AA Rankings for 1/22/23
Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2023 8:02 am
With one month left in the season, the number of obvious choices at the top of the rankings is dwindling, and the balancing act between overall body of work versus the hot hand becomes tougher. A couple teams are finally starting to make upward moves, so we’ll see if they can sustain them or if it’s just another blip on the week-to-week rankings jumble. Rankings:
1. Minnetonka (15-2)
-With Wayzata toppling this past week, we once again return the Skippers to the top spot, as they have continued to look like the most complete team out there. They had little trouble with Chaska and then throttled Edina this past week, though a narrow escape against Eden Prairie serves as yet another reminder that no one is truly safe this season. For now, they have re-earned this spot; Lakeville South offers their biggest test this coming week.
This week: Thurs vs. St. Michael-Albertville, Sat at #14 Lakeville South
2. Chanhassen (15-1)
-I’ve been resistant to lifting the Storm much given their schedule, even as other top five teams lose, but now it’s become almost inevitable. It’s rarely flashy, as evidenced by the Chaska win on Saturday, but they just keep coming. Now, however, they finally get tested, as they face a rolling White Bear team and potent Benilde for the first of two meetings. Can they back up this lofty ranking with some genuine quality wins?
This week: Tues at #11 White Bear Lake, Thurs at #10 Benilde-St. Margaret’s, Sat at Bloomington Jefferson
3. Wayzata (13-2-2)
-The Trojans came away bloodied from a road trip to the far northwest. The loss to Warroad’s superstars is tolerable, but the tie to Roseau is more concerning; the offensive reliability that had distinguished this group from many past Trojan teams abandoned them. It comes at an interesting time, with a vital section game with Edina headlining the coming week.
This week: Thurs at #5 Edina, Sat at Buffalo
4. Maple Grove (13-3-1)
-There’s trouble in Leafland, as the Crimson followed up last week’s tie with Rogers with a loss to Champlin Park. Enough other things happened this past week that they still only fall one spot; they’re not that far removed from wins over the likes of Cretin, Wayzata, and Andover. One thing is certain, though: they are not on some other level from their three rivals for the 5AA title, which means they’ll have their work cut out for them. They have three games in three days this week, and they get progressively harder: a rival that is normally easy picking but better than usual this season, a tough defensive squad that hasn’t really broken through against top teams, and then a vital section game.
This week: Thurs vs. Osseo, Fri vs. Grand Rapids, Sat vs. #12 Centennial
5. Edina (11-4-1)
-Minnetonka’s overpowering performance sets the Hornets back a bit; they didn’t exactly bury St. Michael-Albetville, either. This coming week is their chance to make a move in 6AA, and they’ll look to back up that convincing Holiday Classic win over Eden Prairie, too.
This week: Thurs vs. #3 Wayzata, Sat at Eden Prairie
6. Rogers (11-2-3)
-Here come the Royals: after a tie with Maple Grove this past week, they blitzed Centennial, going up 5-0 in the first period. Outside of a holiday tournament hiccup with a couple of weird ties, they’ve looked like a top five team for much of the season, and with the Crimson’s loss to Champlin, they are at least temporarily in line for the top seed in 5AA. On paper they now get a bit of a break.
This week: Thurs vs. Totino-Grace
7. Andover (12-5-1)
-Easy pickings against weaker conference opponents for the Huskies, who drop only as Rogers rises since those two lost their recent head-to-head meeting. They are now 8-1 since the Duluth East loss, though the schedule has eased up some since its very difficult start, so it’s hard to say conclusively that they’ve turned a corner. Expect more of the same this coming week.
This week: Thurs vs. Spring Lake Park, Sat at Coon Rapids
8. Cretin-Derham Hall (13-4-1)
-The Raiders put up a solid result by blitzing Gentry and followed that up with a somewhat tighter than expected affair with Forest Lake, and I am content to move them up a slot based on that. 3AA implications are at hand in a game with struggling Eastview this coming week.
This week: Thurs vs. Eastview, Sat at Chaska
9. St. Thomas Academy (12-5)
-The Cadets shut down Hermantown to get their first quality win in a bit, showing off a defensive style familiar to anyone who has watched Duluth East over the past generation. They have a three-game week ahead of them, though not an overly difficult one.
This week: Tues at Hastings, Thurs vs. Prior Lake, Sat vs. Tartan
10. Benilde-St. Margaret’s (11-5)
-Which team is the real Red Knights? The one that loses to Mahtomedi, or the one that shellacks a Champlin team that scored a top ten win this past week? The reality, of course, is that they both are: this team has as much firepower as anyone, but has also repeatedly shown that it can cough up a lot of goals, and that will result in a lot of split weeks like this past one. This coming week they do us rankers a public service and give Chanhassen a top-flight opponent for the first time in a while.
