A Rankings for 1/15/23
Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2023 8:21 am
Class A Rankings Week #8 (1/15/2023)
For the first time in 10 years the Hermantown Hawks dropped a regular season game to a Class A Team and were knocked out of the number one spot by the unbeaten and undisputed new top Class A team Warroad. Now this week Warroad will get to take a swing at the top AA team to earn the label as best team in the state regardless of class. Check out the rest of the Class A Week 8 Rankings are below-
1- Warroad (8A) (14-0-0)
Past Week Results: W 7-4 Roseau, W 7-0 Crookston, W 3-1 #2 Hermantown
Upcoming Schedule: 1/20 vs Wayzata, 1/21 @ #11 Duluth Denfeld
The Warriors got their excellent week started in great fashion when they used their offensive flair to take down Roseau at home in the first game of the annual rivalry with the Rams. The Warriors then routed Section 8A Crookston in the middle of the week and they then finished the week by being the first team in Class A to beat Hermantown in over 10 years in the regular season. The Warriors move into the number 1 spot and now immediately shift from Roseau and Hermantown week to regular season battle between the Class A #1 vs Class AA #1 when they host Wayzata this weekend for more awesome games at the Gardens.
2- Hermantown (7A) (10-1-1)
Past Week Results: W 4-1 #16 St Cloud Cathedral, L 1-3 #1 Warroad
Upcoming Schedule: 1/17 @ #9 Hibbing, 1/20 vs Moorhead, 1/21 @ St Thomas Academy
The Hawks survived a serious scare from St Cloud Cathedral to open the week as they found themselves trailing with 1 minute left in the 2nd period however, a late period goal to tie the game gave them momentum as they dominated the third period to put the game away. However, the pattern of slipping past teams for wins came to an end as the Hawks fell to a Class A team for the first time in the regular season in 10 years when they lost to Warroad. Hermantown now will hope for a 2nd chance come March but until then they have plenty of tests left to improve starting with this week taking on the Section 7A #2 seed and then finishing up with AA Moorhead and St Thomas Academy.
3- Mahtomedi (4A) (9-3-0)
Past Week Results: L 2-6 Cretin Derham Hall, W 7-1 Tartan, W 7-1 Hastings
Upcoming Schedule: 1/16 @ Benilde, 1/18 @ Eden Prairie, 1/21 vs East Ridge
The Zephyrs ran into a talented Top 10 AA Cretin Derham Hall team that they were unable to keep them off the scoreboard and dropped a tough one to the Raiders. Mahtomedi did respond by routing struggling AA Tatan before routing AA Hastings as well by similar 7-1 scores on back to back nights to end the week on a good note. This week Mahtomedi will take on more AA teams with stiff tests from Benilde and Eden Prairie to start their week before wrapping up with East Ridge.
4- Orono (2A) (11-2-0)
Past Week Results: 1-3 Chanhassen, W 5-1 #7 Delano
Upcoming Schedule: 1/17 @ #19 Providence, 1/19 vs #16 St Cloud Cathedral, 1/21 @ Bloomington Jefferson
The Spartans hung around for a very good AA Chanhassen team to show they should be able to stay in every game they play this year. Ultimately though they just were not able to overcome the depth and speed of the top 10 AA Storm team. The Spartans did follow up the loss by picking up a critical and important Section 2A win over their long time rival Delano when they broke open a 1-1 game with four unanswered goals in the last two periods. Orono has a busy week upcoming vs two good ranked Class A teams before finishing the week with AA Jefferson.
5- East Grand Forks (8A) (8-6-0)
Past Week Results: W 4-2 Fargo Davies
Upcoming Schedule: 1/17 @ Roseau, 1/20 @ #11 Duluth Denfeld, 1/21 @ Bemidji
The Greenwave found themselves down 2-1 after 2 periods of play in their only game of the week. They showed some character and dominated the third period and scored three unanswered goals on their way to a good win over a solid North Dakota team. Every week this team has gotten better now a big test is coming up as three games loom and two are vs teams who beat them earlier in the year curious to see how they do against those teams now and they look to keep up their good play of late.
