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Class A Ranking Week #4 (12/19/2021)

1- Hermantown (7A) (6-0-0)
Past Week Results: W 6-0 Duluth Marshall, 12/16 W3-0 Mahtomedi
Upcoming Schedule: 12/21 vs. #8 Duluth Denfeld, 12/23 @ Cretin Durham Hall
The Hawks life without Zam continued as it looks like he will be back in January at the earliest depending on his MRI. They have the depth to be fine and they showed that early in the week by first defeating the Toppers 6-0 behind Wyatt Carlson’s 3 point night. In the big match up with Mahtomedi the Hawks depth was on full display as even though they were without their star they came at the Zephyrs in waves. Ty Hanson played the hero with his 2 goal effort and Hermantown secured a nice win for State seedings in a few months. This week it doesn't get any easier a big match up with the Hunters for 7A seeding and then a match up with highly touted AA CDH.

2- Warroad (8A) (7-0-0)
Past Week Results: W 6-3 East Grand Forks, W 7-1 Rogers
Upcoming Schedule: 12/21 vs. Thief River Falls
The Warriors took the first of what most likely is going to be three meetings vs their Section 8A rivals EGF. Daimon Garnder was the difference; his 2 goal 4 point night helped Warroad win a big game on the road in which they never trailed. The Warriors continued their great week by blowing open a tight 1 to 1 contest against Rogers in the third period on Saturday. Gaabi Bouchi evoked some of his grandpa’s scoring prowess and scored two goals to start the third that led to a six goal onslaught and a very nice win. This week they face the always well coached and well prepared Prowlers from TRF.

3- Mahtomedi (4A) (4-3-0)
Past Week Results: L 0-3 Hermantown
Upcoming Schedule: 12/21 vs. Stillwater
The Zephyrs went toe to toe with the #1 hawks but got worn down as the game went along. They weren't really able to generate much of an offensive threat after period 1. However, senior Ben Dardis stopped 40 of 42 shots and held Mahtomedi in the game until the very end. Overall, it wasn’t a bad showing but it wasn't a great one either for the Zephyrs. They continue this week to play their AA heavy schedule as they play Stillwater and they keep learning their craft on how to give up shots but not great opportunities and rely on their senior star in the net.

4- Little Falls (5A) (8-0-0)
Past Week Results: W 8-1 Sauk Rapids
Upcoming Schedule: 12/21 vs. Brainerd
The Flyers had their big Section 5A showdown game with Cambridge ppd just hours before puck drop due to some non illness issues. Hopefully that game will get rescheduled soon; they did take on the Storm from Sauk Rapids on Saturday and behind Matt Filippi’s hat trick the Flyers rolled to another high scoring win. This week they look to stay unbeaten as they face an old conference rival in Brainerd.

5- Delano (2A) (6-1-0)
Past Week Results:W 5-2 Breck , W 5-2 Hutchinson
Upcoming Schedule: 12/22 vs. Orono
Delano got a 5-2 win in a chippy Section 2A game vs. Breck. Will Brown led the way with 2 goals and the Tigers got another key Section win for down the road. On Saturday the Tigers received a surprising scare from Hutchinson who led after one and had the game tied up after two periods. Gunnar Paulson’s 2 points in the third period were helpful as Delano was able to come away with a much needed Section 2A win. One game this week against longtime rival orono this one should be a good one as it always is when these two play.

6- Fergus Falls (6A) (7-1-0)
Past Week Results: L 4-5 OT Brainerd, W 6-2 Rochester Century, W 3-0 Owatonna
Upcoming Schedule: 12/21 @ River Lakes
Fergus Falls week got off to a surprisingly bad start as they dropped a home CLC contest to a previously winless Brainerd bunch. The Otters fell behind early but were able to tie it up; however, the Warriors came away with a surprising upset victory in overtime. The Otters opened up their southern swing surprisingly falling behind Century 2-0 after 1 period but they broke out of their mini funk with 6 unanswered goals led by Carter Thielke, Cole Zierden, and Isaac Johnson’s 2 goal efforts they cruised to a Friday night win. They wrapped up the road trip on Saturday with a win over Owatonna behind Ben Swanson’s shut out. This week just one game vs. CLC River Lakes on the road.

7- Minneapolis (2A) (5-1-0)
Past Week Results: Idle
Upcoming Schedule: 12/20 @ Totino Grace, 12/23 vs. St Louis Park
Unfortunately Minneapolis ws not able to follow up on their momentum from their great week last week. They had both of their Section 2A games PPD this week. Hopefully they will be able to play this coming Monday as they are busy before the Christmas Break taking on AA Totino Grace in an interesting matchup followed by a game with AA St. Louis Park. Let's hope they are back up and playing this week.

8- Duluth Denfeld (7A) (6-2-0)
Past Week Results: W 6-2 Rock Ridge, W 6-2 Proctor
Upcoming Schedule: 12/21 @ Hermantown, 12/23 vs Grand Rapids
The Hunters got their week started in similar fashion to the previous by breaking open a tight Section 7A game vs Rock Ridge in the third period. Junior Kaden Postal’s hat trick led the way and the Hunters again appeared to wear down their opponent. On Saturday they followed their script that they have used over the last few weeks and took down Proctor by yet again blowing the game open in the third period. Cooper McClure’s Hat Trick led the way and the Hunters are hot heading into a very tough week. They have their first taste of the Hawks on Tuesday and then take on AA Grand Rapids Thursday.

