Section 7AA 2013-2014?

[TheHockeyDJ]

Agreed. There are a lot of games left. You might have a thought on where a team is now, but to say any team is locked into any seed is just plain stupid. Teams have moved two spots from the beginning of the seed meeting to the final vote at the end. It comes down to who these coaches don't want to play. Another thing is games at the end have more weight than the beginning. Don't want to lose your final game before the meeting. I've seen this for almost 2 decades.

[Slammer]

I can not name what coach said this, (although I'll say it's not Mike Randolph) but a very inside source to the seeding process (one of the 7AA coaches) has informed me that East will get the top seed unless they fall off the deep end here at the end.

Randolph is using excuse that Kolar was out during the ER game, and that they had Beaulieu playing forward and none of the lines were situated yet. And that East blew out GR in the middle of the year, while ER lost.

This ISNT coming from me. I still think DE deserves the 2, but I thought I would share what I heard from someone who is involved with the seeding.

Take it as you want.

Complete BS. All this talk of seeding at this stage of the game is just that - talk.

Want to say again this isn't coming from me. Just something interesting I heard from a coach that's relevant to our 7AA discussion.

[TheHockeyDJ]

Sounds very obvious Slammer that you are talking about one of Randolph's assistants.

[Slammer]

Sounds very obvious Slammer that you are talking about one of Randolph's assistants.

No. From one of the coaches a little north of Duluth..... I'm not going to say any names because that wouldn't be fair.

GR would rather play Elk River in the semis. That's their logic, apparently. There is a conspiracy in the works with GR and DE. I like it.... Let's take out the metro teams.

[Traxler]

That sounds like wishful thinking, East has no claim to be seeded ahead of ER at this point in the season. HTH loss, losses to Blaine and Centennial which ER beat. East may well be the best team, but only excuses to not be ready to play ER in the 2nd game of the year, they knew the importance of this game. At this point Rapids has the only beef that they should be ahead of ER. ER still has Andover, MG, Blaine, Cent., and BSM left among their 10 games. 19-20 wins should get it done for ER, how they respond to the depature will be the key. They have good leaders in Berglove and Jaremko.

The head-to-head difference between Duluth East and Elk River is not as dire as people make out. Don't forget Grand Rapids and Eden Prairie. People keep mentioning the games that Duluth East lost and Elk River won - those same people leave out the opposite.

Right now records against common opponents only slightly favors Elk River who is 5-2-0 while Duluth East is 4-2-1.

Head to head games between Duluth East, Elk River, and Grand Rapids have to be thrown out otherwise the argument will never end.

[TheHockeyDJ]

Honestly, I don't disagree with East being at the 1 seed. Andover as a semifinal opponent would provide East a great challenge in that early semifinal game, provided they stay out of the penalty box. As for Rapids and Elk River, I suppose it's a coin flip and 2 or 3 probably doesn't make a difference. If ER and GR meet in the semis, it will be interesting as the Elks are now without Zerban, and Rapids should have some guys back they didn't have in their 3-2 win in Edina. Just the way teams are trending I feel Rapids and East will meet in the finals again.

[Slammer]

Honestly, I don't disagree with East being at the 1 seed. Andover as a semifinal opponent would provide East a great challenge in that early semifinal game, provided they stay out of the penalty box. As for Rapids and Elk River, I suppose it's a coin flip and 2 or 3 probably doesn't make a difference. If ER and GR meet in the semis, it will be interesting as the Elks are now without Zerban, and Rapids should have some guys back they didn't have in their 3-2 win in Edina. Just the way teams are trending I feel Rapids and East will meet in the finals again.

Agreed.

[karl(east)]

I don't know. Conspiracy theories are fun, but even if the northern teams wanted to get East the top seed for some reason, they'd need at least 3 votes from the southern part of the section to go along with them. (When voting, the coaches seed the section without their own team included.)

While I agree that nothing is *technically* set in stone when we're still three weeks away from the seeding meeting, the scenarios that would bring about any big changes require a number of things to fall into place.

