AA Rankings for 2/11/24

[karl(east)]

We’re heading into the final week of the regular season. The top four are obvious enough, but we are finally seeing some stability in the 5-7 range now. The chaos now comes in the 11-15 range. We’ll preview it all next week, but here’s where I see things with a handful of games left:

1. Minnetonka (21-0-2)
-The Skippers keep on doing their thing: just as they followed the Wayzata tie with a win in the second meeting, they managed the same feat against Edina. Amid all the wins it can be easy to shrug off just how incredibly good they’ve been, remaining undefeated against the toughest schedule an undefeated team has ever had to play. If they can take care of Eden Prairie, they should be home clear for the first perfect regular season since Lakeville South in 2021 and the first against a non-Covid-affected, full schedule since Benilde in 2016.
This week: Thurs at #9 Eden Prairie, Sat vs. St. Michael-Albertville

2. Edina (19-3-1)
-The Hornets lost to Minnetonka, remaining one half-step behind their Lake Conference rivals in the rankings. I’m keeping them at two because they have the win over Wayzata, though this Saturday’s meeting will settle any debate there, at least for another week and a half or so.
This week: Thurs at St. Michael-Albertville, Sat vs. #3 Wayzata

3. Wayzata (19-2-2)
-The Trojans shut down Eden Prairie to atone for an earlier tie against the Eagles and hold steady ahead of the Edina rematch. After rolling along as the second-ranked team in the state for much of the season, can they get back there and dodge the semifinal Benilde bullet with a win at Braemar?
This week: Wed at Holy Angels, Sat at #2 Edina

4. Chanhassen (19-4)
-The Storm ran its win streak to 12 and continues to hold steady, the clear top four team who nonetheless remains a mild mystery given its non-Lake schedule down the stretch; an overtime game with Orono raises an eyebrow, but it also isn't enough to upend my view of them. We know they’re good, but just how good? A second clear win over Benilde would keep up the pressure on the higher-ranked teams here.
This week: Thurs vs. #5 Benilde-St. Margaret’s, Sat vs. New Prague

5. Benilde-St. Margaret’s (19-4-1)
-The Red Knights continue to lurk in the 5-spot and look pretty good in the process, finishing off both Hermantown and Grand Rapids over the weekend. They get a second crack at Chanhassen now to put an exclamation point on their recent run; a win would crash the top four party and make the 6AA race awfully interesting.
This week: Thurs at #4 Chanhassen

6. Maple Grove (18-5)
-The Crimson had a very strong week, rattling off wins over Centennial, St. Thomas and Lakeville South; even though Shakopee is also on a roll, the long list of quality wins the Crimson have amassed led me to flip the two of them. They’ll look to keep rolling against this very tough season-ending slate.
This week: Wed at #13 Hill-Murray, Fri at #10 Andover

7. Shakopee (19-3-1)
-The wins just keep coming for the Sabers, who beat Prior Lake and bounced back after losing a big early lead against Rosemount. A 20-win regular season is now within reach, and Eastview provides a final pre-sections test before they see what fate awaits them in 2AA.
This week: Tues vs. Farmington, Sat at #11 Eastview

8. Rogers (16-6-2)
-The Royals have had more downs than the XX above them this season, but with the team coming back together after some absences they are starting to play more like the serious contender they have the talent to be, beating White Bear this past week and now riding a 5-game winning streak. They wrap things up against unpredictable Coon Rapids.
This week: Sat at Coon Rapids

9. Eden Prairie (15-7-1)
-The Eagles flew past St. Michael-Albertville but couldn’t muster much offense against Wayzata. I’ve been a little more down on this team than some because they haven’t seriously competed with the three Lake powers down the stretch, but then few have, and their record is comparable to other teams in this neighborhood despite having to play that brutal conference schedule. Along with some attrition in last week’s 8-10, that gets them back into the top ten despite the unremarkable week. We’ll see if they can do anything more with Minnetonka this time around, and Buffalo is a sneaky trap game on Saturday, too.
This week: Thurs vs. #1 Minnetonka, Sat vs. Buffalo