9- Alexandria (6A) (3-3-0)
Past Week Results: W 9-4 Sauk Rapids W 4-1 East Grand Forks
Upcoming Schedule: 12/23 @ St. Cloud
The Cards go their week off to flying start jumping all over the Storm 9-4 led by the co-hat tricks of Josiah Gronholz and Joe Lamski but the goaltending questions remain as they gave up 4 goals on just 11 shots. The Cards followed that win with their biggest win to date as they were able to finish off EGF unlike Little Falls. In a game they never trailed, Alexandria was able to use Josiah Gronholz’s 2nd hat trick of the week to secure a big win in a spot back in the top 10. This week just one game at AA St. Cloud.

10-East Grand Forks (8A) (4-4-0)
Past Week Results: L 3-6 Warroad, L Alexandria 1-4
Upcoming Schedule: 12/23 @ Bemidji
The Greenwave lost to their arch rivals at home to start the week in a game that they never led Jaksen Panzer’s 3 point effort was not enough. EGF’s dip in the rankings continued as they lost yet another key home game on Saturday this time to struggling Alexandria. They dug themselves a hole yet again and they could not get out of it and they dropped back to .500 on the year. This week they visit a solid Bemidji squad in a game they really could use to try and get back on track.

11- Northfield (1A) (4-1-0)
Past Week Results: W 6-1 Faribault
Upcoming Schedule: 12/21 @ St Paul Academy
Northfield again only had one game this week vs a team they already played and they were dominant again, sweeping the season series from Faribault. The Raiders struck just 10 seconds into the game and rolled behind Senior Spencer Klotz big night; they also got 3 points from sophomore defenseman Ty Frank. This week they again just have one game and it's on the road at St Paul Academy.

12- Providence Academy (2A) (5-2-0)
Past Week Results: W 8-3 Hopkins, W 7-3 Armstrong Cooper
Upcoming Schedule: 12/21 @ Holy Family
The Lions took care of business to begin the week by pouncing on Hopkins. Sammie Lewis and Louie Wehmann’s 4 point nights helped lead the way as Providence picked up a convincing win. The Lions continued their impressive week by blowing out Armstrong-Cooper on Saturday behind Junior Andrew Owen’s 4 goal night. The Lions are looking better and better every outing this week brings an interesting match up vs. AA Holy Family in a game they certainly can win.

13- Detroit Lakes (8A) (5-3-0)
Past Week Results: L 1-4 Bemidji, W 4-1 Northern Lakes, W 9-1 Crookston
Upcoming Schedule: 12/21 vs. Morris/Benson
The Lakers started out hot to open the week as they jumped out to a 1-0 lead early over a good Bemidji team on the road however, the Lumberjacks responded with 4 goals of their own on the way to a 4-1 win. They did rebound nicely though on the road vs. Mid-State Conference rival Northern Lakes. They used a good start to jump out 3-0 and the Lakers secured a key road win over a solid conference rival. They capped off the week with a dominant win over 8A Crookston and the Lakers only have one game this week, another one they should cruise in vs Morris Benson.

14- Southwest Christian (2A) (4-2-0)
Past Week Results: L 0-6 Gentry Academy
Upcoming Schedule: 12/21 vs Bloomington Kennedy
Southwest Christian is such a hard team to read at this point. They lost rather handily to Gentry but again who in this range of the Class Rankings would not have had the same result. They have only one game this week and it's a Section 2A game they need vs Bloomington Kennedy. After that there is a big match up vs. Minneapolis to begin the Holiday tournament looming.

15- Northern Lakes (6A) (3-2-0)
Past Week Results: L 1-4 Detroit Lakes, W 5-2 Park Rapids
Upcoming Schedule: 12/21 vs. Breckenridge-Wahpeton
The Lightning lost a tough one at home vs Detroit Lakes and their stock took a tumble as a result. The fell behind earlier at home against the Lakers and they never recovered. Northern Lakes then had to rebound fast as they took on Park Rapids the next night. The Lightning led by Tyler Seeling’s 2 goals and Taylor Berg’s 4 assists were able to come away with a 5-2 win. This week just one game and it is against Section 6A Breckenridge-Wahpeton at home.

16- St. Cloud Cathedral (5A) (5-3-0)
Past week: W 14-0 Prairie Centre, W 4-3 Wadena Deer Creek
Upcoming Schedule: Idle
The Crusaders destroyed Prairie Centre on the road to start their week 14-0. The youth movement continued for Cathedral as freshman Joey Gillespie led the way with a 4 goal night to keep the Crusaders rolling. They finished the week with a surprisingly tight contest vs WDC Freshman John Hirschfeld scored the GWG and Cathedral hung on for a less than impressive win. Now they for some reason will take next week off an interesting hole in their schedule before they host their annual holiday tournament.

17- Mankato East (3A) (6-3-0)
Past Week: W 8-2 Winona, W 7-0 Rochester John Marshall
Upcoming Schedule: 12/21 @ Minnesota River
The Cougars continued their winning ways of late again taking care of business vs the weaker part of the Big 9 Conference. Against Winona they were led by the 4 point nights of Senior Aiden Prochaska and Sophomore Christian Theuninck to cruise to their 4th straight win. They followed that up by taking care of Rochester John Marshall and now Mankato East has won five in a row with a big Section 3A game on the road vs Minnesota River on of the few Section opponents they play so they need a win here to help secure their argument for top seed later on in the year.

