2008-2009 Bantam A Rankings

[conditioningsucks]

Should have something up in the next 24 hours. Getting most scores in.

Only major mover will be Jefferson. They just seem to be getting better and better.

Otherwise, just some small up and down adjustments. A couple of teams will be moving up into Tier 5 and one from Tier 4 will be moving down to Tier 5 (can ya guess?).

[Marty]

What has happened to District 2?

No team in the top 10 and only 2 in the top 20. Why has this District become so weak?

[surehockey]

Is Forest Lake moving anywhere's? I know they are not the best of D2 (top3) 20-6-3 just beat Blaine, won Hermantown Tourney...just wondering (I know they haven't played the "top" teams, except for Rogers and Burnsville in the first 3 games of the season with losses to both, but this team has been doing okay, especially from last year) what would they need to do to move up?

[conditioningsucks]

I already have Forest Lake moving into my Tier 5 this week.

Their only losses (6) have come to teams above them. With that said, they haven't beat a team in my top 21 or 22...so they have to live in Tier 5 until they win their way into the top 20.

They'll get their chance to garner more respect next weekend if they can beat Coon Rapids and Apple Valley and move into the SSP Championship.

[surehockey]

I agree...I wasn't going to even bring it up till after this weekend to wait and see how they did...as you probably know my son skates for FL...new coach is doing a great job with these boy...still can't get the "Roseville monkey" off of their back lol...and they still have WBL in districts...thanks for your input

[conditioningsucks]

I had had some private message communication last week with Chuck Norris Fan where we would put together a joint top 20. Chuck hasn't been available early this week, so I am going to go solo here - Chuck, perhaps next week we do the combined CNF/CS Power Rankings.

Conditioningsucks PowerRankings 1/13/09

Here it is.....Let's Play Hockey rankers take note ----this is what the real rankings are!


Tier 1
1 Duluth East -
2 Wayzata
3 Rogers
4 Rochester Red
5 Osseo/Maple Grove


These teams are head and shoulders above the rest of MN Hockey. These teams should win 80% of their games against Tier 2, 90% against tiers 3 and 4. T No adjustments to last weeks rankings. All have continued to perform well over the last week. Wayzata just reported two wins over Rochester Red in the last month and a recent win over WBL. Maple Grove was strong up in Roseau. Rochester Red won the Roseau tourney.

Tier 2
6 Eagan
7 Moorhead
8 Lakeville South
9 Edina
10 White Bear Lake
11 Apple Valley
12 Bloomington Jefferson
13 Minnetonka

These teams should win 20% of their games against Tier 1, and 70% of their games against Tiers 3 and 4. They should not lose to Tier 5 or below. Bloomington Jefferson continues to roll with a victory over Edina. Their 1/20 game against AV (as well as potential matchup this weekend in the SSP tourney) will be the final test….regardless, they are HOT! Eagan slays Lakeville South proving they are worthy of #6 despite the objections of some over the last week. Moorhead had an easy week against Fergus Falls and Alexandria. Lakeville South, though good, remain in 8th as they lost to a #6 Eagan. Edina gets taken down by the ‘rising by the week’ Bloomington Jefferson. I would slide them downward, however they have handled WBL, Tonka, and AV in the last month.

Tier 3
14 Centennial
15 Woodbury
16 Bemidji
17 Minneapolis Park

These teams will win 10% of their games against Tier 1, 30% against Tier 2, and 70% against Tier 4 and 90% against Tier 5. Centennial plays well in Roseau and finishes 2nd. Loss to Anoka keeps them in Tier 3 for now, but they have played good hockey. Woodbury takes a beating, 5-1 to White Bear Lake but stay in place. Minneapolis Park beats Sibley 6-0 but ties Hopkins…I would drop them to Tier 4, but no one there seems to really want to move into Tier 3 to replace them (although Burnsville with a nice showing in St. Cloud this weekend should move into Tier 3 status). Bemidji gets rocked by Centennial, White Bear, Tonka and a tight loss to OMG in Roseau. All teams that are above them, so I won’t move them down, but they need to perform in St. Cloud or they are moving down.

