Section 7AA 2013-2014?

old goalie85 · Post by **old goalie85** » Wed Jan 29, 2014 9:02 am

Or Forest Lake.

Slammer · Post by **Slammer** » Wed Jan 29, 2014 10:52 am

offtheglas wrote:They are HS kids and the teams with some talent can upset anyone on a given night. The long shot is Andover and why not have a Cinderella team make it to the X. The biggest question is goaltender. The team (ER, GR, DE or And) with the best tender wins.

Goalie is only as good as his defense. I think defense will be the biggest factor, and DE has the best in the section.

Houndhockey · Post by **Houndhockey** » Wed Jan 29, 2014 5:26 pm

Seems to me that DJ is really grasping at straws pretty much every post he makes to try and somehow help GR get a better seed or prove that they are a top team. Flat out, they just aren't that special this year. They may be able to upset a top team, but they're miles off of what they were last year. Wouldn't be surprised to see them go in the quarters. They need to get out of the IRC and start playing a real schedule. Double digit single A schools on their schedule isn't helping them out.

MTStringer · Post by **MTStringer** » Wed Jan 29, 2014 9:58 pm

Houndhockey wrote:Seems to me that DJ is really grasping at straws pretty much every post he makes to try and somehow help GR get a better seed or prove that they are a top team. Flat out, they just aren't that special this year. They may be able to upset a top team, but they're miles off of what they were last year. Wouldn't be surprised to see them go in the quarters. They need to get out of the IRC and start playing a real schedule. Double digit single A schools on their schedule isn't helping them out.

Firstly, I highly doubt anyone posting on this forum has ability to influence the section seedings. Secondly, I would hazard a guess that most people that visit and post on this forum either rationalize their team's position in the pecking order or plug them any chance they get. I don't see how anyone would besmirch someone for hometown fervor or loyalty. After all, we all have our built-in biases.

TheHockeyDJ · Post by **TheHockeyDJ** » Wed Jan 29, 2014 10:21 pm

MTStringer wrote:
Houndhockey wrote:Seems to me that DJ is really grasping at straws pretty much every post he makes to try and somehow help GR get a better seed or prove that they are a top team. Flat out, they just aren't that special this year. They may be able to upset a top team, but they're miles off of what they were last year. Wouldn't be surprised to see them go in the quarters. They need to get out of the IRC and start playing a real schedule. Double digit single A schools on their schedule isn't helping them out.
Firstly, I highly doubt anyone posting on this forum has ability to influence the section seedings. Secondly, I would hazard a guess that most people that visit and post on this forum either rationalize their team's position in the pecking order or plug them any chance they get. I don't see how anyone would besmirch someone for hometown fervor or loyalty. After all, we all have our built-in biases.

Thank you MTStringer. Exactly points I was going to make. I had only mentioned the possibility of GR moving up from 3 last week. I highly doubt that and expect them to be a 3 seed. I haven't mentioned seeding for GR since the WBL game. Knowing where they are however still leaves in question all of the match ups. As far as I'm concerned the battle for top seed may be perceived as most belonging to Elk River. IMO though, it wouldn't take much for East to overtake the. Just my opinion, and as MTStringer posted, it is just an opinion. The coaches will vote and they mostly get it right (except for 2002). I will say, Elk River fans should be nervous about getting the 1 seed from the standpoint that Randolph is very persuasive in the section meeting. Even if you think you deserve the 1, you're in danger of being 2 simply because of what he might say. I'm not trying to take a stab at ER fans, just saying something based on what I've seen/heard in the past.

As for Grand Rapids schedule, do you think they enjoy beating a team 14-0? Do you think they believe they benefit from it? Perhaps there are circumstances you don't understand as to why they've remained in the IRC. By the way I've seen some similar scores from Elk River this year for what's it worth. Rumors have it Rapids will be dropping most of their single A games next year and perhaps adding Lakeville North, Wayzata, and Andover.

We see upsets every year in HS hockey. If Grand Rapids is considered by most an underdog, then I'd say they are a nice underdog with Sheperd in goal and Avery Peterson leading the offense. They've been without their only senior defensemen all year, so we'll see what he brings in the near future, he did skate in warmups only vs. WBL.

alcloseshaver · Post by **alcloseshaver** » Wed Jan 29, 2014 10:58 pm

Sounds like a possible Oliver Stone movie "the Randolph factor". Are you kidding me? 6 southern teams in this section that could care less about Randolph. Mike Randolph is a coaching legend and doesn't and wouldn't. Where do you come up with stuff?

