Class A Top 20 (1-13-19)

[elliott70]

1 Hermantown 7A 10-3-1
2 St Cloud Cathedral 6A 14-1-0
3 East Grand Forks 8A 13-3-0
4 Mahtomedi 4A 11-2-1
5 Totino 4A 11-4-0

6 Thief River Falls 7A 9-4-2
7 Alexandria 6A 11-4-0
8 Sartell 6A 10-4-0
9 Orono 2A 9-5-0
10 Warroad 8A 9-6-0

11 Greenway 7A 6-11-0
12 Monticello 5A 10-4-1
13 North Branch 5A 12-3-1
14 Duluth Denfeld 7A 8-5-1
15 Minnesota River 1A 12-3-0

16 Lourdes 1A 11-6-0
17 Mankato East 1A 9-6-1
18 Marshall 3A 14-2-0
19 Delano 7-7-1
20 Mound 2A 12-4-0

Others (in no particular order):
Northfield 4A
Detroit Lakes 8A
Eveleth 7A
Breck 2A
SW Christian 2A
Virginia 7A
Litchfield 3A
New Ulm 3A
Princeton 5A
Little Falls 6A
St. Paul Academy 4A

[zooomx]

Not sure why TRFalls continues to rate higher for you than Alex or Sartell. Drop them down a few spots and maybe bump up Greenway a spot or two, and I am right on board with your rankings. I am also pulling for North Branch to emerge from Section 5A. It would be cool to see my alma mater and my current hometown team at the X.

[elliott70]

Coming shortly, our favorite poster, Stang.
Followed by section rankings.

[elliott70]

Not sure why TRFalls continues to rate higher for you than Alex or Sartell. Drop them down a few spots and maybe bump up Greenway a spot or two, and I am right on board with your rankings. I am also pulling for North Branch to emerge from Section 5A. It would be cool to see my alma mater and my current hometown team at the X.

Do not disagree with you, this is just my opinion of which team would win if they played this coming week.
I get to see TRF so I have better knowledge of them.
I seldom see Sartell or Alex so its based on scores, reports such as SOG, and what I glean form other people.

Remember its just my opinion and hopefully opens doors for exchange of opinion and information.

[zooomx]

Not sure why TRFalls continues to rate higher for you than Alex or Sartell. Drop them down a few spots and maybe bump up Greenway a spot or two, and I am right on board with your rankings. I am also pulling for North Branch to emerge from Section 5A. It would be cool to see my alma mater and my current hometown team at the X.

Do not disagree with you, this is just my opinion of which team would win if they played this coming week.
I get to see TRF so I have better knowledge of them.
I seldom see Sartell or Alex so its based on scores, reports such as SOG, and what I glean form other people.

Remember its just my opinion and hopefully opens doors for exchange of opinion and information.

Yup, totally get it. Just shooting my opinion back at ya buddy!

[greenwayraider]

I’d drop Greenway down a couple of places. They’ll most likely lose to Hermantown (possibly running time) and Bemidji this week. Both games on the road. Their psyche is really hurting. Mustering only 12 shots against Roseau is not encouraging.

[Stang5280]

Week 8 Rankings

While there were a few exciting games on the ice, particularly Hermantown-Minnetonka and EGF-Moorhead, it was actually a fairly uneventful week in Class A with very few upsets or even surprisingly close contests. This was reflected in the rankings, as I only made a single minor change among my top 15. Laziness, or even confirmation bias? Perhaps, but when I examined the teams’ performances there wasn’t much to justify movement just for the sake of making things interesting. I imagine that next week will bring some more chaos.

1. Hermantown (10-3-1) (LW 1)
W 5-3 @ Grand Rapids, W 9-1 @ Denfeld, T 3-3 vs Minnetonka
After seemingly sleepwalking a bit through the Rapids game, the Hawks tore a decent Denfeld team to shreds. As an encore, they tied #1AA Minnetonka after spotting the Skippers a 3-0 lead, and looked like the better team for long stretches. On deck is their primary 7A competition in Greenway, followed by a visit from St. Cloud.

