Final A Rankings for 2/20/22
Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2022 10:52 pm
Final Class A Ranking Week #14 (2/20/2022)
1-Hermantown (7A) (23-2-0)
Past Week Results: W 3-2 OT Grand Rapids
Upcoming Schedule: Section 7A Playoffs
The Hawks ended their very impressive regular season on a high note. As on the road vs a Top 10 AA Grand Rapids club Hermantown was able to overcome a two goal deficit and eventually tie game in the third period on Beau Janzig’s 2nd goal of the night. Max Plante scored the game winner in OT and the Hawks now will look to win Coach Andrews his first title in his 5th year behind the bench of this powerhouse Class A program.
2-Warroad (8A) (21-3-1)
Past Week Results: W 5-2 Bemidji, W 4-1 Delano
Upcoming Schedule: Section 8A Playoffs
The Warriors were able to break open a tie game with Bemidji in the third period Jayson Shaugabay’s 2 goals and 1 assist to put away the Lumberjacks. Warroad then took a 6 hour trip to Delano on Saturday afternoon and won a very impressive game verthe team right below them. Now they shift their attention to Section 8A play where they will look to win their 2nd 8A title in the last 3 years. I am curious to see how this team plays at state if they make it as their top 6 forwards and 4 D and goalie with TV timeouts still make me feel comfortable with my Warrior State Champion Preseason prediction.
3-Delano (2A) (19-6-0)
Past Week Results: W 3-1 Mahtomedi, W 3-1 Monticello, L 1-4 Warroad
Upcoming Schedule: Section 2A Playoffs
The Tigers won a big Class A game at home when they knocked off Mahtomedi. Delano used a big 2nd period where they scored three times and out shot the Zephyrs 21-5. Anders Peterson’s 2 goals were key and Drew Dorsey picked up the win in net. The Tigers' Bruce Halonen had two big first period goals to help Delano hold off the Moose in a tight game. However, they were no match for Warroad to end their year as they had way too many turnovers to overcome and they dropped one to the 2nd best team in Class A. Now we will see where they get seeded and they will have a battle on their hands to get back to State for the 4th straight year where the #3 seed would be waiting for them.
4-Mahtomedi (4A) (13-11-1)
Past Week Results: L 2-3 Delano, W 12-2 South St Paul, W 6-0 Woodbury
Upcoming Schedule: Section 4A Playoffs
The Zephyrs were upset and lost a big seeding game for State when they dropped one on the road to Delano. A poor second period was their undoing and now they will have a tougher road if they reach the X. Mahtomedi followed up their tough loss to the Tigers by blowing up their fellow 4A Packers 12-2 Junior Seth Nelson led all scorers with a big 4 point night. Mahtomedi wrapped up their year shutting out but the damage of the loss to Delano will make the road at State much more challenging as I don't see this team being pushed much in down light Section 4A.
5- Minneapolis (2A) (18-6-1)
Past Week Results: L 2-5 Gentry Academy
Upcoming Schedule: Section 2A Playoffs
Minneapolis lost its regular season finale to AA Gentry Academy. They fell 4-0 midway through the 2nd period but sophomore Ronan Davis scored two goals to cut into the deficit but that is as close as they would get. The loss does nothing to change what wasa great regular season they are the #1 seed in Section 2A and stay at the four ranking due to head to head road wins over both the teams right below them. Now they will attempt to be the fist Minneapolis team to reach the State Tournament since 1994.
6-Alexandria (6A) (16-6-2)
Past Week Results: W 4-0 River Lakes, W 3-0 Fergus Falls, T 2-2 Brainerd
Upcoming Schedule: Section 6A Playoffs
Alexandria’s Josiah Gronholz had a big night against River Lakes as his hat trick was more than enough for the Cards to stay hot starting their final week of the regular season in a 4-0 win. Alexandria locked up Section 6A’s top seed when they went on the road and knocked off their arch rivals Fergus Falls for the regular season sweep. Brycen Berg had 2 goals on the night to lead the charge and Teagan Pfeffer picked up the shutout on the night. Alexandria got tied late by struggling Brainerd and were unable to do much in OT to finish the season on a disappointing tie with the Warriors. They will be the #1 seed and will most likely have to beat the Otters a third time to get to State.