18- Chisago Lakes (4A) (6-1-1)
Past Week Results: W 2-1 Pine City, L 4-6 Princeton, W 6-5 Mound Westonka
Upcoming Schedule: 12/21 vs Duluth Marshall
The Wildcats got all they wanted from Pine City. It was not until a PP goal from senior Ryan Schmidt with 40 seconds left in regulation that Chisago Lakes was able to claim a tough road win. They then had a stinker vs Princeton at home in a game where they were out shot and outplayed the Wildcats dropped a bad one to the Tigers. They did rebound with a good 6-5 win over Mound Westonka to finish the week and salvage some good feelings. This week they only host struggling Duluth Marshall on Tuesday.

19- Mound Westonka (2A) (4-4-0)
Past Week Results: W 7-4 Monticello, L 5-6 Chisago Lakes
Upcoming Schedule: 12/22 @ New Ulm
The White Hawks used a 5 goal outburst in the 1st period to build a commanding lead over the Moose. Monticello did claw back into the game but an empty net goal sealed a very nice road win for Mound Westonka. They followed that up though by dropping their next game to Chisago Lakes and as always Mound Westonka is one of the hardest teams to get a good read on. This week they head to New Ulm in what should be a good game.

20- Rochester Lourdes (1A) (5-1-0)
Past Week Results: W 7-2 Winona, W 4-0 Luverne
Upcoming Schedule: 12/21 @ Red Wing
Again, this is a stretch just could not reward New Prague getting trounced twice with a ranking. Lourdes beat the RollCardsRoll machine soundly on Saturday with 4-0 win. They have rattled off five in a row since getting destroyed in their opener. Again, this program went (0-26) just two years ago and appeared to be dead so a nice start to their year here in they have a legitimate shot at top 3 seed in 1A. They have a game for implications with that this week as they head to Red Wing.

Dropped out of the rankings- New Prague

PageStat Class A Rankings (12/19/21)
1- Hermantown (7A) (6-0-0)
2- Mahtomedi (4A) (4-3-0)
3- Warroad (8A) (7-0-0)
4- Delano (2A) (6-1-0)
5- Minneapolis (2A) (5-1-0)
6- Duluth Denfeld (7A) (6-2-0)
7- Providence Academy (2A) (5-2-0)
8- East Grand Forks (8A) (4-4-0)
9- Little Falls (5A) (8-0-0)
10- Mound Westonka (2A) (4-4-0)
11- Fergus Falls (6A) (7-1-0)
12- Alexandria (6A) (3-3-0)
13- Northfield (1A) (4-1-0)
14- Thief River Falls (8A) (2-4-0)
15- Southwest Christian (2A) (4-2-0)
16- Mankato East (3A) (6-3-0)
17- Chisago Lakes (4A) (6-1-1)
18- Detroit Lakes (8A) (5-3-0)
19- St. Cloud Cathedral (5A) (5-3-0)
20- Orono (2A) (3-5-1)
21- Breck (2A) (1-4-0)
22- Rochester Lourdes (1A) (5-1-0)
23- New Prague (1A) (2-3-1)
24- Cambridge (5A) (4-2-0)
25- Hibbing (7A) (2-3-0)

Class A Section by Section Breakdown Week #4-

(I used Pagstat this week to give the break down rankings)

Section 1A (11 Teams)
Team- (Overall Record)
1- Northfield (11)- (4-1-0)
2- Rochester Lourdes (20)- (5-1-0)
3- New Prague (2-3-1)
4- Albert Lea- (3-2-0)
5- Red Wing- (3-3-0)
6- Cotter (0-3-0)
7- Faribault- (3-6-0)
8- La Crescent- (3-2-0)
8- Winona (1-6-0)
9- Waseca (0-6-0)
10- Austin (0-4-0)

Section 1A Overview- Northfield looks like the favorite here as has been said. Rochester Lourdes though is making a good push at the top two seeds. New Prague will be difficult to seed since they don't play many 1A teams. I agree with the top 5. I think Albert Lea could make a push into the top 3 yet. Cotter at 6 was the big outlier otherwise Pagestat looked spot on.

Section 2A (11 Teams)
Team- (Overall Record)
1- Delano (5)- (6-1-0)
2- Minneapolis (7)- (5-1-0)
3- Providence Academy (12)- (5-2-0)
4- Mound Westonka (19) (4-4-0)
5- Southwest Christian (14) (4-2-0)
6- Orono- (3-5-1)
7- Breck- (1-4-0)
8- Waconia- (3-4-0)
9- Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato- (2-4-0)
10- Hutchinson- (5-3-0)
11- Bloomington Kennedy- (0-5-0)

Section 2A Overview- Delano looks very solid at 1 here but also showed again this week anyone can play with them. Minneapolis at 2 for now and then Providence Academy at three. PageStat has Mound Westonka over Southwest Christian which makes since the White Hawks could argue to be over the Lions who they beat head to head. Again Orono and Breck as 6 and 7 seeds is just so crazy when looking at all the other sections.

Section 3A (10 Teams)
Team- (Overall Record)
1- Mankato East (17)- (6-3-0)
2- New Ulm- (5-1-0)
3- Luverne- (5-1-0)
4- Marshall- (4-3-0)
5- Windom- (4-3-0
6- Worthington (3-3-0)
7- Minnesota River- (3-4-0)
8- Mankato West- (2-5-0)
9- Fairmont- (1-5-0)
10- Redwood Valley-(1-6-0)

Section 3A Overview- Mankato East looking better every week. I agree with New Ulm and Luverne as 2 and 3 seeds. Windom would get the nod over Marshall due to head to head but they meet again. I like Worthington at 6. And honestly Mankato West could be 8 this year wow a East vs West Quarterfinal game would be scary for the Cougars.

