7A 2015-2016 Prediction

[pekyman]

Not fired up at all. Im super nervous for what tues night brings. I have alot of respect for what they have over there and want to be sure that people understand how good a game this could be. My blood is blue. Always has been. Hibbing has taken care of business to this point and that is all a fan can ask for. Kids play hard and with respect. I just feel that one ot loss and a 9-1 record is better than others want to give the credit for. Hibbing I do believe has a team that can take down Hermantown. When the Greenway game is done I can then move onto putting the stats out there as to why Hermantown as good as they are, is over rated this year and it will be a tough task to get to state and odds are they dont get to state champ game if they are lucky enough to get there. Hibbing on the other hand has the fire power and goal tending to make alot of noise

You are exactly right on Hermantown and the main reason they are over rated is because of Rainier's bloviating to push his agenda. No reason why Hibbing can't win 7A this year and I said it before the season even started.

[pekyman]

7A pretty much went as expected this season, but there were a couple surprises as Greenway proved their resurgence was for real by getting a top 5 seed and taking Hibbing to OT in the playoffs, and the Duluth Marshall opt up made a Cinderella-like run through 7A more realisitic, as now underdogs will only need one major upset to win the section.

It's early, but here's how I see it for next year:

1. Hermantown-Still the strong favorite to go to the X, the Hawks lose some offensive potency as they will return only 46% of their goal scoring and 47% of their points. However, this is a team that scored a ton of goals this past season, and they pretty much just reload every year.

Any offensive regression-albeit small-could be offset by their improved defense. They only lose one D-man from this year's team, and their top 4 of Aamodt, Gotz, Sandelin, and Samberg could be as good as any in the state. Add to this the fact that Olson will return in nets after a tremendous season this year, and the Hawks may not need any offense with how stingy they will be in their own end.

Hibbing may be able to close the gap a little this year, but will it be enough to finally unseat the Hawks?

Hawks lose 2 senior D, Kimball and Gibson not 1. Sandelin is actually a forward that played D and Samberg was injured most of the year and played very little.
If Sandelin plays forward, that only leaves Aamodt and Gotz as returners. Aamodt, one of the top D in the state as a junior, may decide to leave.

Hermantown loses 5 senior forwards from lines 1-3, and you don’t replace a Pionk-Kero combo. Major loses at forward for Hermantown.

Next year’s team will be more like last year’s team; a few seniors, mostly juniors and maybe a few sophomores.

If there ever was a year for somebody to knock Hermantown out at sections, 2015/16 would be it.
I would pick Hibbing to do just that, but there seems to be a nasty curse against all the teams that try...

...

[rainier]

Not fired up at all. Im super nervous for what tues night brings. I have alot of respect for what they have over there and want to be sure that people understand how good a game this could be. My blood is blue. Always has been. Hibbing has taken care of business to this point and that is all a fan can ask for. Kids play hard and with respect. I just feel that one ot loss and a 9-1 record is better than others want to give the credit for. Hibbing I do believe has a team that can take down Hermantown. When the Greenway game is done I can then move onto putting the stats out there as to why Hermantown as good as they are, is over rated this year and it will be a tough task to get to state and odds are they dont get to state champ game if they are lucky enough to get there. Hibbing on the other hand has the fire power and goal tending to make alot of noise

You are exactly right on Hermantown and the main reason they are over rated is because of Rainier's bloviating to push his agenda. No reason why Hibbing can't win 7A this year and I said it before the season even started.

Pretty sure you and howardst are the only people who think Hermantown is overrated. And you keep mentioning my agenda, which is fine, but every time I will also point out your agenda, which is to downplay how good the Hawks are in hopes of slowing the tsunami of derision directed towards your team for sandbagging in Class A. A strategy which is failing miserably if you read the comments on here and ask 99.99% of HS hockey fans.

Overrated? Who will be the consensus #1 in A this week? Breck. Who is the only team Breck has lost to? Wayzata. And how did Hermantown do against Wayzata? They beat them!

You keep displaying the mentality that drives people nuts, the one where if Hermantown can't beat everyone in AA all the time, then they really aren't that good and they belong in A. By your logic, Rapids, who beat Edina and Tonka, should move back down to A because they lost to BSM, EP, and ER.

You want your guaranteed 23 win season and trip to state every year. Just admit it. You would rather kick butt in A than be part of the parity that exists in the top 15 in AA. The thought that you might have a year or two where nobody talks about your team is too much to bear.