I don't think East should be the 1-seed. Not unless Elky stumbles down the stretch and East takes care of business; even then, East might need a win over Lakeville North to pad the resume. We can talk about back-room deals all we want, but in my time following this section, I can't ever recall a situation in which the top 3 or 4 seeds didn't line up exactly the way we expected them to heading into the seeding meeting. Sometimes there's a surprise in the middle of the section or toward the bottom, but at the top? Nah.

[kniven]

I don't know. Conspiracy theories are fun, but even if the northern teams wanted to get East the top seed for some reason, they'd need at least 3 votes from the southern part of the section to go along with them. (When voting, the coaches seed the section without their own team included.)

While I agree that nothing is *technically* set in stone when we're still three weeks away from the seeding meeting, the scenarios that would bring about any big changes require a number of things to fall into place.

I don't think East should be the 1-seed. Not unless Elky stumbles down the stretch and East takes care of business; even then, East might need a win over Lakeville North to pad the resume. We can talk about back-room deals all we want, but in my time following this section, I can't ever recall a situation in which the top 3 or 4 seeds didn't line up exactly the way we expected them to heading into the seeding meeting. Sometimes there's a surprise in the middle of the section or toward the bottom, but at the top? Nah.

Well said Karl. I agree %110.

[TheHockeyDJ]

I don't know. Conspiracy theories are fun, but even if the northern teams wanted to get East the top seed for some reason, they'd need at least 3 votes from the southern part of the section to go along with them. (When voting, the coaches seed the section without their own team included.)

While I agree that nothing is *technically* set in stone when we're still three weeks away from the seeding meeting, the scenarios that would bring about any big changes require a number of things to fall into place.

I don't think East should be the 1-seed. Not unless Elky stumbles down the stretch and East takes care of business; even then, East might need a win over Lakeville North to pad the resume. We can talk about back-room deals all we want, but in my time following this section, I can't ever recall a situation in which the top 3 or 4 seeds didn't line up exactly the way we expected them to heading into the seeding meeting. Sometimes there's a surprise in the middle of the section or toward the bottom, but at the top? Nah.

It's interesting the guys on minnesotahockeymag.com this morning said they felt East looks like a #1, but then in another breath they said with the top 3 going 1-1 vs. each other "have fun" trying to seed them. There are a number of different ways to interpret it. It's just honestly too close with the top 3, gotta wait for these results the next 3 weeks and then see what everyone thinks on Tuesday night before the section meeting. It may be a long shot, but if Rapids wins out and shows up with a 21-4 record it's gonna get intriguing real quick.

[Traxler]

If I remember correctly there was a lot of talk about Grand Rapids having a bad section record last year going into the seeding meeting. However, coming out of it they got the 2 seed and the top seeds matched the order of teams in overall state ranking. So, I don't see why that wouldn't also apply this year where the confusion is splitting games among the top 3 teams.

I expect the top seeds to line up with rankings.

Both Karl's rankings and Let's Play Hockey have them in this order right now:
1. Elk River
2. Duluth East
3. Grand Rapids

[northwoods oldtimer]

Honestly, I don't disagree with East being at the 1 seed. Andover as a semifinal opponent would provide East a great challenge in that early semifinal game, provided they stay out of the penalty box. As for Rapids and Elk River, I suppose it's a coin flip and 2 or 3 probably doesn't make a difference. If ER and GR meet in the semis, it will be interesting as the Elks are now without Zerban, and Rapids should have some guys back they didn't have in their 3-2 win in Edina. Just the way teams are trending I feel Rapids and East will meet in the finals again.

I think it is the Elks section to lose, they are better than East with or without Zerban.

[TheHockeyDJ]

Honestly, I don't disagree with East being at the 1 seed. Andover as a semifinal opponent would provide East a great challenge in that early semifinal game, provided they stay out of the penalty box. As for Rapids and Elk River, I suppose it's a coin flip and 2 or 3 probably doesn't make a difference. If ER and GR meet in the semis, it will be interesting as the Elks are now without Zerban, and Rapids should have some guys back they didn't have in their 3-2 win in Edina. Just the way teams are trending I feel Rapids and East will meet in the finals again.