Section 4A (8 teams)
Team- (Overall Record)
1- Mahtomedi (3)- (4-3-0)
2- Chisago Lakes (18)- (6-1-1)
3- Simley- (5-2-0)
4- St Paul Johnson- (2-2-0)
5- St. Paul Highland Park- (3-4-1)
6- St Paul Academy- (3-2-0)
7- Two Rivers- (4-4-0)
8- South St Paul- (2-4-0)

Section 4A Overview- Mahtomedi continues to be the heavy favorite in this section. Chisago Lakes looks solid at 2 for now but Simley is right there. Good to see St Paul Johnson coming around and St Paul Highland Park is a great story. South St Paul at 8 what happened to their program.

Section 5A (10 teams)
Team- (Overall Record)
1- Little Falls (4)- (8-0-0)
2- St. Cloud Cathedral (16)- (5-3-0)
3- Cambridge Isanti- (4-2-0)
4- Monticello- (2-5-0)
5- River Lakes- (3-4-0)
6- Princeton- (3-3-0)
7- Pine City (2-6-0)
8- Mora- (2-3-2)
9- Sauk Rapids (2-5-0)
10- Becker/Big Lake- (1-6-0)

Section 5A Overview- Little Falls continues to win and be the dominant team in 5A. St Cloud Cathedral’s youth movement has them looking at the 2 seed. Watch out for Cambridge; they have won 4 in a row since Freshman Jaxon Sibell took over in the nets. Monticello is still the 4 seed for now. I think River Lakes & Princeton the next 2 and Mora, Pine City, & Sauk Rapids will battle it out after that.

Section 6A (8 teams)
Team- (Overall Record)
1- Fergus Falls (6)- (7-1-0)
2- Alexandria (9)- (3-3-0)
3- Northern Lakes (15)- (3-2-0)
4- Wadena Deer Creek- (5-3-0)
5- Morris Benson- (3-3-0)
6- Prairie Centre- (2-6-0)
7- Willmar- (2-5-0)
8- Breckenridge/Wahpeton- (0-4-0)

Section 6A Overview- This is spot on Fergus Falls for now at the one seed then Alexandria followed by Northern Lakes. Wadena Deer Creek had a very nice showing against Cathedral and looks solid at the four seed. Morris Benson then Prairie Centre who beat Willmar.

Section 7A (10 teams)
Team- (Overall Record)
1- Hermantown (1)- (6-0-0)
2- Duluth Denfeld (8)- (6-2-0)
3- Hibbing- (2-3-0)
4- Proctor- (3-4-0)
5- Rock Ridge- (1-4-0)
6- Greenway- (3-0-0)
7- International Falls- (1-4-0)
8- North Shore- (1-3-0)
9- Ely- (2-4-0)
10- Moose Lake- (1-8-0)

Section 7A Overview- Hermantown at one followed by Duluth Denfeld at two seems pretty secure. After that it will be a battle Greenway gets no love and nice to see Proctor having a better year. Rock Ridge is still a work in progress and Hibbing is dangerous.

Section 8A (10 teams)
Team- (Overall Record)
1- Warroad (2)- (7-0-0)
2- East Grand Forks (10)- (4-4-0)
3- Thief River Falls- (2-4-0)
4- Detroit Lakes (13)- (5-3-0)
5- Red Lake Falls- (6-3-0)
6- Park Rapids- (4-4-0)
7- Lake of the Woods (4-2-0)
8- Kittson Central- (3-3-1)
9- Bagley/Fosston- (2-6-0)
10- Crookston- (0-5-1)

Section 8A Overview- Warroad and East Grand Forks right now look solid at one and two. I think Thief River Falls will end at three and Detroit Lakes four. Red Lake Falls looked good at five. Lake of the Woods has some nice wins and my oh my what has happened to Crookston.

My take for this week...

1- Hermantown
2- Mahtomedi
3- Warroad
4- Delano
5- Little Falls
6- Duluth Denfeld
7- Minneapolis
8- Alexandria
9- Fergus Falls
10- East Grand Forks
11- Northfield
12- St. Cloud Cathedral
13-Thief River Falls
14- Mankato East
15- Providence Academy
16- Detroit Lakes
17- Northern Lakes
18- Chisago Lakes
19- Mound Westonka
20- SW Christian

ClassAGuy wrote: ↑Sun Dec 19, 2021 11:09 am Class A Section by Section Breakdown Week #4-

(I used Pagstat this week to give the break down rankings)

Section 1A (11 Teams)
Team- (Overall Record)
1- Northfield (11)- (4-1-0)
2- Rochester Lourdes (20)- (5-1-0)
3- New Prague (2-3-1)
4- Albert Lea- (3-2-0)
5- Red Wing- (3-3-0)
6- Cotter (0-3-0)
7- Faribault- (3-6-0)
8- La Crescent- (3-2-0)
8- Winona (1-6-0)
9- Waseca (0-6-0)
10- Austin (0-4-0)

Section 1A Overview- Northfield looks like the favorite here as has been said. Rochester Lourdes though is making a good push at the top two seeds. New Prague will be difficult to seed since they don't play many 1A teams. I agree with the top 5. I think Albert Lea could make a push into the top 3 yet. Cotter at 6 was the big outlier otherwise Pagestat looked spot on.