Tier 4
18 Burnsville
19 Chaska
20 Roseville
21 Stillwater


Chaska knocks off a lackluster Kennedy, 3-0. Stillwater squeaks by Cottage Grove after a loss to Roseau, but drops to Roseville 5-1. Roseville moves up with their win (yes, I am going to put them in the top 20!), Stillwater moves downward. Burnsville has been quiet after dropping to Tonka. Eden Prairie moves to Tier 5 after their lackluster performance in Roseau and a horrific last 30 days (1-7-1 record in last 30 days).


Tier 5
Roseau
Eden Prairie
Grand Rapids
Elk River
East Grand Forks
North Metro
Hermantown
Anoka
Blaine
Tartan
Forest Lake
Hopkins


Forest Lake moves into this group as they have won or tied everything in the last month (8-0-1, albeit weaker competition). Hermantown drops to North Metro. Grand Rapids knocks off EP. Roseau plays some of the best in the South to tight games…but doesn’t prevail and so they don’t move up to Tier 4. Hopkins also enters the fray with 16 wins on the year (against weaker squads, but still respectable).

[justhavefun]

Good report! thanks

[surehockey]

Forest Lake has not played any top teams. Based on MNhockeyrankings.com they have only played a couple teams listed in the Top 30. They struggled last years due to 10 first years. this year they have almost an All 2nd year team, and all d-2 teams say they are down from last year.

all d2 teams?...yes they lost to roseville 2x, but stillwater was a tight game 1-2 loss...I don't think they have lost to any other d2 teams?...haven't played WBL yet both games in Feb...How can you say they are down from last year? Last year they did not win a D2 district game, and 2 of they kids from that team are now in WBL and Cent. Yes mostly 2 years, but the point on that? This weekend will tell more at the SSP tourny...not saying top 20 team right now, but this group of boys are playing better than they have in the past. They've won against other teams in Tier 5, so that should count for something. But it is Tier 5 and they have a lot of work ahead of them to move up. They boys would like to play some of the top teams, just haven't had the opportunity.

[hockeyman84]

The Hopkins goalie has kept them in many games this year and was amazing last week against Mpls could be someone to watch come advanced 15 time

[muckandgrind]

Forest Lake has not played any top teams. Based on MNhockeyrankings.com they have only played a couple teams listed in the Top 30. They struggled last years due to 10 first years. this year they have almost an All 2nd year team, and all d-2 teams say they are down from last year.

all d2 teams?...yes they lost to roseville 2x, but stillwater was a tight game 1-2 loss...I don't think they have lost to any other d2 teams?...haven't played WBL yet both games in Feb...How can you say they are down from last year? Last year they did not win a D2 district game, and 2 of they kids from that team are now in WBL and Cent. Yes mostly 2 years, but the point on that? This weekend will tell more at the SSP tourny...not saying top 20 team right now, but this group of boys are playing better than they have in the past. They've won against other teams in Tier 5, so that should count for something. But it is Tier 5 and they have a lot of work ahead of them to move up. They boys would like to play some of the top teams, just haven't had the opportunity.

I could be wrong, but I think 'justhavefun' was saying that ALL d2 teams are down this year....not FL.

[Fire and Ice]

how does wbl and moorhead crack the top 10 please explain that one?
lets play hockey take note these are some of the worst rankings i have seen yet.

Moorhead has one win against a good team. Minnetonka that's it. And you have them 13.

White Bear Lk has been nothing short of awful.

CHUCK HURRY BACK

[conditioningsucks]

[quote="Fire and Ice"]how does wbl and moorhead crack the top 10 please explain that one?
lets play hockey take note these are some of the worst rankings i have seen yet.
[/quote]

ummm....Lets Play Hockey has WBL rated 9th this week. So are you saying that me putting them at 10th is something to take note of for LPH folks? Confused.

I have explained why Moorhead is where they are at and you can find that back one page in this thread. They will run through the St. Cloud Tourney this weekend, losing to Eagan in the final (maybe they'll win and then they will really justify their ConditioningSucks rating).