Someone mentioned that the Hawks showed no enthusiasm or emotion in their loss to Tonka. My theory is that these kids did great against all these top AA teams throughout youth, and they proved they can still do it by beating Wayzata this year, but once they saw Marshall beat East it really hit home for them that someone is screwing them by keeping them in A. They are being robbed of their chance to show what they can really do against the best competition in the state, and now its affecting their play.

The team that Hermantown has owned forever moved up to AA and went and beat 7AA juggernaut East. That makes Hermantown look even worse. Sure would be nice if the Hawks could get a crack at the Hounds, but Randolph sees what's going on and he'll have no part of the charade going on in the swamp behind the mall.

You and howardst can rip on the Hawks all you want and talk about how overrated they are, but until Hibbing beats a team the caliber of Wayzata I will continue to think Hermantown is the favorite in 7A. I'd like nothing more than for Hibbing to win 7A, but I think it will be a decent upset if they do it.

[pekyman]

Not fired up at all. Im super nervous for what tues night brings. I have alot of respect for what they have over there and want to be sure that people understand how good a game this could be. My blood is blue. Always has been. Hibbing has taken care of business to this point and that is all a fan can ask for. Kids play hard and with respect. I just feel that one ot loss and a 9-1 record is better than others want to give the credit for. Hibbing I do believe has a team that can take down Hermantown. When the Greenway game is done I can then move onto putting the stats out there as to why Hermantown as good as they are, is over rated this year and it will be a tough task to get to state and odds are they dont get to state champ game if they are lucky enough to get there. Hibbing on the other hand has the fire power and goal tending to make alot of noise

You are exactly right on Hermantown and the main reason they are over rated is because of Rainier's bloviating to push his agenda. No reason why Hibbing can't win 7A this year and I said it before the season even started.

Pretty sure you and howardst are the only people who think Hermantown is overrated. And you keep mentioning my agenda, which is fine, but every time I will also point out your agenda, which is to downplay how good the Hawks are in hopes of slowing the tsunami of derision directed towards your team for sandbagging in Class A. A strategy which is failing miserably if you read the comments on here and ask 99.99% of HS hockey fans.

Overrated? Who will be the consensus #1 in A this week? Breck. Who is the only team Breck has lost to? Wayzata. And how did Hermantown do against Wayzata? They beat them!

You keep displaying the mentality that drives people nuts, the one where if Hermantown can't beat everyone in AA all the time, then they really aren't that good and they belong in A. By your logic, Rapids, who beat Edina and Tonka, should move back down to A because they lost to BSM, EP, and ER.

You want your guaranteed 23 win season and trip to state every year. Just admit it. You would rather kick butt in A than be part of the parity that exists in the top 15 in AA. The thought that you might have a year or two where nobody talks about your team is too much to bear.

Someone mentioned that the Hawks showed no enthusiasm or emotion in their loss to Tonka. My theory is that these kids did great against all these top AA teams throughout youth, and they proved they can still do it by beating Wayzata this year, but once they saw Marshall beat East it really hit home for them that someone is screwing them by keeping them in A. They are being robbed of their chance to show what they can really do against the best competition in the state, and now its affecting their play.

The team that Hermantown has owned forever moved up to AA and went and beat 7AA juggernaut East. That makes Hermantown look even worse. Sure would be nice if the Hawks could get a crack at the Hounds, but Randolph sees what's going on and he'll have no part of the charade going on in the swamp behind the mall.

You and howardst can rip on the Hawks all you want and talk about how overrated they are, but until Hibbing beats a team the caliber of Wayzata I will continue to think Hermantown is the favorite in 7A. I'd like nothing more than for Hibbing to win 7A, but I think it will be a decent upset if they do it.

Proctor beat Marshall this year Rainier
You need to find something else to focus on.
Sorry I put a quarter in you.

[rainier]

You are exactly right on Hermantown and the main reason they are over rated is because of Rainier's bloviating to push his agenda. No reason why Hibbing can't win 7A this year and I said it before the season even started.

Pretty sure you and howardst are the only people who think Hermantown is overrated. And you keep mentioning my agenda, which is fine, but every time I will also point out your agenda, which is to downplay how good the Hawks are in hopes of slowing the tsunami of derision directed towards your team for sandbagging in Class A. A strategy which is failing miserably if you read the comments on here and ask 99.99% of HS hockey fans.

Overrated? Who will be the consensus #1 in A this week? Breck. Who is the only team Breck has lost to? Wayzata. And how did Hermantown do against Wayzata? They beat them!