10. Andover (16-7-1)
-The Huskies got back to business after a two-loss previous week, edging past Centennial to slip back up into the top ten. They close with a de facto conference title game against Maple Grove.
This week: Fri vs. #6 Maple Grove

11. Eastview (15-7-1)
-Is this team now the real favorite to win 3AA? They’ve beaten Rosemount twice and St. Thomas once, and with both of those teams losing a little of their earlier luster, they are now the top highest-ranked team in the section. They’ve got a chance to really grab some attention if they can continue this run through their game with Shakopee this week.
This week: Tues at Apple Valley/Burnsville, Sat vs. #7 Shakopee

12. Rosemount (16-7)
-The Irish are the first of three top ten teams a week ago that that had winless weeks; as they lost by one goal against section rival Eastview and a top ten Shakopee team, they are at the top of this heap. Neither loss is gravely concerning, but they aren’t quite trending the right way. Lakeville South gives them one last top 25 opponent this week.
This week: Tus vs. Lakeville South, Thurs vs. Eagan

13. Hill-Murray (13-8-2)
-The Pioneers beat St. Thomas for a second time to clamber back into the top 15. Their week will be one of the most telling heading into sections: is this team rounding back into playoff form as they so often do, or are they still stuck on more even footing with their 4AA rivals?
This week: Wed vs. #6 Maple Grove, Sat at Moorhead

14. St. Thomas Academy (14-8-2)
-The Cadets had a two-loss week and are fading some here after a peak in late December, with the second Hill loss being the more consequential one. They close with a conference game and one final tune-up of the defensive machine before heading into a tight race for 3AA.
This week: Thurs at Two Rivers

15. Centennial (14-7-2)
-So much for anointing the Cougars a top ten team a week ago: they followed it up with an 0-3 run. Two of the losses were to conference frontrunners, but the Elk River loss was a red flag, albeit one that I don’t think alters too much else. They should get back in the win column to wrap up their regular season.
This week: Tues vs. Blaine, Fri at Blake

The Next Ten

Grand Rapids (14-10)
-The Thunderhawks’ heater came to an end against Benilde on Saturday, a rare game in which their usually reliable back end buckled under heavy pressure. We’ll see if that was just one aberration as they close with an uncharacteristically scuffling Hermantown team.

Stillwater (13-8-1)
-A one-goal win over Cretin does little to change things for the Ponies. Their three-game final week includes two teams in the lower half of the Suburban East and Holy Family.

Lakeville South (15-8)
-Like Stillwater, the Cougars are holding firm in this neighborhood, with a two-goal loss to Maple Grove changing little. They get one last shot at a win to shake things up when they visit Rosemount, and Prior Lake isn’t an easy finale, either.

Roseau (17-6-1)
-The Rams had a strong start to their week with a win over Thief River Falls and a thrashing of Duluth East, but they closed with a clunker against Cloquet. This is a bit concerning because there are a lot of Cloquet-ish teams in 8AA, and even if they are the top seed in the section, the quarterfinals aren’t the total free pass they are in other sections. They close with a tough one against East Grand Forks, whom they tied a month ago.

Moorhead (11-11-1)
-The Spuds beat Warroad in overtime to climb their way to .500 for the first time all season. This run has had its bumps, but they do seem to be improving as time goes along; after a final section game against Brainerd, they have their customary regular season-ender against Hill, which is a chance at a statement heading into the playoffs.

Elk River (14-9-1)
-A second straight week with a big upset has the Elks climbing on up the top 25, as Centennial was their victim this past week. They also needed overtime to beat Bemidji, so like Roseau, they’ll have work to do simply to be in position for a big playoff win, but they are showing a higher ceiling than anyone else in 8AA right now. They wrap against St. Cloud on Tuesday.

Gentry Academy (18-5)
-The Stars got one of their better wins of the season against a fast-falling Holy Family team and have entrenched themselves in this part of the rankings. They wrap up against Armstrong/Cooper and then Sartell, which is one of the teams hovering just outside the top 25.

