Class A Rankings 1.24.21

[Stang5280]

In a week where there were few matchups between ranked opponents, things still devolved into chaos. The top seven remained the same, but only two teams behind them remained in the same spot as last week, and three newcomers entered the rankings. I'll admit that I am somewhat throwing spaghetti against a wall near the tail end, but there is bound to be plenty of turnover this season, and we may as well make things interesting.

1. Hermantown (4-0-0) [LW 1]
W 10-0 @ Hibbing, W 9-0 @ Proctor
While I sometimes lament the Hawks' typical AA-heavy schedules, it's also not much fun watching them pick apart lower-tier 7A opponents. Hermantown has outscored its three section foes 31-1, outshooting them by a ridiculous 188-13,margin in the process. It's nice when perhaps the best all-around player in the state, Pierce, has barely needed to dent the scoresheet; meanwhile, Zam Plante continued his torrid scoring pace with 18 points in four games. Hermantown should finally get something resembling a test Thursday night at Cloquet.
Next: Thu @ Cloquet, Sat vs SCC

2. Gentry Academy (2-0-0) [LW 2]
W 13-1 @ SPA
Take what I said above about Hermantown's schedule, then double it. The Stars are at least rolling their deeper lines and spreading out the scoring - 19 players have at least one point, and no one has more than 5 - but it's hard to evaluate walkovers like this. Tartan potentially provides the first test of the early season, but even that may be a stretch with the way Gentry is playing.
Next: Tue vs Providence, Sat vs Tartan

3. Warroad (2-0-0) [LW 3]
W 5-1 vs Bemidji
A short week for the Warriors, who ground down Bemidji for an uneventful victory. Shaugabay registered three more points, for a total of 12 in three games. Warroad kicks off a rough two-week stretch with road trips to the two AA Mariucci members, starting with highly ranked blood rival Roseau.
Next: Tue @ Roseau, Sat @ Moorhead

4. Mahtomedi (1-2-0) [LW 4]
L 2-3 @ BSM, W 4-2 @ Hudson
After their second consecutive loss to an AA powerhouse, the Zephyrs finally bagged a win, but it wasn't easy. Hudson drew within one late and hit two posts before Mahtomedi sealed things with an empty-netter. As the Benilde and Hill games showed, this group can compete with anybody. They almost climbed out of a three-goal hole versus the Red Knights, but couldn't complete the deal. The goaltending and defense are stellar, though the offense lacks the firepower of their peers in the top five, which leaves limited margin for error against top-flight opponents.
After the brutal early stretch, Mahtomedi has a brief reprieve before things ramp right back up again.
Next: Tue vs SPA, Thu vs Simley

5. East Grand Forks (2-2-0) [LW 5]
W 4-1 vs Fargo South, W 7-3 @ Fargo Davies
Fargo was kinder to the Green Wave than Grand Forks was last week, as they evened up their record with two wins. EGF was dominant against South/Shanley, but had some trouble scoring, while the Davies game was a choppy, penalty-filled affair. The scoring has been highly balanced - paced of course by the trio of Parker, Ausmus, and Panzer - and senior Cole Quirk has stabilized the situation in goal after a rough opening night. Apparently I lack the ability to read a schedule, as the Eastsiders finally conclude their North Dakota barnstorming tour THIS weekend, seeking revenge against their cross-border rivals.
Next: Fri @ GF Central, Sat vs GF Red River

6. Duluth Denfeld (0-0-1) [LW 6]
Idle
The Hunters experienced some scheduling tumult as their Saturday game against Superior was postponed, along with the upcoming Tuesday Eveleth contest. Denfeld will now shake the rust off against a red-hot Rapids crew, then hopefully the Golden Bears later in the week.
Next: Tue vs Grand Rapids, Thu vs Eveleth

7. Little Falls (3-0-0) [LW 7]
W 3-2 vs Princeton, W 8-0 vs Morris
The Flyers found themselves in a rather unexpected dogfight Tuesday night, dominating the game in all aspects save for the scoreboard. The offense finally broke out in a big way against Morris/Benson, but this team won't be blowing out many opponents, instead relying on Couture in net and timely scoring. It has worked so far, but is a fine line to walk. I think of them as sort of a poor man's Mahtomedi. Little Falls finally faces one of the fellow 6A contenders in a big matchup with Sartell.
Next: Thu @ Sartell, Sat vs River Lakes