[Fire and Ice]

I never said LPH was the gospel either

Chuck is

St Cloud tourney missing the top teams as well Eagan is not a top 10

[conditioningsucks]

Fire & Ice,

I am sorry that you feel your team has been slighted. I just calls 'em as I sees 'em. I guess we will have to agree to disagree.

On another note, just when Eden Prairie gets bumped into Tier 5 and Bloomington Jefferson gets bumped up to Tier 2, they shock Bloomington Jefferson with a 5-1 victory. Congrats to EP. I'll be watching into next week to see if they can put on their rally caps for the last half of the season!

[Fire and Ice]

I am not slighted, and you are right call'em as you see's em I am here to debate your opinions with facts.
So I am going call it to:
Moorhead should run through the St Cloud tourney the competition is low.
You must be a WBL guy and don't use this LPH stuff they have done nothing WBL that is ,and good for Ep there tough schedule will pay off on the record seekers or teams just not that fortunate.

I am not going to look back at our previous argument about Moorhead they have one win against YOUR list and they land at # 13.

WBL????
Eagan...maybe they should be their but they are not.

[watchdog]

this is what i see. tonka is not that good. roseau totally out played them for three solid periods and the game ended in a tie. the other thing is roseau has beat stillwater both times they have played????? centennial should be higher.

[Chuck Norris Fan]

I have been trying to work with conditioning sucks to get a joint top 20 out there however sometimes that is easier said than done. So quickly here is my top 20, no numbers just the way I see it today…. And today always changes

1 Duluth East – tops for sure
2 Wayzata – speed kills and they have it
3 Rochester Red – wow 3 tourneys, very good
4 Rogers – can be a giant killer this year
5 Osseo/Maple Grove – inconsistent but still better than rest
6 Eagan – clearly not top 5 but still good
7 Lakeville South – just as good as Eagan and AV
8 Apple Valley – 3 way tie for this spot
9 Edina – can be very good, but not always prepared
10 Bloomington Jefferson – beat the hornets but were out played
11 Centennial – signs of improvement here
12 Moorhead – the value of their victory over EP falls everyday
13 White Bear Lake – Good team, but can’t win the big games
14 Minnetonka – still playing well for loosing some key guys
15 Woodbury – has some dynamic players, needs some big wins
16 Minneapolis Park – good couple of lines, can they be consistent
17 Burnsville – no big victories to speak of
18 Chaska – some talent will it play when needed
19 Bemidji – true colors showed this last weekend
20 Roseville – continues to remain on radar

[northwoods oldtimer]

Glad to have you back Chuck!

'Clash of titans' this Friday when Duluth East pays visit to Rochester Red and I think they will square off with Wayzata on Sunday too!! Should be 2 good games to take in over the weekend.

Nice analysis on the top 20 it is very accurate indeed.

[conditioningsucks]

[quote="Chuck Norris Fan"]I have been trying to work with conditioning sucks to get a joint top 20 out there however sometimes that is easier said than done. So quickly here is my top 20, no numbers just the way I see it today…. And today always changes

1 Duluth East – tops for sure
2 Wayzata – speed kills and they have it
3 Rochester Red – wow 3 tourneys, very good
4 Rogers – can be a giant killer this year
5 Osseo/Maple Grove – inconsistent but still better than rest
6 Eagan – clearly not top 5 but still good
7 Lakeville South – just as good as Eagan and AV
8 Apple Valley – 3 way tie for this spot
9 Edina – can be very good, but not always prepared
10 Bloomington Jefferson – beat the hornets but were out played
11 Centennial – signs of improvement here
12 Moorhead – the value of their victory over EP falls everyday
13 White Bear Lake – Good team, but can’t win the big games
14 Minnetonka – still playing well for loosing some key guys
15 Woodbury – has some dynamic players, needs some big wins
16 Minneapolis Park – good couple of lines, can they be consistent
17 Burnsville – no big victories to speak of
18 Chaska – some talent will it play when needed
19 Bemidji – true colors showed this last weekend
20 Roseville – continues to remain on radar[/quote]

Good job Chuck. You've got Centennial about three higher than me. That should calm Fire & Ice down a little bit! I have White Bear and Moorhead a little higher, but your picks look good!