6- Northfield (1A) (10-3-0)
Past Week Results: W 4-1 Owatonna, L 2-3 OT Rochester Century
Upcoming Schedule: 1/16 @ Rochester Mayo, 1/19 @ Mankato West, 1/21 vs Winona
The Raiders had an up and down week vs two AA teams in the Big Nine Conference. They started the week by taking down a decent Owatonna team to keep up their good play of late. However, they then finished the week losing a game in overtime to AA Rochester Century, not a good result but not enough to move them down either. This week the Raiders have three more Big Nine games this week, the most important one being the Section game vs Winona.
7- Delano (2A) (8-6-0)
Past Week Results: W 6-0 Breck, L 1-5 #4 Orono, W 5-2 Monticello
Upcoming Schedule: 1/17 vs Mound Westonka, 1/21 @ Lakeville South
Delano started their busy week by breezing past Breck with ease to pick up the Section 2A shutout win. However, they followed that up by getting blasted in the last two periods of their game with rival Orono to lose any hope of Section top seed. The Tigers did rebound to beat a solid Monticello team at home. This week they have a Section 2A game vs Mound Westonka before they head to Lakeville South to take on a ranked AA squad.
8- Fergus Falls (6A) (8-3-1)
Past Week Results: W 4-2 Little Falls, W 4-3 Red Lake Falls
Upcoming Schedule: 1/17 vs Sartell, 1/20 @ Alexandria
The Otters went on the road again this week and picked up two more wins. The first was against a tough Little Falls team in a game where they were outshot but Senior goalie Ben Swanson was the difference stopping 36 of 38 shots and the Otters prevailed over the Flyers. They followed that up with a win over Red Lake Falls to end the week. This coming week will be challenging for Fergus Falls as they take on a Sartell team who they lost to earlier in the year before the big match up with Alexandria.
9- Hibbing (7A) (10-4-1)
Past Week Results: W 15-2 Moose Lake
Upcoming Schedule: 1/17 vs #2 Hermantown, 1/19 vs North Shore
Hibbing blasted fellow Section 7A Moose Lake on the road in their only game of the week. They put up 15 goals and stayed unbeaten on the year in Section 7A and remain in good position for the #2 seed in the section. Now this week they will turn their attention to the Hawks to see if they are anywhere close to the Section 7A king and they also have a game they should win vs 7A North Shore to end the week.
10- Detroit Lakes (8A) (9-4-1)
Past Week Results: L 0-3 Bemidji
Upcoming Schedule: 1/19 @ Prairie Centre, 1/20 vs Red Lake Falls
The Lakers were shutout in their only game of the week against a hot AA Bemidji team that has beaten most in the Class A Rankings. The Lakers were unable to mount much offensively and that is the achilles heel of their group once they do fall behind they struggle to comeback. This week two more winnable games to get back on track vs Prairie Centre and Red Lake Falls the Lakers have a very good chance to win all of the remaining games on their schedule this winter.
11- Duluth Denfeld (7A) (10-5-1)
Past Week Results: W 7-5 Little Falls, W 3-1 Northern Lakes
Upcoming Schedule: 1/17 @ Duluth East, 1/20 vs #5 East Grand Forks, 1/21 vs #1 Warroad
The Hunters hit the road and took a trip through Central Minnesota and they were able to takedown both Little Falls and Northern Lakes on the road. The Hunters showed their strength in the fact that they can score with their high powered first line led by star Andy Larson and then won a tighter then expected game over the Lightning. Now the Hunters will be tested this week as they have an incredibly tough slate of games first facing AA East before having the two powers of Section 8A visit to end the week.
12- Albert Lea (1A) (11-3-0)
Past Week Results: W 3-2 OT Mankato West, W 4-0 Red Wing
Upcoming Schedule: 1/17 vs Luverne, 1/19 vs Austin, 1/21 @ Rochester John Marshall
Albert Lea struggled but found a way to win a Big 9 Conference game on the road to start their week over Mankato West. In a game they trailed after 2 periods Albert Lea fought back and won but not a very impressive result vs a mid range conference opponent. The Tigers did rebound to beat Section 1A Red Wing and end the week on a 9 game win streak. They should keep winning this week as they have three more wannabe games on the schedule.