You keep displaying the mentality that drives people nuts, the one where if Hermantown can't beat everyone in AA all the time, then they really aren't that good and they belong in A. By your logic, Rapids, who beat Edina and Tonka, should move back down to A because they lost to BSM, EP, and ER.

You want your guaranteed 23 win season and trip to state every year. Just admit it. You would rather kick butt in A than be part of the parity that exists in the top 15 in AA. The thought that you might have a year or two where nobody talks about your team is too much to bear.

Someone mentioned that the Hawks showed no enthusiasm or emotion in their loss to Tonka. My theory is that these kids did great against all these top AA teams throughout youth, and they proved they can still do it by beating Wayzata this year, but once they saw Marshall beat East it really hit home for them that someone is screwing them by keeping them in A. They are being robbed of their chance to show what they can really do against the best competition in the state, and now its affecting their play.

The team that Hermantown has owned forever moved up to AA and went and beat 7AA juggernaut East. That makes Hermantown look even worse. Sure would be nice if the Hawks could get a crack at the Hounds, but Randolph sees what's going on and he'll have no part of the charade going on in the swamp behind the mall.

You and howardst can rip on the Hawks all you want and talk about how overrated they are, but until Hibbing beats a team the caliber of Wayzata I will continue to think Hermantown is the favorite in 7A. I'd like nothing more than for Hibbing to win 7A, but I think it will be a decent upset if they do it.

Proctor beat Marshall this year Rainier
You need to find something else to focus on.
Sorry I put a quarter in you.

Save your quarter. You're gonna need it, the price of sand has been going up.

[howardst]

So by your logic Proctor beat Marshall, Marshall beat East, Greenway killed Proctor so that is a HUGE win. lol Nope dont agree with the logic

[elliott70]

So by your logic Proctor beat Marshall, Marshall beat East, Greenway killed Proctor so that is a HUGE win. lol Nope dont agree with the logic

Your Greenway team beat Proctor with several of their players sitting out.

[howardst]

yup and my bluejackets beat egf with a great player out. Fact is what you have to do is look at the body of work against who is on your schedule. cant control what is put infront of you but just your actions. Arizona Cardinal loss to the Chiefs and the Chargers so that means they will be seeded below them in the playoffs? lol Nope exactly

[Jeffy95]

Not fired up at all. Im super nervous for what tues night brings. I have alot of respect for what they have over there and want to be sure that people understand how good a game this could be. My blood is blue. Always has been. Hibbing has taken care of business to this point and that is all a fan can ask for. Kids play hard and with respect. I just feel that one ot loss and a 9-1 record is better than others want to give the credit for. Hibbing I do believe has a team that can take down Hermantown. When the Greenway game is done I can then move onto putting the stats out there as to why Hermantown as good as they are, is over rated this year and it will be a tough task to get to state and odds are they dont get to state champ game if they are lucky enough to get there. Hibbing on the other hand has the fire power and goal tending to make alot of noise

You are exactly right on Hermantown and the main reason they are over rated is because of Rainier's bloviating to push his agenda. No reason why Hibbing can't win 7A this year and I said it before the season even started.

Pretty sure you and howardst are the only people who think Hermantown is overrated. And you keep mentioning my agenda, which is fine, but every time I will also point out your agenda, which is to downplay how good the Hawks are in hopes of slowing the tsunami of derision directed towards your team for sandbagging in Class A. A strategy which is failing miserably if you read the comments on here and ask 99.99% of HS hockey fans.

Overrated? Who will be the consensus #1 in A this week? Breck. Who is the only team Breck has lost to? Wayzata. And how did Hermantown do against Wayzata? They beat them!

You keep displaying the mentality that drives people nuts, the one where if Hermantown can't beat everyone in AA all the time, then they really aren't that good and they belong in A. By your logic, Rapids, who beat Edina and Tonka, should move back down to A because they lost to BSM, EP, and ER.

You want your guaranteed 23 win season and trip to state every year. Just admit it. You would rather kick butt in A than be part of the parity that exists in the top 15 in AA. The thought that you might have a year or two where nobody talks about your team is too much to bear.

Someone mentioned that the Hawks showed no enthusiasm or emotion in their loss to Tonka. My theory is that these kids did great against all these top AA teams throughout youth, and they proved they can still do it by beating Wayzata this year, but once they saw Marshall beat East it really hit home for them that someone is screwing them by keeping them in A. They are being robbed of their chance to show what they can really do against the best competition in the state, and now its affecting their play.

