many of the other sections. The Gentry game will be a good test of whether the Flyers can hang with the elite group just ahead of them.
Next: Thu vs Gentry, Sat @ Mound
7. Alexandria (3-1-1) [LW 8]
L 0-2 vs St. Cloud, T 3-3 @ Little Falls
The Cardinals failed to record a win, though it certainly wasn't a lost week. A close loss to a St. Cloud team who pummeled Sartell isn't a bad result, and the tie with Little Falls actually puts a great deal of pressure on the Flyers, since Alex has two wins in hand over the other top dogs in 6A. Gronholz and Kludt were impressive, making plays all over the ice. The upcoming schedule is pretty light, though Bemidji isn't a gimme.
Next: Tue @ Willmar, Thu vs Bemidji
8. Duluth Denfeld (0-0-1) [LW 6]
Idle
The Hunters lost a second straight week of games to Covid, and haven't played since opening night. The upcoming Tuesday tilt at Grand Rapids has already been postponed, and we'll see if they are able to finally return to action Saturday. I don't like moving a team down through no fault of their own, but it's hard to know what Denfeld will look like going forward.
Next: Sat @ North Shore
9. Fergus Falls (4-1-0) [LW 10]
W 14-0 @ Breckenridge, W 5-0 vs Wadena
Not much to say here, as the Otters shredded two overmatched opponents. The offense has been putting up absurd stats, scoring at least four goals in every game. It remains to be seen whether Fergus Falls can clamp down better on defense against stronger foes. The River Lakes game has been postponed due to the Stars' Covid pause, so the skirmish with a strong St. Cloud squad is the only scheduled action for the week ahead.
Next: Thu vs St. Cloud
10. Orono (3-1-0) [LW NR]
W 3-2 vs Delano, W 4-3 @ Mound
With their two wins last week, the Spartans have established themselves as the class of 2A, for whatever that is worth, and vault all the way up here. The only loss came in their season opener, falling to a solid Holy Family crew, and the change to sophomore Brock Peyton in net has paid dividends. Orono lacks star power, but they are quite deep, and there is a nice mix of experience and youth. After a warmup with Waconia, there is tough theee-game stretch starting with Hutch. We'll know much more about this team in a few weeks.
Next: Tue @ Waconia, Sat vs Hutchinson
11. Sartell-St. Stephen (2-3-0) [LW 14]
W 5-0 @ Sauk Rapids
The Sabres dispatched Sauk Rapids with minimal difficulty, but the drama came afterward, as both teams are now in Covid quarantine. As noted above, the Little Falls contest has been indefinitely postponed, while the next three games (St. Cloud, Willmar, and River Lakes) are outright cancelled. The next scheduled action is a trip to Bemidji on Feb. 11. Despite all of this, Sartell actually moves up a few spots due to the futility of other teams around them.
Next: Idle
12. Hutchinson (3-1-0) [LW NR]
W 4-3 (OT) vs Mound, W 9-3 @ Waconia
The Tigers pounce into the rankings after squeaking out a win over Mound Westonka and walloping Waconia. I actually leapfrogged Hutch over LDC based on the better results against those two foes. They feature balanced, deep scoring led by a strong senior class, and netminder Austin Hagen has been solid in the early going (2.11 GAA, 91.7%). We'll soon find out if Hutch is for real, as they tangle with rival LDC for an early peek at 3A supremacy, followed by a trip to #11 Orono.
Next: Tue vs LDC, Sat @ Orono
13. Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato (4-0-1) [LW 13]
W 6-5 (OT) vs Waconia, W 7-2 @ Marshall
The Dragons nearly stubbed their toes against a weak Waconia group, but redeemed themselves later in the week. The offense finally broke out, buoyed by Jack Hillmann and Jaxon Gustafson, but the defense and goaltending were uncharacteristically porous against Waconia. Again, this will be a big week for LDC, starting with the rivalry game.
Next: Tue @ Hutch, Sat vs Delano
14. St. Paul Johnson (1-1-0) [LW 9]
W 10-2 @ SSP, L 3-4 vs SPA
The Governors finally kicked off their season, and the results were mixed to say the least. Johnson butchered the rival Packers in their opener, but stunk up the joint two days later. St. Paul Academy outplayed the Govs from the drop, and broke through with two goals early in the third. I won't kill Johnson quite yet in the rankings, as they have only had two outings, but the SPA loss was concerning. The Holy Angels game will be a nice barometer.
Next: Thu @ Minnehaha, Sat vs Holy Angels
15. Mankato East (4-1-0) [LW 16]
W 5-2 @ Century, W 2-1 (OT) vs Mayo
The Cougars successfully navigated through two of the Rochester public schools, though not without a Saturday evening scare. East pummeled the net with shots in both games, but could only manage to slip a single puck past Mayo goalie Mancuso on 47 shots in regulation. East will finish their conference tour of the Rochester teams prior to the big crosstown rivalry contest.