2. St. Cloud Cathedral (14-1-0) (LW 2)
W 5-1 @ Sartell, W 9-6 @ Orono
The Crusaders racked up two more quality wins, albeit not without some struggles. Sartell hung around for much of the game, drawing within 2-1 before Cathedral pulled away. Saturday was the opposite story, as SCC jumped out to leads of 4-0 and 5-1, but Orono kept clawing back. A bit lighter fare on the menu this week with trips to Delano and Virginia.

3. Mahtomedi (11-2-1) (LW 4)
W 3-0 vs Tartan, T 2-2 @ Hill-Murray
The Zephyrs again had HM on the ropes, but this time came away with a tie. I finally pulled the trigger on bumping them ahead of EGF based on recent performance, but only by the slightest of margins. Mahtomedi next faces cross-border foe Hudson, then a struggling North St. Paul team.

4. East Grand Forks (13-3-0) (LW 3)
L 3-4 @ Moorhead, W 3-2 vs Bemidji, W 5-0 vs Detroit Lakes
The Wave gave an excellent Moorhead squad all they could handle Tuesday, then were rather lackluster against the lesser Lumberjacks. Returning to 8A competition over the weekend, they blew out DL in another reality check for the Lakers. EGF’s only upcoming contest is a Tuesday tussle at Roseau.

5. Alexandria (11-4-0) (LW 5)
W 11-1 vs Willmar
The Cardinals walloped woeful Willmar in their only action, which doesn’t tell us much. The upcoming schedule remains rather soft, with road contests against Sauk Rapids and Mankato West, though the latter has been frisky of late.

6. Totino-Grace (11-4-0) (LW 6)
W 7-1 @ Irondale, W 4-0 vs Coon Rapids
In an uneventful week, the Eagles beat up on two fellow NWSC West teams. After a winnable game against Armstrong/Cooper, TG finally faces some stiffer competition in Champlin Park.

7. Orono (9-5-0) (LW 7)
W 3-1 @ New Prague, W 9-0 @ Hutchinson, L 6-9 vs Cathedral
After New Prague kept things closer than expected, Orono opened up the offensive fireworks over the next . This week features visits from two 2A competitors in rival Mound Westonka and Waconia.

8. Thief River Falls (9-4-2) [LW 8]
W 8-0 vs Park Rapids
The Prowlers pounded poor Park Rapids in their only action of the week, and have outscored their last two opponents 18-1. That trend is likely to continue against Kittson Central, another lower-tier 8A team, but TRF then snaps back to reality Thursday as they head up to Warroad.

9. Warroad (9-6-0) (LW 9)
L 0-5 vs Roseau, W 4-1 @ Crookston
Roseau jumped all over the Warriors Thursday night, staking an early lead and cruising to an easy rivalry victory. They then let Crookston stick around far too long before pulling away thanks to a Grant Slukynsky hat trick. I debated dropping Warroad after these uninspired efforts, but no one else really did enough to claim their spot. The Warriors will be looking to avenge a loss to TRF before facing GF Red River.

10. Sartell-St. Stephen (10-4-0) (LW 10)
W 6-2 @ Fergus Falls, L 1-5 vs Cathedral, L 0-3 vs Brainerd
The Sabres dropped two games this week, but stay steady in the rankings given the opposition and the fact that they were competitive for the majority of both games. Some slightly easier contests coming up against River Lakes and Virginia.

11. Greenway (6-11-0) (LW 11)
W 7-0 @ North Shore, L 1-3 @ Roseau
Rinse and repeat... the Raiders dismantled a lower-tier 7A team, then hopped on a bus for a long ride to face superior opposition. Greenway hung around for a while against Roseau, but the Rams dominated the final two periods to pull away for a comfortable win. Things don’t get any easier this week, as they travel to Hermantown and Bemidji.

12. Monticello (10-4-1) (LW 12)
W 3-2 vs North Branch
The Moose put themselves in the drivers seat of messy 5A with a big win over North Branch. Monti has a three game week coming up, starting with a tough one with STMA. Things then ease up with contests against St. Francis and Cambridge.

13. North Branch (12-3-1) (LW 13)
W 1-0 vs Legacy, L 2-3 @ Monticello, W 6-0 vs Cambridge
After a forfeit win over Legacy, the Vikings hung tough against Monticello and then easily dispatched Cambridge. The game was close enough to keep them just a touch below the Moose, both in the rankings and within the section. NB next hosts Pine City and Buffalo.