The team that Hermantown has owned forever moved up to AA and went and beat 7AA juggernaut East. That makes Hermantown look even worse. Sure would be nice if the Hawks could get a crack at the Hounds, but Randolph sees what's going on and he'll have no part of the charade going on in the swamp behind the mall.

You and howardst can rip on the Hawks all you want and talk about how overrated they are, but until Hibbing beats a team the caliber of Wayzata I will continue to think Hermantown is the favorite in 7A. I'd like nothing more than for Hibbing to win 7A, but I think it will be a decent upset if they do it.

It seems like you can't go anywhere nowadays without people complaining that Hermantown should move up to AA. It reminds me of the STA situation a few years back. It's interesting to look at the irony in Quotes from Hermantown coach Bruce Plante in March 2012 about STA:

"I don't want to make it sound like I'm sour grapes or weird that way," Plante said. "All the coaches in the state think they should be playing (Class) AA. I just ran into a coach down the hall who is an AA coach, and he thinks they should be playing AA."

Everyone is saying the same about Hermantown now.

Plante said the Cadets were "an AA school playing Single-A hockey."

Plante always references enrollment when people ask why they don't move up. STA had a smaller enrollment than Hermantown in 2012.

They can get players from everywhere, anywhere. All our kids are hometown kids."

Not the case anymore. They have kids from other towns on their High School team, with many, many more in their Youth system.

"Nine out of every 10 people will be cheering for Hermantown (in the Class A final), probably just because they know we're the underdog,"

Hermantown was actually the favorite in that game, ranked #1 in the State ahead of STA.

Adding that the Cadets play a Class AA schedule "all year long. If we played an AA schedule all year long, we wouldn't have anybody left. We'd get the (stuff) kicked out of us. It's hard for us to compete with these kinds of teams. It really is."

Hermantown plays a AA heavy schedule now, and they compete with all of them, even knocking off #5 ranked AA Wayzata.

On STA moving up:

"People in the hockey world of Minnesota would applaud them," Plante said. "They're probably one of the five best teams in the state every year.

No doubt people would applaud Hermantown too, and they seem to be right in that top 5 neighborhood every year too.

[elliott70]

yup and my bluejackets beat egf with a great player out. Fact is what you have to do is look at the body of work against who is on your schedule. cant control what is put infront of you but just your actions. Arizona Cardinal loss to the Chiefs and the Chargers so that means they will be seeded below them in the playoffs? lol Nope exactly

What???

[rainier]

7A Rankings: Team Name [overall record (7A record)]

1. Hermantown [7-1-1 (2-0)] The Hawks obliterated E-G, beating them 10-0 and outshooting them 61-4! Their only blemishes are to AA teams, and they continue to look like the team to beat in 7A.

This week could be very interesting for the Hawks, as they open the Hilltopper classic by playing Delano, a team that put up 7 goals on Breck. If they win that game, they will likely cruise to the title game where Bemidji looks to be the most likely opponent. (Don't know how good Notre Dame Academy is.) Can the Hawks run the gaunlet and come out unscathed? (I hope not )

2. Hibbing [9-0 (2-0)] The Bluejackets beat Greenway 4-2 in a great game that gives Hibbing even more of a hold on the #2 spot. A win over Denfeld later in the season would likely seal up at least #2, even if Greenway wins the 2nd matchup.

Now that Rapids pulled out of the Perpich North-South Challenge, Hibbing will only play two teams next Mon-Tue. They start off with a great test vs Brainerd on Monday. Despite dominating and outshooting Brainerd 46-18 last year, Mick was a wall in nets as the Warriors won 2-1 in OT. Before the season I had this game penciled in as a sure win for Hibbing, but Brainerd is showing it will be anything but that. I now think these teams are probably pretty even, and I expect a tight game.

Hibbing then plays Northern Lakes on Tuesday, a team they should beat.

3. Denfeld [5-4-1 (3-1)] The Hunters lost to St. Cloud Cathedral 3-1, a team ranked above them in most polls. From their results so far and what I saw during the Hermantown game, this team is offensively challenged. They play good defense and have a great goalie, but goals have been hard to come by.

They have an interesting opening to their own holiday tourney, as they take on St. Louis Park. This should be a good game, and if they take care of business they will likely find themselves in the title game with SPA, which would be a great test for the Hunters.

