A Rankings for 2/9/25
Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2025 7:46 am
With one week left in the regular season, we have a new #1, as HockeyTown USA claims the top stop. After that chaos continues to reign, which means we should be in for some juicy playoff games in few weeks. Week #12 Rankings Below:
1. Warroad (17-5-1)
Past Week Results: W 4-0 #13 East Grand Forks, W 4-0 #2 Cloquet/Esko/Carlton
Upcoming Schedule: 2/11 vs Bemidji, 2/15 @ #6 Northern Lakes
The Warriors had a huge week this past week, dispatching first of their 8A rival East Grand Forks to lock up the #1 seed and then taking out the state's last unbeaten team vs Class A competition in CEC, they did so while shutting out both in the process, and are now 7-1-0 in their last eight games. Now they hit the road for the final week of the year and they will do so with Class A’s number one ranking and it will be interesting to see how they hold up as they have two tough tests vs Bemidji and Northern Lakes to wrap up the regular season.
2. Cloquet/Esko/Carlton (18-6-0)
Past Week Results: L 0-4 #1 Warroad, L 3-4 OT Roseau
Upcoming Schedule: 2/11 vs #5 Hibbing/Chisholm
The Lumberjacks again faltered with the #1 ranking for the second time this year as they had a rough road trip north, as they got shut out by Warroad and then let Roseau comeback and beat them in overtime.They still have a season worth of results to stay here for now but that was not the kind of trip to inspire confidence that this team is ready to make the big step and win Section 7A. We’ll see if they can back up that first win against Hibbing/Chisholm now this week though even with a loss they will still be the #1 seed in 7A but they could really use a win heading into Sections after that nightmare trip this past week.
3. Hermantown (13-8-3)
Past Week Results: L 2-3 Benilde-St. Margaret's
Upcoming Schedule: 2/11 vs Grand Rapids
The Hawks fought Benilde-St. Margaret's down to the wire in their only game of the week, which certainly isn’t going to cost them much considering their overall work vs Class A competition on the year. However, they did blow a late 2-1 lead at home and scoring continues to be an issue of late. The loss is the third in a row for Hermantown which is rare for their program over the years. This week they will try to avoid heading into Sections on an even longer losing streak which won't be easy as they take on 7AA power Grand Rapids to end the year.
4. Monticello (20-2-1)
Past Week Results: L 2-3 OT Buffalo, W 5-1 Cambridge-Isanti
Upcoming Schedule: 2/11 @ Totino-Grace, 2/14 vs #23 Alexandria
The Moose’s loss to a six win Buffalo set off some alarm bells, who had been taking care of business against that level of competition until now. They did rebound to get win number 20 over Cambridge a few nights later, but there have been questions around if they should be higher than Cathedral, who beat them head to head, but the Crusaders faltered this week to allow them to stay here for now. It’s been awhile since we have seen Monticello play a quality team that changes this week with two good games vs Totino Grace, who SCC just beat, and Alexandria to end their fabulous regular season.
5. Hibbing/Chisholm (14-9-0)
Past Week Results: W 7-0 Superior (Wis.), W 4-0 #21 Detroit Lakes
Upcoming Schedule: 2/11 @ #2 Cloquet/Esko/Carlton, 2/14 vs #14 Chisago Lakes
Hibbing stabilized some things with two wins this past week, ending a bumpy run recently, and while there are still some concerns about their performance during sketches this year, it’s hard to argue with the overall résumé at this point and the head to head wins over Northern Lakes & SCC keep them here for now. If they play to their potential, a Tourney berth is well within reach. They have two very tough Class A tests in the season’s final week, so we’ll get a good handle on whether they’re finding themselves or seem vulnerable heading into a tough section.
6. Northern Lakes (15-7-0)
Past Week Results: W 4-3 #6 St Cloud Cathedral
Upcoming Schedule: 2/11 vs #11 Little Falls, 2/15 vs #1 Warroad
The Lightning were one of the big winners of the week as they picked up a huge road win over surging Cathedral which not only strengthens their ranking here but it could come in handy for potential state seeding positioning in a few weeks should things play out the way they want. This is a team that is playing its best hockey now and they are (11-4-0) since the start of 2025. A challenging final week gives them a shot to avenge a loss to Little Falls and also presents them with another chance to move up these rankings and build a stronger State Seed resume with a final day match vs 8A favorite Warroad.