8. Alexandria (3-0-0) [LW 14]
W 3-2 @ Sartell, W 10-4 vs Sauk Rapids
Apparently the demise of the Cardinals was greatly exaggerated. After knocking off upstarts Fergus Falls and Sartell in consecutive contests, Alexandria is sitting in the catbird seat in 6A so far, and leaps way up the rankings. This team has a plethora of sophomore talent, with Tyler Kludt pouring in five goals already, including two against Sartell, and defenseman Pieter Mulder dishing out four assists. The upcoming schedule is pretty light, though the scrap with St. Cloud should be challenging.
Next: Tue @ River Lakes, Thu vs St. Cloud

9. St. Paul Johnson (0-0-0) [LW 9]
Idle
After laying in wait due to school district restrictions, the Governors finally kick off their season this week. Fittingly, they start with old-time rival South St. Paul.
Next: Tue @ SSP, Thu vs SPA

10. Fergus Falls (2-1-0) [LW 20]
W 4-3 (OT) @ Sartell
The Otters shoot up the board this week, partially based on the victory over Sartell, and also due to the complete meltdowns of other ranked teams. Fergus Falls features two fast, skilled forward lines, with some solid seniors mixed in with those youngsters. The defense can be shaky at times, but that may be partly due to the competition. The Otters should feast on the upcoming lighter fare.
Next: Tue @ Breckenridge, Sat vs Wadena

11. Armstrong/Cooper (2-1-0) [LW 11]
L 2-9 @ Maple Grove
Maple Grove boat raced the Wings, jumping out to a 5-0 first period lead and never looking back. An A/C goal with one tick left made the margin only slightly less painful. I'm not sure exactly what to take away from a loss like that, but they at least put up more of a fight than Dodge County. The upcoming schedule is trickier than would have been expected prior to the season, with a potent Osseo offense and a rejuvenated Rogers squad on deck.
Next: Thu vs Osseo, Sat vs Rogers

12. Mound Westonka (2-0-2) [LW 15]
T 1-1 vs LDC, W 7-1 vs Waconia
The White Hawks have been fit to be tied, with another draw against Litchfield before pouncing all over woeful Waconia. While Delano is in free fall mode, that win no longer seems fluky, and the Simley tie also looks better in retrospect. Mound Westonka has a timeshare situation with two senior goalies, and both have played well enough, but Moen has been starting the tougher games and we'll see if he takes over the job as the season progresses. The White Hawks have a trap game at Hutch before an important meeting with a frisky Orono crew.
Next: Tue @ Hutchinson, Fri vs Orono

13. Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato (2-0-1) [LW 19]
T 1-1 @ Mound, W 2-1 @ New Ulm
The Dragons had a nice week, scraping out a tie in a defensive battle with Mound Westonka and securing a second section win. LDC is offensively challenged, but Halonen has been av brick wall between the pipes. They should get the chance to put up some stats against two weaker foes this week ahead of a tough stretch.
Next: Tue vs Waconia, Fri @ Marshall

14. Sartell-St. Stephen (1-3-0) [LW 18]
L 2-3 vs Alexandria, L 4-5 (OT) vs Fergus Falls
The Sabres are the anti-Alexandria in many ways, with sky-high preseason hopes that have yet to materialize, and two critical section losses. Logically they shouldn't be ranked this far below those two teams given how close the games were, but losses are losses, and keeping Sartell this high is largely a reassessment of the strength of 6A. The Sabres are led by superb sophomores Teddy McCabe and Tory Lund, which underscores how youthful they are. Sartell has what amounts to a warmup before getting a crack at the section favorite.
Next: Tue @ Sauk Rapids, Thu vs Little Falls