Champlin Park (14-9-1)
-A quality win over Holy Family gets the Rebels back into the top 25; they’ve rattled off five in a row in what has been a very streaky season. They’ll look to make it six against Mounds View before they try to disrupt 5AA.

White Bear Lake (14-7-1)
-The Bears have lost four of their past five, albeit with different flavors: they gave Rogers a good run, but came up flat against Park, which hurts their standing here. They conclude with the Woodburies and Cretin.

Cretin-Derham Hall (13-8-1)
-The Raiders continue to putter along here following a loss to Stillwater. A busy final week includes Mahtomedi, a game with Park that might decide who gets a home game between the two of them the following week, and White Bear Lake.

1AA
18 Lakeville South
New Prague
Rochester Century/John Marshall
Owatonna
-There isn’t too much controversy here. A win over Owatonna after an earlier tie should lock up a 3-seed for the Rochester co-op; New Prague is not the world’s most confidence-inspiring 2-seed, but the Trojans have the win over Century/John Marshall. I would be surprised to see 6-win Lakeville North go higher than the 5-seed, so it’ll be interesting to see if their tougher schedule still gives them enough for a run to the semis; we shouldn’t forget they gave South a one-goal game in their second meeting.

2AA
1 Minnetonka
4 Chanhassen
7 Shakopee
9 Eden Prairie
-This one is probably set unless Eden Prairie does something against Minnetonka this coming week. The Shakopee-Eden Prairie ordering is the most debatable part here, but with likely 6-seed Prior Lake looking scrappy and probable 5-seed Holy Family backsliding badly, I’m not sure the 3-seed is particularly nice reward unless a team is trying to avoid Tonka until the final.

3AA
11 Eastview
14 St. Thomas Academy
12 Rosemount
Park of Cottage Grove
25 Cretin-Derham Hall
- The news here is Eastview finishing off Rosemount for a second time to claim the top seed in this section. They have earned the easier road through the section, while STA and Rosemount will likely collide in the semis. The Park-Cretin quarterfinal should be a solid one, too, with those teams’ second meeting this coming week likely deciding who gets home ice.

4AA
13 Hill-Murray
24 White Bear Lake
17 Stillwater
22 Gentry Academy
-Record against each other sets the top three fairly well here, with Hill now sitting at 1-0-1, White Bear at 1-1-1, and Stillwater at 1-2. Stillwater has a mild case for jumping higher with White Bear’s losses mounting down the stretch, but this still feels like the right order at the moment. Gentry remains the eternal wild card, but it is hard to justify anything higher than a 4-seed to a team that just hasn’t played the schedule to make a clear top 3 claim, even in a muddled section with no obvious standout.

5AA
6 Maple Grove
15 Centennial
8 Rogers
23 Champlin Park
-The Crimson’s win over Centennial should let us lock in this one. Rogers has the talent to win it all but hasn’t always played that way, so the Royals get a first round date with Coon Rapids for their trouble; their loss to Totino breaks the A-beats-B-beats-C cycle that would otherwise plague the top three, and Maple Grove’s overall body of work is strong enough to rise to the top. Champlin is dynamic enough that it could trouble Maple Grove in a semifinal date.

6AA
2 Edina
3 Wayzata
5 Benilde-St. Margaret’s
Holy Angels
-The top seed here will come down to the final day of the regular season. A sweep would give Edina the clear top spot, while a Wayzata win would, I think, give them the slightly better body of work they’d need to break the season split. With Benilde lurking as a dangerous 3-seed, the top seed has serious value. The Red Knights’ comfortable win over Holy Angels locked in the 3- and 4-seeds this past week.

7AA
16 Grand Rapids
10 Andover
Duluth East
Rock Ridge
-Grand Rapids threw a twist in this one with the win in Andover and should be the top seed now. It gets thin very quickly, with an eight-win Duluth East team as the 3-seed with two wins over Rock Ridge and Rock Ridge owning wins over the other two Duluth schools who join Forest Lake in the middle tier of this section.

