NEW Centennial Preview/Rankings

[chirp_chirp]

After a fantastic weekend of hockey up in centennial, i think it is about time to get some rankings out there. Vote and tell me why!

[Chuck Norris Fan]

I think the rankings are really difficult after just one weekend. We had some good teams show and some team surprise us both good and bad.

But I will give it the old chuck norris try

1 Edina Hornets (top end team played well with lots of talent, can they stay out of box in D6)
2 Wayzata Trojans (can do it all but beatable)
3 Stillwater Ponies (showed well this weekend very solid team)
4 Minnetonka Skippers ( Big strong Physical team)
5 White Bear Lake (Played very well, PM to those that had them ranked 25)
6 Eden Prairie Eagles (Don't be fooled this team is real deal)
7 Burnsville Blaze (missing some guys and have a bunch of ties on the board)
8 Osseo Maple Grove (tough start for "top" end team)
9 Rosemount Irish (some early quality victories put them easily in top 10)
10 Elk River Elks (rough weekend for a proposed top 5 team)
11 Farmington Tigers (not enough info at this time)
12 Centennial Cougars (still struggeling but played well at times and beat East)
13 Sibley (played well against good teams, only one win over andover)
14 Lakeville North
15 Duluth East (another team that will improve with time)
16 Andover Huskies
17 Prior Lake Lakers
18 Rochester Red
19 Woodbury Royals
20 Hermantowns

[Chuck Norris Fan]

BTW - one of the best tourneys around, wonderful teams, free food and no admission. How can you beat that?

[Snap Happy]

I think the rankings are really difficult after just one weekend. We had some good teams show and some team surprise us both good and bad.

But I will give it the old chuck norris try

1 Edina Hornets (top end team played well with lots of talent, can they stay out of box in D6)
2 Wayzata Trojans (can do it all but beatable)
3 Stillwater Ponies (showed well this weekend very solid team)
4 Minnetonka Skippers ( Big strong Physical team)
5 White Bear Lake (Played very well, PM to those that had them ranked 25)
6 Eden Prairie Eagles (Don't be fooled this team is real deal)
7 Burnsville Blaze (missing some guys and have a bunch of ties on the board)
8 Osseo Maple Grove (tough start for "top" end team)
9 Rosemount Irish (some early quality victories put them easily in top 10)
10 Elk River Elks (rough weekend for a proposed top 5 team)
11 Farmington Tigers (not enough info at this time)
12 Centennial Cougars (still struggeling but played well at times and beat East)
13 Sibley (played well against good teams, only one win over andover)
14 Lakeville North
15 Duluth East (another team that will improve with time)
16 Andover Huskies
17 Prior Lake Lakers
18 Rochester Red
19 Woodbury Royals
20 Hermantowns

It's fair to say (or is it?) that Shattuck would be #1 if they were included in this poll. My question is, if Edina plays shattuck 5 times, do they win 2 games of the 5?

Would the next four on the list (zata, still, tonka, wbl) take any games from shattuck?

I'm just asking an honest question.

[Chuck Norris Fan]

It would also be fair to say that if included the Final 20 from the advanced 15 would be #1 as well. It is like comparing apples to oranges.

In short Yes

Longer version Yes Shattuck who recruits the best hockey players they can get at this age level world wide and has been playing together since September in thier two rink facility that they share with only 7 other teams is the best hockey team at this level in the state.

But as the MN teams get better they will compete with them more and be more successful. My guess is Wayzata and EP would have the best chance of beating them this year as they have both a top end goalie and players that would be able to create chances. I would say 1 to 2 times out of 10 from December On.

[Snap Happy]

It would also be fair to say that if included the Final 20 from the advanced 15 would be #1 as well. It is like comparing apples to oranges.

In short Yes

Longer version Yes Shattuck who recruits the best hockey players they can get at this age level world wide and has been playing together since September in thier two rink facility that they share with only 7 other teams is the best hockey team at this level in the state.

But as the MN teams get better they will compete with them more and be more successful. My guess is Wayzata and EP would have the best chance of beating them this year as they have both a top end goalie and players that would be able to create chances. I would say 1 to 2 times out of 10 from December On.

Thanks Chuck. I get that they recruit the best - I wonder if they always get who they recruit (...hmmm?). Are you thinking that Edina would not have a shot at beating SSM?