7. St Cloud Cathedral (14-8-2)
Past Week Results: L 3-4 #6 Northern Lakes, W 5-3 Totino-Grace
Upcoming Schedule: 2/15 vs #15 Mahtomedi
The Crusaders strong recent push hit a bump (or, rather, was stuck by Lightning) this past week as they gave up an 3-1 lead at home and fell to Northern Lakes. To their credit they got right back at it though a few days later as their top line took over in a nice road win over a quality Totino Grace team, and for the most part the Crusaders seem to be playing the style of hockey they want to play down the stretch. Now, can they cap off the regular season by facing the clamp down style of Mahtomedi which will be another test for their Big Three to see if they can carry them in a game they need to win for potential state seeding.
8. Northfield (18-3-2)
Past Week Results: W 7-4 Owatonna, W 7-0 Rochester Mayo
Upcoming Schedule: 2/13 vs Faribault, 2/15 vs #10 Delano
There is a lot to like about the Raiders, whose defensive corps make them a better team than last year, they have taken care of business in their part of the State and should win the Big Nine Conference again this year. Also, with wins over MPLS, Orono and a Tie with SCC it shows they are real contenders beyond just being the kings of Southern Minnesota. A good final week that has a fun showdown with Delano whose team defense will be a good barometer on how much optimism we should have around this team thinking in terms of when they get to state should they make it out of 1A again this winter.
9. Minneapolis (15-6-3)
Past Week Results: L 2-4 Blake, W 5-2 #14 Chisago Lakes, W 10-2 Bloomington Kennedy
Upcoming Schedule: 2/15 @ Spring Lake Park/Conn Rapids
The 612 crew did drop a game to Blake to open the week but they rebonded nicely as the win over Chisago Lakes could help them in potential state seeding discussion and they took out Kennedy and their last ever game at BIG to end the week. Minneapolis is a senior heavy team with a deep offense and they are favorites heading into sections or 2. Until then they will have one final tune up game vs SLP/CR to get ready for what they hope will be a long and successful playoff push.
10. Delano (11-10-1)
Past Week Results: W 3-1 Hutchinson, W 6-5 Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato
Upcoming Schedule: 2/10 @ Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato, 2/11 @ Mound Westonka, 2/15 @ #8 Northfield
Delano kept finding ways to this week, and while they made more of an adventure than it needed to be, they won two critical Section 2A games nonetheless. Those two wins along with zero bad Class A losses and head to head wins over Orono & EGF on the year keep them in the top 10. They’ve now got an opportunity to finish strong with two more important Section games vs LDC and Mound Westonka before a final day Top 10 Showdown with Northfield which could have State Seeding implications.
11. Little Falls (14-7-3)
Past Week Results:W 5-2 #23 Alexandria, T 2-2 OT #21 Detroit Lakes, W 5-3 Cambridge-Isanti
Upcoming Schedule: 2/11 @ #6 Northern Lakes
The Flyers had a good week overall, getting the season sweep of the three time defending 6A champs in Alex, then tying a tougher than their record Detroit Lakes and wrapping up the week with a win over Cambridge. They can certainly trouble anyone due to their elite goalie, but can they string together a couple of wins in very tough section 5A in a few weeks? Things don’t get any easier for them in the final week, with red hot Northern Lakes on the docket and season sweep of the Lightning would be a big bonus for their stock.
12. Orono (11-9-3)
Past Week Results: W 5-3 St Louis Park, T 1-1 OT Chanhassen
Upcoming Schedule: 2/13 vs Bloomington Jefferson, 2/15 @ Champlin Park
The Spartans continue to quietly build a nice season, and while they have not been able to get many big Class A wins, they have been in every game and are playing well down the stretch and will be a tough out in Section 2A as they prepare for the postseason. They have a two-game final week against a Jefferson club they should be able to handle before a good final test against a respectable Champlin Park crew. Don't sleep on Orono in the playoffs this team can do some damage and will look to make it back to state for a third straight year.
13. East Grand Forks (9-12-2)
Past Week Results: L 0-4 #1 Warroad, T 3-3 Bemidji
Upcoming Schedule: 2/11 vs #24 Thief River Falls, 2/13 vs Roseau
The Greenwave are here in the collection of near .500 Class A powers, it has been a struggle of late but they still have potential of a playoff run, this past week’s loss to Warroad eliminated any possibility of the top seed but the comeback tie vs a quality Bemidji showed there is still something here with this group who will be on home ice throughout 8A Sections. They have a must win vs Thief River Falls to start this week as they have to win that game for the #2 seed, and they follow that up with a Rams team that gave them an overtime game in the last meeting to end the regular season.