8AA
19 Roseau
20 Moorhead
Sartell
21 Elk River
-What do we do with the 8AA soup? Roseau has the best body of work and a split with Moorhead, though they do have some other section losses that they could get whacked for, and that Cloquet loss leaves a sour note that could cost them, too. The Spuds’ only section loss is that second Roseau game. Sartell tied Moorhead and has played the top two tough, so is probably next in line. Elk River has various section losses and isn’t consistent but is playing the most dangerous hockey at the moment; is that enough to get them some extra votes? Buffalo could be a nasty draw as the likely 5-seed, though. In short, I think this order makes sense, but seeing something totally different wouldn’t shock me, nor would I necessarily think it’s wrong.

[TTpuckster]

Ha! I’m a fan of Centennial. Do me a favor and keep them out of the top ten.

[BlueLineSpecial]

Thanks Karl - appreciate your work on the rankings every week.

How insane is the power consolidation this year? This example could sum it up: BSM & Duluth East are both basically 3-seed locks in their respective sections. One has 19 wins, and is on an 8-game win streak while outscoring their opponents 57-13 over those eight games. The other has 8 wins, and is on a 4-game losing streak while being outscored 29-9 over those four games.

[Brodziak Fan Club]

Great job, Karl!

Shout out to Elk River, who it feels like outperforms their expectations every year. That coaching staff must be doing something right.

*If* Edina loses to Wayzata and Benilde beats Chan, does Benilde have an argument for the 2-seed in 6AA?

[East Side Pioneer Guy]

Great job, Karl!



*If* Edina loses to Wayzata and Benilde beats Chan, does Benilde have an argument for the 2-seed in 6AA?

That would be mildly interesting, but of absolutely no consequence. Two will meet three in the semifinal either way.

[East Side Pioneer Guy]

Thanks Karl - appreciate your work on the rankings every week.

How insane is the power consolidation this year? This example could sum it up: BSM & Duluth East are both basically 3-seed locks in their respective sections. One has 19 wins, and is on an 8-game win streak while outscoring their opponents 57-13 over those eight games. The other has 8 wins, and is on a 4-game losing streak while being outscored 29-9 over those four games.

If we had a modern backdoor region, it would feature the runners-up of 2 and 6. And it'd be a great game this year.

[BlueLineSpecial]

Thanks Karl - appreciate your work on the rankings every week.

How insane is the power consolidation this year? This example could sum it up: BSM & Duluth East are both basically 3-seed locks in their respective sections. One has 19 wins, and is on an 8-game win streak while outscoring their opponents 57-13 over those eight games. The other has 8 wins, and is on a 4-game losing streak while being outscored 29-9 over those four games.

If we had a modern backdoor region, it would feature the runners-up of 2 and 6. And it'd be a great game this year.

Using Karl's rankings from today, a lot of the top 10 won't see State. In fact best case scenario puts about 4 of the top 10 in, because of this power consolidation. Winners of 1AA, 3AA, 4AA & 8AA will not be top 10 teams based on current rankings, so half your field.

You could argue that several section semis and finals round games will be as good - or better - matchups than any game at State

[Brodziak Fan Club]

Great job, Karl!



*If* Edina loses to Wayzata and Benilde beats Chan, does Benilde have an argument for the 2-seed in 6AA?

That would be mildly interesting, but of absolutely no consequence. Two will meet three in the semifinal either way.

Cool. Sorry for bringing it up. I’ll run all my questions through you next time to make sure you approve.

[ryguyMN]

Thanks Karl - appreciate your work on the rankings every week.

How insane is the power consolidation this year? This example could sum it up: BSM & Duluth East are both basically 3-seed locks in their respective sections. One has 19 wins, and is on an 8-game win streak while outscoring their opponents 57-13 over those eight games. The other has 8 wins, and is on a 4-game losing streak while being outscored 29-9 over those four games.

If we had a modern backdoor region, it would feature the runners-up of 2 and 6. And it'd be a great game this year.

Using Karl's rankings from today, a lot of the top 10 won't see State. In fact best case scenario puts about 4 of the top 10 in, because of this power consolidation. Winners of 1AA, 3AA, 4AA & 8AA will not be top 10 teams based on current rankings, so half your field.