[observer]

CNF,

Explain Bemidji, "showed true colors this last weekend." Sarcasm? They lost 4 straight, 23-9 cumulative.

[Tenoverpar]

Chuck had THIS on day one...how did he do way back in September...I think decent: He did miss Rogers like everyone else though, good for Rogers for being a Cindarella of sorts.

Okay so it might be a little early for this, but I am pretty excited for the upcoming season. These are just some thoughts and well don't feel bad or get excited if I left you off the list...... yet.

Preseason Rankings

1. Wayzata - Have been real good last two years, will they all stay?
2. Apple Valley - Good talent, is it going to HS
3. East - Always strong, this may be thier year.
4. Edina - We know what they will be next year, but this year is good too
5. Grand Rapids - Top Peewee team last year and a good Bantam team
6. Eagan - if he who shall not be named sticks around
7. St. Cloud - If there are no defectors to HS this should be a good team
8. Maple Grove/ Osseo - the combo platter should help them get out of regions
9. Centennial - Have to be in the top 10 with 4 straight title game apperances
10. Roseau - Always hard to beat
11. East Grand -
12. WBL - good defense wins championships...or at least gets you to state
13. EP - Down... but not out incoming PeeWees are good
14. Rochester - The best in the south, maybe
15. Elk River - Will be back to form this year
16. Woodbury - good Peewees may make for good bantams
17. Moorhead - have not shown as well with soft schedule
18. Coon Rapids - young team on the rise
19. Hopkins - some raw talent - no direction
20. Bemidji - just so the boys up north don't complain

Good Luck to everyone this year, I'll be watching.

[Fire and Ice]

In fairness to CS

I just didn't agree that Moorhead and WBL deserve to be any higher than CNF has them...his rationale is accurate.

[hockeyma]

Explain Bemidji, "showed true colors this last weekend." Sarcasm? They lost 4 straight, 23-9 cumulative.


... word has it Bemidji was playing without some key players who were injured as well as some that played with injuries. They need time to heal, but it's not the end of the season yet!

[conditioningsucks]

Here is a special treat for all of you bantam fans….the Chuck Norris Fan/Conditioningsucks combined January 13th, 2008 rankings. You can love these rankings or hate them, but there is no ‘politics’ involved --- just straight up matching up schedules and Chuck Norris's golden nuggets.
* Chuck Norris Fan Comments and rankings in Bold

Tier 1
1 Duluth East – [b]Hands down number 1, easily handled Rogers & has only 2 losses on the season (1) [/b]
2 Wayzata – [b]Has the speed and explosiveness to be the champs come March (2) [/b]
3 Rogers – [b]Look for this program to grow into the next powerhouse (4) [/b]
4 Rochester Red – [b]Wins their 3rd tourney and doesn’t have a tough game all weekend (3) [/b]
5 Osseo/Maple Grove – [b]going through some troubles, still better than the rest. (5) [/b]


These teams are head and shoulders above the rest of MN Hockey. These teams should win 80% of their games against Tier 2, 90% against tiers 3 and 4. No adjustments to last week’s rankings. All have continued to perform well over the last week. Wayzata just reported two wins over Rochester Red in the last month and a recent win over WBL. Maple Grove was strong up in Roseau. Rochester Red won the Roseau tourney.

Tier 2
6 Eagan – [b]this might be a little high for this team, I would have them below 8 or 9 (8) [/b]
7 Moorhead – [b]had a great run in the cities, hope that lack of tests all season does not hurt them (6) [/b]
8 Lakeville South – [b]had some great early success, but has not been great as of late (7) [/b]
9 Edina – [b]can’t say why they should be ranked over a team that is playing great and just beat them (10) [/b]
10 White Bear Lake – [b]even winning games in Roseau, can’t manage to play good hockey (13) [/b]
11 Apple Valley – [b]I would rank them higher, they may walk away with District 6 (11) [/b]
12 Bloomington Jefferson –[b] great strides since the early season and should be ranked higher (9) [/b]

These teams should win 20% of their games against Tier 1, and 70% of their games against Tiers 3 and 4. They should not lose to Tier 5 or below. Bloomington Jefferson continues to roll with a victory over Edina. Their 1/20 game against AV will be the final test….regardless, they are HOT! Eagan slays Lakeville South proving they are worthy of #6 despite the objections of some over the last week. Moorhead had an easy week against Fergus Falls and Alexandria. Lakeville South, though good, remain in 8th as they lost to a #6 Eagan. Edina gets taken down by the ‘rising by the week’ Bloomington Jefferson. I would slide them downward, however they have handled WBL, Tonka, and AV in the last month.