Post by **karl(east)** » Wed Jan 29, 2014 11:05 pm

alcloseshaver wrote:Sounds like a possible Oliver Stone movie "the Randolph factor". Are you kidding me? 6 southern teams in this section that could care less about Randolph. Mike Randolph is a coaching legend and doesn't and wouldn't. Where do you come up with stuff?

Yeah...I'm trying to remember a time when East got a seed higher than the one they deserved. 2006 maybe, but everyone had a good argument that year, when the section was about as much of a crapshoot as a section can be. Other than that, I don't remember any.

In 2010 Elky beat East 3-2 during the regular season, though East had a huge edge in shots and was generally regarded as the more talented team. East was still the 2-seed, and fairly so.

Mike Randolph has many talents, but I don't think unusual powers of persuasion over sticky rolls at Tobies are among them.

TheHockeyDJ · Post by **TheHockeyDJ** » Wed Jan 29, 2014 11:19 pm

The example I'm thinking of is 02. Coaches voted GR at 3. Randolph said a bunch of BS and somehow GR was voted in at 5, playing at a team they beat and tied during the year. Also I think Slammer had something to say about Mike's influence, so I'm not the only one of this opinion. Again, just an opinion, I'm not throwing puppies in a river.

Post by **karl(east)** » Wed Jan 29, 2014 11:38 pm

TheHockeyDJ wrote:The example I'm thinking of is 02. Coaches voted GR at 3. Randolph said a bunch of BS and somehow GR was voted in at 5, playing at a team they beat and tied during the year. Also I think Slammer had something to say about Mike's influence, so I'm not the only one of this opinion. Again, just an opinion, I'm not throwing puppies in a river.

I'll bite on the 02 example. The team GR beat and tied, I presume, is Greenway...a team that the PS2 archives have at #2 in the entire state that season. Even if that is a bit high, they were certainly a top-10 team. Maybe you're like HSHW and you think head-to-head should prevail over rankings, but I'd hardly call a large gap in the rankings a "BS" reason. It's one I'd agree with.

The bigger mystery that season would be how Flake got the 3-seed ahead of Greenway and Rapids, but I doubt that was anything Randolph wanted, since he would've known East would be #1, and would presumably want easier teams in the 4/5 spots.

Houndhockey · Post by **Houndhockey** » Wed Jan 29, 2014 11:42 pm

TheHockeyDJ wrote:
MTStringer wrote:
Houndhockey wrote:Seems to me that DJ is really grasping at straws pretty much every post he makes to try and somehow help GR get a better seed or prove that they are a top team. Flat out, they just aren't that special this year. They may be able to upset a top team, but they're miles off of what they were last year. Wouldn't be surprised to see them go in the quarters. They need to get out of the IRC and start playing a real schedule. Double digit single A schools on their schedule isn't helping them out.
Firstly, I highly doubt anyone posting on this forum has ability to influence the section seedings. Secondly, I would hazard a guess that most people that visit and post on this forum either rationalize their team's position in the pecking order or plug them any chance they get. I don't see how anyone would besmirch someone for hometown fervor or loyalty. After all, we all have our built-in biases.
Thank you MTStringer. Exactly points I was going to make. I had only mentioned the possibility of GR moving up from 3 last week. I highly doubt that and expect them to be a 3 seed. I haven't mentioned seeding for GR since the WBL game. Knowing where they are however still leaves in question all of the match ups. As far as I'm concerned the battle for top seed may be perceived as most belonging to Elk River. IMO though, it wouldn't take much for East to overtake the. Just my opinion, and as MTStringer posted, it is just an opinion. The coaches will vote and they mostly get it right (except for 2002). I will say, Elk River fans should be nervous about getting the 1 seed from the standpoint that Randolph is very persuasive in the section meeting. Even if you think you deserve the 1, you're in danger of being 2 simply because of what he might say. I'm not trying to take a stab at ER fans, just saying something based on what I've seen/heard in the past.

As for Grand Rapids schedule, do you think they enjoy beating a team 14-0? Do you think they believe they benefit from it? Perhaps there are circumstances you don't understand as to why they've remained in the IRC. By the way I've seen some similar scores from Elk River this year for what's it worth. Rumors have it Rapids will be dropping most of their single A games next year and perhaps adding Lakeville North, Wayzata, and Andover.