7-Northfield (1A) (19-5-1)
Past Week Results: W 7-2 Rochester John Marshall, W 8-0 Austin, W 9-0 Mankato West
Upcoming Schedule: Section 1A Playoffs
Northfield continued its dominance over the Big Nine Conference as they routed Rochester John Marshall behind Cayden Monson’s big 6 point night. The Raiders Spencer Klotz had 5 points on the night as Northfeild routed struggling Austin. Northfield then finished off their year by destroying a bad Mankato West team. Now the Raiders will turn to Section 1A play where one would think they will walk through the sectional as besides Mayo they have destroyed the Big Nine Conference and 1A teams.
8-Little Falls (5A) (20-4-1)
Past Week Results: W 5-2 St. Cloud Cathedral, T 2-2 Detroit Lakes
Upcoming Schedule: Section 5A Playoffs
The Flyers used a similar formula to knock off SCC as the rematch was much like the first match up with these teams knotted up after 2 periods. Again like the first time around the Flyers used a big 3 goal third period it was freshman Joey Welinski who scored the GW goal and the Flyers picked up a big Section 5A Sweep of SCC. The Flyers then traveled up to Detroit Lakes to finish up their year and looked as though they picked up one of their season nicest wins when they scored with under 2 minutes to play to take a 2-1 lead. However, The Lakers would tie it with under a minute to go and they would have to settle with a tie to end their year. Now they head into the Section 5A Playoffs as the #1 seed where they will be looking to make a return trip to State
9-Detroit Lakes (8A) (18-4-2)
Past Week Results: T 2-2 Little Falls, W 5-1 Northern Lakes
Upcoming Schedule: Section 8A Playoffs
The Lakers had a battle at home vs. Little Falls. In a game where they fell behind twic they were able to battle back and tie the game with under a minute to play on a goal by Spencer Bergman to pick up a hard fought tie in the battle of Top 10 Class A Teams. The Lakers ended their season by beating Northern Lakes to complete their unbeaten year in the mighty Mid-State Conference. The Lakers will now bring their 18 wins into 8A play and try to upset the historical order of power in that traditional section.
10-Duluth Denfeld (7A) (17-8-0)
Past Week Results: Idle
Upcoming Schedule: Section 7A Playoffs
The Hunters took the last week off of the regular season. They will look to get healthy after the ugly bloodbath game vs Duluth East. The Hunters earned the #2 seed in Section 7A which should set them up for a shot at the Hawks for a third time in the Section 7A Final. This group will lose a lot to graduation. This is the Hunters last good shot at State for a while so they will look to be dilated and as focused as they can be for the playoffs.
11-Thief River Falls (8A) (14-11-0)
Past Week Results: W 6-4 Red Lake Falls, W 5-1 East Grand Forks,W 4-2 Bemidji
Upcoming Schedule: Section 8A Playoffs
Thief River Falls won a big Section 8A seeding game to secure home ice for the first round of playoffs when they downed Red Lake Falls to start their week. Brendan Bottem & Tysen Loeffler each had 5 point nights to lead the Prowlers to the win. The Prowlers picked up their best win of the year as they blew out EGF at home. Tysen Loeffler had a big 3 point night and TRF was in total control throughout the game to continue their recent string of very good play. The Prowlers finished the year on a strong note as they beat Bemidji behind Braydin Lund’s big three point night. TRF now owns the #2 seed in Section 8A Playoffs and they are playing excellent hockey of late.
12-Fergus Falls (6A) (16-9-0)
Past Week Results: L 0-3 Alexandria, W 3-2 St. Cloud
Upcoming Schedule: Section 6A Playoffs
The Otters lost their big rematch with Alexandria at home as they were shut out 3-0. All is not lost though as they will most likely meet soon for the third time around and the one that matters most with a ticket to state on the line. The Otters picked up a nice win on the road to end the year as they downed AA St. Cloud behind Issac Johnson’s 2 goal night. They will now be the #2 seed in Section 6A Play and look to make a return to State after nearly a 20 year absence.