This week: Tues vs. Bloomington Jefferson, Thurs vs. #2 Chanhassen
11. White Bear Lake (13-2)
-Shut out Grand Rapids in their first action against a top 25 opponent in a while, and took care of a respectable Woodbury team, too. They’ve done what they’ve needed to do against the easier part of their schedule, but now things really ramp up this week, as they join Benilde in giving us a Chanhassen measuring stick and then play archrival Hill outdoors in a crucial game in a convoluted 4AA race.
This week: Tues vs. #2 Chanhassen, Sat vs. Hill-Murray (Hockey Day)
12. Centennial (9-5-1)
-The Cougars were not ready for the Rogers attack, giving up nine to the Royals in a game that may have cost them a top two seed in 5AA. If they have any hope of rescuing one, it will require a big week this coming week; they’ve already beaten Champlin, who is riding high right now, and have already dropped one to the high-flying Crimson.
This week: Thurs at #15 Champlin Park, Sat at #4 Maple Grove
13. Duluth East (10-6-1)
-The Hounds handled a couple of rivals without too much drama and are now 7-1-1 in their last nine. They continue a relative soft stretch in their schedule now, though Mounds View has shown some occasional flashes.
This week: Thurs at Hopkins, Sat at Mounds View
14. Lakeville South (9-4-1)
-The Cougars had a three-win week; the Prior Lake decision was a tight one, but they handled Eagan and Delano without sweating too much. The Shakopee game this week may be for the top spot in the South Suburban Conference, and with the rematch with rival North and the top team in the state also on the schedule, it’s going to be a huge week for South.
This week: Mon vs. Shakopee, Fri vs. Lakeville North, Sat vs. #1 Minnetonka
15. Champlin Park (12-5)
-Taking down Maple Grove gets the Rebels right back in the land of the ranked and shows how wide open 5AA is this season. They also got pasted by Benilde, so the Crimson win alone isn’t enough to vault them too high, but they certainly deserve to be back in the top 15 conversation here. We’ll see if they can back up that quality result by avenging an earlier loss to Centennial.
This week: Thurs vs. #12 Centennial, Sat at Totino-Grace
The Next Ten
Holy Family (11-5)
-The Fire lit up a couple of lesser opponents this past week. This week’s opponents, Delano and Sartell, are somewhat better than this past week’s, but should let the keep up the momentum.
Shakopee (11-4)
-A loss to otherwise slumping Eastview broke up a strong stretch for the Sabers, who later rebounded with respectable wins over Gentry Academy and Lakeville North. They can get themselves back toward the rankings by doing something against Lakeville South on Monday.
Eden Prairie (7-9-1)
-Despite the record, one gets the sense the Eagles are creeping toward respectability after beating a very good Mahtomedi team and pushing Minnetonka to the brink this past week. If they can do something against Edina this week, then they’ll be in business. The talent is there to do it.
Moorhead (9-8)
-Let one get away against Hermantown, and despite plenty of respectable showings against good teams, the overall record just isn’t there for the Spuds at the moment. They’ve got the two great northwestern powers coming to visit week, with the Roseau game key for 8AA positioning and the other a shot at the two-class number one team.
Roseau (10-6-1)
-The Rams lost to East Grand Forks this past week, a sign that they are not yet a real top 20 team, but that tie against Wayzata certainly turned some heads. If they can do that, there’s no reason they can’t give Moorhead a run, and they get a chance to do just that this coming week. They also get a second crack at Warroad and a section opponent in St. Cloud, too.
Eastview (9-6)
-The Lightning’s befuddling January continued with a quality win over Shakopee followed by a bad loss to Eagan. They’ve only won one of their past five and are fading fast here. They can right the ship with a quality result against Cretin this week, though even a win over Prior Lake would help.
Hill-Murray (6-8-1)
-Don’t look now, but the Pioneers are creeping back toward relevance with a tie against Stillwater and a win over Grand Rapids. They still aren’t setting the world on fire offensively, but they are moving toward that classic Hill defensive style. We’ll see how it works outdoors against a bitter rival this week, and they have a tough Mahtomedi team that would be in a two-class top 15, too.
Stillwater (8-4-3)
-It was a tie-filled week for the Ponies, who fought to a draw with both Hill and Blake; since they are both in this part of the rankings too, it doesn’t change much overall. They now head back to conference play, with opponents like Woodbury this week being the sorts they need to beat to remain in the top 25.
Blake (10-5-1)
-The Sartell loss is a clunker for the Bears, and the Stillwater tie confirms they belong somewhere in here. It’s a three-game week of private school play for them, including a Providence team that has shown some flashes and a clash with Holy Angels that could settle the 4-seed in 6AA.