13- Rock Ridge (7A) (9-4-1)
Past Week Results: W 6-1 International Falls, W 8-2 #19 Providence Academy, W 4-1 Mound Westonka
Upcoming Schedule: 1/17 @ North Shore, 1/21 vs Princeton
The Wolverines picked up another Section 7A win when they took down International Falls to start their week before heading down to the cities for the weekend. They swept the city's trip by beating two Section 2A teams when they took down both Providence Academy and Mound Westonka. This team is getting better and better and should have two more games they can win coming up this week.
14- New Ulm (3A) (11-1-1)
Past Week Results: W 9-0 Worthington
Upcoming Schedule: 1/17 @ Minnesota River, 1/19 vs Redwood Valley, 1/21 vs Southwest Christian
The Eagles did what they needed to do and routed a struggling Worthington team to pick up another easy Section 3A and Big South Conference win. Now they have two more games they should cruise before an interesting matchup with Southwest Christian in a game that they can't afford to lose if they want to keep credibility as a top 20 team but also a game that will be challenging for them compared to the weak teams they have played the last 2 weeks.
15- Thief River Falls (8A) (6-8-1)
Past Week Results: W 9-0 Lake of the Woods
Upcoming Schedule: 1/16 vs Crookston, 1/17 vs Kittson County Central, 1/20 vs Little Falls
The Prowlers blew out Section 8A Lake of the Woods in their only game of the week to slowly move back closer to .500 on the year. The nine goals was a nice offensive output and the Prowlers who picked up the Section 8A road win. This week they have three more games they should be favored to win in. They need to take care of business vs Crookston and Kittson County Central before finishing up the week with Little Falls.
16- St Cloud Cathedral (5A) (7-6-0)
Past Week Results: W 7-0 Pine City, L 1-4 #2 Hermantown
Upcoming Schedule: 1/17 vs Alexandria, 1/19 @ #4 Orono
The Crusaders picked up their 5th win in row when they took down 5A Pine City on the road to start the week to stay in the hunt for a top seed in Section 5A. They then went to Hermantown and hung around with the Hawks and put up a good fight before their win streak came to an end. This week is big for Cathedral as they have two games vs a better than their record Alexandria before taking on highly ranked Orono with more chances to show their improvement from the beginning of the year.
17- Litchfield Dassel/Cokato (2A) (10-3-2)
Past Week Results: L 1-7 Mound Westonka, T 2-2 Southwest Christian, W 5-1 Willmar
Upcoming Schedule: 1/21 @ Minnesota River
The Dragons suffered bad news to start the week as they lost 5 regulars to injury, including some of their top players, and then suffered a terrible loss when they were routed by the projected 10 seed in 2A Mound Westonka. They then got tied late, while on the power play, by Section 2A Southwest Christian in a game they led throughout but could not finish the game. The Dragons did win the Cream Can against Willmar but again the team's health moving forward makes this a tough group to rank.
18- Two Rivers (4A) (12-3-1)
Past Week Results: W 3-0 Rochester John Marshall, W 3-0 Simley
Upcoming Schedule: 1/20 @ Rochester Lourdes , 1/21 vs Tartan
The Warriors continued their solid defensive hockey of late as they posted two shutouts this week in wins over Rochester John Marshall and Simley. While the schedule is super soft they are winning games playing good defensive hockey and their goalie Senior Tyler Ouren is one of the states best. They control their fate for the #2 seed in Section 4A and for now move back into the the Top 20 with two more games this week that they should win vs Lourdes and Tartan.
19- Providence Academy (2A) (7-7-0)
Past Week Results: L 5-9 Blake, L 2-8 #13 Rock Ridge
Upcoming Schedule: 1/17 vs #4 Orono, 1/19 vs Breck
The Lions defensive woes reappeared this week. First when they played a solid AA Blake team that turned into a track meet but eventually the Lions could just not overcome their defensive issues and gave up an alarming 9 goals for the 5th time this year. They followed that up by getting blown out again by Rock Ridge and the Lions are only hanging on to the #19 spot because they have wins over Minneapolis, Monticello, and Wadena Deer Creek in the group of teams right below them. They have two more 2A games this week and we will see if they can defend better than this week.