We see upsets every year in HS hockey. If Grand Rapids is considered by most an underdog, then I'd say they are a nice underdog with Sheperd in goal and Avery Peterson leading the offense. They've been without their only senior defensemen all year, so we'll see what he brings in the near future, he did skate in warmups only vs. WBL.

I didn't think that he would be able to sway votes by any means. That wasn't the point I was trying to make. Obviously only the coaches are even in those discussions. What I'm saying is that he is really going out on a limb to try and compare this GR team to current DE and ER teams talent wise. Their record may look similar but the teams they play don't stack up. Even ER's schedule is way tougher than GR's. I understand hometown bias, I'm a huge cake fan, but when they are having a down year for their standards I don't try and deceive myself into thinking they are one of the elite teams. I'm just trying to get DJ too see how rose colored his GR glasses are this year. If it were last years team I would understand it a bit. This team just isn't that talented. Love your goalie and Avery, but your D is awful in its own zone and gives up way too much for Shep to overcome. I wouldn't be counting on that 1 senior D man who has been injured all year to all of a sudden right the ship. They need a few more to go along with him.

TheHockeyDJ · Post by **TheHockeyDJ** » Wed Jan 29, 2014 11:46 pm

Still, the question remains, the coaches had weeks to think about their vote, and in an hour they drop a team 2 spots? That's what seems ridiculous. I just remember the radio announcers for GR expecting a 3/6 home game vs Brainerd and thats what it was on the initial vote.

alcloseshaver · Post by **alcloseshaver** » Thu Jan 30, 2014 12:04 am

TheHockeyDJ wrote:Still, the question remains, the coaches had weeks to think about their vote, and in an hour they drop a team 2 spots? That's what seems ridiculous. I just remember the radio announcers for GR expecting a 3/6 home game vs Brainerd and thats what it was on the initial vote.

Let it go... Enjoy the season

Slammer · Post by **Slammer** » Thu Jan 30, 2014 12:18 am

TheHockeyDJ wrote:The example I'm thinking of is 02. Coaches voted GR at 3. Randolph said a bunch of BS and somehow GR was voted in at 5, playing at a team they beat and tied during the year. Also I think Slammer had something to say about Mike's influence, so I'm not the only one of this opinion. Again, just an opinion, I'm not throwing puppies in a river.

Randolph definitely does have a lot of influence at seeding meetings. All 7AA coaches have great respect for him. What coach wouldn't?

Bottom line- he will do whatever it takes to put East in a good position for sections.

alcloseshaver · Post by **alcloseshaver** » Thu Jan 30, 2014 7:34 am

Slammer wrote:
TheHockeyDJ wrote:The example I'm thinking of is 02. Coaches voted GR at 3. Randolph said a bunch of BS and somehow GR was voted in at 5, playing at a team they beat and tied during the year. Also I think Slammer had something to say about Mike's influence, so I'm not the only one of this opinion. Again, just an opinion, I'm not throwing puppies in a river.
Randolph definitely does have a lot of influence at seeding meetings. All 7AA coaches have great respect for him. What coach wouldn't?

Bottom line- he will do whatever it takes to put East in a good position for sections.

As would most coaches, he is just one coach and is respected no doubt, but to say he could influence the process that much? He usually has the best team so it may look that way. Teams that don't get exactly the place they want May see something that is not there.

Post by **karl(east)** » Thu Jan 30, 2014 2:01 pm

alcloseshaver wrote:
Slammer wrote:
TheHockeyDJ wrote:The example I'm thinking of is 02. Coaches voted GR at 3. Randolph said a bunch of BS and somehow GR was voted in at 5, playing at a team they beat and tied during the year. Also I think Slammer had something to say about Mike's influence, so I'm not the only one of this opinion. Again, just an opinion, I'm not throwing puppies in a river.
Randolph definitely does have a lot of influence at seeding meetings. All 7AA coaches have great respect for him. What coach wouldn't?

Bottom line- he will do whatever it takes to put East in a good position for sections.
As would most coaches, he is just one coach and is respected no doubt, but to say he could influence the process that much? He usually has the best team so it may look that way. Teams that don't get exactly the place they want May see something that is not there.