I know they are an all star team. I think it's great that we'd be a worthy contender if we had all our best on one team.

[Survey]

Snap Happy -

In regards to Edina - no I don't see them having a good shot

Reasons:

1. Lost top two guys to high school
2. Current top foward is out - broken CB
3. Another good goal scorer is out until Jan-Feb
4. Potentially losing 1 or 2 players to private

They will be a team there at the end of the season but just don't see them beating Shattuck with that much talent loss....but just my two cents.

[scorekeeper]

1 Edina Hornets (still team to beat)
2 Wayzata Trojans (most depth 1-17)
3 Rosemount Irish (can't argue with success)
4 White Bear Lake (hardest working team I've seen)
5 Osseo Maple Grove (getting better every game.)
6 Eden Prairie Eagles (well coached. will compete in every game)
7 Burnsville Blaze (figuring it out quickly. Improving each time out))
8 Stillwater Ponies (a ton of potetnial)
9 Minnetonka Skippers (big, tough AND they move the puck)
10 Sibley Generals (rough start. starting to figure it out)
11 Elk River Elks (good size. will compete in every game)
12 St. Michaels (very physical and filling the net right now)
13 Hopkins Royals (quietly undefeated, tied B'Ville, big win over PL)
14 Andover Huskies (rough start. should improve)
15 Lakeville South (filling the net with 3 blowout wins to start)
16 Prior Lake Lakers (big win over Eastview. Tied Farmington)
17 Farmington Tigers (big wins over Jefferson & New Prague)
18 Duluth East (winless through 6, outscored 8-22)
19 Centennial Cougars (finally snaggged a win and it was a big one)
20 St. Cloud Huskies (4-1-1 to start with 31 GF & 12 GA)

Still haven't seen any action out of Rochester, EGF, Lakeville North, Woodbury

Hats off to the Centennial Preview organziers. Top shelf competitive hockey and extremely well run. A few random notes on the Preview ... Edina looks to be in mid-season form already and is still the team to beat at this age group. Even with the big defections and what looked a couple of key injuries, they have to be considered the team to beat ... again

A couple of teams with slow starts really improved throughout the preview were WBL and OMG.

The Bears looked awful in the opening period against Shattuck and could have been down 7-1 in thaqt period. However, they dug deep and fought back in the second and they were actually controlling much of the play in the 3rd. I thought the team had a ton of character and will only improve. Likewise in game 2, they were on their heels most of the first period against OMG, but they kept battling and dug out of a 3-1 hole with a 3 goal flury to end the second period. Both teams played great in the third but nothing changed as OMG missed the yawning net in the dieing seconds. Finally, in the final game, they put it all together in a close to complete game in the 5-2 win against Eden Prairie.

Same with OMG who looked dog tired and disorganized in their opening 4-1 loss to the Hornets. They came out firing strong against WBL though, going up 3-1 late in the 2nd period. They paid dearly for poor play to end the 2nd, losing the lead for good but battled in a great pphysical game through the 3rd and created plenty of chances to tie it up. In their final game they outplayed the Eden Prairie Eagles, out-shot them 2-1 but settled for a 3-3 tie. They got better every game and with the talent on this team should continue that trend throughout the season.

Speaking of Eden Prairie, they are clearly a step down this year from last but should be strong competition in any game they play.

Ditto for Elk River. Clearly struggling in the absence of a couple of key players from 2 years ago. Will be tough in any game but have a long steep hill to climb to reach pre-season expectations of "top" in State.

Wayzata seems to be the most complete and talented team from 1-17, but did look beatable at times.

Dultuh East has great top end talent but seems to lack depth early in the season. They will only improve though, will compete in every game and could be a factor late in the season.

Burnsville may figure to be the team with the most potential for huge improvement between now and seasons end and remain a real dark horse pick. They lost a couple of players and struggled with a couple of games early on but they are figuring it out quickly and by seasons end might be the best team in D6 and a clear favorite to meet Wayzata for the State Championship.

[ahastars03]

Edina has a ton of talent on the team right now. If they had Walker and Malmquist they would be clear favorites. Depending on what they lose to private, if any, will play a factor. As for the weekend though they did lose to Stillwater 3-1.

