AA Rankings for 1/24/09
Posted: Sat Jan 23, 2010 11:48 pm
No meandering paragraph to start the rankings this week. I’ll just deliver the goods:
1. Minnetonka (18-0)
-A perfect record, a healthy Max Gardiner, and a shock-and-awe performance against Edina. Oh, to be young and a Skipper. Face the only team that might--might--be capable of beating them this week that they haven’t seen yet.
This week: Thurs vs. Armstrong, Sat at #4 Wayzata
2. Eden Prairie (13-2)
-Took care of business against Jefferson to all but clinch the Lake title and survived some ugly conditions to beat one of the finest teams in class A. A very complete team that’s hitting its stride at the right time; an important game on Tuesday.
This week: Tues at #7 Eagan, Thurs vs. Chaska, Sat vs. Lakeville North
3. Hill-Murray (15-1-1)
-The win over Holy Angels was a bit close for comfort, but with Edina tying AHA recently, it’s enough to slide them up for now. As I’ve said a couple times with Hill this year, this feels a little artificially high, but they’re playing well and have avoided doing anything stupid.
This week: Thurs at South St. Paul, Sat vs. Simley
4. Wayzata (13-2-1)
-Prestige of the Edina win took a hit when Tonka came out and whacked Edina. Regardless, it’s an important win for this team, and now they get the first of two shots at Minnetonka. All they need to do is keep it close to hold this spot in the rankings (or perhaps even move up).
This week: Tues vs. Champlin Park, Sat vs. #1 Minnetonka
5. Edina (12-4-1)
-The Hornets were humbled by the Tonka and are in a bit of a rut with only one win in their past 4 games. This is when they hit the wall last year too, if memory serves. The good news is that they get something of a respite this week, though both of their opponents will have a shot if they can’t shore up their defense a bit.
This week: Tues vs. Cretin-Derham Hall, Thurs vs. Hopkins
6. Blaine (11-3-3)
-Got an important win over Andover, then took care of Coon Rapids. The lack of clarity in the rest of the conference actually hurts their SOS some since no one is really stepping up to challenge them. The losses to Edina don’t look nearly as good in the aftermath of that Tonka-Edina game, but they will definitely move up if those ahead of them fall, and there is a sizeable gap between them and #7.
This week: Thurs vs. #15 Osseo, Sat vs. Anoka
7. Eagan (13-2-1)
-Once again I must express my discomfort at putting them this high, but they got an important win over LVS this week and are holding the course for now. The next four games represent their moment of truth as they take on EP, Burnsville, and Jefferson. Time for them to either prove their mettle or find themselves plummeting in the rankings.
This week: Tues vs. #2 Eden Prairie, Thurs at Lakeville North, Sat at Burnsville
8. Bloomington Jefferson (12-3-2)
-Fell to EP but responded by taking out their anger on the bottom level of the Lake. If they play well, they’re in good position to move up. An interesting week ahead of them, as these are the sorts of games that have held Jefferson back this year.
This week: Thurs vs. Lakeville South, Sat at Apple Valley
9. Elk River (10-5-2)
-I spent a lot of time waffling over what to do here, but ultimately arrived upon the Improperly Pluralized Deer as my #9. Why? They took control of their section with a win over Duluth East, for one, and they’re also 6-1-1 in their last eight, the only loss coming against Blaine; against the NWSC and a strong non-conference schedule, that’s worth something. They get a chance to avenge the one result on their schedule that looks a bit out of place as they host Maple Grove on Saturday.
This week: Thurs vs. Anoka, Sat vs. Maple Grove
10. Duluth East (10-5-2)
-Drop behind ER due to the loss, but they’ve won over many of the teams just behind them and therefore stay up here. This team’s been walking a fine line all year, and now head into a crucial week of 7AA play. A slip-up will cost them dearly and relegate them to a #3 seed or lower for the first time in over a decade.