4. Greenway [9-2 (4-2)] Even though howardst will want to choke me out for not moving them ahead of Denfeld, I'm keeping the Raiders at #4 despite them showing vs Hibbing that they are more than capable of competing. But, they lost at home by two to a top ten team, and Denfeld lost by two on the road to a team at or near the top ten. That just isn't enough of a difference for me to move the green past the maroon.

When I look at Greenway's schedule the rest of the way, the only games I see them being an underdog are vs Hibbing and Hermantown. North Shore and St. Paul Johnson may gave them a game, but the Raiders are looking at a 21 or 22 win season, which is phenomenal.

They should win the Schwan Cup open division.

5. North Shore [8-1 (2-0)] The Storm took care of business by pounding Hayward, and thus they remain at #5. If they can continue to beat the teams below them, then they will have two chances vs Greenway and one shot vs Denfeld to move up the seeding rankings. Those three games look to be the only ones where North Shore will be tested against a possibly better team. Looking at their home holiday tourney teams, the Storm should cruise to the title.

6. I-Falls [4-5-1 (1-3-1)] The Broncos won their only game of the week, and their 3 goal victory over Proctor keeps them ahead of the Rails. They play in the Warroad tourney next week, and if they play well they may come out 2-1 or even 3-0. They still have four games vs Greenway and North Shore, so there are chances to make some noise, but it hard to see them winning any of those games.

7. Proctor [8-5 (2-2)] The Rails did what they needed to do vs bad teams this past week, albeit only winning by one goal in each. They still have games vs Denfeld, Hibbing, and North Shore where they can move up.

8. Eveleth-Gilbert [3-7-1 (2--1)] The Bears got eviscerated by Hermantown, as expected. For a team that at least showed some spark early on, they are 0-5-1 in their last six and will be hard pressed to move up much.

9. VMIB [2-6-2 (0-2-2)] Perhaps the Blue Devils are finally starting to show some of the promise I thought they would have this season, as they took AA Eagan to the limit and lost by one goal, which is the same margin Denfeld lost to Eagan by. Virginia has had a relatively tough schedule (Rapids, Cloquet, Denfeld, Eagan, Greenway), but ties to E-G and I-Falls have held them back. Perhaps playing a tougher schedule will pay off as the season moves along, and after the North-South games vs Northern Lakes and Brainerd this week, the Devils will have tons of chances to move up. (Hibbing twice, Greenway, North Shore, Cathedral, Apollo, etc.)

Where is PuckRanger? I'd sure appreciate some insight into Virgina's season so far. Their best players are sophomores, and their bantam teams appears to be very solid, so in a year or two they should be back in the top 3-4 7A teams. Come back, PuckRanger!

10. Ely [3-3-1 (0-2)] The T-Wolves are holding steady at .500. They lost 9-1 to E-G, so I don’t see them moving up at anytime this season.

7A Game of the Week: There doesn't appear to be any 7A clashes this week, but the following games will be interesting:

Hermantown vs Delano-Can Delano show that they should belong in the very upper echelon of Single A? Can Hermantown put their foot down and send a message that Breck is the only team in their league?

Hibbing vs Brainerd-This should be the best team the Bluejackets have faced this season. Can they exorcise the demon from last year's frustrating loss to the Warriors?

[kniven]

Not fired up at all. Im super nervous for what tues night brings. I have alot of respect for what they have over there and want to be sure that people understand how good a game this could be. My blood is blue. Always has been. Hibbing has taken care of business to this point and that is all a fan can ask for. Kids play hard and with respect. I just feel that one ot loss and a 9-1 record is better than others want to give the credit for. Hibbing I do believe has a team that can take down Hermantown. When the Greenway game is done I can then move onto putting the stats out there as to why Hermantown as good as they are, is over rated this year and it will be a tough task to get to state and odds are they dont get to state champ game if they are lucky enough to get there. Hibbing on the other hand has the fire power and goal tending to make alot of noise

You are exactly right on Hermantown and the main reason they are over rated is because of Rainier's bloviating to push his agenda. No reason why Hibbing can't win 7A this year and I said it before the season even started.

Hermantown has 6 elite league players at a minimum and just enialated Eveleth 100 shots on goal to 3. Very impressive.