You could argue that several section semis and finals round games will be as good - or better - matchups than any game at State

Agreed. The section tourneys, specifically the semis and finals, are going to be the hot ticket between 2AA, 6AA, 3AA, and 5AA. Two of the top four teams aren't going to be at the X.

It's too bad the 2AA and 6AA semis and finals can't be played in a proper venue.

[raidergrad72]

Thanks again, Karl for your diligence and hard work this week.
In about a month we'll have to find something else to read during the off-season that won't be close to this interesting.

[East Side Pioneer Guy]

Great job, Karl!



*If* Edina loses to Wayzata and Benilde beats Chan, does Benilde have an argument for the 2-seed in 6AA?

That would be mildly interesting, but of absolutely no consequence. Two will meet three in the semifinal either way.

Cool. Sorry for bringing it up. I’ll run all my questions through you next time to make sure you approve.

Glad to be of help anytime.

[East Side Pioneer Guy]

If we had a modern backdoor region, it would feature the runners-up of 2 and 6. And it'd be a great game this year.

Using Karl's rankings from today, a lot of the top 10 won't see State. In fact best case scenario puts about 4 of the top 10 in, because of this power consolidation. Winners of 1AA, 3AA, 4AA & 8AA will not be top 10 teams based on current rankings, so half your field.

You could argue that several section semis and finals round games will be as good - or better - matchups than any game at State

Agreed. The section tourneys, specifically the semis and finals, are going to be the hot ticket between 2AA, 6AA, 3AA, and 5AA. Two of the top four teams aren't going to be at the X.

It's too bad the 2AA and 6AA semis and finals can't be played in a proper venue.

Yep, I don't know if even Moorhead or Roseau care which is 1 or 2. It's not even good bulletin board material. (They put us at #2?!? We'll show them!!!) And it is a shame that there isn't a decent section final-sized venue available. Back in the 70's and 80's, the 6AA and 2AA finals would have been played in a single session at the Met Center. It was great back then, to see a Burnsville/Apple Valley/John Marshall final along with a Hill-WBL final on Friday night, then return at noon on Saturday to see and Jefferson-Kennedy followed by a Edina-Tonka final. That arena had great sight lines, everyone who wanted to was able to get in the building, and you got to see half of the tournament entrants. I still miss that arena.

[bardown27]

Using Karl's rankings from today, a lot of the top 10 won't see State. In fact best case scenario puts about 4 of the top 10 in, because of this power consolidation. Winners of 1AA, 3AA, 4AA & 8AA will not be top 10 teams based on current rankings, so half your field.

You could argue that several section semis and finals round games will be as good - or better - matchups than any game at State

Agreed. The section tourneys, specifically the semis and finals, are going to be the hot ticket between 2AA, 6AA, 3AA, and 5AA. Two of the top four teams aren't going to be at the X.

It's too bad the 2AA and 6AA semis and finals can't be played in a proper venue.

Yep, I don't know if even Moorhead or Roseau care which is 1 or 2. It's not even good bulletin board material. (They put us at #2?!? We'll show them!!!) And it is a shame that there isn't a decent section final-sized venue available. Back in the 70's and 80's, the 6AA and 2AA finals would have been played in a single session at the Met Center. It was great back then, to see a Burnsville/Apple Valley/John Marshall final along with a Hill-WBL final on Friday night, then return at noon on Saturday to see and Jefferson-Kennedy followed by a Edina-Tonka final. That arena had great sight lines, everyone who wanted to was able to get in the building, and you got to see half of the tournament entrants. I still miss that arena.

This is why I don’t understand why they don’t move 2AA/6AA back to Mariucci like it used to be, especially since it’s not Olympic anymore. SO many people won’t be able to see the #1 vs #4 team and the #2 vs #3 teams in the state battle for a chance to make the state tournament (pending they all win their quarter/semifinals obviously)

[WestMetro]

Same reason state trny cons are moving out of U of M to Aldrich .

[bardown27]

Same reason state trny cons are moving out of U of M to Aldrich .