14. Chisago Lakes (13-8-2)
Past Week Results: W 6-0 South St Paul, L 3-4 Two Rivers, L 2-5 #9 Minneapolis
Upcoming Schedule: 2/11 vs Princeton, 2/14 @ #5 Hibbing/Chisholm
The Wildcats locked up the #1 seed in 4A by taking down South St Paul to start the week but did not hold up as well against Two Rivers and Minneapolis, those losses highlight their ongoing struggle to find a groove when they face the better teams on their schedule. This week a conference rematch with Princeton should get them back in the win column which will be big for their confidence as they then close out their schedule with a tough road game up at ranked Hibbing/Chisholm.
15. Mahtomedi (7-14-2)
Past Week Results: W 10-0 Simley, L 0-7 Hill Murray
Upcoming Schedule: 2/11 @ Hastings, 2/15 @ #7 St Cloud Cathedral
The Zephyrs actually found a bit of offense when they erupted for ten against 4A Simley, but after that it was back to the regularly scheduled lack of offense when they were shut out by Hill Murray. This team is struggling, as has been well documented here, but there is still decent talent on the roster, perhaps enough to win 4A, but they’re going to need to find just a few more goals or they could be a potential playoff upset victim. The tough schedule goes all the way to the end with the regular season finale at the Defending Champs SCC up this week.
16. Luverne (18-4-1)
Past Week Results: W 7-3 Marshall, W 6-2 New Ulm
Upcoming Schedule: 2/10 @ Windom, 2/14 vs Minnesota River
Roll Cards Roll got back to their winning ways this week as they picked up season sweeps over their two biggest Section 3A Rivals when they took down Marshall and New Ulm. They are in the driver's seat for the top seed in 3A and would appear again to be the heavy favorite to get back to State for the 2nd time in 3 years. Now they will look to wrap up the regular season with two more wins vs Windom and Minnesota River which would give them the #1 seed and back to back Big South Conference Championships.
17. Waseca (17-3-2)
Past Week Results: W 7-1 Minnesota River, W 10-0 Fairmont, L 2-5 Blake
Upcoming Schedule: 2/13 @ New Ulm, 2/14 @ Dodge County, 2/15 @ Marshall
The Bluejays continued to fly along against lesser competition, which is fine but not helpful in the grand scheme of things, and they were unable to collect a quality win in their biggest challenge in a while as they lost to a solid Blake team to end the week. New Ulm provides a good test this week and then the match up vs Dodge County has all kinds of magnitude for their Section 1A seed hopes as they have to win that game or they will be looking at a road Quarterfinal Game after a record breaking year.
18. Proctor (13-10-1)
Past Week Results: L 2-5 Duluth Marshall, W 5-1 North Shore
Upcoming Schedule: 2/11 vs Duluth Denfeld
The Rails lost to Duluth Marshall, which isn’t catastrophic when said opponent has also tied the likes of Hermantown. They did win the more important game of the week as by taking down North Shore they locked up the #4 seed in 7A which will give them home ice again to begin the playoffs. This week just one game left and it will be a good test vs a Denfeld team that is better than their record suggests and owns few wins over quality Class A teams on the year.
19. River Lakes (14-8-2)
Past Week Results: L 1-2 Pine City, L 3-4 OT #25 Fergus Falls
Upcoming Schedule: 2/11 vs Willmar
The Stars came back to earth some after their recent surge and picked a bad time to have their worst week of the season, losing to Pine City at home most likely cost them a home playoff game and they followed that up with a road loss to Fergus Falls, a team they handled early in the year. Now they finish up the regular season with a home conference game vs struggling Willmar, a game they really want to win to have some good vibes before heading into what looks like a tough and deep Section 5A Sectional.
20. Red Lake Falls (21-3-0)
Past Week Results: W 10-1 Wadena Deer Creek, W 5-2 #24 Thief River Falls, W 12-1 Greenway
Upcoming Schedule: 2/11 @ Crookston
The Eagles continue their upward trend as they head toward sections, having now won eleven in a row for 21 wins overall, the most in program history, with the win over Thief River Falls as the headliner; which will give them chance at the #3 seed in 8A, their highest in program history. The last week will say a lot, as the rematch with Crookston, a team that beat them the first time around, is a must win if they want to put the exclamation mark on a record breaking year.