Next: Tue @ Rochester JM, Thu vs Mankato West
16. Mankato West (5-0-0) [LW NR]
W 2-1 (OT) vs Albert Lea, W 5-0 @ Winona
No, the level of difficulty hasn't been great, but at some point you can't argue with undefeated. The Albert Lea scrape was the Scarlets' first real close call, but they have otherwise been rolling along. Section finalists last season, West had major graduation losses but have bounced back nicely. Brandon Swenson, Ethan Fox, and Gage Schmidt have provided scoring punch, while Caleb Cross (0.59 GAA, 96.7%) has been a force in net. The crosstown showdown with East will be one of the best Class A games of the week.
Next: Thu @ Mankato East, Sat vs Red Wing
17. Mound Westonka (2-2-2) [LW 12]
L 3-4 (OT) @ Hutchinson, L 3-4 vs Orono
This team is maddeningly inconsistent. The White Hawks had two close losses by identical counts to stout opponents, and a few bounces in their favor could see them soaring in the rankings instead of diving. Mound Westonka faces another difficult week, with the #6 Flyers paying a weekend visit. A win would go a long way toward righting the ship.
Next: Fri @ New Prague, Sat vs Little Falls
18. Armstrong/Cooper (2-3-0) [LW 11]
L 4-5 vs Osseo, L 0-1 vs Rogers
I'm not sure what's going on with the Wings, but they are a mess. Losing to Maple Grove is one thing, but letting Osseo storm back is not a good sign. Rogers is certainly a strong team, though mustering only 14 shots and being bageled should not happen to this offense. A/C is clinging in the rankings by a claw at this point. They need at least one emphatic statement this week to stay in.
Next: Thu vs Anoka, Sat vs Elk River
19. Virginia (3-2-0) [LW 19]
L 1-5 vs Cloquet, W 7-1 vs Int'l Falls
The Blue Devils tread water after being clobbered and doing some clobbering of their own to split the week. Sophomore Ryan Manninen scored the only goal against Cloquet, and is tied for the team scoring lead with defenseman Braden Tiedeman, who has nearly doubled his production from last season already. I have a feeling that the Hermantown tilt will be an ugly affair, but should be a learning experience for a young team.
Next: Tue @ Hermantown, Fri vs Proctor
20. Dodge County (2-1-1) [LW 15]
W 3-2 (OT) @ Hopkins, W 4-2 @ New Prague
Whatever Wildcats, I guess you can hang around for another week, but mostly because I can't find any better options. This team has very limited depth, and may be weaker than last year's edition. I wouldn't be surprised to see Simley pull off a road victory.
Next: Tue vs Simley, Fri vs Luverne
Out: Delano, Southwest Christian, North Branch
Others Considered: Simley, Waseca, Tartan, Providence Academy
1. Hermantown (6-0-0) [LW 1]
W 6-0 @ Cloquet, 10-1 vs SCC
So much for the idea of Cloquet providing a challenge. The Hawks absolutely strafed the Jacks, racing out to a 4-0 first period lead and never looking back. Cathedral was merely a bug on the windshield of this Mack truck, which should continue to roll through this week unabated, before things finally start to become interesting. Plante had six goals against SCC, with natural hat tricks in both the second and third. Hooray, I guess.
Next: Tue vs Virginia, Sat vs Brainerd
2. Gentry Academy (4-0-0) [LW 2]
W 11-0 vs Providence, W 8-0 vs Tartan
Again, so much for the thought that Tartan could pose any threat to the Stars, and poor Providence fared even worse. I understand that Gentry can only play the teams on their schedule, and booking opponents as a newer independent is difficult, but this opening stretch has been ugly. On a positive note, players like Sajevic and Reim are a joy to watch. We'll see if Little Falls can actually make things interesting this week.
Next: Tue @ Holy Angels, Thu @ Little Falls
3. Warroad (3-0-1) [LW 3]
W 6-3 @ Roseau, T 1-1 @ Moorhead
The schedule ramped up in a big way for the Warriors, and they largely delivered. Warroad pounded their rival Tuesday night, racing out to a 5-0 lead before Roseau knew what hit them. The Moorhead tie was mildly disappointing, as the Spuds are way down and Warroad needed a goal with one tick remaining to force a tie, despite 40+ shots. The wicked patch of schedule continues, with their primary challengers in 8A visiting the Gardens, followed by a Central team who defeated EGF twice.