13-Orono (2A) (11-13-1)
Past Week Results: W 4-1 Bloomington Kennedy, L 2-5 Chaska
Upcoming Schedule: Section 2A Playoffs
Orono won a much needed Section 2A game over Bloomington Kennedy behind Bradley Walker’s 3 point night and the Spartans finished (6-1-0) in Section 2A play which should be good enough to secure them a top 3 seed. They dropped their season finale to AA Chaska and while their record doesn't look good they have good enough goaltending to be a factor in 2A where they could the #2 seed due to their win over aDelano. Definitely a team not be judged on by record due to playing in a AA Conference.
14-Providence Academy (2A) (18-6-1)
Past Week Results: W 9-5 Waconia
Upcoming Schedule: Section 2A Playoffs
Providence Academy won a wild game vs Waconia and overcame some shaky goaltending and leaky D to win a shootout 9-5. John Reller’s hat trick was key to help the Lions pick up a much needed Section 2A win before seeding. Now they will wait to see their fate and will have a tough road ahead in what is a very deep and tough Section 2A playoff bracket.
15-Rock Ridge (7A) (14-10-1)
Past Week Results: W 4-0 Hibbing, W 3-2 Proctor
Upcoming: Section 7A Playoffs
It took awhile but the co-opt of Virginia and Eveleth known as Rock Ridge now finally started to gel in the 2nd half of the year. They went (10-4-1) in their last 15 games and they beat every team they lost to the first time around in Section 7A play. They also gave Hermantown their best game of all the Section 7A teams. We will see how they do in the playoffs but you have to feel good about this group with the way they played in the 2nd half of the year.
16- Simley (4A) (17-8-1)
Past Week Results: W 4-1 St Paul Highland Park
Upcoming Schedule: Section 4A Playoffs
Simley wrapped up its regular season by doing something that was their recipe to a successful year and that is win Section 4A games. Casey Seidl scored two goals on the night and the Spartans built a 4-0 lead and that would be more than enough for Senior goaltender Logan Suchy who stopped 19 of 20 shots and had an assist on the night. Simley finished (11-1-0) in Section 4A play which should be good enough to get them the #2 seed in the Section 4A playoffs this coming week.
17-Chisago Lakes (4A) (19-5-1)
Past Week Results: W 5-0 St Paul Johnson, W 5-4 Dodge County, L 3-4 OT Tartan
Upcoming Schedule: Section 4A Playoffs
The Wildcats cruised to a needed Section 4A win as were able to eventually put away the Govs behind Nikolas Jinks 3 point night and they finish (2-0-0) in 4A play. Chisago Lakes was lucky to escape with a win vs. Dodge County as they were outshot 44-25 and out player but sophomore Jack Bakken played the hero and scored the game winning goal latein the third period. The loss to Tartan is very concerning but overall they had a nice regular season and due to them losing to Tartan and Simley beating Tartan plus the Spartans impressive 4A record make it look for the #3 seed in 4A for the Wildcats..
18-Litchfield Dassel Cokato (2A) (16-8-1)
Past Week: W 5-3 Sauk Rapids, W 6-3 Princeton
Upcoming Schedule: Section 2A Playoffs
The Dragons won a back and forth affair over a struggling Storm team. They needed Jack Hillmann’s 2 goal night as they really struggled but found a way to win another game and their late season stretch of solid play. The Dragons wrapped up their year by needing a big 3rd period to break open a tie game with Pricneton. Zachary Zwilling had 3 big points and the Dragons ended the regular season on a win. They will now look to see where they are placed in a tough Section 2A bracket.
19-New Ulm (3A) (19-6-0)
Past week: W 5-2 Luverne
Upcoming Schedule: Section 3A Playoffs
The Eagles were able to pick up yet another Section 3A/Big South win when they downed Luverne on the road. Braxten Hoffmann’s 4 points were the difference to help New Ulm end the season unbeaten in Section 3A play. New Ulm will now be one of the Favorites in the Section 3A playoffs as they look to get back to state after a two year absence.
