Final AA Rankings
Posted: Sun Mar 11, 2012 12:54 am
Another high school season has come and gone, and it’s time to close it out with one last set of rankings. Here you go:
1. BENILDE-ST. MARGARET’S
-It was a wild ride for the Red Knights, who entered the season as one of the favorites, quickly lost that status, found their minds driven far from hockey by a tragic accident, then came together to pull off their first AA championship. A lot of the top teams stumbled, making their road easier, but with a little help from Grant Besse, Benilde made sure they were the last team standing. Congrats to the Red Knights.
2. Hill-Murray
-Like Benilde, the Pioneers benefited from some timely upsets--White Bear and Eagan going down made their road to the final much easier. But they were playing very good hockey by the end of the year, and it all came together in the convincing upset of Maple Grove. They fought hard in the final, and with Lechner at the helm and the talent they keep on bringing in, they’ll keep on being one of the favorites.
3. Duluth East
-In terms of the body of work, the Hounds had one of the greatest high school seasons in recent memory. After watching them grab the consolation title, I still think they were the team to beat this year. But they chose the wrong time to have a bad night, and were left with only a fifth place trophy. In the end, they join the long line of great #1s that have gone down over the years.
4. Eagan
-Like East, the Wildcats fell flat at State. But as with the Hounds, that loss doesn’t take away a fine season and the many accomplishments of a very talented senior class. They’ve turned themselves into a player on the state scene, and in a section like 3AA, they will have further opportunities.
5. Lakeville South
-The regular season wasn’t quite on par with some of the other top teams, but the upset of Duluth East gets the Cougars their first ever trip into the top five. Wrapping up third place was a huge step forward for this program, and I expect we’ll see more of them in the coming years.
6. Minnetonka
-A brilliant season came to a crashing halt in the 6AA title game, but the Skippers were clearly a top team throughout. Someday they will finally break through and win a big one.
7. Maple Grove
-Yet another AA team that saw it all go wrong when they got to State. The Crimson made their first trip to St. Paul and had the finest season in school history, but peaked just a tiny bit too early in that rout over Blaine. They’ll be back.
8. Edina
-The Hornets got a nasty draw at State, as they went down in tight games against streaking Benilde and a Duluth East team in search of redemption. Given their youth simply making State was a pretty good first step, and if they can keep all of this talent around, they’re going to be a favorite over the next few years.
9. Moorhead
-The Spuds notched a big upset at State to punctuate a steady year, and hung with Hill and Lakeville South quite well. Bitzer was the star, but credit Morinville and company for putting together teams that always do Moorhead proud at State, even when they don’t have the talent of their opponents.
10. Eden Prairie
-The Eagles exceeded expectations in a rebuilding year after the title run, though even so the loss to Robbinsdale Armstrong in sections was a real disappointment. They should be a dangerous team yet again next year.
11. Wayzata
-The Trojans had a pretty strong year, but were buried in a deep section and were clearly just a little ways behind their competition.
12. Burnsville
-Gave Edina a decent run, but once again the season came to a close in the 2AA championship. Someday Edina’s streak will have to end, and they’re as good a threat as any to make that happen.
13. Elk River
-Came on towards the end of the season with a win over Maple Grove, and gave East a better run than Andover did in the 7AA final. Will be a force in 7AA in the coming years.
14. Andover
-Took a step forward by making the 7AA title game; it was hard to ask for much more this year. Should continue to improve as they build up their program.
15. Brainerd
-It’s tough to find a good team to put here, so I’ll go with the Warriors for making it into the 8AA final and giving Moorhead a good game.
Others worthy of mention, in no particular order:
Roseville. Like Brainerd, did well to make a section final and did better than expected this season.
Blaine. Had a pretty nice regular season, but that section final against Maple Grove is going to sting for a while. Should be back with a vengeance in the coming years.
Grand Rapids. A decent regular season, but never quite met expectations, and folded in the first round of sections.
Cloquet. Improved as the season went on and gave Elk River a good run in sections; as long as they have Kuhlman they’ll be a factor.
Prior Lake. Another program on its way up that should make some noise in the not-so-distant future.
So, how did I do this year? During the regular season things lined up pretty well; the first round at State sure did everything in, though, and there was really no way to anticipate that in the rankings. There were a handful of misses--last year I underrated Grand Rapids and Bemidji at the start of the year; this year I did the opposite. Hopefully I’ll find middle ground next year. I also missed Andover’s rise; I was expecting them to take another year to show up on the state scene. Beyond that, most things were within a reasonable margin of error.
Acknowledgements:
-mnhockeyprospects.com, for giving these rankings a platform beyond the forum and for my press box experience at the State Tourney.