Next: Tue vs EGF, Sat vs GF Central
4. Mahtomedi (3-2-0) [LW 4]
W 6-2 vs SPA, W 5-1 vs Simley
Finally facing some lesser competition, the Zephyrs ran their winning streak to three and drifted above .500, though it wasn't the easiest process. At the first intermission Mahtomedi found themselves down 2-1 on Tuesday and knotted 1-1 on Thursday before kicking in the afterburners down the stretch in both contests. They will have to avoid a slow start in their return engagement with Hill-Murray, who defeated Mahtomedi 2-1 in the opener, to avoid a similar fate. Relying on Dardis will also only get them so far, and guys like Adam Johnson and JD Metz need to keep producing offensively.
Next: Tue @ H-M, Sat @ Breck
5. East Grand Forks (2-4-0) [LW 5]
L 1-2 @ GF Central, L 3-5 vs GF Red River
I'm not sure any team in either class has started with a more brutal opening stretch than the Green Wave. After the offense perked up last week, it fizzled again against the two Grand Forks rivals. EGF surrendered two third-period goals against Central, who was aided by a questionable no-goal call, and they hung around with Red River until an empty-netter put things away. Despite the lackluster record, I can't justify dropping EGF below teams with far inferior talent. I would say that the Wave are happy to see the MN portion of their schedule starting, but they jump right into the deep end with #2 Warroad, and could well end the week in a 2-6 hole.
Next: Tue @ Warroad, Thu vs Moorhead
6. Little Falls (4-0-1) [LW 7]
W 6-0 @ Willmar, T 3-3 vs Alexandria
Little Falls had to be nimble to fill out their schedule after games with Sartell and River Lakes were wiped out. The win against Wilmer was routine, even if getting to that point was anything but, as the two teams agreed to play the game earlier that same day. The battle with Alex was epic; It wasn't always beautiful hockey, but the two teams fought hard and produced one of the most entertaining contests of the early season. 6A will be a slugfest, unlike many of the other sections. The Gentry game will be a good test of whether the Flyers can hang with the elite group just ahead of them.
Next: Thu vs Gentry, Sat @ Mound
7. Alexandria (3-1-1) [LW 8]
L 0-2 vs St. Cloud, T 3-3 @ Little Falls
The Cardinals failed to record a win, though it certainly wasn't a lost week. A close loss to a St. Cloud team who pummeled Sartell isn't a bad result, and the tie with Little Falls actually puts a great deal of pressure on the Flyers, since Alex has two wins in hand over the other top dogs in 6A. Gronholz and Kludt were impressive, making plays all over the ice. The upcoming schedule is pretty light, though Bemidji isn't a gimme.
Next: Tue @ Willmar, Thu vs Bemidji
8. Duluth Denfeld (0-0-1) [LW 6]
Idle
The Hunters lost a second straight week of games to Covid, and haven't played since opening night. The upcoming Tuesday tilt at Grand Rapids has already been postponed, and we'll see if they are able to finally return to action Saturday. I don't like moving a team down through no fault of their own, but it's hard to know what Denfeld will look like going forward.
Next: Sat @ North Shore
9. Fergus Falls (4-1-0) [LW 10]
W 14-0 @ Breckenridge, W 5-0 vs Wadena
Not much to say here, as the Otters shredded two overmatched opponents. The offense has been putting up absurd stats, scoring at least four goals in every game. It remains to be seen whether Fergus Falls can clamp down better on defense against stronger foes. The River Lakes game has been postponed due to the Stars' Covid pause, so the skirmish with a strong St. Cloud squad is the only scheduled action for the week ahead.
Next: Thu vs St. Cloud
10. Orono (3-1-0) [LW NR]
W 3-2 vs Delano, W 4-3 @ Mound
With their two wins last week, the Spartans have established themselves as the class of 2A, for whatever that is worth, and vault all the way up here. The only loss came in their season opener, falling to a solid Holy Family crew, and the change to sophomore Brock Peyton in net has paid dividends. Orono lacks star power, but they are quite deep, and there is a nice mix of experience and youth. After a warmup with Waconia, there is tough theee-game stretch starting with Hutch. We'll know much more about this team in a few weeks.
Next: Tue @ Waconia, Sat vs Hutchinson
11. Sartell-St. Stephen (2-3-0) [LW 14]
W 5-0 @ Sauk Rapids
The Sabres dispatched Sauk Rapids with minimal difficulty, but the drama came afterward, as both teams are now in Covid quarantine. As noted above, the Little Falls contest has been indefinitely postponed, while the next three games (St. Cloud, Willmar, and River Lakes) are outright cancelled. The next scheduled action is a trip to Bemidji on Feb. 11. Despite all of this, Sartell actually moves up a few spots due to the futility of other teams around them.
