AA Rankings for 1/17/21

[karl(east)]

Things were pretty stable outside of a couple Lake Conference surprises in week one, which reminds me why I often don’t put out rankings after week one, but it’s a weird year and we’re all here with nothing better to do so why not. Your rankings:

1. Eden Prairie (1-0)
-A 6-2 win over St. Michael-Albertville doesn’t change much here, so the Eagles hold their position at the top as they head into Lake Conference play. Neither of their opponents this week got off to stellar starts, and we know they’ll be up for their rivals, so how do the Eagles handle this?
This week: Thurs vs. Wayzata, Sat vs. #12 Edina

2. Maple Grove (2-0)
-The Crimson put the state on notice with an explosive first week, hanging eight goals on Elk River and seven on a respectable Champlin Park team. They did give up three in each, but let’s not get too picky here: this team is very good. This Saturday’s clash with Totino, a mystery team that could contend for the section, starts a run of decent opponents for them.
This week: Tues vs. Osseo, Sat vs. 15 Totino-Grace

3. Hill-Murray (1-0)
-The Pioneers got tested more than most of the other top teams in week one, but Mahtomedi was a better opponent than anyone most of those teams played, and they pulled out the win. Thus, no movement in the rankings. The Chaska game has an outside shot of being interesting, while the contest with Rapids on Saturday should be one of the highlights of the coming week.
This week: Tues at Chaska, Thurs vs. #10 Grand Rapids

4. St. Thomas Academy (2-0)
-The Hastings game was perhaps a bit more adventurous than the Cadets bargained for, but they came back with a decisive win over Holy Family to retain a top five ranking. We’ll get a better handle on that Hastings game over the coming week: was it a fluke?
This week: Tues vs. Tartan, Sat vs. Hastings

5. Prior Lake (2-0)
-Like a bunch of teams in here in the rankings, the Lakers found their first week to be smooth sailing. The opposition gets somewhat more challenging this week; we’ll see what Rosemount has left in the tank.
This week: Thurs at Rosemount, Sat at Burnsville

6. Lakeville South (2-0)
-All systems go for the Cougars so far, who shut out Eagan and Eastview in back-to-back running time victories. Welcome to the South Suburban in 2021, I suppose. The renewal of the crosstown rivalry headlines the coming week, though North is not looking like their chief rival for the section so far.
This week: Thurs vs. Shakopee, Sat vs. Lakeville North

7. Cretin-Derham Hall (2-0)
-The Raiders took care of business, which is probably something we’re going to say a lot this season; at some point we’ll have to do some excessive reading into scores to try to rank them, but after two games, I’m not ready to make any sort of move based on that. A game with White Bear, which is one of the few they could plausibly lose, is up this week.
This week: Tues at Park (Cottage Grove, Thurs vs. White Bear Lake

8. Benilde-St. Margaret’s (2-0)
-It was all fun and games for the Red Knights in their two openers, including a comfortable defeat of St. Michael-Albertville. The upcoming week is their most interesting one in the first half of the season, with the defending Class A champs and a Blake team that served some notice in the season’s first week.
This week: Wed vs. Mahtomedi, Sat at #14 Blake

9. Minnetonka (1-0)
-Blitzed Bloomington Jefferson, which doesn’t say a whole ton but certainly doesn’t hurt. They now jump straight in to Lake Conference fun.
This week: Thurs at #12 Edina, Sat vs. Wayzata

10. Grand Rapids (2-0)
-The Thunderhawks are doing what they need to do so far, with the 3-0 victory over Moorhead being the best early sign. This Saturday’s content will give us a real sense of whether they deserve to be a top ten team.
This week: Tues vs. Duluth Marshall, Sat at #3 Hill-Murray

11. Roseau (2-0)
-Plenty of positives for the Rams, who thrashed Bemidji and won comfortably against a Grand Forks team that had beaten Class A contender East Grand Forks. That’s encouraging, though it’s hard to make any big moves on that alone at this point. On paper they should be able to roll again this coming week.
This week: Tues vs. Thief River Falls, Sat at St. Cloud

12. Edina (1-0-1)
-The Hornets took one of the bigger stumbles in week one when they tied St. Louis Park. It’s too early to read too much into it, but it’s something to keep an eye on, and they now launch into a nasty stretch of five straight games against top five teams.
This week: Thurs vs. #9 Minnetonka, Sat at #1 Eden Prairie

13. Centennial (2-0)
-Steamrolled Anoka and Elk River in their opening week. After one more layup things start to get more interesting, beginning with Champlin on Saturday.
This week: Thurs vs. Spring Lake Park, Sat vs. Champlin Park

14. Blake (1-0)
-Few teams did more to raise their stock in the first week than the Bears did, as a win over Wayzata thrusts them firmly back into the 6AA conversation and ups their odds of a top four seed. Now, test number two: Benilde.
This week: Tues vs. Providence Academy, Sat vs. #8 Benilde-St. Margaret’s

15. Totino-Grace (0-0)
-The Eagles’ opener fell victim to the weather. Now, can this group hold up when confronted with the Crimson juggernaut?
This week: Thurs vs. Osseo, Sat at #2 Maple Grove

The Next Ten

Hastings (1-1)
-The Raiders gave St. Thomas a very good run but came up short. They turn right around and get a second crack at the Cadets this week, in addition to a good Holy Family team. The schedule softens considerably after that, so what they do over the next week will likely carry their ranking into March.