14. Marshall (14-2-0) (LW 14)
W 6-2 @ Worthington, W 4-2 @ New Ulm
The Tigers struggled a bit more than they should have with a weak Worthington squad, then picked up a critical sectional win in sweeping the season series with New Ulm Thursday. Marshall should roll through the next three games against weaker Big South foes until facing off against LDC in a few weeks.

15. Minnesota River(12-3-0) (LW 15)
W 4-1 @ Waseca
The Bulldogs handled Waseca with relative ease in their only action of the week. Much like Marshall, MR has two soft conference games, against Fairmont and Windom, before a rematch with New Ulm on the 22nd.

Out: None

Next Five Up (alphabetical order):

Delano (7-7-1)
W 4-2 @ Hutchinson, W 3-2 (OT) vs LDC

Duluth Denfeld (8-5-1)
L 1-2 (OT) vs Duluth East, L 1-9 vs Hermantown

Northfield (10-4-0)
W 7-1 vs Simley, W 3-0 @ Austin

Princeton (12-4-0)
W 11-9 vs Kennedy, L 3-4 @ Chisago, W 5-2 vs Rogers

Rochester Lourdes (11-6-0)
W 5-3 @ Dodge County, W 5-2 vs SWC/Richfield, W 5-3 vs Breck

A few notes:
- Detroit Lakes appears to have been a mirage propped up by a soft early season schedule, so they exit. LDC also is banished after dropping three games this week.
- After rough starts to their seasons, Delano and Lourdes have been on decent rolls of late and enter the top 20.
- Princeton is probably the last team in, while Mankato East is just on the outside after a three-win week, albeit against weaker competition.

[Stang5280]

Not sure why TRFalls continues to rate higher for you than Alex or Sartell. Drop them down a few spots and maybe bump up Greenway a spot or two, and I am right on board with your rankings. I am also pulling for North Branch to emerge from Section 5A. It would be cool to see my alma mater and my current hometown team at the X.

I do have TRF lower than Elliott, but only recently dropped them a bit after likewise having them at #6 for several weeks. I still have them ahead of Sartell, however. Here is the justification I see for ranking the Prowlers ahead of Sartell in particular...
- TRF beat Warroad 3-1, while Sartell lost 4-3
- TRF played Cathedral to a one goal game, while Sartell lost by four
- TRF tied Roseau and does not really have any bad losses
- Sartell was roughed up by Monticello, and their best win was against a Chaska team that was lost at the time
- TRF goaltending and defense will keep them in close games against nearly anyone, which makes them dangerous

That is how I see things between those two teams. Alexandria is a bit of a different story for me. Despite the few quality wins on their resume, I am still taking a bit of a leap of faith based on their talent.

[Stang5280]

PageStat Top 25 Class A Teams
Thru games of 1/12/19
Overall ranking in parentheses

1 (5) HERMANTOWN 7A
2 (12) ST CLOUD CATHEDRAL 6A
3 (22) EAST GRAND FORKS 8A
4 (25) MAHTOMEDI 4A
5 (28) TOTINO-GRACE 4A
6 (38) ALEXANDRIA 6A
7 (42) GREENWAY 7A
8 (45) ORONO 2A
9 (46) SARTELL 6A
10 (49) WARROAD 8A
11 (54) THIEF RIVER FALLS 8A
12 (58) MONTICELLO 5A
13 (59) DULUTH DENFELD 7A
14 (63) MARSHALL 3A
15 (64) DELANO 2A
16 (67) NORTHFIELD 4A
17 (68) MOUND WESTONKA 2A
18 (70) NORTH BRANCH 5A
19 (71) PRINCETON 5A
20 (73) VIRGINIA 7A
21 (74) EVELETH GILBERT 7A
22 (75) LITCHFIELD 3A
23 (76) ST PAUL ACADEMY 4A
24 (77) MANKATO EAST 1A
25 (78) BRECK 2A

[WestMetro]

Battle of Blades U18 goalies Boynton vs Howe , as CP faces TG on the 19th

[goldy313]

Minnesota River is a team to watch. Getting out of 1A will be hard, not due to quality but due to parity. There are no give me games after round one.

[Mite-dad]

What schools make up Minnesota River? Is this a new team or have they been around for awhile?