[rainier]

Not fired up at all. Im super nervous for what tues night brings. I have alot of respect for what they have over there and want to be sure that people understand how good a game this could be. My blood is blue. Always has been. Hibbing has taken care of business to this point and that is all a fan can ask for. Kids play hard and with respect. I just feel that one ot loss and a 9-1 record is better than others want to give the credit for. Hibbing I do believe has a team that can take down Hermantown. When the Greenway game is done I can then move onto putting the stats out there as to why Hermantown as good as they are, is over rated this year and it will be a tough task to get to state and odds are they dont get to state champ game if they are lucky enough to get there. Hibbing on the other hand has the fire power and goal tending to make alot of noise

You are exactly right on Hermantown and the main reason they are over rated is because of Rainier's bloviating to push his agenda. No reason why Hibbing can't win 7A this year and I said it before the season even started.

Hermantown has 6 elite league players at a minimum and just enialated Eveleth 100 shots on goal to 3. Very impressive.

I appreciate the sentiment, kniven.

Actually, Hermantown had 7 players play in the Elite League, 3 in the Elite Prep League, and their goalie has put up outstanding numbers throughout his varsity career. Even their backup goalie is a former Elite Prep goalie.

And acording to the Hub, the shots were 61-4.

[northwoods oldtimer]

You are exactly right on Hermantown and the main reason they are over rated is because of Rainier's bloviating to push his agenda. No reason why Hibbing can't win 7A this year and I said it before the season even started.

Hermantown has 6 elite league players at a minimum and just enialated Eveleth 100 shots on goal to 3. Very impressive.

I appreciate the sentiment, kniven.

Actually, Hermantown had 7 players play in the Elite League, 3 in the Elite Prep League, and their goalie has put up outstanding numbers throughout his varsity career. Even their backup goalie is a former Elite Prep goalie.

And acording to the Hub, the shots were 61-4.

That poor little single A team from Hermantown put a beating on Eveleth. They are who we thought they are.

[kniven]

You are exactly right on Hermantown and the main reason they are over rated is because of Rainier's bloviating to push his agenda. No reason why Hibbing can't win 7A this year and I said it before the season even started.

Hermantown has 6 elite league players at a minimum and just enialated Eveleth 100 shots on goal to 3. Very impressive.

I appreciate the sentiment, kniven.

Actually, Hermantown had 7 players play in the Elite League, 3 in the Elite Prep League, and their goalie has put up outstanding numbers throughout his varsity career. Even their backup goalie is a former Elite Prep goalie.

And acording to the Hub, the shots were 61-4.

So 10 elite league players. Yes. That's impressive, and they have about that same number every year. I can see both sides point of view on moving up. The Hawks aren't breaking any rules staying were they are.

[Hermhawkey]

The only thing Hermantown is guilty of, is developing what they have. Our BAA team started out with a mostly losing season(currently ranked 25th). With amazing coaching they have recently won 6 of the last 7 games beating... Elk River, Blaine, Edina, and Sibley (3 of 4 are 5 teams). As an example..We have 3 bantam teams and Edina has 10. Say what you want but our program is one that makes the most of its kids. That is what is is all about. Carry on with your whining.

[kniven]

The only thing Hermantown is guilty of, is developing what they have. Our BAA team started out with a mostly losing season(currently ranked 25th). With amazing coaching they have recently won 6 of the last 7 games beating... Elk River, Blaine, Edina, and Sibley (3 of 4 are 5 teams). As an example..We have 3 bantam teams and Edina has 10. Say what you want but our program is one that makes the most of its kids. That is what is is all about. Carry on with your whining.

I'm not whining. The Hawks of Hermantown aren't breaking any rules so stay in A. No problems here .

[PuckRanger]

Where is PuckRanger? I'd sure appreciate some insight into Virgina's season so far. Their best players are sophomores, and their bantam teams appears to be very solid, so in a year or two they should be back in the top 3-4 7A teams. Come back, PuckRanger!

Haven't gone anywhere, rainier... You've done a pretty good job summing things up, so I haven't had much to add. You're correct with your assessment. This year's team will and is going through growing pains as young teams do, but they are improving. The Finland foreign exchange student that is playing goalie for them is keeping them close in a lot of games. Despite, the poor record, they have been in every game (Even the Rapids game that ended lopsided was 3-2 well into the 3rd period). They probably don't have the depth or experience to get to a section final this year, but they likely won't be a pushover in the quarters or semis. They will get stronger next year and be more of a legitimate factor, and should be a major player the year after.

As you mentioned, they are strong at Bantams, both A & B, in fact this year's Bantam group won the state consolation championship as peewees.
They might even be stronger at the Peewee level (the numbers are very strong... They are the only Iron Range team besides Grand Rapids that has 3 peewee teams).