Next Five Notable Teams
Detroit Lakes (8-13-3)- The Lakers were able to tie a good Little Falls team that they outplayed to begin the week but they again were only able to score twice on 60 plus shots. They then dropped the finale of the week to Hibbing as they were shutout again that is 7 times now they have been shutout in the last 16 games and they have gone (2-12-2) in that stretch. They still own wins over Sauk Rapids, TRF and season split with Alex to stay here but they are in big trouble if they don't find offense fast.
Sauk Rapids (15-8-1)- The Storm picked up two more wins this week as they took down St Cloud Public before winning a wild shootout game over 5A Princeton where they needed to eventually outscore the Tigers to secure the #6 seed. This is going to be Class A’s scariest low seed and they will be a nightmare match up for whoever draws the #3 seed and this week they look to wrap up a strong year with a win over struggling Northern Edge.
Alexandria (11-12-0)- Alexandria had a disappointing week as while there is no shame in getting swept by Little Falls and losing on the road to Champlin Park they still probably were hoping for better results. They did get a win over St Cloud Public and this week they have a must win game vs Fergus Falls as the winner of that match up will determine the #2 seed in 6A, though we will likely see a rematch in the Semifinal round at the MAC.
Thief River Falls (8-10-1) - The Prowlers loss to Red Lake Falls leaves them winless vs the top four teams in 8A as they have head to head loss vs Warroad, EGF, Detroit Lakes and now the Eagles, leaving us with the same questions we’ve had about this group since the beginning of the year as it's been one of their worst seasons in a long time. They are staring at a road playoff Quarterfinal Game for the first time in over 20 years unless they can beat the Greenwave this week.
Fergus Falls (12-11-0)- The Otters have been up and down this season overall, but they have performed much better than many expected and a late season win over River Lakes shows they still have some real high end potential and a shot at winning a pretty open 6A as they played Northern Lake tight just last week. If they can beat Alexandria this week, a team that has owned them over the years, it’ll be a sure sign they’re on to something as they enter the playoffs.
1. Warroad (17-5-1)
Past Week Results: W 4-0 #13 East Grand Forks, W 4-0 #2 Cloquet/Esko/Carlton
Upcoming Schedule: 2/11 vs Bemidji, 2/15 @ #6 Northern Lakes
The Warriors had a huge week this past week, dispatching first of their 8A rival East Grand Forks to lock up the #1 seed and then taking out the state's last unbeaten team vs Class A competition in CEC, they did so while shutting out both in the process, and are now 7-1-0 in their last eight games. Now they hit the road for the final week of the year and they will do so with Class A’s number one ranking and it will be interesting to see how they hold up as they have two tough tests vs Bemidji and Northern Lakes to wrap up the regular season.
2. Cloquet/Esko/Carlton (18-6-0)
Past Week Results: L 0-4 #1 Warroad, L 3-4 OT Roseau
Upcoming Schedule: 2/11 vs #5 Hibbing/Chisholm
The Lumberjacks again faltered with the #1 ranking for the second time this year as they had a rough road trip north, as they got shut out by Warroad and then let Roseau comeback and beat them in overtime.They still have a season worth of results to stay here for now but that was not the kind of trip to inspire confidence that this team is ready to make the big step and win Section 7A. We’ll see if they can back up that first win against Hibbing/Chisholm now this week though even with a loss they will still be the #1 seed in 7A but they could really use a win heading into Sections after that nightmare trip this past week.
3. Hermantown (13-8-3)
Past Week Results: L 2-3 Benilde-St. Margaret's
Upcoming Schedule: 2/11 vs Grand Rapids
The Hawks fought Benilde-St. Margaret's down to the wire in their only game of the week, which certainly isn’t going to cost them much considering their overall work vs Class A competition on the year. However, they did blow a late 2-1 lead at home and scoring continues to be an issue of late. The loss is the third in a row for Hermantown which is rare for their program over the years. This week they will try to avoid heading into Sections on an even longer losing streak which won't be easy as they take on 7AA power Grand Rapids to end the year.