Next: Idle
12. Hutchinson (3-1-0) [LW NR]
W 4-3 (OT) vs Mound, W 9-3 @ Waconia
The Tigers pounce into the rankings after squeaking out a win over Mound Westonka and walloping Waconia. I actually leapfrogged Hutch over LDC based on the better results against those two foes. They feature balanced, deep scoring led by a strong senior class, and netminder Austin Hagen has been solid in the early going (2.11 GAA, 91.7%). We'll soon find out if Hutch is for real, as they tangle with rival LDC for an early peek at 3A supremacy, followed by a trip to #11 Orono.
Next: Tue vs LDC, Sat @ Orono
13. Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato (4-0-1) [LW 13]
W 6-5 (OT) vs Waconia, W 7-2 @ Marshall
The Dragons nearly stubbed their toes against a weak Waconia group, but redeemed themselves later in the week. The offense finally broke out, buoyed by Jack Hillmann and Jaxon Gustafson, but the defense and goaltending were uncharacteristically porous against Waconia. Again, this will be a big week for LDC, starting with the rivalry game.
Next: Tue @ Hutch, Sat vs Delano
14. St. Paul Johnson (1-1-0) [LW 9]
W 10-2 @ SSP, L 3-4 vs SPA
The Governors finally kicked off their season, and the results were mixed to say the least. Johnson butchered the rival Packers in their opener, but stunk up the joint two days later. St. Paul Academy outplayed the Govs from the drop, and broke through with two goals early in the third. I won't kill Johnson quite yet in the rankings, as they have only had two outings, but the SPA loss was concerning. The Holy Angels game will be a nice barometer.
Next: Thu @ Minnehaha, Sat vs Holy Angels
15. Mankato East (4-1-0) [LW 16]
W 5-2 @ Century, W 2-1 (OT) vs Mayo
The Cougars successfully navigated through two of the Rochester public schools, though not without a Saturday evening scare. East pummeled the net with shots in both games, but could only manage to slip a single puck past Mayo goalie Mancuso on 47 shots in regulation. East will finish their conference tour of the Rochester teams prior to the big crosstown rivalry contest.
Next: Tue @ Rochester JM, Thu vs Mankato West
16. Mankato West (5-0-0) [LW NR]
W 2-1 (OT) vs Albert Lea, W 5-0 @ Winona
No, the level of difficulty hasn't been great, but at some point you can't argue with undefeated. The Albert Lea scrape was the Scarlets' first real close call, but they have otherwise been rolling along. Section finalists last season, West had major graduation losses but have bounced back nicely. Brandon Swenson, Ethan Fox, and Gage Schmidt have provided scoring punch, while Caleb Cross (0.59 GAA, 96.7%) has been a force in net. The crosstown showdown with East will be one of the best Class A games of the week.
Next: Thu @ Mankato East, Sat vs Red Wing
17. Mound Westonka (2-2-2) [LW 12]
L 3-4 (OT) @ Hutchinson, L 3-4 vs Orono
This team is maddeningly inconsistent. The White Hawks had two close losses by identical counts to stout opponents, and a few bounces in their favor could see them soaring in the rankings instead of diving. Mound Westonka faces another difficult week, with the #6 Flyers paying a weekend visit. A win would go a long way toward righting the ship.
Next: Fri @ New Prague, Sat vs Little Falls
18. Armstrong/Cooper (2-3-0) [LW 11]
L 4-5 vs Osseo, L 0-1 vs Rogers
I'm not sure what's going on with the Wings, but they are a mess. Losing to Maple Grove is one thing, but letting Osseo storm back is not a good sign. Rogers is certainly a strong team, though mustering only 14 shots and being bageled should not happen to this offense. A/C is clinging in the rankings by a claw at this point. They need at least one emphatic statement this week to stay in.
Next: Thu vs Anoka, Sat vs Elk River
19. Virginia (3-2-0) [LW 19]
L 1-5 vs Cloquet, W 7-1 vs Int'l Falls
The Blue Devils tread water after being clobbered and doing some clobbering of their own to split the week. Sophomore Ryan Manninen scored the only goal against Cloquet, and is tied for the team scoring lead with defenseman Braden Tiedeman, who has nearly doubled his production from last season already. I have a feeling that the Hermantown tilt will be an ugly affair, but should be a learning experience for a young team.
Next: Tue @ Hermantown, Fri vs Proctor
20. Dodge County (2-1-1) [LW 15]
W 3-2 (OT) @ Hopkins, W 4-2 @ New Prague
Whatever Wildcats, I guess you can hang around for another week, but mostly because I can't find any better options. This team has very limited depth, and may be weaker than last year's edition. I wouldn't be surprised to see Simley pull off a road victory.
Next: Tue vs Simley, Fri vs Luverne
Out: Delano, Southwest Christian, North Branch
Others Considered: Simley, Waseca, Tartan, Providence Academy