Grand Rapids (11-7)
-A poor road trip south for the Thunderhawks, in which they scored just once against White Bear Lake and Hill-Murray, underscores the season-long offensive struggle. After Brainerd they head into a brutal finish featuring four top ten teams and Hermantown; Maple Grove is the first of those this week. A .500ish finish now looks quite likely unless they can find another level.
1. Minnetonka (15-2)
-With Wayzata toppling this past week, we once again return the Skippers to the top spot, as they have continued to look like the most complete team out there. They had little trouble with Chaska and then throttled Edina this past week, though a narrow escape against Eden Prairie serves as yet another reminder that no one is truly safe this season. For now, they have re-earned this spot; Lakeville South offers their biggest test this coming week.
This week: Thurs vs. St. Michael-Albertville, Sat at #14 Lakeville South
2. Chanhassen (15-1)
-I’ve been resistant to lifting the Storm much given their schedule, even as other top five teams lose, but now it’s become almost inevitable. It’s rarely flashy, as evidenced by the Chaska win on Saturday, but they just keep coming. Now, however, they finally get tested, as they face a rolling White Bear team and potent Benilde for the first of two meetings. Can they back up this lofty ranking with some genuine quality wins?
This week: Tues at #11 White Bear Lake, Thurs at #10 Benilde-St. Margaret’s, Sat at Bloomington Jefferson
3. Wayzata (13-2-2)
-The Trojans came away bloodied from a road trip to the far northwest. The loss to Warroad’s superstars is tolerable, but the tie to Roseau is more concerning; the offensive reliability that had distinguished this group from many past Trojan teams abandoned them. It comes at an interesting time, with a vital section game with Edina headlining the coming week.
This week: Thurs at #5 Edina, Sat at Buffalo
4. Maple Grove (13-3-1)
-There’s trouble in Leafland, as the Crimson followed up last week’s tie with Rogers with a loss to Champlin Park. Enough other things happened this past week that they still only fall one spot; they’re not that far removed from wins over the likes of Cretin, Wayzata, and Andover. One thing is certain, though: they are not on some other level from their three rivals for the 5AA title, which means they’ll have their work cut out for them. They have three games in three days this week, and they get progressively harder: a rival that is normally easy picking but better than usual this season, a tough defensive squad that hasn’t really broken through against top teams, and then a vital section game.
This week: Thurs vs. Osseo, Fri vs. Grand Rapids, Sat vs. #12 Centennial
5. Edina (11-4-1)
-Minnetonka’s overpowering performance sets the Hornets back a bit; they didn’t exactly bury St. Michael-Albetville, either. This coming week is their chance to make a move in 6AA, and they’ll look to back up that convincing Holiday Classic win over Eden Prairie, too.
This week: Thurs vs. #3 Wayzata, Sat at Eden Prairie
6. Rogers (11-2-3)
-Here come the Royals: after a tie with Maple Grove this past week, they blitzed Centennial, going up 5-0 in the first period. Outside of a holiday tournament hiccup with a couple of weird ties, they’ve looked like a top five team for much of the season, and with the Crimson’s loss to Champlin, they are at least temporarily in line for the top seed in 5AA. On paper they now get a bit of a break.
This week: Thurs vs. Totino-Grace
7. Andover (12-5-1)
-Easy pickings against weaker conference opponents for the Huskies, who drop only as Rogers rises since those two lost their recent head-to-head meeting. They are now 8-1 since the Duluth East loss, though the schedule has eased up some since its very difficult start, so it’s hard to say conclusively that they’ve turned a corner. Expect more of the same this coming week.
This week: Thurs vs. Spring Lake Park, Sat at Coon Rapids
8. Cretin-Derham Hall (13-4-1)
-The Raiders put up a solid result by blitzing Gentry and followed that up with a somewhat tighter than expected affair with Forest Lake, and I am content to move them up a slot based on that. 3AA implications are at hand in a game with struggling Eastview this coming week.
This week: Thurs vs. Eastview, Sat at Chaska
9. St. Thomas Academy (12-5)
-The Cadets shut down Hermantown to get their first quality win in a bit, showing off a defensive style familiar to anyone who has watched Duluth East over the past generation. They have a three-game week ahead of them, though not an overly difficult one.
This week: Tues at Hastings, Thurs vs. Prior Lake, Sat vs. Tartan
10. Benilde-St. Margaret’s (11-5)
-Which team is the real Red Knights? The one that loses to Mahtomedi, or the one that shellacks a Champlin team that scored a top ten win this past week? The reality, of course, is that they both are: this team has as much firepower as anyone, but has also repeatedly shown that it can cough up a lot of goals, and that will result in a lot of split weeks like this past one. This coming week they do us rankers a public service and give Chanhassen a top-flight opponent for the first time in a while.