Section 2A (11 Teams)
Team- (Overall Record)
1- Delano (5)- (6-1-0)
2- Minneapolis (7)- (5-1-0)
3- Providence Academy (12)- (5-2-0)
4- Mound Westonka (19) (4-4-0)
5- Southwest Christian (14) (4-2-0)
6- Orono- (3-5-1)
7- Breck- (1-4-0)
8- Waconia- (3-4-0)
9- Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato- (2-4-0)
10- Hutchinson- (5-3-0)
11- Bloomington Kennedy- (0-5-0)

Section 2A Overview- Delano looks very solid at 1 here but also showed again this week anyone can play with them. Minneapolis at 2 for now and then Providence Academy at three. PageStat has Mound Westonka over Southwest Christian which makes since the White Hawks could argue to be over the Lions who they beat head to head. Again Orono and Breck as 6 and 7 seeds is just so crazy when looking at all the other sections.

Section 3A (10 Teams)
Team- (Overall Record)
1- Mankato East (17)- (6-3-0)
2- New Ulm- (5-1-0)
3- Luverne- (5-1-0)
4- Marshall- (4-3-0)
5- Windom- (4-3-0
6- Worthington (3-3-0)
7- Minnesota River- (3-4-0)
8- Mankato West- (2-5-0)
9- Fairmont- (1-5-0)
10- Redwood Valley-(1-6-0)

Section 3A Overview- Mankato East looking better every week. I agree with New Ulm and Luverne as 2 and 3 seeds. Windom would get the nod over Marshall due to head to head but they meet again. I like Worthington at 6. And honestly Mankato West could be 8 this year wow a East vs West Quarterfinal game would be scary for the Cougars.

Section 4A (8 teams)
Team- (Overall Record)
1- Mahtomedi (3)- (4-3-0)
2- Chisago Lakes (18)- (6-1-1)
3- Simley- (5-2-0)
4- St Paul Johnson- (2-2-0)
5- St. Paul Highland Park- (3-4-1)
6- St Paul Academy- (3-2-0)
7- Two Rivers- (4-4-0)
8- South St Paul- (2-4-0)

Section 4A Overview- Mahtomedi continues to be the heavy favorite in this section. Chisago Lakes looks solid at 2 for now but Simley is right there. Good to see St Paul Johnson coming around and St Paul Highland Park is a great story. South St Paul at 8 what happened to their program.

Section 5A (10 teams)
Team- (Overall Record)
1- Little Falls (4)- (8-0-0)
2- St. Cloud Cathedral (16)- (5-3-0)
3- Cambridge Isanti- (4-2-0)
4- Monticello- (2-5-0)
5- River Lakes- (3-4-0)
6- Princeton- (3-3-0)
7- Pine City (2-6-0)
8- Mora- (2-3-2)
9- Sauk Rapids (2-5-0)
10- Becker/Big Lake- (1-6-0)

Section 5A Overview- Little Falls continues to win and be the dominant team in 5A. St Cloud Cathedral’s youth movement has them looking at the 2 seed. Watch out for Cambridge; they have won 4 in a row since Freshman Jaxon Sibell took over in the nets. Monticello is still the 4 seed for now. I think River Lakes & Princeton the next 2 and Mora, Pine City, & Sauk Rapids will battle it out after that.

Section 6A (8 teams)
Team- (Overall Record)
1- Fergus Falls (6)- (5-0-0)
2- Alexandria (9)- (3-3-0)
3- Northern Lakes (15)- (3-2-0)
4- Wadena Deer Creek- (5-3-0)
5- Morris Benson- (3-3-0)
6- Prairie Centre- (2-6-0)
7- Willmar- (2-5-0)
8- Breckenridge/Wahpeton- (0-4-0)

Section 6A Overview- This is spot on Fergus Falls for now at the one seed then Alexandria followed by Northern Lakes. Wadena Deer Creek had a very nice showing against Cathedral and looks solid at the four seed. Morris Benson then Prairie Centre who beat Willmar.

Section 7A (10 teams)
Team- (Overall Record)
1- Hermantown (1)- (6-0-0)
2- Duluth Denfeld (8)- (6-2-0)
3- Hibbing- (2-3-0)
4- Proctor- (3-4-0)
5- Rock Ridge- (1-4-0)
6- Greenway- (3-0-0)
7- International Falls- (1-4-0)
8- North Shore- (1-3-0)
9- Ely- (2-4-0)
10- Moose Lake- (1-8-0)

Section 7A Overview- Hermantown at one followed by Duluth Denfeld at two seems pretty secure. After that it will be a battle Greenway gets no love and nice to see Proctor having a better year. Rock Ridge is still a work in progress and Hibbing is dangerous.

Section 8A (10 teams)
Team- (Overall Record)
1- Warroad (2)- (7-0-0)
2- East Grand Forks (10)- (4-4-0)
3- Thief River Falls- (2-4-0)
4- Detroit Lakes (13)- (5-3-0)
5- Red Lake Falls- (6-3-0)
6- Park Rapids- (4-4-0)
7- Lake of the Woods (4-2-0)
8- Kittson Central- (3-3-1)
9- Bagley/Fosston- (2-6-0)
10- Crookston- (0-5-1)

Section 8A Overview- Warroad and East Grand Forks right now look solid at one and two. I think Thief River Falls will end at three and Detroit Lakes four. Red Lake Falls looked good at five. Lake of the Woods has some nice wins and my oh my what has happened to Crookston.

Fergus Falls is 7-1.

I broke down and ended up whipping together a fairly quick set of rankings and write ups this week. I will probably just end up doing numerical rankings next week.

12.19.21 Rankings

1. Hermantown (6-0-0) [LW 1]
W 6-0 vs Duluth Marshall, W 3-0 @ Mahtomedi
No Zam, no problem. Imposed their will against a clear top three team.

2. Warroad (7-0-0) [LW 3]
W 5-3 @ EGF, W 7-1 vs Rogers
Defeated their section rival and dismantled a good AA squad. Seem to be rounding into form.