4. Monticello (20-2-1)
Past Week Results: L 2-3 OT Buffalo, W 5-1 Cambridge-Isanti
Upcoming Schedule: 2/11 @ Totino-Grace, 2/14 vs #23 Alexandria
The Moose’s loss to a six win Buffalo set off some alarm bells, who had been taking care of business against that level of competition until now. They did rebound to get win number 20 over Cambridge a few nights later, but there have been questions around if they should be higher than Cathedral, who beat them head to head, but the Crusaders faltered this week to allow them to stay here for now. It’s been awhile since we have seen Monticello play a quality team that changes this week with two good games vs Totino Grace, who SCC just beat, and Alexandria to end their fabulous regular season.
5. Hibbing/Chisholm (14-9-0)
Past Week Results: W 7-0 Superior (Wis.), W 4-0 #21 Detroit Lakes
Upcoming Schedule: 2/11 @ #2 Cloquet/Esko/Carlton, 2/14 vs #14 Chisago Lakes
Hibbing stabilized some things with two wins this past week, ending a bumpy run recently, and while there are still some concerns about their performance during sketches this year, it’s hard to argue with the overall résumé at this point and the head to head wins over Northern Lakes & SCC keep them here for now. If they play to their potential, a Tourney berth is well within reach. They have two very tough Class A tests in the season’s final week, so we’ll get a good handle on whether they’re finding themselves or seem vulnerable heading into a tough section.
6. Northern Lakes (15-7-0)
Past Week Results: W 4-3 #6 St Cloud Cathedral
Upcoming Schedule: 2/11 vs #11 Little Falls, 2/15 vs #1 Warroad
The Lightning were one of the big winners of the week as they picked up a huge road win over surging Cathedral which not only strengthens their ranking here but it could come in handy for potential state seeding positioning in a few weeks should things play out the way they want. This is a team that is playing its best hockey now and they are (11-4-0) since the start of 2025. A challenging final week gives them a shot to avenge a loss to Little Falls and also presents them with another chance to move up these rankings and build a stronger State Seed resume with a final day match vs 8A favorite Warroad.
7. St Cloud Cathedral (14-8-2)
Past Week Results: L 3-4 #6 Northern Lakes, W 5-3 Totino-Grace
Upcoming Schedule: 2/15 vs #15 Mahtomedi
The Crusaders strong recent push hit a bump (or, rather, was stuck by Lightning) this past week as they gave up an 3-1 lead at home and fell to Northern Lakes. To their credit they got right back at it though a few days later as their top line took over in a nice road win over a quality Totino Grace team, and for the most part the Crusaders seem to be playing the style of hockey they want to play down the stretch. Now, can they cap off the regular season by facing the clamp down style of Mahtomedi which will be another test for their Big Three to see if they can carry them in a game they need to win for potential state seeding.
8. Northfield (18-3-2)
Past Week Results: W 7-4 Owatonna, W 7-0 Rochester Mayo
Upcoming Schedule: 2/13 vs Faribault, 2/15 vs #10 Delano
There is a lot to like about the Raiders, whose defensive corps make them a better team than last year, they have taken care of business in their part of the State and should win the Big Nine Conference again this year. Also, with wins over MPLS, Orono and a Tie with SCC it shows they are real contenders beyond just being the kings of Southern Minnesota. A good final week that has a fun showdown with Delano whose team defense will be a good barometer on how much optimism we should have around this team thinking in terms of when they get to state should they make it out of 1A again this winter.
9. Minneapolis (15-6-3)
Past Week Results: L 2-4 Blake, W 5-2 #14 Chisago Lakes, W 10-2 Bloomington Kennedy
Upcoming Schedule: 2/15 @ Spring Lake Park/Conn Rapids
The 612 crew did drop a game to Blake to open the week but they rebonded nicely as the win over Chisago Lakes could help them in potential state seeding discussion and they took out Kennedy and their last ever game at BIG to end the week. Minneapolis is a senior heavy team with a deep offense and they are favorites heading into sections or 2. Until then they will have one final tune up game vs SLP/CR to get ready for what they hope will be a long and successful playoff push.