[elliott70]

Coop: 245 "Minnesota River Bulldogs"
Belle Plaine High School
Cleveland High School
LeSueur-Henderson High School (HOST)
St. Peter High School
Tri-City United High School

[Mite-dad]

Coop: 245 "Minnesota River Bulldogs"
Belle Plaine High School
Cleveland High School
LeSueur-Henderson High School (HOST)
St. Peter High School
Tri-City United High School

Thanks!

[Stang5280]

Coop: 245 "Minnesota River Bulldogs"
Belle Plaine High School
Cleveland High School
LeSueur-Henderson High School (HOST)
St. Peter High School
Tri-City United High School

Thanks!

They previously played as LeSueur-Henderson/St. Peter for a number of years, but I assume that between the already lengthy name and adding even more schools they decided to change the name prior to last season. They’ve had some decent regular season records in recent years, but haven’t been able to make it through the section semifinals.

[kniven]

1 Hermantown 7A 10-3-1
2 St Cloud Cathedral 6A 14-1-0
3 East Grand Forks 8A 13-3-0
4 Mahtomedi 4A 11-2-1
5 Totino 4A 11-4-0

6 Thief River Falls 7A 9-4-2
7 Alexandria 6A 11-4-0
8 Sartell 6A 10-4-0
9 Orono 2A 9-5-0
10 Warroad 8A 9-6-0

11 Greenway 7A 6-11-0
12 Monticello 5A 10-4-1
13 North Branch 5A 12-3-1
14 Duluth Denfeld 7A 8-5-1
15 Minnesota River 1A 12-3-0

16 Lourdes 1A 11-6-0
17 Mankato East 1A 9-6-1
18 Marshall 3A 14-2-0
19 Delano 7-7-1
20 Mound 2A 12-4-0

Others (in no particular order):
Northfield 4A
Detroit Lakes 8A
Eveleth 7A
Breck 2A
SW Christian 2A
Virginia 7A
Litchfield 3A
New Ulm 3A
Princeton 5A
Little Falls 6A
St. Paul Academy 4A

A team is 6-11 and ranked #11in class A. Wow. That’s crazy. So if Hermantown was 6-10-1 right now, they would ranked # 1 or #2. So the tougher schedule and more losse is greater than a lot more wins and an easier schedule. I think Hermantown is #1 or #2 no matter what their record is. Hermantown is so dominant. It’s truest amazing. Teams get weak in their knees just seeing Hermantown on the other side of the rink. The New England Patriots of Minnesota State High School Hockey!!

[elliott70]

Ken
My rankings are not based exactly on wins or loses but who I think would win (and is the better team because of that) if they played in the coming week.
Greenway has a bad record and has suffered bad losses.
I believe they will get it together and start winning.
Why?
They beat up on the teams they should and played tough against 3 tough opponent.
W 7-0 Hibbing/Chisholm
L 4-5 @ Chaska t Jan 5
L 4-5 @ Orono
W 7-0 @ North Shore
L 1-3 @ Roseau

The four teams below them I believe they would beat them if they played any of them this week.
12 Monticello 5A 10-4-1
13 North Branch 5A 12-3-1
14 Duluth Denfeld 7A 8-5-1
15 Minnesota River 1A 12-3-0

Thus they are in there at number 11.

Of course the first part of the season gets factored in etc. etc...
But my system is simple, the better team is the team that wins (of course there are upsets so you need a bit of history.
For me the recent week, two weeks are what is important, the previous is factored in but of lesser importance.

[elliott70]

"Hermantown is so dominant. It’s truest amazing. Teams get weak in their knees just seeing Hermantown on the other side of the rink. The New England Patriots of Minnesota State High School Hockey!!" kniven quote

Or is we say in northwestern Minnesota, The Moorhead of high school sports. Not always, not all sports but they are the big dog over here.

Yes Hermantown is #1, "if Hermantown was 6-10-1 right now"; maybe not depending on who and when the losses were against.

[Stang5280]

I would largely echo Mr. Elliott’s sentiments with respect to ranking methodology. (And, no, we don’t consult about both having Greenway at #11.) Here are a few areas where I might depart from his philosophy somewhat:
1) There is a component of overall team profiles (good wins, bad losses, etc.) in addition to considering who wins on neutral ice.
2) While recent performance is emphasized, particularly as the season progresses, I do tend to look back further at prior results.