3. Mahtomedi (4-3-0) [LW 2]
L 0-3 vs Hermantown
Maybe unfair to drop them for loss to best team in the state, but offense is a concern.

4. Little Falls (8-0-0) [LW 5]
W 8-1 vs Sauk Rapids
Easy victory bumps them into spot vacated by Fergus. Matt Filippi added another hat trick and leads the state in goals with 16 in 8 games.

5. Delano (6-1-0) [LW 6]
W 5-2 vs Breck, W 5-2 vs Hutchinson
It isn't always pretty, but Tigers continue to roll. Will Brown has stepped up big time this season.

6. Minneapolis (5-1-0) [LW 8]
Idle
Forced to sit on the bench with postponements, they watch others tumble around them.

7. Duluth Denfeld (6-2-0) [LW 10]
W 6-2 @ Rock Ridge, W 6-2 vs Proctor
Three straight 6-2 triumphs result in a 6-2 record. The cosmos align to land them at lucky 7.

8. Alexandria (3-3-0) [LW 11]
W 9-4 vs Sauk Rapids, W 4-1 @ EGF
Huge bounce back week for the Cardinals capped by a successful trip up I-94. Gronholz with two straight hat tricks.

9. Fergus Falls (7-1-0) [LW 4]
L 4-5 (OT) @ Brainerd, W 6-2 @ Century, W 3-0 @ Owatonna
The Otters don't really have any great wins, with DL being the best, and the loss to a bad Brainerd crew is alarming. The schedule finally ramps up after the new year, and we will see what Fergus is really made of.

10. Northfield (4-1-0) [LW 9]
W 6-1 @ Faribault
The Raiders keep romping through a soft schedule, and Klotz and Kaiser keep racking up big point totals.

11. East Grand Forks (4-4-0) [LW 7]
L 3-5 vs Warroad, L 1-4 vs Alexandria
We keep falling... free falling. Panzer is great, but not enough to overcome the defensive and goaltending woes.

12. Mankato East (6-3-0) [LW 14]
W 8-2 vs Winona, W 7-0 vs Rochester JM
After a slow start against middling AA foes, the Cougars have been mauling the competition and established themselves as the heavy favorite in 3A.

13. Providence Academy (5-2-0) [LW 16]
W 8-3 @ Hopkins, W 7-3 vs Armstrong/Cooper
The Lions continue to rebound after the rough loss to Minneapolis and blew out two lower-tier AA opponents. Andrew Owen had four goals Saturday, and this group can score in bunches when they get rolling.

14. Detroit Lakes (5-3-0) [LW 17]
L 1-4 @ Bemidji, W 4-1 @ Northern Lakes, W 9-1 vs Crookston
The Lakers' three losses have all come at the hands of strong teams (Fergus, EGF, and Bemidji), and they now have a convincing win over a ranked opponent. DL has been one of the pleasant surprises of the year so far.

15. St. Cloud Cathedral (5-3-0) [LW 19]
W 14-0 @ Prairie Centre, W 4-3 vs Wadena
Apparently the Crusaders should have saved some goals from Tuesday, as they barely squeaked by Wadena. Now on a four-game winning streak, they are off until the holidays.

16. Northern Lakes (3-2-0) [LW 12]
L 1-4 vs Detroit Lakes, W 5-2 @ Park Rapids
A disappointing week for the Lightning, who have lost both of their games against ranked foes by 4-1 scores. They should pick up an easy win prior to the Little Falls tournament.

17. Cambridg-Isanti (4-2-0) [LW NR]
W 6-0 vs Princeton
Here is a team I never expected to be ranking at any juncture. Yet here they are after rattling off four straight victories, coinciding with the first starts of freshman Jaxon Sibell's career. The Bluejackets were particularly impressive in ripping Princeton to reclaim the Rusty Skates trophy.

18. Chisago Lakes (6-1-1) [LW 13]
W 2-1 @ Pine City, L 3-5 vs Princeton, W 6-5 vs Mound
The Wildcats salvaged their week with a six-goal second period outburst on Saturday, after dropping a tilt with mediocre Princeton. Schmidt and Holland continue to pile up points, standing at 23 and 22, respectively.

19. Southwest Christian (4-2-0) [LW 18]
L 0-6 vs Gentry
Whatever. Obviously there's no shame in losing to Gentry, but I had high expectations for this team entering the season, and they have been pretty listless.

20. Rochester Lourdes (5-1-0) [LW NR]
W 7-2 vs. Winona, W 4-0 @ Luverne
Welcome back to an old friend who was once the gold standard for Class A in southern Minnesota. The Eagles have collected five straight wins following a season-opening drubbing against Holy Angels, each more impressive than the last. Lourdes thrashed Luverne from start to finish and looks to be hitting their stride.

Out: Mound Westonka (3-5-0) [LW 15], New Prague (2-3-1) [LW 20]

Stang5280 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 19, 2021 3:55 pm
17. Cambridg-Isanti (4-2-0) [LW NR]
W 6-0 vs Princeton
Here is a team I never expected to be ranking at any juncture. Yet here they are after rattling off four straight victories, coinciding with the first starts of freshman Jaxon Sibell's career. The Bluejackets were particularly impressive in ripping Princeton to reclaim the Rusty Skates trophy.

YES STANG!