20-Cambridge-Isanti (5A) (17-7-1)
Past Week Results: L 2-3 Anoka, L 1-2 St Cloud Cathedral
Upcoming Schedule: Section 5A Playoffs
Cambridge really struggled finishing the year as they went (1-4-0) in the last five games. Add to that since Freshman goaltender Jaxon Sibell has returned from injury he has struggled going (1-4-0, .881 SV%, 3.40 GAA) not good signs for the Blue jackets heading into the 5A Playoffs this week. However, they were awarded a #2 seed giving them home ice for the Quarterfinals and Semifinals and they are the only 5A team to beat Little Falls this season so there's still a hope they could be the team to reach State since their last appearance 30 years ago in 1992.
The Next Five Notable Class A Teams-
East Grand Forks (8A) (8-17-0)- Finally moved the Greenwave out of the Top 20. Ending the season on a 6 game losing streak and giving up 5 goals or more 15 times this year just too much to overlook. This is the worst EGF team in a long time but the Youth program is strong and even with an early departure from Panzer next year they will be better.
Mankato East (3A) (14-10-1)- The Cougars ended their season with a good week beating both Albert Lea and Faribault. While they have been up and down on the year they have played a better schedule than everyone in 3A and would still consider them the favorite to get to state for the 3rd time in the last 5 years.
St. Cloud Cathedral (5A) (12-13-0)- Really struggled finishing the year as they went (4-10-0) since the calendar turned to 2022. They did beat Cambridge & Lourdes as 2 of the 4 wins to show they are still a threat in wide open Section 5A but the 3 goal loss to Breck to end the year raises serious concerns about this Crusader team.
Rochester Lourdes (1A) (18-7-0)- Lourdes had a very nice regular season, nearly winning 20 games just two years removed from the (0-26-0) campaign. Their season should be good enough to get them a Top 3 seed in Section 1A and have a chance to be back in the Section Final battling for a spot at state where they have been accustomed to being since 2000.
Proctor (7A) (16-8-1)- The Rails had a very nice winter as they drastically improved from a 3 win season a year ago and showed some real signs of progress this winter. They will be the #4 seed in 7A and look to make the Section Semifinals for the first time in a long time.
1-Hermantown (7A) (23-2-0)
Past Week Results: W 3-2 OT Grand Rapids
Upcoming Schedule: Section 7A Playoffs
The Hawks ended their very impressive regular season on a high note. As on the road vs a Top 10 AA Grand Rapids club Hermantown was able to overcome a two goal deficit and eventually tie game in the third period on Beau Janzig’s 2nd goal of the night. Max Plante scored the game winner in OT and the Hawks now will look to win Coach Andrews his first title in his 5th year behind the bench of this powerhouse Class A program.
2-Warroad (8A) (21-3-1)
Past Week Results: W 5-2 Bemidji, W 4-1 Delano
Upcoming Schedule: Section 8A Playoffs
The Warriors were able to break open a tie game with Bemidji in the third period Jayson Shaugabay’s 2 goals and 1 assist to put away the Lumberjacks. Warroad then took a 6 hour trip to Delano on Saturday afternoon and won a very impressive game verthe team right below them. Now they shift their attention to Section 8A play where they will look to win their 2nd 8A title in the last 3 years. I am curious to see how this team plays at state if they make it as their top 6 forwards and 4 D and goalie with TV timeouts still make me feel comfortable with my Warrior State Champion Preseason prediction.
3-Delano (2A) (19-6-0)
Past Week Results: W 3-1 Mahtomedi, W 3-1 Monticello, L 1-4 Warroad
Upcoming Schedule: Section 2A Playoffs
The Tigers won a big Class A game at home when they knocked off Mahtomedi. Delano used a big 2nd period where they scored three times and out shot the Zephyrs 21-5. Anders Peterson’s 2 goals were key and Drew Dorsey picked up the win in net. The Tigers' Bruce Halonen had two big first period goals to help Delano hold off the Moose in a tight game. However, they were no match for Warroad to end their year as they had way too many turnovers to overcome and they dropped one to the 2nd best team in Class A. Now we will see where they get seeded and they will have a battle on their hands to get back to State for the 4th straight year where the #3 seed would be waiting for them.