I think it is the Elks section to lose, they are better than East with or without Zerban.

I disagree. Any of Elk River, East, Rapids, or Andover could win it. Andover is a long shot of the 4, I'd say East is the favorite. Rapids needs to be healthy and I'll be confident they can beat anyone with Peterson and Sheperd.

[old goalie85]

Andover ??

[northwoods oldtimer]

Honestly, I don't disagree with East being at the 1 seed. Andover as a semifinal opponent would provide East a great challenge in that early semifinal game, provided they stay out of the penalty box. As for Rapids and Elk River, I suppose it's a coin flip and 2 or 3 probably doesn't make a difference. If ER and GR meet in the semis, it will be interesting as the Elks are now without Zerban, and Rapids should have some guys back they didn't have in their 3-2 win in Edina. Just the way teams are trending I feel Rapids and East will meet in the finals again.

I think it is the Elks section to lose, they are better than East with or without Zerban.

I disagree. Any of Elk River, East, Rapids, or Andover could win it. Andover is a long shot of the 4, I'd say East is the favorite. Rapids needs to be healthy and I'll be confident they can beat anyone with Peterson and Sheperd.

Wrong! Too many moving parts in hockey. The two you mention are outstanding but defense wins Championships. Always has and always will! Rapids team defense is way too porous to make a playoff run to Excel. The goalie has to be hot every night and that is asking way too much from your tender night after night.

[TheHockeyDJ]

I think it is the Elks section to lose, they are better than East with or without Zerban.

I disagree. Any of Elk River, East, Rapids, or Andover could win it. Andover is a long shot of the 4, I'd say East is the favorite. Rapids needs to be healthy and I'll be confident they can beat anyone with Peterson and Sheperd.

Wrong! Too many moving parts in hockey. The two you mention are outstanding but defense wins Championships. Always has and always will! Rapids team defense is way too porous to make a playoff run to Excel. The goalie has to be hot every night and that is asking way too much from your tender night after night.

Explain how Rapids beat Elk River then...

[sanryam]

I disagree. Any of Elk River, East, Rapids, or Andover could win it. Andover is a long shot of the 4, I'd say East is the favorite. Rapids needs to be healthy and I'll be confident they can beat anyone with Peterson and Sheperd.

Wrong! Too many moving parts in hockey. The two you mention are outstanding but defense wins Championships. Always has and always will! Rapids team defense is way too porous to make a playoff run to Excel. The goalie has to be hot every night and that is asking way too much from your tender night after night.

Explain how Rapids beat Elk River then...

5 min major

[Frequent_MN_Flyer]

Rapids D are young, but only getting better. Getting Quinn Mischke back will be huge. He's a solid senior defenseman we've sorely been missing. Rapids has a great coaching staff that are getting them ready for the playoffs. Can't wait to fly in to MSP!

[greenway1969]

Rapids can go a long way in persuading me that they have a legitimate shot at going to state if they beat White Bear without Hunter Shepherd having to make 40+ saves. The key section game remaining is Cloquet/St.Michael-Albertiville. If Cloquet wins they will get the #6 seed. That is the worst possible draw for Rapids. They would be in real danger of being bounced in the first round.

[scout mn]

I find it amusing the rapids fans point to the one er game as if it was a their superbowl game. It was the 3rd game in a row for both teams so play was not sharp for either team by no means, but er still out shot n outplayed rapids for a lot of the game. Goaltending was the reason for the rapids victory. But still a decent win for them. Elks on the other hand looks to statement games like beating top ranked Edina, beating east in duluth, taking care of blaine in blaine,....then round it out with maple grove, Andover and centennial. We will see how the season unfolds, but right now rapids is a lower tier team in state and er and east are in the upper tier. I don't see rapids moving up in he rankings unless teams in front of them fall apart. My prediction is they end up about where they at now...around 12 to 14th in rankings, which is what they are..decent, capable of stealing a game, but not elite by any means. Put more on ur resume than the one goal game victory in a holiday tourney where u were outshot and outplayed.