I'd agree. He obviously has respect, and the other coaches will listen if he says something like, say, "wait a moment, it would be stupid of us to force a top-10 team like Greenway play a road game in the first round. They're better than that." (Assuming DJ's account is true and Randolph actually was the one who pushed the change.) That seems like a perfectly reasonable argument that could get other coaches to go along with him. Making a case for his own team to be seeded above a higher-ranked team that they lost to, on the other hand, sounds like more of a stretch. And while Randolph may be the scheming sort, I think he also understands the reality of his situation pretty well, and isn't going to force something that isn't there. It doesn't happen often, but he's fine with playing the underdog role if need be.

But, there are still some games to be played, so we'll see how it all shakes out.

Frequent_MN_Flyer · Post by **Frequent_MN_Flyer** » Thu Jan 30, 2014 7:23 pm

East needs OT to beat a bad Lakeville South team.

greenway1969 · Post by **greenway1969** » Thu Jan 30, 2014 7:59 pm

Discouraged by East's play in recent weeks starting with the loss to Blaine. It sure starting to look like Elk River is going to be the representative of Section 7AA. That would mean only one Northern team at State. East's game with Lakeville North will be a very important challenge for East. Certainly not writing East off, but thinking they will be the underdog if they play Elk River in the finals.

Slammer · Post by **Slammer** » Thu Jan 30, 2014 8:27 pm

Frequent_MN_Flyer wrote:East needs OT to beat a bad Lakeville South team.

Now it sure looks like Grand Rapids has the INSIDE track to the number one seed in 7AA.

Frequent_MN_Flyer · Post by **Frequent_MN_Flyer** » Thu Jan 30, 2014 8:41 pm

Slammer wrote:
Frequent_MN_Flyer wrote:East needs OT to beat a bad Lakeville South team.
Now it sure looks like Grand Rapids has the INSIDE track to the number one seed in 7AA.

Yep, and how dare you think otherwise.

sanryam · Post by **sanryam** » Thu Jan 30, 2014 9:22 pm

Maple Grove beats Elk River 4 2. Spectacular job by MG goalie stopping 33/35.

Slammer · Post by **Slammer** » Thu Jan 30, 2014 9:33 pm

sanryam wrote:Maple Grove beats Elk River 4 2. Spectacular job by MG goalie stopping 33/35.

East played MG two weeks ago and skated to a tie. I guess that's a plus for east but probably doesn't change anything.

sanryam · Post by **sanryam** » Thu Jan 30, 2014 9:55 pm

Slammer wrote:
sanryam wrote:Maple Grove beats Elk River 4 2. Spectacular job by MG goalie stopping 33/35.
East played MG two weeks ago and skated to a tie. I guess that's a plus for east but probably doesn't change anything.

Possibly, although Elk River did beat Maple Grove 6-3 the first time they played them.

northwoods oldtimer · Post by **northwoods oldtimer** » Fri Jan 31, 2014 3:53 am

greenway1969 wrote:Discouraged by East's play in recent weeks starting with the loss to Blaine. It sure starting to look like Elk River is going to be the representative of Section 7AA. That would mean only one Northern team at State. East's game with Lakeville North will be a very important challenge for East. Certainly not writing East off, but thinking they will be the underdog if they play Elk River in the finals.

Giving up 5 goals to a 7 and 13 Lakeville South team definitely not in East's favor for this time of year. Andover and Forest Lake are back in the hunt

Traxler · Post by **Traxler** » Fri Jan 31, 2014 8:45 am

I think the seeding as of today is still:

1. Elk River
2. Duluth East
3. Grand Rapids
4. Forest Lake
5. Andover
6. Cloquet
7. St. Michael-Albertville
8. St. Francis
9. Cambridge-Isanti

I think it would take Elk River losing a few more games and East beating Lakeville North to change the top two. I think Grand Rapids is a lock at 3 unless they lose to someone other than Moorhead and Hermantown. And the rest are probably set too barring an amazing finish to the season by Andover.

Traxler · Post by **Traxler** » Fri Jan 31, 2014 8:52 am

I was looking at Elk River's schedule and I see they have 3 postponed games. I don't see anything that indicates that they've been rescheduled, but maybe I didn't look in the right spot. Looks like they need to make up both games of a home and home with Anoka and a game against Benilde. Barring a week with 4 games, I don't see how they can make up all three of those.

Does anyone know if they will play all the postponed games?