You had the courage to rank them. I have my eyes on Cambridge since 9th Grader Jaxon Sibell has been giving the net he is an eye opening (4-0-0) with a 1.00 GAA and a 966 SV%. Cambridge in that 4 game win streak as dismantled Monticello, Princeton, & Pine City who are the 4th 5th and 7th seed in 5A. I was so curious to see how he would do against the High Flying Little Falls Offense sadly a Tik Tok Threat? (not sure if that true or rumor) shut things down in Little Falls just hours before puck drop. However, Cambridge could be a very real threat in 5A this winter.

ClassAGuy wrote: ↑Sun Dec 19, 2021 4:20 pm

Stang5280 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 19, 2021 3:55 pm
17. Cambridg-Isanti (4-2-0) [LW NR]
W 6-0 vs Princeton
Here is a team I never expected to be ranking at any juncture. Yet here they are after rattling off four straight victories, coinciding with the first starts of freshman Jaxon Sibell's career. The Bluejackets were particularly impressive in ripping Princeton to reclaim the Rusty Skates trophy.

YES STANG!

You had the courage to rank them. I have my eyes on Cambridge since 9th Grader Jaxon Sibell has been giving the net he is an eye opening (4-0-0) with a 1.00 GAA and a 966 SV%. Cambridge in that 4 game win streak as dismantled Monticello, Princeton, & Pine City who are the 4th 5th and 7th seed in 5A. I was so curious to see how he would do against the High Flying Little Falls Offense sadly a Tik Tok Threat? (not sure if that true or rumor) shut things down in Little Falls just hours before puck drop. However, Cambridge could be a very real threat in 5A this winter.

Yeah, the wins over Pine City and Monticello last week caught my eye, and following the progress of the blowout over Princeton on Twitter really pushed C-I over the edge for me. Princeton isn’t great by any means, but I watched Little Falls struggle to put them away, and they have been frisky in most games and upset Chisago. So I figured that it was worth rewarding C-I for their recent hot streak. I too hope that the game with the Flyers will eventually happen to see how they fare.

Legacy Hockey Class A Rankings (12/19/21)
PageStat Class A Rankings (12/19/21)
1- Hermantown (7A) (6-0-0)
2- Mahtomedi (4A) (4-3-0)
3- Warroad (8A) (7-0-0)
4- Delano (2A) (6-1-0)
5- Little Falls (5A) (8-0-0)
6- East Grand Forks (8A) (4-4-0)
7- Duluth Denfeld (7A) (6-2-0)
8- Fergus Falls (6A) (7-1-0)
9- Northfield (1A) (4-1-0)
10- Minneapolis (2A) (5-1-0)
11- Detroit Lakes (8A) (5-3-0)
12- Northern Lakes (6A) (3-2-0)
13- Alexandria (6A) (3-3-0)
14- Mankato East (3A) (6-3-0)
15- Chisago Lakes (4A) (6-1-1)
16- Mound Westonka (2A) (4-4-0)
17- St. Cloud Cathedral (5A) (5-3-0)
18- Providence Academy (2A) (5-2-0)
19- Southwest Christian (2A) (4-2-0)
20- Cambridge (5A) (4-2-0)

Legacy Hockey Poll Thoughts- Interesting poll this week. East grand Forks gets beat by 3 goals twice this week on home ice and they are only moved down one spot? Yet Alexandria who just beat them is still below Northern Lakes? Minneapolis beat a team that just beat EGF and yet stuck at 10. Mound Westonka at .500 after going 1-1 all the sudden jumps in at 16. No Love at all Providence Academy. Detroit Lakes at 11 yet they havent beat anyone in the top 10 lost to EGF and but still ahead of Alexandria. Confusing but they did put Cambridge in which I love.

Youth Hockey Hub Rankings (12/20/21)
1- Hermantown (7A) (6-0-0)
2- Warroad (8A) (7-0-0)
3- Mahtomedi (4A) (4-3-0)
4- Little Falls (5A) (8-0-0)
5- Delano (2A) (6-1-0)
6- Fergus Falls (6A) (7-1-0)
7- Duluth Denfeld (7A) (6-2-0)
8- Northfield (1A) (4-1-0)
9- Minneapolis (2A) (5-1-0)
10- Alexandria (6A) (3-3-0)

YHH Rankings Commentary- The only major surprise this week was watching East Grand Forks fall out of the top-10. The Green Wave has great talent, but zero quality wins. Alex makes it way back in with a win over the EGF. Fergus slides with a loss to Brainerd. Keeping an eye Detroit Lakes, Northern Lakes and Providence Academy.

CLASS A GAMES OF THE WEEK (12/20/21-12/26/21)

Tuesday Dec. 21st
#12 Providence Academy @ Holy Family
Interesting matchup for the Lions who look to continue their recent hot stretch of play. Holy Family is not what they once were but this is still a good match up to see how Providence Academy is progressing before the Christmas Break.

Stillwater @ #3 Mahtomedi
This rivalry is intense as they two share a rink and there is no love loss here. The Zephyrs continue their tough schedule vs AA opponents and this will be another great test early in the season for them.

Thief River Falls @ #2 Warroad
The Warriors have been hot of late and look to be starting to gel as a team after some early season hiccups. The Gardner & Shaugabay duo is starting to really click and show a dominant flare. TRF should not be underestimated as while their record may not show it this is a good team and this one will be close.

#10 East Grand Forks @ Bemidji
The Greenwave are on thin ice after getting out scored 10-4 in a rough (0-2) homestand last week. This week they hit the road vs a good Lumberjack team really needing a win to cure their recent clump before the holiday break.

Wednesday Dec 22nd
Orono @ #5 Delano
Anytime these two Section 2A Teams meet we are in for a treat. These long time rivals only meet one during the year now due to new conference alignment. This one will be hard hitting and emotional as it always is. Orono is searching for a big win and Wednesday night’s game should be fun.