Wayzata (0-1)
-Controlled the flow of play against Blake, but that, of course, does not win hockey games, and they suffered a four-goal defeat. Two big conference opponents, Eden Prairie and Minnetonka, will gives us a sense of whether this was a fluke or a trend.

Rosemount (2-0)
-The Irish are off to a decent start, beating Burnsville in a game with 3AA implications and rolling over Shakopee. Is it enough to contend in 3AA, though? Their game with Prior Lake this week will tell us a lot more.

Stillwater (1-0)
-Beat Park, which changes little. Roseville and Mounds View are up this week, which will also likely change little.

St. Louis Park (1-0-1)
-The Orioles are probably the most pleasant surprise of the first week, as they fought Edina to a draw and beat Chaska as well. Chanhassen and Bloomington Kennedy await this week, so they could certainly keep up the momentum.

Andover (2-0)
-The Huskies are off to a respectable start and might yet be one of the top teams in 7AA, so we’ll slide them back in here. Elk River awaits in an important section game on Saturday.

Moorhead (0-1)
-The Spuds stuck around with Rapids for a while before falling, so I won’t cast them from the top 25 on that alone. They can shore up their section credentials this week when they face Brainerd and St. Michael-Albertville.

White Bear Lake (2-0)
-It wasn’t flashy, but the Bears got two wins. We’ll get a better measure on this rebuilding group when they face Cretin.

Champlin Park (0-1)
-A lopsided loss to Maple Grove doesn’t have the Rebels looking like contenders, but it’s just one game, so I won’t dump them yet. Centennial gives them a chance to prove themselves this week.

St. Cloud (2-0)
-I’m grasping at straws for a 25th team to round this out, but St. Cloud won twice by large margins this past week, including one over 6A contender Sartell, so we’ll run with it. Roseau is up next.

Lots of interesting games over the coming week, so this should be a little less inventive next week. It’s good to be back!

[HSLinemaker]

Thanks Karl. Wonderful job.

[WestMetro]

Well done !

That Pio Zeph game last nite was a good one !

Also- good to hear Zach and Danny back on Kfan for the
Blake Wayz game !

[edgeless2]

Thank You!

[GoldenBear]

Great Sunday morning read Karl! Thanks ! GB

[East Side Pioneer Guy]

Can we get some perspective on the Edina - SLP game? When was the last time SLP beat or tied Edina? I recall SLP had a Mr hockey about 10 years back, how did those squads fare against Edina?

[Orty]

The best part of Sunday morning - the rankings. Thanks for doing this. Awesome job!

[east hockey]

Can we get some perspective on the Edina - SLP game? When was the last time SLP beat or tied Edina? I recall SLP had a Mr hockey about 10 years back, how did those squads fare against Edina?

11/29/05: SLP 3, Edina 2

Lee

[WestMetro]

I was clicking around and saw a lot of this one , finally switched to watch end of Denfeld Deast.

Story- 9th grade SLP goalie Middleton was unbelievable ! Something like 55 saves . Just imagine it - Edina association kid, 9th grade, first varsity game , at Braemar , OT , 55 saves

Wandmacher 2 comeback goals . He is really good

Sogs were like 3 to 1 I think

SLP will be decent this year

[Chip_pucks_deep]

St. Cloud is an absolute wagon this year. The St. Cloud and Roseau game this week should be fun.

[CornerBar]

St. Cloud is an absolute wagon this year. The St. Cloud and Roseau game this week should be fun.

This guy isn't wrong. This game might be a lot closer than people expect... Remember St. Cloud beat them last year and Roseau's roster has stayed pretty much the same and St. Cloud still returns Falloon and Rud. I also forgot to mention Theo Rieland and Ripley Garden who are off to hot starts also.

Bottom line, St. Cloud just might be a wagon this year. Hop on while you can!

[WestMetro]

Kudos to Karl for correctly picking Tonka ahead of Edina. And Newhouse didnt even play last nite, still on IR. Note Beckett Hendrickson got first varsity goal as freshman, will be lots more to come this year. (Probably will get NTDP invite)