4-Mahtomedi (4A) (13-11-1)
Past Week Results: L 2-3 Delano, W 12-2 South St Paul, W 6-0 Woodbury
Upcoming Schedule: Section 4A Playoffs
The Zephyrs were upset and lost a big seeding game for State when they dropped one on the road to Delano. A poor second period was their undoing and now they will have a tougher road if they reach the X. Mahtomedi followed up their tough loss to the Tigers by blowing up their fellow 4A Packers 12-2 Junior Seth Nelson led all scorers with a big 4 point night. Mahtomedi wrapped up their year shutting out but the damage of the loss to Delano will make the road at State much more challenging as I don't see this team being pushed much in down light Section 4A.
5- Minneapolis (2A) (18-6-1)
Past Week Results: L 2-5 Gentry Academy
Upcoming Schedule: Section 2A Playoffs
Minneapolis lost its regular season finale to AA Gentry Academy. They fell 4-0 midway through the 2nd period but sophomore Ronan Davis scored two goals to cut into the deficit but that is as close as they would get. The loss does nothing to change what wasa great regular season they are the #1 seed in Section 2A and stay at the four ranking due to head to head road wins over both the teams right below them. Now they will attempt to be the fist Minneapolis team to reach the State Tournament since 1994.
6-Alexandria (6A) (16-6-2)
Past Week Results: W 4-0 River Lakes, W 3-0 Fergus Falls, T 2-2 Brainerd
Upcoming Schedule: Section 6A Playoffs
Alexandria’s Josiah Gronholz had a big night against River Lakes as his hat trick was more than enough for the Cards to stay hot starting their final week of the regular season in a 4-0 win. Alexandria locked up Section 6A’s top seed when they went on the road and knocked off their arch rivals Fergus Falls for the regular season sweep. Brycen Berg had 2 goals on the night to lead the charge and Teagan Pfeffer picked up the shutout on the night. Alexandria got tied late by struggling Brainerd and were unable to do much in OT to finish the season on a disappointing tie with the Warriors. They will be the #1 seed and will most likely have to beat the Otters a third time to get to State.
7-Northfield (1A) (19-5-1)
Past Week Results: W 7-2 Rochester John Marshall, W 8-0 Austin, W 9-0 Mankato West
Upcoming Schedule: Section 1A Playoffs
Northfield continued its dominance over the Big Nine Conference as they routed Rochester John Marshall behind Cayden Monson’s big 6 point night. The Raiders Spencer Klotz had 5 points on the night as Northfeild routed struggling Austin. Northfield then finished off their year by destroying a bad Mankato West team. Now the Raiders will turn to Section 1A play where one would think they will walk through the sectional as besides Mayo they have destroyed the Big Nine Conference and 1A teams.
8-Little Falls (5A) (20-4-1)
Past Week Results: W 5-2 St. Cloud Cathedral, T 2-2 Detroit Lakes
Upcoming Schedule: Section 5A Playoffs
The Flyers used a similar formula to knock off SCC as the rematch was much like the first match up with these teams knotted up after 2 periods. Again like the first time around the Flyers used a big 3 goal third period it was freshman Joey Welinski who scored the GW goal and the Flyers picked up a big Section 5A Sweep of SCC. The Flyers then traveled up to Detroit Lakes to finish up their year and looked as though they picked up one of their season nicest wins when they scored with under 2 minutes to play to take a 2-1 lead. However, The Lakers would tie it with under a minute to go and they would have to settle with a tie to end their year. Now they head into the Section 5A Playoffs as the #1 seed where they will be looking to make a return trip to State
9-Detroit Lakes (8A) (18-4-2)
Past Week Results: T 2-2 Little Falls, W 5-1 Northern Lakes
Upcoming Schedule: Section 8A Playoffs
The Lakers had a battle at home vs. Little Falls. In a game where they fell behind twic they were able to battle back and tie the game with under a minute to play on a goal by Spencer Bergman to pick up a hard fought tie in the battle of Top 10 Class A Teams. The Lakers ended their season by beating Northern Lakes to complete their unbeaten year in the mighty Mid-State Conference. The Lakers will now bring their 18 wins into 8A play and try to upset the historical order of power in that traditional section.