This week: Tues at Forest Lake, Fri vs. Andover
11. Holy Angels (9-6-1)
-Move up despite losing this past week, but no one can deny that they’ve been playing well lately. They now launch into the meat of the mighty Missota, meaning they’ll be adding seven wins to this record in no time. Only difficult games remaining are against Shattuck and the season finale at Benilde.
This week: Tues at Red Wing, Thurs vs. Farmington
12. Benilde (11-3-2)
-I continue to not know exactly what to do with this team. The tie against Osseo doesn’t look as good now with the Orioles beginning to plummet, and they’re giving up a decent number of goals to some bad NSC teams. But there are still enough positive results on the schedule to maintain a decent ranking. I’m curious to see what happens when Moorhead comes down to visit.
This week: Tues at Cooper, Fri vs. Moorhead, Sat at Chisago Lakes
13. Roseau (13-2-1)
-Only game last week postponed due to weather. I’m still not sure where to go with the Rams; maybe they should be in the top ten, maybe they shouldn’t be ranked at all. I’ll continue to take the middle ground until something convinces me to do otherwise. The Moorhead re-match will be a good barometer.
This week: Tues vs. Moorhead
14. Centennial (9-5-2)
-Continue their streakiness as they gather steam through the NWSC, going 3-0-1 in their past 4, three of which were quality teams. In this week’s version of ranking roulette, that’s enough to buy a top-15 spot. Face their last big non-conference opponent this week, and it’s one that could conceivably give them problems.
This week: Thurs vs. Coon Rapids, Sat vs. Moorhead
15. Osseo (10-4-2)
-The birds come crashing back to earth after an 0-2-1 week; we’re seeing now what a nice benefit that weak early schedule was. The good news: 4 of the next 5 are against the underbelly of the NWSC, though the Blaine re-match is in there as well.
This week: Tues at North Metro, Thurs at #6 Blaine, Sat at Champlin Park
On the Bubble
Burnsville (8-6-3)
-Once again I have difficulty not ranking them, but with a big week ahead including Apple Valley and Eagan, they’ll have their chance. I would not be at all shocked to see them make a leap.
Andover (12-4-1)
-Got the big win I’ve been waiting for by knocking off Osseo; I now consider them a serious threat, and things will get very messy if they can bring down Duluth East this week.
Maple Grove (9-5-3)
-Languishing a bit as other teams around them pick up big wins. Visit Elk River this week.
Apple Valley (12-5)
-Continue their steady march through the Lake; huge week ahead of them with Burnsville and Jefferson.
Moorhead (6-6-2)
-Lest anyone had forgotten about the Spuds, they do have some decent results on that schedule, and they have a monster week ahead of them with road games against Roseau, Benilde, and Centennial. A win against any of them would be a big boost to the defending runners-up.
Lakeville South (10-7)
-A decidedly mixed week; they whipped Rochester Century to seize control of 1AA, but fell by 3 goals to two of the better Lake teams, showing they still have a ways to go to be considered for a ranking.
Woodbury (11-6-1)
-A one goal win over Park is hardly confidence-inspiring, but it’s an improvement over the first meeting, and that’s six in a row for the Royals. Interesting games ahead vs. Stilly and Flake.
White Bear Lake (9-7-1)
-After essentially ignoring them for the past two weeks, we can finally go back to ranking them properly now that the suspensions are over.
Stillwater (9-7-1)
-Gathering steam as they head into the home stretch and could disrupt the SEC.
Forest Lake (10-3-2)
-Quietly putting together a very strong record.
Brainerd (13-2)
-Great record, but lost 6-0 to Moorhead.
Grand Rapids (7-10-1)
-Ugly record, but have proved they can stick with just about anyone in the state.
Bemidji (11-6)
-Lurking in 8AA as a possible spoiler.
I should probably stop there before I end up ranking the entire class.
Forgive the lack of bells and whistles this week; section-by-section run-throughs and something else creative will re-appear next week. There are some good games out there over the next seven days; get yourself to a hockey rink and have fun.