Here are a few other general ranking principles I try to follow.
1) Strength of schedule is important, but you have to win some tough games, or at least be consistently competitive.
2) Games against decent or better AA teams are hard to gauge, unless the A team plays particularly well or poorly.
3) Head-to-head is important but not dispositive, particularly as the season progresses.
4) Results against common opponents are helpful, but teams aren’t exactly consistent from game to game.
5) I rarely move a team down if they keep winning, unless a team below does something impressive.

[karl(east)]

Coop: 245 "Minnesota River Bulldogs"
Belle Plaine High School
Cleveland High School
LeSueur-Henderson High School (HOST)
St. Peter High School
Tri-City United High School

Thanks!

They previously played as LeSueur-Henderson/St. Peter for a number of years, but I assume that between the already lengthy name and adding even more schools they decided to change the name prior to last season. They’ve had some decent regular season records in recent years, but haven’t been able to make it through the section semifinals.

I was more amused by this team when they abbreviated themselves as LSHSPTCUC. (If nothing else, it was a good Minnesota River area geography lesson!) Looks like Belle Plaine is unaccounted for in that abbreviation, so we could just go with LSHSPTCUCBP.

[Stang5280]

Thanks!

They previously played as LeSueur-Henderson/St. Peter for a number of years, but I assume that between the already lengthy name and adding even more schools they decided to change the name prior to last season. They’ve had some decent regular season records in recent years, but haven’t been able to make it through the section semifinals.

I was more amused by this team when they abbreviated themselves as LSHSPTCUC. (If nothing else, it was a good Minnesota River area geography lesson!) Looks like Belle Plaine is unaccounted for in that abbreviation, so we could just go with LSHSPTCUCBP.

Oh heck, I didn’t even realize that was a thing prior to the Minnesota River change. That’s hilarious that Cleveland was part of the acronym, but not Belle Plaine which is about ten times larger.

Since we’re already veering off on a total tangent, I have a good friend from Cleveland who always has to explain that it is a tiny town near St. Peter, not the Ohio city. Also, the population sign for many years listed 699 residents, so I would always give him grief about not being able to reach that magical 700 mark.

[Mite-dad]

They previously played as LeSueur-Henderson/St. Peter for a number of years, but I assume that between the already lengthy name and adding even more schools they decided to change the name prior to last season. They’ve had some decent regular season records in recent years, but haven’t been able to make it through the section semifinals.

I was more amused by this team when they abbreviated themselves as LSHSPTCUC. (If nothing else, it was a good Minnesota River area geography lesson!) Looks like Belle Plaine is unaccounted for in that abbreviation, so we could just go with LSHSPTCUCBP.

Oh heck, I didn’t even realize that was a thing prior to the Minnesota River change. That’s hilarious that Cleveland was part of the acronym, but not Belle Plaine which is about ten times larger.

Since we’re already veering off on a total tangent, I have a good friend from Cleveland who always has to explain that it is a tiny town near St. Peter, not the Ohio city. Also, the population sign for many years listed 699 residents, so I would always give him grief about not being able to reach that magical 700 mark.

Did the river ever start on fire in Cleveland?

[elliott70]

Section Forecasts (Section 1 to 4)
Can anyone tell me if any of these sections use QRF or coaches voting?

Section 1
No clear number one and no head to head games remaining so every game is important
1 - 3: Lourdes, Mankato East & MN River
4. Albert Lea - Their chance at a move up comes against Mankato East

Section 2
1. Orono
2. Mound
3-4: SW Christian, Waconia, Breck, Delano, and Minneapolis.
Lots of section games left (except SW Christian so they need to win most if not all).
The on-two could swap based on the two games between Orono and Mound coming up. One meeting is tonight 1-15 and the second in February.

Section 3
1. Marshall
2. LItchfield
3. New Ulm
4. Hutchinson
Two games remaining that could change things
Marshall and Litchfield
New Ulm and HUtchinson

Section 4
1. Mahtomedi
2. Totino
3. Northfield
4. Gentry or St Paul Academy
And some big games here as well.
Totino and Mahtomedi on Jan. 22
Northfield and St. Paul A tonight 1-15
and Gentry and St PA on 1-19

[elliott70]

Sections 5 - 8
And again anyone with info on whether QRF or coaches?