10-Duluth Denfeld (7A) (17-8-0)
Past Week Results: Idle
Upcoming Schedule: Section 7A Playoffs
The Hunters took the last week off of the regular season. They will look to get healthy after the ugly bloodbath game vs Duluth East. The Hunters earned the #2 seed in Section 7A which should set them up for a shot at the Hawks for a third time in the Section 7A Final. This group will lose a lot to graduation. This is the Hunters last good shot at State for a while so they will look to be dilated and as focused as they can be for the playoffs.
11-Thief River Falls (8A) (14-11-0)
Past Week Results: W 6-4 Red Lake Falls, W 5-1 East Grand Forks,W 4-2 Bemidji
Upcoming Schedule: Section 8A Playoffs
Thief River Falls won a big Section 8A seeding game to secure home ice for the first round of playoffs when they downed Red Lake Falls to start their week. Brendan Bottem & Tysen Loeffler each had 5 point nights to lead the Prowlers to the win. The Prowlers picked up their best win of the year as they blew out EGF at home. Tysen Loeffler had a big 3 point night and TRF was in total control throughout the game to continue their recent string of very good play. The Prowlers finished the year on a strong note as they beat Bemidji behind Braydin Lund’s big three point night. TRF now owns the #2 seed in Section 8A Playoffs and they are playing excellent hockey of late.
12-Fergus Falls (6A) (16-9-0)
Past Week Results: L 0-3 Alexandria, W 3-2 St. Cloud
Upcoming Schedule: Section 6A Playoffs
The Otters lost their big rematch with Alexandria at home as they were shut out 3-0. All is not lost though as they will most likely meet soon for the third time around and the one that matters most with a ticket to state on the line. The Otters picked up a nice win on the road to end the year as they downed AA St. Cloud behind Issac Johnson’s 2 goal night. They will now be the #2 seed in Section 6A Play and look to make a return to State after nearly a 20 year absence.
13-Orono (2A) (11-13-1)
Past Week Results: W 4-1 Bloomington Kennedy, L 2-5 Chaska
Upcoming Schedule: Section 2A Playoffs
Orono won a much needed Section 2A game over Bloomington Kennedy behind Bradley Walker’s 3 point night and the Spartans finished (6-1-0) in Section 2A play which should be good enough to secure them a top 3 seed. They dropped their season finale to AA Chaska and while their record doesn't look good they have good enough goaltending to be a factor in 2A where they could the #2 seed due to their win over aDelano. Definitely a team not be judged on by record due to playing in a AA Conference.
14-Providence Academy (2A) (18-6-1)
Past Week Results: W 9-5 Waconia
Upcoming Schedule: Section 2A Playoffs
Providence Academy won a wild game vs Waconia and overcame some shaky goaltending and leaky D to win a shootout 9-5. John Reller’s hat trick was key to help the Lions pick up a much needed Section 2A win before seeding. Now they will wait to see their fate and will have a tough road ahead in what is a very deep and tough Section 2A playoff bracket.
15-Rock Ridge (7A) (14-10-1)
Past Week Results: W 4-0 Hibbing, W 3-2 Proctor
Upcoming: Section 7A Playoffs
It took awhile but the co-opt of Virginia and Eveleth known as Rock Ridge now finally started to gel in the 2nd half of the year. They went (10-4-1) in their last 15 games and they beat every team they lost to the first time around in Section 7A play. They also gave Hermantown their best game of all the Section 7A teams. We will see how they do in the playoffs but you have to feel good about this group with the way they played in the 2nd half of the year.
16- Simley (4A) (17-8-1)
Past Week Results: W 4-1 St Paul Highland Park
Upcoming Schedule: Section 4A Playoffs
Simley wrapped up its regular season by doing something that was their recipe to a successful year and that is win Section 4A games. Casey Seidl scored two goals on the night and the Spartans built a 4-0 lead and that would be more than enough for Senior goaltender Logan Suchy who stopped 19 of 20 shots and had an assist on the night. Simley finished (11-1-0) in Section 4A play which should be good enough to get them the #2 seed in the Section 4A playoffs this coming week.