They moved to Aldrich this year because there’s potential the gophers host a first round BIG tournament series

[bardown27]

Same reason state trny cons are moving out of U of M to Aldrich .

Say BIG and Braemar capacity combined is 6,100 (2,500 at BIG and 3,600 at Braemar, which I think is being generous), another 900 combined standing room for 7,000 total, and every entry is $10. That’s $70,000. Say it costs a combined $1,000 to rent the ice. Net $69,000.

Mariucci seats 10,000, say another 500 standing room, every ticket $10, $105,000. Even if it costs $10,000 to rent the ice there for the night, that’s still a $26,000 difference…

[BlueLineSpecial]

Bring back the Coliseum!

Maybe they’ll move some of the section finals to the Lee & Penny Anderson arena once it’s done. Projected 4K+ seating capacity

[East Side Pioneer Guy]

Bring back the Coliseum!

Maybe they’ll move some of the section finals to the Lee & Penny Anderson arena once it’s done. Projected 4K+ seating capacity

I hope you're right about the new UST arena, but I feel you're wrong. I suspect that the same factors will be at play for UST as for the Golden Rats. That is, being able to use their own shed when they need to. In 2026 the NCHC will be eliminating their final four and going to a format where the higher seed hosts at home. (Not that that directly affects HS section games, but I see a trend there.) Also, college sports are more and more bending to the wishes of TV and the revenues that flow from that. Regular season start times and dates are in flux, making planning for potential playoff games unpredictable. No one wants to take a chance that a noon start for a section final will delay a 6:00 puck drop for the host college team due to a 6 OT affair. You think the B1GMistake cares about your crummy HS game?

My theory on consolation was that the MSHSL had to justify forcing season ticket holders to buy those consolation tix. How many season tickets are sold? 10K? Well you can't get 10K into Aldrich even if there is 100% turnover between the two games. What's to prevent a season ticket holder from calling bee ess and filing a complaint with the Attorney General's office? And I'll be the first to admit I may be overthinking this, so feel free to poke holes in this theory.

That said, I've long thought Aldrich would make a great site for consolation on Friday and Saturday. For Thursday's A consolation, Tria would probably be better, a short walk from your hotel but still able to hold the crowd.

[Slap Shot]

I speculate they moved it from Mariucci because iirc there was a stretch where the double-header didn't come close to selling out.

[skiumah]

Bring back the Coliseum!

Maybe they’ll move some of the section finals to the Lee & Penny Anderson arena once it’s done. Projected 4K+ seating capacity

I hope you're right about the new UST arena, but I feel you're wrong. I suspect that the same factors will be at play for UST as for the Golden Rats. That is, being able to use their own shed when they need to. In 2026, the NCHC will eliminate their final four a to a format where the higher seed hosts at home. (Not that that directly affects HS section games, but I see a trend there.) Also, college sports are more and more bending to the wishes of TV and the revenues that flow from that. Regular season start times and dates are in flux, making planning for potential playoff games unpredictable. No one wants to take a chance that a noon start for a section final will delay a 6:00 puck drop for the host college team due to a 6 OT affair. You think the B1GMistake cares about your crummy HS game?

They should combine and host the B10 & NCHC tournaments at the X. That would be a fun weekend. I'm not talking about having the teams crossover. Host the games at the same place.

The top 5 teams from each conference make it. Thursday night would be two 4 vs 5 games; the winners advances to Friday. The Friday morning session would have a B10 game and a NCHC game. The same for Friday night. Then two Championship games on Saturday.

[WestMetro]

I think people could very quickly get comfortable with Consolation round at Aldrich . Perfect venue size , recently remodeled , no I35 downtown Mpls traffic congestion , and free easy parking .

As far as mshsl forcing trny ticket holders to buy cons tickets , I've found it much easier to resell them last few years in the era of eticketing, venmo , and twitter contacts for each team to help find interested parties

[WestMetro]

I speculate they moved it from Mariucci because iirc there was a stretch where the double-header didn't come close to selling out.