This week: Tues vs. Bloomington Jefferson, Thurs vs. #2 Chanhassen
11. White Bear Lake (13-2)
-Shut out Grand Rapids in their first action against a top 25 opponent in a while, and took care of a respectable Woodbury team, too. They’ve done what they’ve needed to do against the easier part of their schedule, but now things really ramp up this week, as they join Benilde in giving us a Chanhassen measuring stick and then play archrival Hill outdoors in a crucial game in a convoluted 4AA race.
This week: Tues vs. #2 Chanhassen, Sat vs. Hill-Murray (Hockey Day)
12. Centennial (9-5-1)
-The Cougars were not ready for the Rogers attack, giving up nine to the Royals in a game that may have cost them a top two seed in 5AA. If they have any hope of rescuing one, it will require a big week this coming week; they’ve already beaten Champlin, who is riding high right now, and have already dropped one to the high-flying Crimson.
This week: Thurs at #15 Champlin Park, Sat at #4 Maple Grove
13. Duluth East (10-6-1)
-The Hounds handled a couple of rivals without too much drama and are now 7-1-1 in their last nine. They continue a relative soft stretch in their schedule now, though Mounds View has shown some occasional flashes.
This week: Thurs at Hopkins, Sat at Mounds View
14. Lakeville South (9-4-1)
-The Cougars had a three-win week; the Prior Lake decision was a tight one, but they handled Eagan and Delano without sweating too much. The Shakopee game this week may be for the top spot in the South Suburban Conference, and with the rematch with rival North and the top team in the state also on the schedule, it’s going to be a huge week for South.
This week: Mon vs. Shakopee, Fri vs. Lakeville North, Sat vs. #1 Minnetonka
15. Champlin Park (12-5)
-Taking down Maple Grove gets the Rebels right back in the land of the ranked and shows how wide open 5AA is this season. They also got pasted by Benilde, so the Crimson win alone isn’t enough to vault them too high, but they certainly deserve to be back in the top 15 conversation here. We’ll see if they can back up that quality result by avenging an earlier loss to Centennial.
This week: Thurs vs. #12 Centennial, Sat at Totino-Grace
The Next Ten
Holy Family (11-5)
-The Fire lit up a couple of lesser opponents this past week. This week’s opponents, Delano and Sartell, are somewhat better than this past week’s, but should let the keep up the momentum.
Shakopee (11-4)
-A loss to otherwise slumping Eastview broke up a strong stretch for the Sabers, who later rebounded with respectable wins over Gentry Academy and Lakeville North. They can get themselves back toward the rankings by doing something against Lakeville South on Monday.
Eden Prairie (7-9-1)
-Despite the record, one gets the sense the Eagles are creeping toward respectability after beating a very good Mahtomedi team and pushing Minnetonka to the brink this past week. If they can do something against Edina this week, then they’ll be in business. The talent is there to do it.
Moorhead (9-8)
-Let one get away against Hermantown, and despite plenty of respectable showings against good teams, the overall record just isn’t there for the Spuds at the moment. They’ve got the two great northwestern powers coming to visit week, with the Roseau game key for 8AA positioning and the other a shot at the two-class number one team.
Roseau (10-6-1)
-The Rams lost to East Grand Forks this past week, a sign that they are not yet a real top 20 team, but that tie against Wayzata certainly turned some heads. If they can do that, there’s no reason they can’t give Moorhead a run, and they get a chance to do just that this coming week. They also get a second crack at Warroad and a section opponent in St. Cloud, too.
Eastview (9-6)
-The Lightning’s befuddling January continued with a quality win over Shakopee followed by a bad loss to Eagan. They’ve only won one of their past five and are fading fast here. They can right the ship with a quality result against Cretin this week, though even a win over Prior Lake would help.
Hill-Murray (6-8-1)
-Don’t look now, but the Pioneers are creeping back toward relevance with a tie against Stillwater and a win over Grand Rapids. They still aren’t setting the world on fire offensively, but they are moving toward that classic Hill defensive style. We’ll see how it works outdoors against a bitter rival this week, and they have a tough Mahtomedi team that would be in a two-class top 15, too.
Stillwater (8-4-3)
-It was a tie-filled week for the Ponies, who fought to a draw with both Hill and Blake; since they are both in this part of the rankings too, it doesn’t change much overall. They now head back to conference play, with opponents like Woodbury this week being the sorts they need to beat to remain in the top 25.
Blake (10-5-1)
-The Sartell loss is a clunker for the Bears, and the Stillwater tie confirms they belong somewhere in here. It’s a three-game week of private school play for them, including a Providence team that has shown some flashes and a clash with Holy Angels that could settle the 4-seed in 6AA.
Grand Rapids (11-7)
-A poor road trip south for the Thunderhawks, in which they scored just once against White Bear Lake and Hill-Murray, underscores the season-long offensive struggle. After Brainerd they head into a brutal finish featuring four top ten teams and Hermantown; Maple Grove is the first of those this week. A .500ish finish now looks quite likely unless they can find another level.