The Peewee A team has been ranked in the top 20 all year (currently ranked 12th with 2 ND teams ahead of them, so 10th in MN by the YHH computer rankings) and has only one loss (in OT) to an "A" program and has been competitive with the likes of Edina, Forest Lake, Andover, and some other AA metro programs. The two B teams have a combined record of 13-2-1 (both losses to Rapids who stacks a B1 team and drops the rest to B2). They lack goal tending at this level (both A & B), but if it comes around by the time they are in high school, watch out. The A team would probably be a top 5 team right now if they had solid consistent goaltending. There is no shortage of skilled forwards at this age.

So it looks like once they get there in a year or two, they will be there for several years. But for this year, they have a lot of work to do just to be competitive.

[howardst]

Well I do disagree about the Denfeld - Greenway positions in your rankings. If you were at the game tues you know that the raiders and jackets are dead even. In fact 5-5 the raiders controlled the game. PP proved to be the demise of the raiders and allowed peruni to take the game over. Those PK gassed the raiders. Hibbing should be in control of the there own destiny and I am predicting a hawk upset. Since you have not seen most of the teams in the section and elliot has not seen one (lol) I will give you the order and base it on every other official ranking out there. In fact Im alittle shocked with proctors fall. This will be the seeds come march.

Herm
Hibbing
Greenway
Denfled
North Shore
Virginia
I Falls
Proctor
Eveleth
Ely

[howardst]

Current Rankings for Sec 7A and where they sit in the State A Rankings based on numbers and body of work vs competitoin. Goal diff limited to 4 per game so blowouts dont influence the numbers. 85 Class A teams in the state.

2 Herm
3 Hibbing
7 Greenway
25 Denfled
27 North Shore
40 Virginia
42 I Falls
44 Proctor
49 Eveleth
72 Ely

[elliott70]

Well I do disagree about the Denfeld - Greenway positions in your rankings. If you were at the game tues you know that the raiders and jackets are dead even. In fact 5-5 the raiders controlled the game. PP proved to be the demise of the raiders and allowed peruni to take the game over. Those PK gassed the raiders. Hibbing should be in control of the there own destiny and I am predicting a hawk upset. Since you have not seen most of the teams in the section and elliot has not seen one (lol) I will give you the order and base it on every other official ranking out there. In fact Im alittle shocked with proctors fall. This will be the seeds come march.

Herm
Hibbing
Greenway
Denfled
North Shore
Virginia
I Falls
Proctor
Eveleth
Ely

7A teams Imhave not seen
North Shore
Proctor
Ely
Unless I change things I will not see them unless in sections/state.
I would like to see North Shore but don't see it happening.

[elliott70]

Well I do disagree about the Denfeld - Greenway positions in your rankings. If you were at the game tues you know that the raiders and jackets are dead even. In fact 5-5 the raiders controlled the game. PP proved to be the demise of the raiders and allowed peruni to take the game over. Those PK gassed the raiders. Hibbing should be in control of the there own destiny and I am predicting a hawk upset. Since you have not seen most of the teams in the section and elliot has not seen one (lol) I will give you the order and base it on every other official ranking out there. In fact Im alittle shocked with proctors fall. This will be the seeds come march.

Herm
Hibbing
Greenway
Denfled
North Shore
Virginia
I Falls
Proctor
Eveleth
Ely

7A I think still uses coaches voting not QRF.
Do not use lets play hockey.
As such section games and head to head carry some weight.
No matter your opinion, Denfeld beat Greenway. That means until something changes it, Denfeld is better than Greenway. Of course it is still,early and things could change it. Buy despite your opinion, right now Denfeld is 3.

[rainier]

Well I do disagree about the Denfeld - Greenway positions in your rankings. If you were at the game tues you know that the raiders and jackets are dead even. In fact 5-5 the raiders controlled the game. PP proved to be the demise of the raiders and allowed peruni to take the game over. Those PK gassed the raiders. Hibbing should be in control of the there own destiny and I am predicting a hawk upset. Since you have not seen most of the teams in the section and elliot has not seen one (lol) I will give you the order and base it on every other official ranking out there. In fact Im alittle shocked with proctors fall. This will be the seeds come march.

Herm
Hibbing
Greenway
Denfled
North Shore
Virginia
I Falls
Proctor
Eveleth
Ely

If Greenway and Denfeld were to play again, I would predict Greenway for sure, but if the seeds were made today, there is no way the Raiders would be ahead of the Hunters.