20- Minneapolis (2A) (7-6-1)
Past Week Results: W 2-0 St Paul Highland Park, W 7-0 Irondale
Upcoming Schedule: 1/19 @ Bloomington Kennedy
Welcome back to the Top 20 the boys from the 612 who have been hot of late as in their last 9 games going (6-2-1) including winning two more games this week to move above .500 for the first time this year. They only have one game this upcoming week and it's one they should win vs 2A Bloomington Kennedy to stay in the Top 20 Rankings suddenly.
The Next 5 in Class A Week #8-
New Prague (1A) (8-5-0)- The Trojans won their first two Metro West Conference games of the week and looked on track to return to the Top 20. However, the loss to the 3-win Jefferson Jaguars raises some serious red flags and leaves them on the outside of the top 20 for another week.
Wadena Deer Creek (6A) (8-3-1)- The Wolverines were idle this week as their game with Prairie Centre on Thursday got wiped out. Now the Wolverines will hope to shake off the rust when they take on Park Rapids and Northern Lakes in Mid State Conference games this upcoming week.
Little Falls (5A) (6-7-1)- The Flyers dropped below .500 after losing to ranked teams Fergus Falls and Duluth Denfeld but the reason I moved them out was the alarming close call with Princeton. Team is still unbeaten in Section 5A and controls their fate for the #1 seed but they will need to start playing much more consistent
Monticello (5A) (7-6-1)- The Moose had a solid week taking down two Mississippi 8 Conference teams when they beat both Princeton and Chisago Lakes. They finished the week losing to Top 10 Delano but there is no shame in that and they still look to be a major factor in Section 5A.
Cambridge Isanti (5A) (7-6-0)- The Bluejackets control their fate for the number 1 seed in 5A if they beat Monticello for the key 2nd win in the series and then beat Little Falls the following week they will be the #1 seed in 5A having already beaten Cathedral, Princeton, Pine City, Becker Big Lake and River Lakes this winter.
For the first time in 10 years the Hermantown Hawks dropped a regular season game to a Class A Team and were knocked out of the number one spot by the unbeaten and undisputed new top Class A team Warroad. Now this week Warroad will get to take a swing at the top AA team to earn the label as best team in the state regardless of class. Check out the rest of the Class A Week 8 Rankings are below-
1- Warroad (8A) (14-0-0)
Past Week Results: W 7-4 Roseau, W 7-0 Crookston, W 3-1 #2 Hermantown
Upcoming Schedule: 1/20 vs Wayzata, 1/21 @ #11 Duluth Denfeld
The Warriors got their excellent week started in great fashion when they used their offensive flair to take down Roseau at home in the first game of the annual rivalry with the Rams. The Warriors then routed Section 8A Crookston in the middle of the week and they then finished the week by being the first team in Class A to beat Hermantown in over 10 years in the regular season. The Warriors move into the number 1 spot and now immediately shift from Roseau and Hermantown week to regular season battle between the Class A #1 vs Class AA #1 when they host Wayzata this weekend for more awesome games at the Gardens.
2- Hermantown (7A) (10-1-1)
Past Week Results: W 4-1 #16 St Cloud Cathedral, L 1-3 #1 Warroad
Upcoming Schedule: 1/17 @ #9 Hibbing, 1/20 vs Moorhead, 1/21 @ St Thomas Academy
The Hawks survived a serious scare from St Cloud Cathedral to open the week as they found themselves trailing with 1 minute left in the 2nd period however, a late period goal to tie the game gave them momentum as they dominated the third period to put the game away. However, the pattern of slipping past teams for wins came to an end as the Hawks fell to a Class A team for the first time in the regular season in 10 years when they lost to Warroad. Hermantown now will hope for a 2nd chance come March but until then they have plenty of tests left to improve starting with this week taking on the Section 7A #2 seed and then finishing up with AA Moorhead and St Thomas Academy.