15. Dodge County (0-1-1) [LW 12]
L 1-12 @ Maple Grove
Maple Grove apparently wasn't satisfied stealing the soul of one Class A team this week, so they invited the Wildcats up to fill an open date. Dodge County probably should've stayed home and watched Netflix; the score could have been even worse had the Crimson not let off the gas early.
The Wildcats will gladly return to regularly scheduled action versus two lower-tier AA teams.
Next: Tue @ Hopkins, Sat @ New Prague

16. Mankato East (2-1-0) [LW 10]
L 2-3 vs Northfield, W 5-2 @ Owatonna
The Cougars stubbed their toes against Northfield and struggled against a mediocre Owatonna team before finally pulling away. The top line has performed as expected, but secondary scoring is a concern. East should beat up on two of the downtrodden Rochester teams, as the Big Nine tour continues.
Next: Thu @ Century, Sat vs Mayo

17. Delano (2-2-0) [LW 8]
W 7-0 @ Waconia, L 1-2 vs Hutchinson
I stated last week that the Tigers were on thin ice, and they decided to fall into the freezing water and nearly right out of the rankings. They may not even deserve this spot if I wasn't still somewhat wedded to my preseason expectations. It looked like Delano had turned a corner following two straight shutouts, but then they laid an egg against Hutch, playing with no sense of urgency until it was too late. This team simply cannot seem to score against decent competition. A loss to Orono Tuesday would already dig them a huge hole in section play.
Next: Tue @ Orono, Thu vs River Lakes

18. Southwest Christian/Richfield (3-0-0) [LW NR]
W 4-2 @ Chanhassen, W 5-2 @ Holy Angels
Wait, who? I was scrambling at this point, and the Stars seem worthy of some recognition. I I haven't seen them play yet and hardly recognize any of the names on the roster, but it is hard to argue with the results so far. Sophomore Caleb Bendell has already nearly equaled his point total from last season, and defenseman Brody Hardacre has the game to match his outstanding name. The schedule is very manageable over the next few weeks, and SWCR could rack up a gaudy record before their tougher stretch run.
Next: Thu vs Holy Angels, Fri vs Hopkins

19. Virginia (2-1-0) [LW NR]
L 0-3 @ Cloquet, W 3-0 vs Eveleth
Let's show Da Range a little love here. A feisty showing against Cloquet and blanking rival (soon partner) Eveleth? I can work with that. The Blue Devils have a bunch of youth and a bunch of Finns on the roster, and the defense and goaltending have been excellent so far. We'll see how that holds up, as Virginia has a quick turnaround on the rematch with Cloquet, this time on home ice, followed by a section contest with a frisky Falls crew.
Next: Tue vs Cloquet, Thu vs Int'l Falls

20. North Branch (3-0-0) [LW NR]
W 8-6 @ St. Francis, W 8-2 vs Becker
The final entrant of our poll newcomers is a team expected to be an also-ran in one of the weaker sections. Instead, despite losing several of their top players from last season, the Vikings have been one of the pleasant surprises of the early going. Their most talented player, Kerchner, has barely contributed, but guys like Lawton Garin and Alex Langevin have stepped up nicely. We'll see if the North Branch rejuvenation is for real when they face off with the Moose.
Next: Thu @ Pine City, Fri vs Monticello

Out: Breck, Monticello, Chisago Lakes

Others Considered: Orono, Simley, Hutchinson, Waseca, Mankato West, Providence Academy

[elliott70]

1 Hermantown
2 Warroad
3 East Grand Forks
4 Mahtomedi
5 Gentry
6 Little Falls
7 Alexandria
8 Fergus Falls
9 Armstrong
10 Mound
11 Sartell
12 Litchfield
13 Denfeld
14 North Branch
15 Mankato West
16 Red lake Falls
17 SW Christian
18 Mankato East
19 So St. Paul
20 Intl Falls

Others
Minneapolis, St Paul Johnson, Dodge County, Waseca, Providence

[Corn Cobb]

Okay, I'll give this a try..........