I think the big thing to take away from this weekend is that teams are beating each other and that makes for an interesting season. Edina at this age has been the team to beat growing up and until they lose more talent or games they are still the team to beat. Just my opinion.

[JoltDelivered]

Don't look now but was that Stillwater that just beat Edina AND Minnetonka?

Maybe there is a new sheriff in town!

If you look at it from a pure numbers perspective there were 5 teams that won at least two games this past weekend. I am removing Shattuck from the conversation because they will not figure into the end of the season run through districts, regions and eventually state.

Those 5 teams were:

Edina
Tonka
White Bear Lake
Stillwater
Wayzata

Teams that didn't win a single game over the weekend were:
Burnsville
EP
OMG
ER - Although I don't know the score of their Sunday afternoon game
Duluth East

Now I know this is only one weekend but this may be a pretty good barometer for how things will go this season. I understand how Edina has dominated at this age group over the years but I'm not sure you can deny what Stillwater just pulled off. That's a apretty good start for them.

[ahastars03]

Elk River beat Stillwater like 5-2 I think. So Elk River did get a win over the weekend.

Feel free to correct me if I am wrong on this one.

[Bluewhitefan]

Don't look now but was that Stillwater that just beat Edina AND Minnetonka?

Maybe there is a new sheriff in town!

Stillwater played well - got very good goaltending and benefited from a major mistake from Edina's top defender and a parade of dumb penalties by the Hornets. My guess is that if they played again it would likely be a different story, but maybe not by much. The question for Edina will be whether they can stay out of the penatly box at all this year.

Is Stillwater in danger of losing any kids to the HS program? They had a couple strong players, but not sure how deep the HS team is.

[observer]

The question for Edina will be whether they can stay out of the penatly box at all this year.

That's funny. Based on history, no.

And,

Is Stillwater in danger of losing any kids to the HS program?

Which High School? This year or next?

[Pinky]

ER vs Stillwater on Sunday: ER first three shots were goals..all shots were pretty weak. Maybe started different goalie than against Edina but he looked very shaky.

Stillwater has one good line that likes to score on rushes otherwise team is pretty sloppy in d-zone and tend to run around quite a bit. Had signs of being a pretty solid team but as the season goes on the already strong teams will only get stronger and it will be interesting to see where they fall.

I'm not so sure I would jump to call Stillwater a new Sherrif in Town when they lost to a team that got throttled by Wayzata the day before 9-1

Bville has some small but pretty shifty players. One of those teams you don't let hang around or they will come out ahead late in a 3rd period for a victory.

[hockey4ever]

I wouldn't put too much into EP not winning last weekend. One game was against Shattuck. Second game was a tie with OMG who scored late to tie the game. In the final game with WBL they had 12 skaters. One player was out due to injury and 2 second year D were away due to personal commitments. Game was tied at 2 until about 7 minutes left so the 12 may have run out of gas. Not taking anything away from WBL as they played very well.

[Bluewhitefan]

Is Stillwater in danger of losing any kids to the HS program?

Which High School? This year or next?[/quote]

How do I know? Simply asking if this team, like many others, has kids that will try out for HS and possibly make it. Simple question. I know nothing about any of them.

[scorekeeper]

I wouldn't put too much into EP not winning last weekend. One game was against Shattuck. Second game was a tie with OMG who scored late to tie the game. In the final game with WBL they had 12 skaters. One player was out due to injury and 2 second year D were away due to personal commitments. Game was tied at 2 until about 7 minutes left so the 12 may have run out of gas. Not taking anything away from WBL as they played very well.

They do have some talent and should be competitive, but I would say they definitely have some cause for concern. They have only one real quality win through 6 outings this season.

They were beat by Rosemount , WBL and Shattuck pretty convincingly. They were very fortunate to salvage a tie against an OMg team who outplayed them and outshot them 2-1. They barely escaped with a narrow 3-2 win over a Duluth East team who are winless through 5 games and have been outscored 8-22.

Add to that the very difficult D6 and MG schedule and factor in those very tiny squirt sized players they are carrying and it the hill starts looking steep.

I know they have excellent coaching and they have some real top end talent to work with, so they will be a fun group to watch progress, but you have to consider them on the outside looking in right now. Right now, they aren't a top 10 team.