Yup , there was a 5 year period where I35 was under construction both north and south of the Univ Ave exit.
Add in rush hour traffic on 94 if using those exits . A person could easily have an hour+ delay getting over to the rush hour 6 pm game. I think that bled off a lot fans during that stretch .

The events at braemar and Big are now selling out, in fact selling out before Tickets ever make it to the public offering portal .

Who knows whether mariucci could draw big crowds back again for these games, or whether the AD really wants to bother to try to attract those crowds back again at an economical price?

[CakeScout17]

Clavinian tidbit:
The Red & Black league, Spring & Summer editions, are compiled of the state's JV and Jr Gold A level players - they have their 'state playoffs'
with max 100-125 people in attendance - 95% of which are parents, yet their championship rounds are played where? Mariucci. For the past 3 years.
Huh. Completely EMPTY. It's also a free event (last I checked) and at The Mooch. Hmmm...got to be a tad more at play than just $ for MSHSL sectionals not at The Mooch...got to be. I reckon, so.

[CrimsonCakeEater]

Using Karl's rankings from today, a lot of the top 10 won't see State. In fact best case scenario puts about 4 of the top 10 in, because of this power consolidation. Winners of 1AA, 3AA, 4AA & 8AA will not be top 10 teams based on current rankings, so half your field.

You could argue that several section semis and finals round games will be as good - or better - matchups than any game at State

Agreed. The section tourneys, specifically the semis and finals, are going to be the hot ticket between 2AA, 6AA, 3AA, and 5AA. Two of the top four teams aren't going to be at the X.

It's too bad the 2AA and 6AA semis and finals can't be played in a proper venue.

Yep, I don't know if even Moorhead or Roseau care which is 1 or 2. It's not even good bulletin board material. (They put us at #2?!? We'll show them!!!) And it is a shame that there isn't a decent section final-sized venue available. Back in the 70's and 80's, the 6AA and 2AA finals would have been played in a single session at the Met Center. It was great back then, to see a Burnsville/Apple Valley/John Marshall final along with a Hill-WBL final on Friday night, then return at noon on Saturday to see and Jefferson-Kennedy followed by a Edina-Tonka final. That arena had great sight lines, everyone who wanted to was able to get in the building, and you got to see half of the tournament entrants. I still miss that arena.

2AA and 6AA should be at Ridder. They stopped getting even close to filling up Mariucci (though I’m sure they could this year) but Ridder is bigger than BIG or Braemar. I’m sure the new UST arena will get some section finals when that’s built too, probably 4AA or 3AA, if not both. Need more section final doubleheaders!

[BlueLineSpecial]

Agreed. The section tourneys, specifically the semis and finals, are going to be the hot ticket between 2AA, 6AA, 3AA, and 5AA. Two of the top four teams aren't going to be at the X.

It's too bad the 2AA and 6AA semis and finals can't be played in a proper venue.

Yep, I don't know if even Moorhead or Roseau care which is 1 or 2. It's not even good bulletin board material. (They put us at #2?!? We'll show them!!!) And it is a shame that there isn't a decent section final-sized venue available. Back in the 70's and 80's, the 6AA and 2AA finals would have been played in a single session at the Met Center. It was great back then, to see a Burnsville/Apple Valley/John Marshall final along with a Hill-WBL final on Friday night, then return at noon on Saturday to see and Jefferson-Kennedy followed by a Edina-Tonka final. That arena had great sight lines, everyone who wanted to was able to get in the building, and you got to see half of the tournament entrants. I still miss that arena.

2AA and 6AA should be at Ridder. They stopped getting even close to filling up Mariucci (though I’m sure they could this year) but Ridder is bigger than BIG or Braemar. I’m sure the new UST arena will get some section finals when that’s built too, probably 4AA or 3AA, if not both. Need more section final doubleheaders!

I'm sure the UST arena will get them, too. I would love to have the finals back at a St Paul venue, and a state-of-the-art one to boot. And at 4k for hockey (assume 4500 with standing room), thats almost perfect. How great would it be to have a 3AA and 4AA doubleheader in that area? Mac-Groveland is a great area of St. Paul - plenty of places to get good food and drink before/between/after the games.