Thursday Dec. 23rd
Grand Rapids @ #8 Duluth Denfeld
The Hunters' tough week continues as they host AA Grand Rapids. We are going to know a lot more about the Hunters after this week.

#1 Hermantown @ Cretin Durham Hall
Class A #1 vs Class AA #1 What a perfect way to head into the holidays. The Hawks will feel the loss of Zam in this one as CDH’s speed and depth will give them all they want.

CLASS A GAME OF THE WEEK
#8 Duluth Denfeld @ #1 Hermantown (Tuesday Dec. 21st)
Big Class A Section 7A clash between the Hunters and Hawks. The Hunters are running out of time to knock off the bully of the North with Zam out could Denfled steal one on the road. Be interesting to see how this plays out and if anyone in 7A will be able to push Hermantown this winter.

Tuesday Night (12/21/21) Class A Recap-

Games of the Night-
Tuesday Dec 21
#2 Warroad 3 Thief River Falls 0
The Warriors took care of business in their only game of the week as they dominated the Prowlers at the Gardens from start to finish. In a game where they outshot TRF 44-11 they used a goal in each period to win a big Section 8A game convincingly.

Stillwater 2 #3 Mahtomedi 1 OT
The Zephyrs dropped a tough one to their AA rival Stillwater in a rare game where they actually outshot their opponent 38-34 the offensive woes of late continued as they were only able to convert on one of their 30 plus shots Dardis was good as always but again only scoring one goal was not nearly enough.

Bemidji 5 #10 East Grand Forks 2
The Greenwave’s woes continued another game where they controlled the play and out shot their opponent only to see their defensive and goaltending issues reappear to cost them another game late. EGF is now below .500 and will need to move forward fast as a trip to Hermantown is next on the game slate.

#12 Providence Academy 3 Holy Family 2
The Lions won a big road game over Holy Family behind Louie Wehmann’s 2 goal night and the emergence of sophomore goalie Evan Villagomez who has 35 saves and improved his record to (5-0-0) on the year.

Other Notable Class A Games
#4 Little Falls 5 Brainerd 4- The Flyers jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the third period over AA Brainerd behind Hayden Johnson’s 3 point night. After that they had to hang on for a tight 5-4 win to improve to an impressive (9-0-0) so far on the season.

#11 Northfield 10 SPA 2- Northfield dominated in their only game this week. They traveled up to St Paul to take on SPA and behind Spencer Klotz’s 7 point night the Raiders blew out the Spartans 10-2.

#13 Detroit Lakes 7 Morris Benson 3- The Lakers found themselves in a battle with Morris Benson as it was a one goal game late in the second. Behind Beau Boehne’s big 5 point night the Lakers were able to pull away and win their third straight game.

#14 Southwest Christian 2 Bloomington Kennedy 2- In a game SWC needed a good showing to restore some good feelings in their team the Stars looked flat from the beginning Kennedy out shot and out played SWC for most of the game. A tie is not what this team needed.

#15 Northern Lakes 15 Breckenridge Wahpeton 0- Blowout win for the Lightning vs. a Section 6A Team.

#17 Mankato East 3 Minnesota River 0- The Cougars won a key Section 3A game on the road and continued their nice hot streak of late.

#18 Chisago Lakes 6 Duluth Marshall 3- The Wildcats blew open a tied game in with a big 3rd period as Nicholas Helland and Cameron Stangl each had 4 point nights to help the Wildcats win their 7th game on the young year.

#20 Rochester Lourdes 5 Red Wing 0- Lourdes won a critical Section 1A game on the road in Red Wing for their 6th straight win. Adian Ritter and Matt Mahoney each had 2 goals and Xander Carter-Kleven had his 2nd consecutive shutout.

UPSET of the Night
River Lakes 2 #6 Fergus Falls 1
Awful loss for the Otters here. They fell behind 2-0 and then never were able to mount a comeback vs a mid to lower Class A team on the Road. This is the second week in a row where the Otters results are alarming.

Wednesday Night (12/22/21) Class A Recap-

Games of the Night
Wednesday Dec 22

Orono 3 #5 Delano 2
The Spartans were able to win huge match up vs their rival Delano. This one is particular important as with the new conference alignment its the only time they meet in the regular season and this puts a serious dent into Delano's hopes for an important #1 seed. Bradley Walker's 3 point night and Brock Peyton's key saves helped lead the way for a big upset win for Orono

St Louis Park 5 #7 Minneapolis 2
Minneapolis's 6 game win streak came to a halt as they were taken down by AA SLP. Minneapolis fell behind 3-0 before trying to make a late charge. They were able to cut the the lead to 1 before a few empty net goals put the game away. Head scratching loss here but they will get a chance to rebound fast as they open up next Monday with a key 2A game vs. SWC.

New Ulm 3 Mound Westonka 2 OT
The White Hawks as they have been in recent years continue to be Class A's most difficult team to rank. While they can knock off the likes of Providence Academy they are prone to bad losses. I wouldnt say New Ulm is a bad loss by any means but a game a top 20 team needs to win.

ClassAGuy wrote: ↑Wed Dec 22, 2021 12:05 pm #12 Providence Academy 3 Holy Family 2
The Lions won a big road game over Holy Family behind Louie Wehmann’s 2 goal night and the emergence of sophomore goalie Evan Villagomez who has 35 saves and improved his record to (5-0-0) on the year.

Random observation, but his dad, Chad, was an excellent goalie for some bad Cooper teams in the early 90s, and he went on to be a nice player at St. Thomas.