1. Minnetonka (18-0)
-A perfect record, a healthy Max Gardiner, and a shock-and-awe performance against Edina. Oh, to be young and a Skipper. Face the only team that might--might--be capable of beating them this week that they haven’t seen yet.
This week: Thurs vs. Armstrong, Sat at #4 Wayzata
2. Eden Prairie (13-2)
-Took care of business against Jefferson to all but clinch the Lake title and survived some ugly conditions to beat one of the finest teams in class A. A very complete team that’s hitting its stride at the right time; an important game on Tuesday.
This week: Tues at #7 Eagan, Thurs vs. Chaska, Sat vs. Lakeville North
3. Hill-Murray (15-1-1)
-The win over Holy Angels was a bit close for comfort, but with Edina tying AHA recently, it’s enough to slide them up for now. As I’ve said a couple times with Hill this year, this feels a little artificially high, but they’re playing well and have avoided doing anything stupid.
This week: Thurs at South St. Paul, Sat vs. Simley
4. Wayzata (13-2-1)
-Prestige of the Edina win took a hit when Tonka came out and whacked Edina. Regardless, it’s an important win for this team, and now they get the first of two shots at Minnetonka. All they need to do is keep it close to hold this spot in the rankings (or perhaps even move up).
This week: Tues vs. Champlin Park, Sat vs. #1 Minnetonka
5. Edina (12-4-1)
-The Hornets were humbled by the Tonka and are in a bit of a rut with only one win in their past 4 games. This is when they hit the wall last year too, if memory serves. The good news is that they get something of a respite this week, though both of their opponents will have a shot if they can’t shore up their defense a bit.
This week: Tues vs. Cretin-Derham Hall, Thurs vs. Hopkins
6. Blaine (11-3-3)
-Got an important win over Andover, then took care of Coon Rapids. The lack of clarity in the rest of the conference actually hurts their SOS some since no one is really stepping up to challenge them. The losses to Edina don’t look nearly as good in the aftermath of that Tonka-Edina game, but they will definitely move up if those ahead of them fall, and there is a sizeable gap between them and #7.
This week: Thurs vs. #15 Osseo, Sat vs. Anoka
7. Eagan (13-2-1)
-Once again I must express my discomfort at putting them this high, but they got an important win over LVS this week and are holding the course for now. The next four games represent their moment of truth as they take on EP, Burnsville, and Jefferson. Time for them to either prove their mettle or find themselves plummeting in the rankings.
This week: Tues vs. #2 Eden Prairie, Thurs at Lakeville North, Sat at Burnsville
8. Bloomington Jefferson (12-3-2)
-Fell to EP but responded by taking out their anger on the bottom level of the Lake. If they play well, they’re in good position to move up. An interesting week ahead of them, as these are the sorts of games that have held Jefferson back this year.
This week: Thurs vs. Lakeville South, Sat at Apple Valley
9. Elk River (10-5-2)
-I spent a lot of time waffling over what to do here, but ultimately arrived upon the Improperly Pluralized Deer as my #9. Why? They took control of their section with a win over Duluth East, for one, and they’re also 6-1-1 in their last eight, the only loss coming against Blaine; against the NWSC and a strong non-conference schedule, that’s worth something. They get a chance to avenge the one result on their schedule that looks a bit out of place as they host Maple Grove on Saturday.
This week: Thurs vs. Anoka, Sat vs. Maple Grove
10. Duluth East (10-5-2)
-Drop behind ER due to the loss, but they’ve won over many of the teams just behind them and therefore stay up here. This team’s been walking a fine line all year, and now head into a crucial week of 7AA play. A slip-up will cost them dearly and relegate them to a #3 seed or lower for the first time in over a decade.
This week: Tues at Forest Lake, Fri vs. Andover
11. Holy Angels (9-6-1)
-Move up despite losing this past week, but no one can deny that they’ve been playing well lately. They now launch into the meat of the mighty Missota, meaning they’ll be adding seven wins to this record in no time. Only difficult games remaining are against Shattuck and the season finale at Benilde.