10. Delano (11-10-1)
Past Week Results: W 3-1 Hutchinson, W 6-5 Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato
Upcoming Schedule: 2/10 @ Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato, 2/11 @ Mound Westonka, 2/15 @ #8 Northfield
Delano kept finding ways to this week, and while they made more of an adventure than it needed to be, they won two critical Section 2A games nonetheless. Those two wins along with zero bad Class A losses and head to head wins over Orono & EGF on the year keep them in the top 10. They’ve now got an opportunity to finish strong with two more important Section games vs LDC and Mound Westonka before a final day Top 10 Showdown with Northfield which could have State Seeding implications.
11. Little Falls (14-7-3)
Past Week Results:W 5-2 #23 Alexandria, T 2-2 OT #21 Detroit Lakes, W 5-3 Cambridge-Isanti
Upcoming Schedule: 2/11 @ #6 Northern Lakes
The Flyers had a good week overall, getting the season sweep of the three time defending 6A champs in Alex, then tying a tougher than their record Detroit Lakes and wrapping up the week with a win over Cambridge. They can certainly trouble anyone due to their elite goalie, but can they string together a couple of wins in very tough section 5A in a few weeks? Things don’t get any easier for them in the final week, with red hot Northern Lakes on the docket and season sweep of the Lightning would be a big bonus for their stock.
12. Orono (11-9-3)
Past Week Results: W 5-3 St Louis Park, T 1-1 OT Chanhassen
Upcoming Schedule: 2/13 vs Bloomington Jefferson, 2/15 @ Champlin Park
The Spartans continue to quietly build a nice season, and while they have not been able to get many big Class A wins, they have been in every game and are playing well down the stretch and will be a tough out in Section 2A as they prepare for the postseason. They have a two-game final week against a Jefferson club they should be able to handle before a good final test against a respectable Champlin Park crew. Don't sleep on Orono in the playoffs this team can do some damage and will look to make it back to state for a third straight year.
13. East Grand Forks (9-12-2)
Past Week Results: L 0-4 #1 Warroad, T 3-3 Bemidji
Upcoming Schedule: 2/11 vs #24 Thief River Falls, 2/13 vs Roseau
The Greenwave are here in the collection of near .500 Class A powers, it has been a struggle of late but they still have potential of a playoff run, this past week’s loss to Warroad eliminated any possibility of the top seed but the comeback tie vs a quality Bemidji showed there is still something here with this group who will be on home ice throughout 8A Sections. They have a must win vs Thief River Falls to start this week as they have to win that game for the #2 seed, and they follow that up with a Rams team that gave them an overtime game in the last meeting to end the regular season.
14. Chisago Lakes (13-8-2)
Past Week Results: W 6-0 South St Paul, L 3-4 Two Rivers, L 2-5 #9 Minneapolis
Upcoming Schedule: 2/11 vs Princeton, 2/14 @ #5 Hibbing/Chisholm
The Wildcats locked up the #1 seed in 4A by taking down South St Paul to start the week but did not hold up as well against Two Rivers and Minneapolis, those losses highlight their ongoing struggle to find a groove when they face the better teams on their schedule. This week a conference rematch with Princeton should get them back in the win column which will be big for their confidence as they then close out their schedule with a tough road game up at ranked Hibbing/Chisholm.
15. Mahtomedi (7-14-2)
Past Week Results: W 10-0 Simley, L 0-7 Hill Murray
Upcoming Schedule: 2/11 @ Hastings, 2/15 @ #7 St Cloud Cathedral
The Zephyrs actually found a bit of offense when they erupted for ten against 4A Simley, but after that it was back to the regularly scheduled lack of offense when they were shut out by Hill Murray. This team is struggling, as has been well documented here, but there is still decent talent on the roster, perhaps enough to win 4A, but they’re going to need to find just a few more goals or they could be a potential playoff upset victim. The tough schedule goes all the way to the end with the regular season finale at the Defending Champs SCC up this week.
16. Luverne (18-4-1)
Past Week Results: W 7-3 Marshall, W 6-2 New Ulm
Upcoming Schedule: 2/10 @ Windom, 2/14 vs Minnesota River
Roll Cards Roll got back to their winning ways this week as they picked up season sweeps over their two biggest Section 3A Rivals when they took down Marshall and New Ulm. They are in the driver's seat for the top seed in 3A and would appear again to be the heavy favorite to get back to State for the 2nd time in 3 years. Now they will look to wrap up the regular season with two more wins vs Windom and Minnesota River which would give them the #1 seed and back to back Big South Conference Championships.