17-Chisago Lakes (4A) (19-5-1)
Past Week Results: W 5-0 St Paul Johnson, W 5-4 Dodge County, L 3-4 OT Tartan
Upcoming Schedule: Section 4A Playoffs
The Wildcats cruised to a needed Section 4A win as were able to eventually put away the Govs behind Nikolas Jinks 3 point night and they finish (2-0-0) in 4A play. Chisago Lakes was lucky to escape with a win vs. Dodge County as they were outshot 44-25 and out player but sophomore Jack Bakken played the hero and scored the game winning goal latein the third period. The loss to Tartan is very concerning but overall they had a nice regular season and due to them losing to Tartan and Simley beating Tartan plus the Spartans impressive 4A record make it look for the #3 seed in 4A for the Wildcats..
18-Litchfield Dassel Cokato (2A) (16-8-1)
Past Week: W 5-3 Sauk Rapids, W 6-3 Princeton
Upcoming Schedule: Section 2A Playoffs
The Dragons won a back and forth affair over a struggling Storm team. They needed Jack Hillmann’s 2 goal night as they really struggled but found a way to win another game and their late season stretch of solid play. The Dragons wrapped up their year by needing a big 3rd period to break open a tie game with Pricneton. Zachary Zwilling had 3 big points and the Dragons ended the regular season on a win. They will now look to see where they are placed in a tough Section 2A bracket.
19-New Ulm (3A) (19-6-0)
Past week: W 5-2 Luverne
Upcoming Schedule: Section 3A Playoffs
The Eagles were able to pick up yet another Section 3A/Big South win when they downed Luverne on the road. Braxten Hoffmann’s 4 points were the difference to help New Ulm end the season unbeaten in Section 3A play. New Ulm will now be one of the Favorites in the Section 3A playoffs as they look to get back to state after a two year absence.
20-Cambridge-Isanti (5A) (17-7-1)
Past Week Results: L 2-3 Anoka, L 1-2 St Cloud Cathedral
Upcoming Schedule: Section 5A Playoffs
Cambridge really struggled finishing the year as they went (1-4-0) in the last five games. Add to that since Freshman goaltender Jaxon Sibell has returned from injury he has struggled going (1-4-0, .881 SV%, 3.40 GAA) not good signs for the Blue jackets heading into the 5A Playoffs this week. However, they were awarded a #2 seed giving them home ice for the Quarterfinals and Semifinals and they are the only 5A team to beat Little Falls this season so there's still a hope they could be the team to reach State since their last appearance 30 years ago in 1992.
The Next Five Notable Class A Teams-
East Grand Forks (8A) (8-17-0)- Finally moved the Greenwave out of the Top 20. Ending the season on a 6 game losing streak and giving up 5 goals or more 15 times this year just too much to overlook. This is the worst EGF team in a long time but the Youth program is strong and even with an early departure from Panzer next year they will be better.
Mankato East (3A) (14-10-1)- The Cougars ended their season with a good week beating both Albert Lea and Faribault. While they have been up and down on the year they have played a better schedule than everyone in 3A and would still consider them the favorite to get to state for the 3rd time in the last 5 years.
St. Cloud Cathedral (5A) (12-13-0)- Really struggled finishing the year as they went (4-10-0) since the calendar turned to 2022. They did beat Cambridge & Lourdes as 2 of the 4 wins to show they are still a threat in wide open Section 5A but the 3 goal loss to Breck to end the year raises serious concerns about this Crusader team.
Rochester Lourdes (1A) (18-7-0)- Lourdes had a very nice regular season, nearly winning 20 games just two years removed from the (0-26-0) campaign. Their season should be good enough to get them a Top 3 seed in Section 1A and have a chance to be back in the Section Final battling for a spot at state where they have been accustomed to being since 2000.
Proctor (7A) (16-8-1)- The Rails had a very nice winter as they drastically improved from a 3 win season a year ago and showed some real signs of progress this winter. They will be the #4 seed in 7A and look to make the Section Semifinals for the first time in a long time.