This week: Tues at Red Wing, Thurs vs. Farmington
12. Benilde (11-3-2)
-I continue to not know exactly what to do with this team. The tie against Osseo doesn’t look as good now with the Orioles beginning to plummet, and they’re giving up a decent number of goals to some bad NSC teams. But there are still enough positive results on the schedule to maintain a decent ranking. I’m curious to see what happens when Moorhead comes down to visit.
This week: Tues at Cooper, Fri vs. Moorhead, Sat at Chisago Lakes
13. Roseau (13-2-1)
-Only game last week postponed due to weather. I’m still not sure where to go with the Rams; maybe they should be in the top ten, maybe they shouldn’t be ranked at all. I’ll continue to take the middle ground until something convinces me to do otherwise. The Moorhead re-match will be a good barometer.
This week: Tues vs. Moorhead
14. Centennial (9-5-2)
-Continue their streakiness as they gather steam through the NWSC, going 3-0-1 in their past 4, three of which were quality teams. In this week’s version of ranking roulette, that’s enough to buy a top-15 spot. Face their last big non-conference opponent this week, and it’s one that could conceivably give them problems.
This week: Thurs vs. Coon Rapids, Sat vs. Moorhead
15. Osseo (10-4-2)
-The birds come crashing back to earth after an 0-2-1 week; we’re seeing now what a nice benefit that weak early schedule was. The good news: 4 of the next 5 are against the underbelly of the NWSC, though the Blaine re-match is in there as well.
This week: Tues at North Metro, Thurs at #6 Blaine, Sat at Champlin Park
On the Bubble
Burnsville (8-6-3)
-Once again I have difficulty not ranking them, but with a big week ahead including Apple Valley and Eagan, they’ll have their chance. I would not be at all shocked to see them make a leap.
Andover (12-4-1)
-Got the big win I’ve been waiting for by knocking off Osseo; I now consider them a serious threat, and things will get very messy if they can bring down Duluth East this week.
Maple Grove (9-5-3)
-Languishing a bit as other teams around them pick up big wins. Visit Elk River this week.
Apple Valley (12-5)
-Continue their steady march through the Lake; huge week ahead of them with Burnsville and Jefferson.
Moorhead (6-6-2)
-Lest anyone had forgotten about the Spuds, they do have some decent results on that schedule, and they have a monster week ahead of them with road games against Roseau, Benilde, and Centennial. A win against any of them would be a big boost to the defending runners-up.
Lakeville South (10-7)
-A decidedly mixed week; they whipped Rochester Century to seize control of 1AA, but fell by 3 goals to two of the better Lake teams, showing they still have a ways to go to be considered for a ranking.
Woodbury (11-6-1)
-A one goal win over Park is hardly confidence-inspiring, but it’s an improvement over the first meeting, and that’s six in a row for the Royals. Interesting games ahead vs. Stilly and Flake.
White Bear Lake (9-7-1)
-After essentially ignoring them for the past two weeks, we can finally go back to ranking them properly now that the suspensions are over.
Stillwater (9-7-1)
-Gathering steam as they head into the home stretch and could disrupt the SEC.
Forest Lake (10-3-2)
-Quietly putting together a very strong record.
Brainerd (13-2)
-Great record, but lost 6-0 to Moorhead.
Grand Rapids (7-10-1)
-Ugly record, but have proved they can stick with just about anyone in the state.
Bemidji (11-6)
-Lurking in 8AA as a possible spoiler.
I should probably stop there before I end up ranking the entire class.
Forgive the lack of bells and whistles this week; section-by-section run-throughs and something else creative will re-appear next week. There are some good games out there over the next seven days; get yourself to a hockey rink and have fun.
](./images/smilies/eusa_wall.gif "Brick wall"){kind=small}
that the schedule and politics of section seeding will probably not be kind to AHA.
But acknowledging that doesn't change the rankings.