17. Waseca (17-3-2)
Past Week Results: W 7-1 Minnesota River, W 10-0 Fairmont, L 2-5 Blake
Upcoming Schedule: 2/13 @ New Ulm, 2/14 @ Dodge County, 2/15 @ Marshall
The Bluejays continued to fly along against lesser competition, which is fine but not helpful in the grand scheme of things, and they were unable to collect a quality win in their biggest challenge in a while as they lost to a solid Blake team to end the week. New Ulm provides a good test this week and then the match up vs Dodge County has all kinds of magnitude for their Section 1A seed hopes as they have to win that game or they will be looking at a road Quarterfinal Game after a record breaking year.
18. Proctor (13-10-1)
Past Week Results: L 2-5 Duluth Marshall, W 5-1 North Shore
Upcoming Schedule: 2/11 vs Duluth Denfeld
The Rails lost to Duluth Marshall, which isn’t catastrophic when said opponent has also tied the likes of Hermantown. They did win the more important game of the week as by taking down North Shore they locked up the #4 seed in 7A which will give them home ice again to begin the playoffs. This week just one game left and it will be a good test vs a Denfeld team that is better than their record suggests and owns few wins over quality Class A teams on the year.
19. River Lakes (14-8-2)
Past Week Results: L 1-2 Pine City, L 3-4 OT #25 Fergus Falls
Upcoming Schedule: 2/11 vs Willmar
The Stars came back to earth some after their recent surge and picked a bad time to have their worst week of the season, losing to Pine City at home most likely cost them a home playoff game and they followed that up with a road loss to Fergus Falls, a team they handled early in the year. Now they finish up the regular season with a home conference game vs struggling Willmar, a game they really want to win to have some good vibes before heading into what looks like a tough and deep Section 5A Sectional.
20. Red Lake Falls (21-3-0)
Past Week Results: W 10-1 Wadena Deer Creek, W 5-2 #24 Thief River Falls, W 12-1 Greenway
Upcoming Schedule: 2/11 @ Crookston
The Eagles continue their upward trend as they head toward sections, having now won eleven in a row for 21 wins overall, the most in program history, with the win over Thief River Falls as the headliner; which will give them chance at the #3 seed in 8A, their highest in program history. The last week will say a lot, as the rematch with Crookston, a team that beat them the first time around, is a must win if they want to put the exclamation mark on a record breaking year.
Next Five Notable Teams
Detroit Lakes (8-13-3)- The Lakers were able to tie a good Little Falls team that they outplayed to begin the week but they again were only able to score twice on 60 plus shots. They then dropped the finale of the week to Hibbing as they were shutout again that is 7 times now they have been shutout in the last 16 games and they have gone (2-12-2) in that stretch. They still own wins over Sauk Rapids, TRF and season split with Alex to stay here but they are in big trouble if they don't find offense fast.
Sauk Rapids (15-8-1)- The Storm picked up two more wins this week as they took down St Cloud Public before winning a wild shootout game over 5A Princeton where they needed to eventually outscore the Tigers to secure the #6 seed. This is going to be Class A’s scariest low seed and they will be a nightmare match up for whoever draws the #3 seed and this week they look to wrap up a strong year with a win over struggling Northern Edge.
Alexandria (11-12-0)- Alexandria had a disappointing week as while there is no shame in getting swept by Little Falls and losing on the road to Champlin Park they still probably were hoping for better results. They did get a win over St Cloud Public and this week they have a must win game vs Fergus Falls as the winner of that match up will determine the #2 seed in 6A, though we will likely see a rematch in the Semifinal round at the MAC.
Thief River Falls (8-10-1) - The Prowlers loss to Red Lake Falls leaves them winless vs the top four teams in 8A as they have head to head loss vs Warroad, EGF, Detroit Lakes and now the Eagles, leaving us with the same questions we’ve had about this group since the beginning of the year as it's been one of their worst seasons in a long time. They are staring at a road playoff Quarterfinal Game for the first time in over 20 years unless they can beat the Greenwave this week.
Fergus Falls (12-11-0)- The Otters have been up and down this season overall, but they have performed much better than many expected and a late season win over River Lakes shows they still have some real high end potential and a shot at winning a pretty open 6A as they played Northern Lake tight just last week. If they can beat Alexandria this week, a team that has owned them over the years, it’ll be a sure sign they’re on to something as they enter the playoffs.