1 - Hermantown
2 - East Grand Forks
3 - Mahtomedi
4 - Gentry Academy
5 - Warroad
6 - Duluth Denfeld
7 - Alexandria
8 - St. Paul Johnson
9 - Armstrong/Cooper
10 - Fergus Falls
11 - Little Falls
12 - Sartell-St. Stephen
13 - SW Christian/Richfield
14 - Dodge County
15 - Orono
16 - Mankato East
17 - North Branch
18 - Providence Academy
19 - Tartan
20 - Mound Westonka

Others: Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato, Virginia, St. Francis, International Falls, Simley

[HSLinemaker]

Nice Job!

[Stang5280]

Thanks for the input, everyone. It’s interesting to see how varied the opinions are regarding the order of teams after the top five grouping. 6A is clearly the most competitive section, and I am very curious to see the Little Falls and Sartell game Thursday, since the Flyers haven’t played anyone of note yet.

One thing that is hard to avoid, at least for me, is having biases for or against the teams I see play regularly: EGF, Little Falls, Delano, and Mound Westonka are four that stand out with most of the games being streamed.

Some teams I have yet to see that I really need to watch:
Gentry (saw about 5 minutes of SPA game)
Warroad
SW Christian
Virginia
North Branch
Pretty much all of 1A

[goldy313]

Out of curiosity......what the heck happened to Cathedral? They were 3rd in class A last year and this barely squeezed by Morris and lost to Lourdes. To go from 3rd to not even a mention in the top 20-25 is quite the fall in class A.

I know scheduling was tough this year but with Hermantown, Gentry, and Warroad on one end of the spectrum then games with Morris, Prairie Center, and Breckinridge. That has to be the craziest non conference schedule ever.

[BP]

Out of curiosity......what the heck happened to Cathedral? They were 3rd in class A last year and this barely squeezed by Morris and lost to Lourdes. To go from 3rd to not even a mention in the top 20-25 is quite the fall in class A.

I know scheduling was tough this year but with Hermantown, Gentry, and Warroad on one end of the spectrum then games with Morris, Prairie Center, and Breckinridge. That has to be the craziest non conference schedule ever.

Being out state - teams only having 18 games - their conference is small and only have a few teams - it's really tough for them to schedule this year. Just glad they were able to fill it.

[InThePipes]

Out of curiosity......what the heck happened to Cathedral? They were 3rd in class A last year and this barely squeezed by Morris and lost to Lourdes. To go from 3rd to not even a mention in the top 20-25 is quite the fall in class A.

I know scheduling was tough this year but with Hermantown, Gentry, and Warroad on one end of the spectrum then games with Morris, Prairie Center, and Breckinridge. That has to be the craziest non conference schedule ever.

Losing 6 of top 7 scorers and all of their top D from a year ago.

[Stang5280]

Out of curiosity......what the heck happened to Cathedral? They were 3rd in class A last year and this barely squeezed by Morris and lost to Lourdes. To go from 3rd to not even a mention in the top 20-25 is quite the fall in class A.

I know scheduling was tough this year but with Hermantown, Gentry, and Warroad on one end of the spectrum then games with Morris, Prairie Center, and Breckinridge. That has to be the craziest non conference schedule ever.

Losing 6 of top 7 scorers and all of their top D from a year ago.

To put some numbers to it, Cathedral returned 41 out of 193 (21.2%) goals from last season. That’s obviously a huge hit for any program.

I assumed SCC would be down this year, but didn’t imagine things would be this bleak given how consistent they have been over the past few decades. For their sake, hopefully this is more of a rebuilding situation instead of the bottom dropping out like what happened at Duluth Marshall or Lourdes.

[InThePipes]

Out of curiosity......what the heck happened to Cathedral? They were 3rd in class A last year and this barely squeezed by Morris and lost to Lourdes. To go from 3rd to not even a mention in the top 20-25 is quite the fall in class A.

I know scheduling was tough this year but with Hermantown, Gentry, and Warroad on one end of the spectrum then games with Morris, Prairie Center, and Breckinridge. That has to be the craziest non conference schedule ever.

Losing 6 of top 7 scorers and all of their top D from a year ago.

To put some numbers to it, Cathedral returned 41 out of 193 (21.2%) goals from last season. That’s obviously a huge hit for any program.