I do expect Greenway to pass them eventually, if not by beating Hibbing (or Herm?) then by the sheer gaudiness of their record. Greenway could be a 20 win team easily, and that may be enough to overtake their early season OT loss to Denfeld, especially considering Denfeld has a much tougher schedule and their record is likely to be close to .500.

Thus, I think your seed predictions for March are spot on.

And I was at the Greenway game and I do not think these teams are dead even. I still think Hibbing is a half step ahead. Greenway was better 5 on 5 for the first 2 periods, but using the word "controlled" seems a bit strong to me. I thought Hibbing was clearly better in the third period, due to their depth, which is why I think they are a half step ahead of the Raiders.

Yes, the penalties wore down the Raiders' top players, but they had 5 penalties and Hibbing had 3, so it's not as if there was some huge chasm in the amount of time each team had to kill penalties. And yes, Hibbing scored all their goals on the pp, but that's part of the game.

Having the top LaDoux may be the difference in the next matchup, but Hibbing will be on their larger ice sheet, which plays into their speed advantage. I would not be shocked or even mildly surprised if Greenway won the next matchup, but as of now I would still predict Hibbing to win.

Also, glad to have PuckRanger back in the fold! The Hibbing bantams are struggling mightily now, so in two years I'm sure my posting frequency will drop significantly as Virginia and Greenway assume the top seeds from the Range. (Eveleth should be a factor too.)

[howardst]

Well since you realize it will be a coaches vote I can assure you the range schools will be voting greenway over denfeld. Fact is greenway is better than denfeld. Records will prove it and I will be correct. Watch and see who has the clear vision of what is real. I'm hoping Hibbing finds a way to get something out of there 2nd and 3rd lines. I kept track off shots on goal and those two combined for 6 on the night vs green. Not exactly depth. Especially when green had 12 combined. Hmmmmm. Hibb scoring all came from one line. Green 2. It's all numbers and to this point our jackets rely on one line and one player. God forbid a injury or off day. If that happens we might not get to the semis. My seeds are what they will be.

[rainier]

Well since you realize it will be a coaches vote I can assure you the range schools will be voting greenway over denfeld. Fact is greenway is better than denfeld. Records will prove it and I will be correct. Watch and see who has the clear vision of what is real. I'm hoping Hibbing finds a way to get something out of there 2nd and 3rd lines. I kept track off shots on goal and those two combined for 6 on the night vs green. Not exactly depth. Especially when green had 12 combined. Hmmmmm. Hibb scoring all came from one line. Green 2. It's all numbers and to this point our jackets rely on one line and one player. God forbid a injury or off day. If that happens we might not get to the semis. My seeds are what they will be.

First of all, I already agreed with you that Greenway will be the #3 seed by the end of the season. Second, if you think you can compare Denfeld and Greenway's records at the end of the season, you are insane. Here are the good teams on each of their schedules:

Greenway: Denfeld, Hibbing twice, Hermantown
Denfeld: East, Rapids, Hermantown, Cloquet, Jefferson, Greenway, Hibbing, Cathedral, TRF, (every one of these teams is or would be ranked in the top 15 of A)

You can't equate their two schedules at all; two different worlds.

Hibbing only got scoring from one line you say, yet four different forwards had points in that game. Something doesn't add up.

No scoring out of the 2nd and 3rd lines? The 1st and 2nd lines have been shifting around players, but the third line has been pretty consistent with the same 3-4 players. They have a combined 16 points on the season, which is almost 2 points per game. If you don't think this is the best 3rd line Hibbing has had in a long time, then you haven't been paying attention.

Sure, they aren't going to put up big points against a top A team, but what team's 3rd line would? You're expectations are unreasonable.

With all the excitement and action going on during the Hibbing-Greenway game, you're telling me your main focus was on how many shots the 2nd and 3rd lines had for each team? Seriously?

And honestly, it doesn't make a bit of difference how many points your 2nd and 3rd lines get when your 1st line/top D puts up a ton of points.

You say Hibbing can't beat an above average team yet you also guarantee that Hibbing will beat Hermantown. That's some serious cognitive dissonance, my friend.

Never in my life have I met a Hibbing fan who rips the Bluejackets and praises Greenway with an equal amount of passion. It is very weird and I'm now convinced you're actually a Greenway fan.

Your Raiders are a good team, and I would not be surprised if they beat Hibbing in Hibbing or at Amsoil. It's not the kids' fault their schedule is weak and hopefully it will be upgraded next year. Your team has now lost to the two good teams they have played, so please tone down the "Greenway is awesome" rhetoric until they actually win a big game.