Section 5
1. Monticello
2. North Branch
3. Princeton
4. Mora/Milaca or Chisago Lakes Area or Pine City
Important games remaining
Monti vs Princeton, North Branch vs Princeton, Pine City vs Princeton, Pine City vs Mora, Chisago vs North Branch and Chisago vs Monti

Section 6
1. St. Cloud Cathedral
2. Alexandria
3. Sartell-St. Stephen
4. Little Falls or Prairie Centre Area
SCC has a lot of big games but only one on the list is with Little Falls.
Alex and Sartell probably the most pivotal game.
Little Falls can throw a wrench in as they have (besides SCC) Sartell and Alex.
Prairie Centre has an easy schedule and needs to win out (or close to it) and have Little Falls look bad.

Section 7
1. Hermantown
2-4: Eveleth-Gilbert Area or Duluth Denfeld or Greenway/Nash-Kee or maybe Virginia/Mt. Iron-Buhl
Hermantown has Greenway tonight (1-15) and then Hibbing, Proctor, Virginia and Eveleth.
Greenway, Virginia and Eveleth don't need to win to improve their chances but just need a good showing.
Eveleth has all Setion games remaining including Virginia, Denfeld (2) and Greenway. Denfeld has Eveleth and then a couple of the lesser section teams. Greenway has the ones mentioned plus Hibbing and Intl Falls.
Intl Falls could jump to 4 but would need to win out their remaining section games to do that.

Section 8
1. East Grand Forks
2. Thief River Falls (61.0)
3. Warroad
4. Detroit Lakes
The only games to change this line-up would be EGF against TRF (2) and EGF against Warroad. EGF wins 1 against TRF they have #1 wrapped up.
TRF needs to beat EGF twice. Warroad needs to beat EGF and have TF lose at least 1 maybe both games for them to move to 2.

[Where is F3?]

Sections 5 - 8
And again anyone with info on whether QRF or coaches?

Section 5
1. Monticello
2. North Branch
3. Princeton
4. Mora/Milaca or Chisago Lakes Area or Pine City
Important games remaining
Monti vs Princeton, North Branch vs Princeton, Pine City vs Princeton, Pine City vs Mora, Chisago vs North Branch and Chisago vs Monti

Section 6
1. St. Cloud Cathedral
2. Alexandria
3. Sartell-St. Stephen
4. Little Falls or Prairie Centre Area
SCC has a lot of big games but only one on the list is with Little Falls.
Alex and Sartell probably the most pivotal game.
Little Falls can throw a wrench in as they have (besides SCC) Sartell and Alex.
Prairie Centre has an easy schedule and needs to win out (or close to it) and have Little Falls look bad.

Section 7
1. Hermantown
2-4: Eveleth-Gilbert Area or Duluth Denfeld or Greenway/Nash-Kee or maybe Virginia/Mt. Iron-Buhl
Hermantown has Greenway tonight (1-15) and then Hibbing, Proctor, Virginia and Eveleth.
Greenway, Virginia and Eveleth don't need to win to improve their chances but just need a good showing.
Eveleth has all Setion games remaining including Virginia, Denfeld (2) and Greenway. Denfeld has Eveleth and then a couple of the lesser section teams. Greenway has the ones mentioned plus Hibbing and Intl Falls.
Intl Falls could jump to 4 but would need to win out their remaining section games to do that.

Section 8
1. East Grand Forks
2. Thief River Falls (61.0)
3. Warroad
4. Detroit Lakes

6A is coaches vote. IMO Prairie Center has no chance of getting the 4. They have played an extremely easy schedule (they did beat LDC which is a feather in their hat). They have lost to both Little Falls (6-4) and River Lakes (8-2). They do however play @Fergus which could get them the 6 seed if they win.

I see it shaking down like this
1. SCC
2. Alex (If they beat Sartell in Feb)
3. Sartell
4. Little Falls
5. River Lakes (If they beat Fergus next week)
6. Fergus Falls
7. PC


Fergus could jump both RL and LF if they take care of business against both. Fergus has beat RL already once.