[hockey4ever]

Not sure I would disagree with your comments other than I wouldn't consider the losses to Rosemount or WBL to be convincing (not sure if you meant that or not). Their coaching is excellent and they do have great talent in key positions, so time will tell. Size may be an issue so they will need to play smart and use their speed to their advantage. We will know more in the next month with MG games plus a couple of good tournaments including their own on the Tday weekend.

[buttend]

1 Edina Hornets (still team to beat)
2 Wayzata Trojans (most depth 1-17)
3 Rosemount Irish (can't argue with success)
4 White Bear Lake (hardest working team I've seen)
5 Osseo Maple Grove (getting better every game.)
6 Eden Prairie Eagles (well coached. will compete in every game)
7 Burnsville Blaze (figuring it out quickly. Improving each time out))
8 Stillwater Ponies (a ton of potetnial)
9 Minnetonka Skippers (big, tough AND they move the puck)
10 Sibley Generals (rough start. starting to figure it out)
11 Elk River Elks (good size. will compete in every game)
12 St. Michaels (very physical and filling the net right now)
13 Hopkins Royals (quietly undefeated, tied B'Ville, big win over PL)
14 Andover Huskies (rough start. should improve)
15 Lakeville South (filling the net with 3 blowout wins to start)
16 Prior Lake Lakers (big win over Eastview. Tied Farmington)
17 Farmington Tigers (big wins over Jefferson & New Prague)
18 Duluth East (winless through 6, outscored 8-22)
19 Centennial Cougars (finally snaggged a win and it was a big one)
20 St. Cloud Huskies (4-1-1 to start with 31 GF & 12 GA)

Still haven't seen any action out of Rochester, EGF, Lakeville North, Woodbury

Hats off to the Centennial Preview organziers. Top shelf competitive hockey and extremely well run. A few random notes on the Preview ... Edina looks to be in mid-season form already and is still the team to beat at this age group. Even with the big defections and what looked a couple of key injuries, they have to be considered the team to beat ... again

A couple of teams with slow starts really improved throughout the preview were WBL and OMG.

The Bears looked awful in the opening period against Shattuck and could have been down 7-1 in thaqt period. However, they dug deep and fought back in the second and they were actually controlling much of the play in the 3rd. I thought the team had a ton of character and will only improve. Likewise in game 2, they were on their heels most of the first period against OMG, but they kept battling and dug out of a 3-1 hole with a 3 goal flury to end the second period. Both teams played great in the third but nothing changed as OMG missed the yawning net in the dieing seconds. Finally, in the final game, they put it all together in a close to complete game in the 5-2 win against Eden Prairie.

Same with OMG who looked dog tired and disorganized in their opening 4-1 loss to the Hornets. They came out firing strong against WBL though, going up 3-1 late in the 2nd period. They paid dearly for poor play to end the 2nd, losing the lead for good but battled in a great pphysical game through the 3rd and created plenty of chances to tie it up. In their final game they outplayed the Eden Prairie Eagles, out-shot them 2-1 but settled for a 3-3 tie. They got better every game and with the talent on this team should continue that trend throughout the season.

Speaking of Eden Prairie, they are clearly a step down this year from last but should be strong competition in any game they play.

Ditto for Elk River. Clearly struggling in the absence of a couple of key players from 2 years ago. Will be tough in any game but have a long steep hill to climb to reach pre-season expectations of "top" in State.

Wayzata seems to be the most complete and talented team from 1-17, but did look beatable at times.

Dultuh East has great top end talent but seems to lack depth early in the season. They will only improve though, will compete in every game and could be a factor late in the season.

Burnsville may figure to be the team with the most potential for huge improvement between now and seasons end and remain a real dark horse pick. They lost a couple of players and struggled with a couple of games early on but they are figuring it out quickly and by seasons end might be the best team in D6 and a clear favorite to meet Wayzata for the State Championship.

Scorekeeper seems to be wearing the hat of Frederick61 for Bantam A. So what does your Ouija (WeeGee) board say this week?

[scorekeeper]

Scorekeeper seems to be wearing the hat of Frederick61 for Bantam A. So what does your Ouija (WeeGee) board say this week?

http://www.ushsho.com/forums/viewtopic. ... 7&start=25