3- Mahtomedi (4A) (9-3-0)
Past Week Results: L 2-6 Cretin Derham Hall, W 7-1 Tartan, W 7-1 Hastings
Upcoming Schedule: 1/16 @ Benilde, 1/18 @ Eden Prairie, 1/21 vs East Ridge
The Zephyrs ran into a talented Top 10 AA Cretin Derham Hall team that they were unable to keep them off the scoreboard and dropped a tough one to the Raiders. Mahtomedi did respond by routing struggling AA Tatan before routing AA Hastings as well by similar 7-1 scores on back to back nights to end the week on a good note. This week Mahtomedi will take on more AA teams with stiff tests from Benilde and Eden Prairie to start their week before wrapping up with East Ridge.
4- Orono (2A) (11-2-0)
Past Week Results: 1-3 Chanhassen, W 5-1 #7 Delano
Upcoming Schedule: 1/17 @ #19 Providence, 1/19 vs #16 St Cloud Cathedral, 1/21 @ Bloomington Jefferson
The Spartans hung around for a very good AA Chanhassen team to show they should be able to stay in every game they play this year. Ultimately though they just were not able to overcome the depth and speed of the top 10 AA Storm team. The Spartans did follow up the loss by picking up a critical and important Section 2A win over their long time rival Delano when they broke open a 1-1 game with four unanswered goals in the last two periods. Orono has a busy week upcoming vs two good ranked Class A teams before finishing the week with AA Jefferson.
5- East Grand Forks (8A) (8-6-0)
Past Week Results: W 4-2 Fargo Davies
Upcoming Schedule: 1/17 @ Roseau, 1/20 @ #11 Duluth Denfeld, 1/21 @ Bemidji
The Greenwave found themselves down 2-1 after 2 periods of play in their only game of the week. They showed some character and dominated the third period and scored three unanswered goals on their way to a good win over a solid North Dakota team. Every week this team has gotten better now a big test is coming up as three games loom and two are vs teams who beat them earlier in the year curious to see how they do against those teams now and they look to keep up their good play of late.
6- Northfield (1A) (10-3-0)
Past Week Results: W 4-1 Owatonna, L 2-3 OT Rochester Century
Upcoming Schedule: 1/16 @ Rochester Mayo, 1/19 @ Mankato West, 1/21 vs Winona
The Raiders had an up and down week vs two AA teams in the Big Nine Conference. They started the week by taking down a decent Owatonna team to keep up their good play of late. However, they then finished the week losing a game in overtime to AA Rochester Century, not a good result but not enough to move them down either. This week the Raiders have three more Big Nine games this week, the most important one being the Section game vs Winona.
7- Delano (2A) (8-6-0)
Past Week Results: W 6-0 Breck, L 1-5 #4 Orono, W 5-2 Monticello
Upcoming Schedule: 1/17 vs Mound Westonka, 1/21 @ Lakeville South
Delano started their busy week by breezing past Breck with ease to pick up the Section 2A shutout win. However, they followed that up by getting blasted in the last two periods of their game with rival Orono to lose any hope of Section top seed. The Tigers did rebound to beat a solid Monticello team at home. This week they have a Section 2A game vs Mound Westonka before they head to Lakeville South to take on a ranked AA squad.
8- Fergus Falls (6A) (8-3-1)
Past Week Results: W 4-2 Little Falls, W 4-3 Red Lake Falls
Upcoming Schedule: 1/17 vs Sartell, 1/20 @ Alexandria
The Otters went on the road again this week and picked up two more wins. The first was against a tough Little Falls team in a game where they were outshot but Senior goalie Ben Swanson was the difference stopping 36 of 38 shots and the Otters prevailed over the Flyers. They followed that up with a win over Red Lake Falls to end the week. This coming week will be challenging for Fergus Falls as they take on a Sartell team who they lost to earlier in the year before the big match up with Alexandria.
9- Hibbing (7A) (10-4-1)
Past Week Results: W 15-2 Moose Lake
Upcoming Schedule: 1/17 vs #2 Hermantown, 1/19 vs North Shore
Hibbing blasted fellow Section 7A Moose Lake on the road in their only game of the week. They put up 15 goals and stayed unbeaten on the year in Section 7A and remain in good position for the #2 seed in the section. Now this week they will turn their attention to the Hawks to see if they are anywhere close to the Section 7A king and they also have a game they should win vs 7A North Shore to end the week.