I assumed SCC would be down this year, but didn’t imagine things would be this bleak given how consistent they have been over the past few decades. For their sake, hopefully this is more of a rebuilding situation instead of the bottom dropping out like what happened at Duluth Marshall or Lourdes.

And it was primarily the group of now departed players that had really led that team for the past 3-4 years.

[elliott70]

Looking at undefeated teams and then ranking based on goal differential per game and opponents record I have 15 teams as such:
1 Hermantown 4-0-0 9.25 4-9-2
2 Gentry 2-0-0 9.00 2-4-0
3 Waseca 3-0-0 6.33 0-8-0
4 Warroad 3-0-0 4.33 3-7-1
5 Mankato West 3-0-0 4.33 0-9-0
6 Little Falls 3-0-0 3.67 1-8-1
7 SW Christian 3-0-0 3.50 3-5-0
8 Alexandria 3-0-0 3.33 4-6-1
9 North Branch 3-0-0 3.00 2-6-0
10 Minneapolis 1-0-0 2.50 1-2-0
11 Mound etal 2-0-2 2.00 6-4-3
12 Litchfield 2-0-1 2.00 3-3-2
13 International Falls 3-0-0 1.67 2-6-3
14 Rochester Lourdes 3-0-0 1.33 4-8-0
15 Simley 1-0-2 .67 4-3-3

[elliott70]

Jerry's Class A Minnesota Boys High School Hockey Rankings January 24, 2021
Hermantown

East Grand Forks

Gentry Academy

Warroad

Mahtomedi

Duluth Denfeld

Delano

Little Falls

Alexandria

Mankato East

5 Teams to Watch: Fergus Falls, Monticello, Northfield, Robinsdale Armstrong/Cooper and St. Paul Johnson

[Stang5280]

Jerry's Class A Minnesota Boys High School Hockey Rankings January 24, 2021
Hermantown

East Grand Forks

Gentry Academy

Warroad

Mahtomedi

Duluth Denfeld

Delano

Little Falls

Alexandria

Mankato East

5 Teams to Watch: Fergus Falls, Monticello, Northfield, Robinsdale Armstrong/Cooper and St. Paul Johnson

Pardon my ignorance, but who is Jerry? I question his knowledge of Class A hockey given that Northfield has been AA since last season. Also, has he seen Delano play or even followed their results?

I saw another wacky ranking on Twitter that had SW Christian at #6. That seems like jumping the gun given their weak schedule.

[elliott70]

Minnesota Hockey Connection

[elliott70]

Jerry Borough

[Stang5280]

Everyone’s entitled to their opinion, and of course rankings are far from an exact science, but having Delano and Northfield in there seems like a pretty blatant oversight.

Here are the rankings I referred to earlier, from MNHockeyTV:
https://mobile.twitter.com/mnhockeytv/s ... 7403322369
1. Hermantown
2. Warroad
3. Denfeld
4. Mahtomedi
5. Gentry
6. SW Christian
7. Little Falls
8. Mound Westonka
9. Johnson
10. Alexandria

Insert shrug emoji?

[elliott70]

I prefer Stang’s.
He needs a website with ads that make him a ton of money.

[Stang5280]

I prefer Stang’s.
He needs a website with ads that make him a ton of money.

Thanks buddy. I’m definitely missing out on all that sweet, sweet blogger cash.

[elliott70]

Class 1A | Jan. 27, 2021 MN Hockey Hub
Rank Team Record Prev
1. Hermantown 4-0-0 1
2. Gentry Academy 3-0-0 2

3. Warroad 4-0-0 3
4. Little Falls 3-0-0 5

5. Mahtomedi 2-2-0 6
6. St. Paul Johnson 1-0-0 10

7. Alexandria 3-0-0
8. East Grand Forks 2-2-0 8

9. Robbinsdale Armstrong/Cooper 2-1-0
10. Duluth Denfeld 0-0-1 4

[Schotzy]

Virginia completely handled International Falls tonight. 7-1 final.

[elliott70]

Virginia completely handled International Falls tonight. 7-1 final.

Well that settles that.

[Puck8]

Virginia completely handled International Falls tonight. 7-1 final.

Well that settles that.