[sanryam]

I disagree. Any of Elk River, East, Rapids, or Andover could win it..

Um, Andover? No. Andover hasn't beat a top ten team all year. Their best victories come from MG and Centennial, both one goal wins. They are on a hot streak cause most of their last games were against the bottom teams of their conference.

I could see Andover beating GR since Rapids lacks serious depth, but Elk River and East are much better on paper.

[northwoods oldtimer]

Rapids can go a long way in persuading me that they have a legitimate shot at going to state if they beat White Bear without Hunter Shepherd having to make 40+ saves. The key section game remaining is Cloquet/St.Michael-Albertiville. If Cloquet wins they will get the #6 seed. That is the worst possible draw for Rapids. They would be in real danger of being bounced in the first round.

Cloquet would be very tough to beat three times in a row with a defensive group that has not shown improvement over the course of the season. Contrary to wishful thinking by a couple of rabid rapid hockey fans, Hunter Shepherd is the team defense against better then average teams. That is a lot to expect from your goaltender.

[TheHockeyDJ]

I disagree. Any of Elk River, East, Rapids, or Andover could win it..

Um, Andover? No. Andover hasn't beat a top ten team all year. Their best victories come from MG and Centennial, both one goal wins. They are on a hot streak cause most of their last games were against the bottom teams of their conference.

I could see Andover beating GR since Rapids lacks serious depth, but Elk River and East are much better on paper.

If any year has parity, it's this year, and there isn't a big gap between a #1 ranked team and a #19 ranked team. Elk River only beat Andover by one goal. The Huskies have two players who have been dynamic goal scorers in Tomberlin and Sitarz. Pete Wagonner at mnhockeymag said it will be a travesty if Tomberlin isn't on the mr. hockey finalist list, and he is a very respected hockey mind on the high school level. Also, I know people often times want to look at shots and goal, but the final score is the shots that went into the net and the goalie is a part of the team no matter how much people want to diminish their importance. People also just make a lot of assumptions on here without doing any research. I give credit to users like Traxier who actually put up some numbers and then admit to being surprised by them. Sure, Cloquet would be a tough game for Rapids, as they would for Duluth East in the quarterfinals. One thing about East is it is rather eye opening if you look at their box scores and compare their results with their power play minutes. If a team can stay out of the box for the most part like Cambridge and Apple Valley, they could give East a scare in the quarterfinals. Andover lost to East 3-1, East was 2-4 on the power play. I think East is the favorite in this section and I also think they have a great shot at the #1 seed over Elk River, but they would be a vulnerable #1 seed.

[sanryam]

Your bias AGAINST ER is glaring. Let me explain to you AGAIN why thus far, the Elks own #1.
1. Each team beat eachother. This cancels out head to head between the 3.
2. All teams have only one loss in the section matchups. Neutral.
3. ER easily owns right to common opponent victories, especially while considering SOS. ER beat Blaine by 2. East loses to Blaine by 3. Elks beat Cent by 1. East loses to Cent by 1. East ties MG. ER whoops MG.

East has nothing on ER at this point. Obviously that can change but you need to get it through your thick skull that ER is 1 as of now. Even East fans on here realize that.

[east hockey]

Your bias AGAINST ER is glaring. Let me explain to you AGAIN why thus far, the Elks own #1.
1. Each team beat eachother. This cancels out head to head between the 3.
2. All teams have only one loss in the section matchups. Neutral.
3. ER easily owns right to common opponent victories, especially while considering SOS. ER beat Blaine by 2. East loses to Blaine by 3. Elks beat Cent by 1. East loses to Cent by 1. East ties MG. ER whoops MG.

East has nothing on ER at this point. Obviously that can change but you need to get it through your thick skull that ER is 1 as of now. Even East fans on here realize that.

Well, this East fan does. Can't speak for the others.

Lee