10- Detroit Lakes (8A) (9-4-1)
Past Week Results: L 0-3 Bemidji
Upcoming Schedule: 1/19 @ Prairie Centre, 1/20 vs Red Lake Falls
The Lakers were shutout in their only game of the week against a hot AA Bemidji team that has beaten most in the Class A Rankings. The Lakers were unable to mount much offensively and that is the achilles heel of their group once they do fall behind they struggle to comeback. This week two more winnable games to get back on track vs Prairie Centre and Red Lake Falls the Lakers have a very good chance to win all of the remaining games on their schedule this winter.
11- Duluth Denfeld (7A) (10-5-1)
Past Week Results: W 7-5 Little Falls, W 3-1 Northern Lakes
Upcoming Schedule: 1/17 @ Duluth East, 1/20 vs #5 East Grand Forks, 1/21 vs #1 Warroad
The Hunters hit the road and took a trip through Central Minnesota and they were able to takedown both Little Falls and Northern Lakes on the road. The Hunters showed their strength in the fact that they can score with their high powered first line led by star Andy Larson and then won a tighter then expected game over the Lightning. Now the Hunters will be tested this week as they have an incredibly tough slate of games first facing AA East before having the two powers of Section 8A visit to end the week.
12- Albert Lea (1A) (11-3-0)
Past Week Results: W 3-2 OT Mankato West, W 4-0 Red Wing
Upcoming Schedule: 1/17 vs Luverne, 1/19 vs Austin, 1/21 @ Rochester John Marshall
Albert Lea struggled but found a way to win a Big 9 Conference game on the road to start their week over Mankato West. In a game they trailed after 2 periods Albert Lea fought back and won but not a very impressive result vs a mid range conference opponent. The Tigers did rebound to beat Section 1A Red Wing and end the week on a 9 game win streak. They should keep winning this week as they have three more wannabe games on the schedule.
13- Rock Ridge (7A) (9-4-1)
Past Week Results: W 6-1 International Falls, W 8-2 #19 Providence Academy, W 4-1 Mound Westonka
Upcoming Schedule: 1/17 @ North Shore, 1/21 vs Princeton
The Wolverines picked up another Section 7A win when they took down International Falls to start their week before heading down to the cities for the weekend. They swept the city's trip by beating two Section 2A teams when they took down both Providence Academy and Mound Westonka. This team is getting better and better and should have two more games they can win coming up this week.
14- New Ulm (3A) (11-1-1)
Past Week Results: W 9-0 Worthington
Upcoming Schedule: 1/17 @ Minnesota River, 1/19 vs Redwood Valley, 1/21 vs Southwest Christian
The Eagles did what they needed to do and routed a struggling Worthington team to pick up another easy Section 3A and Big South Conference win. Now they have two more games they should cruise before an interesting matchup with Southwest Christian in a game that they can't afford to lose if they want to keep credibility as a top 20 team but also a game that will be challenging for them compared to the weak teams they have played the last 2 weeks.
15- Thief River Falls (8A) (6-8-1)
Past Week Results: W 9-0 Lake of the Woods
Upcoming Schedule: 1/16 vs Crookston, 1/17 vs Kittson County Central, 1/20 vs Little Falls
The Prowlers blew out Section 8A Lake of the Woods in their only game of the week to slowly move back closer to .500 on the year. The nine goals was a nice offensive output and the Prowlers who picked up the Section 8A road win. This week they have three more games they should be favored to win in. They need to take care of business vs Crookston and Kittson County Central before finishing up the week with Little Falls.
16- St Cloud Cathedral (5A) (7-6-0)
Past Week Results: W 7-0 Pine City, L 1-4 #2 Hermantown
Upcoming Schedule: 1/17 vs Alexandria, 1/19 @ #4 Orono
The Crusaders picked up their 5th win in row when they took down 5A Pine City on the road to start the week to stay in the hunt for a top seed in Section 5A. They then went to Hermantown and hung around with the Hawks and put up a good fight before their win streak came to an end. This week is big for Cathedral as they have two games vs a better than their record Alexandria before taking on highly ranked Orono with more chances to show their improvement from the beginning of the year.