Tier 3
13 Minnetonka – [b]lost to Fargo with no offense, unable to really generate a lot of momentum (14) [/b]
14 Centennial – [b]don’t like this ranking, despite loss to Anoka, they tied #6,7,15 & beat #1,4,10,13,16 (12) [/b]
15 Woodbury – [b]has some dynamic players, having troubles vs middle of road teams (16) [/b]
16 Bemidji – [b]true colors shown when they played some good cities teams (19) [/b]
17 Minneapolis Park – [b]faired better than Bemidji vs Cities teams should be higher (15) [/b]

These teams will win 10% of their games against Tier 1, 30% against Tier 2, and 70% against Tier 4 and 90% against Tier 5. Tonka moves downward from #11 to #13 with a loss to a good Fargo team up in Roseau. Centennial plays well in Roseau and finishes 2nd. Loss to Anoka keeps them in Tier 3 for now, but they have played good hockey. Woodbury takes a beating, 5-1 to White Bear Lake but stay in place. Minneapolis Park ties Hopkins…I would drop them to Tier 4, but no one there seems to really want to move into Tier 3 to replace them. Bemidji gets rocked by Centennial, White Bear, Tonka and a tight loss to OMG in Roseau. All teams that are above them, so I won’t move them down.

Tier 4
18 Burnsville –[b] could be a Tier 3, they need to play some top teams and play well (17) [/b]
19 Chaska – [b]has some talent needs direction (18) [/b]
20 Roseville – [b]see conditioning they can play with the boys (20) [/b]
21 Stillwater


Chaska knocks off a lackluster Kennedy, 3-0. Stillwater squeaks by Cottage Grove after a loss to Roseau, but drops to Roseville 5-1. Roseville moves up with their win (yes, I am going to put them in the top 20!), Stillwater moves downward. Burnsville has been quiet after dropping to Tonka. Eden Prairie moves to Tier 5 after their lackluster performance in Roseau and a horrific last 30 days.


Tier 5
Roseau – [b]destroyed by Centennial, but played close games with other top teams in Roseau [/b]
Eden Prairie – [b]not sure if they have won a game since early December [/b]
Grand Rapids – [b]Maybe a tier 4 team, good speed, takes lots of penalties[/b]
Elk River – [b]scrappy team playing well [/b]
East Grand Forks
North Metro
Hermantown
Anoka
Blaine
Tartan
Forest Lake
Hopkins


Forest Lake moves into this group as they have won or tied everything in the last month (8-0-1, albeit weaker competition). I have also added Hermantown drops to North Metro. Grand Rapids knocks of EP. Roseau plays some of the best in the South to tight games…but doesn’t prevail and so they don’t move up to Tier 4. Hopkins also enters the fray with 16 wins on the year (against weaker squads, but still respectable)[b][/b]

[Duluth East Hockey Fan]

Glad to have you back Chuck!

'Clash of titans' this Friday when Duluth East pays visit to Rochester Red and I think they will square off with Wayzata on Sunday too!! Should be 2 good games to take in over the weekend.

Nice analysis on the top 20 it is very accurate indeed.

First, conditioningsucks...I believe the Hounds only have one loss on the season. 2-1 to Centennial. The other loss I think you speak of was a shootout loss to Minnetonka which is officially a tie.

With that being said, the Hounds will have their work cut out for them this weekend.

Friday vs. Rochester Red
Saturday vs. Shattuck and Wayzata (both games @ Shattuck)
Monday vs. Edina

These guys are good but I personally have yet to call them tops, I think that spot is Wayzata's. This weekend will show whether that is true or not.