17- Litchfield Dassel/Cokato (2A) (10-3-2)
Past Week Results: L 1-7 Mound Westonka, T 2-2 Southwest Christian, W 5-1 Willmar
Upcoming Schedule: 1/21 @ Minnesota River
The Dragons suffered bad news to start the week as they lost 5 regulars to injury, including some of their top players, and then suffered a terrible loss when they were routed by the projected 10 seed in 2A Mound Westonka. They then got tied late, while on the power play, by Section 2A Southwest Christian in a game they led throughout but could not finish the game. The Dragons did win the Cream Can against Willmar but again the team's health moving forward makes this a tough group to rank.
18- Two Rivers (4A) (12-3-1)
Past Week Results: W 3-0 Rochester John Marshall, W 3-0 Simley
Upcoming Schedule: 1/20 @ Rochester Lourdes , 1/21 vs Tartan
The Warriors continued their solid defensive hockey of late as they posted two shutouts this week in wins over Rochester John Marshall and Simley. While the schedule is super soft they are winning games playing good defensive hockey and their goalie Senior Tyler Ouren is one of the states best. They control their fate for the #2 seed in Section 4A and for now move back into the the Top 20 with two more games this week that they should win vs Lourdes and Tartan.
19- Providence Academy (2A) (7-7-0)
Past Week Results: L 5-9 Blake, L 2-8 #13 Rock Ridge
Upcoming Schedule: 1/17 vs #4 Orono, 1/19 vs Breck
The Lions defensive woes reappeared this week. First when they played a solid AA Blake team that turned into a track meet but eventually the Lions could just not overcome their defensive issues and gave up an alarming 9 goals for the 5th time this year. They followed that up by getting blown out again by Rock Ridge and the Lions are only hanging on to the #19 spot because they have wins over Minneapolis, Monticello, and Wadena Deer Creek in the group of teams right below them. They have two more 2A games this week and we will see if they can defend better than this week.
20- Minneapolis (2A) (7-6-1)
Past Week Results: W 2-0 St Paul Highland Park, W 7-0 Irondale
Upcoming Schedule: 1/19 @ Bloomington Kennedy
Welcome back to the Top 20 the boys from the 612 who have been hot of late as in their last 9 games going (6-2-1) including winning two more games this week to move above .500 for the first time this year. They only have one game this upcoming week and it's one they should win vs 2A Bloomington Kennedy to stay in the Top 20 Rankings suddenly.
The Next 5 in Class A Week #8-
New Prague (1A) (8-5-0)- The Trojans won their first two Metro West Conference games of the week and looked on track to return to the Top 20. However, the loss to the 3-win Jefferson Jaguars raises some serious red flags and leaves them on the outside of the top 20 for another week.
Wadena Deer Creek (6A) (8-3-1)- The Wolverines were idle this week as their game with Prairie Centre on Thursday got wiped out. Now the Wolverines will hope to shake off the rust when they take on Park Rapids and Northern Lakes in Mid State Conference games this upcoming week.
Little Falls (5A) (6-7-1)- The Flyers dropped below .500 after losing to ranked teams Fergus Falls and Duluth Denfeld but the reason I moved them out was the alarming close call with Princeton. Team is still unbeaten in Section 5A and controls their fate for the #1 seed but they will need to start playing much more consistent
Monticello (5A) (7-6-1)- The Moose had a solid week taking down two Mississippi 8 Conference teams when they beat both Princeton and Chisago Lakes. They finished the week losing to Top 10 Delano but there is no shame in that and they still look to be a major factor in Section 5A.
Cambridge Isanti (5A) (7-6-0)- The Bluejackets control their fate for the number 1 seed in 5A if they beat Monticello for the key 2nd win in the series and then beat Little Falls the following week they will be the #1 seed in 5A having already beaten Cathedral, Princeton, Pine City, Becker Big Lake and River Lakes this winter.