-MN Hockey Hub, for its ever-improving coverage of hockey across the state.
-FollowThePuck, for quick and easily accessible scores.
-Lee’s site for PS2 and plenty of hockey history.
-MyFoxHockey and OTSN for continuing to expand my online viewing options and allowing me to see pretty much every top team in the state without leaving my bedroom.
-MnSportsNetwork for their radio coverage of so many games, especially during sections.
-The various radio stations out there that get their game broadcasts up online.
-My many editors and critics on the forum for their constant input and interest.
Thanks again for another fun season on here. I thank everyone for their contributions, and hope you’ll pitch in your thoughts this offseason and next year. I’ll have some final thoughts on this season a little later.
1. BENILDE-ST. MARGARET’S
-It was a wild ride for the Red Knights, who entered the season as one of the favorites, quickly lost that status, found their minds driven far from hockey by a tragic accident, then came together to pull off their first AA championship. A lot of the top teams stumbled, making their road easier, but with a little help from Grant Besse, Benilde made sure they were the last team standing. Congrats to the Red Knights.
2. Hill-Murray
-Like Benilde, the Pioneers benefited from some timely upsets--White Bear and Eagan going down made their road to the final much easier. But they were playing very good hockey by the end of the year, and it all came together in the convincing upset of Maple Grove. They fought hard in the final, and with Lechner at the helm and the talent they keep on bringing in, they’ll keep on being one of the favorites.
3. Duluth East
-In terms of the body of work, the Hounds had one of the greatest high school seasons in recent memory. After watching them grab the consolation title, I still think they were the team to beat this year. But they chose the wrong time to have a bad night, and were left with only a fifth place trophy. In the end, they join the long line of great #1s that have gone down over the years.
4. Eagan
-Like East, the Wildcats fell flat at State. But as with the Hounds, that loss doesn’t take away a fine season and the many accomplishments of a very talented senior class. They’ve turned themselves into a player on the state scene, and in a section like 3AA, they will have further opportunities.
5. Lakeville South
-The regular season wasn’t quite on par with some of the other top teams, but the upset of Duluth East gets the Cougars their first ever trip into the top five. Wrapping up third place was a huge step forward for this program, and I expect we’ll see more of them in the coming years.
6. Minnetonka
-A brilliant season came to a crashing halt in the 6AA title game, but the Skippers were clearly a top team throughout. Someday they will finally break through and win a big one.
7. Maple Grove
-Yet another AA team that saw it all go wrong when they got to State. The Crimson made their first trip to St. Paul and had the finest season in school history, but peaked just a tiny bit too early in that rout over Blaine. They’ll be back.
8. Edina
-The Hornets got a nasty draw at State, as they went down in tight games against streaking Benilde and a Duluth East team in search of redemption. Given their youth simply making State was a pretty good first step, and if they can keep all of this talent around, they’re going to be a favorite over the next few years.
9. Moorhead
-The Spuds notched a big upset at State to punctuate a steady year, and hung with Hill and Lakeville South quite well. Bitzer was the star, but credit Morinville and company for putting together teams that always do Moorhead proud at State, even when they don’t have the talent of their opponents.
10. Eden Prairie
-The Eagles exceeded expectations in a rebuilding year after the title run, though even so the loss to Robbinsdale Armstrong in sections was a real disappointment. They should be a dangerous team yet again next year.
11. Wayzata
-The Trojans had a pretty strong year, but were buried in a deep section and were clearly just a little ways behind their competition.
12. Burnsville
-Gave Edina a decent run, but once again the season came to a close in the 2AA championship. Someday Edina’s streak will have to end, and they’re as good a threat as any to make that happen.
13. Elk River
-Came on towards the end of the season with a win over Maple Grove, and gave East a better run than Andover did in the 7AA final. Will be a force in 7AA in the coming years.
14. Andover
-Took a step forward by making the 7AA title game; it was hard to ask for much more this year. Should continue to improve as they build up their program.
15. Brainerd
-It’s tough to find a good team to put here, so I’ll go with the Warriors for making it into the 8AA final and giving Moorhead a good game.
Others worthy of mention, in no particular order:
Roseville. Like Brainerd, did well to make a section final and did better than expected this season.
Blaine. Had a pretty nice regular season, but that section final against Maple Grove is going to sting for a while. Should be back with a vengeance in the coming years.
Grand Rapids. A decent regular season, but never quite met expectations, and folded in the first round of sections.
Cloquet. Improved as the season went on and gave Elk River a good run in sections; as long as they have Kuhlman they’ll be a factor.
Prior Lake. Another program on its way up that should make some noise in the not-so-distant future.
So, how did I do this year? During the regular season things lined up pretty well; the first round at State sure did everything in, though, and there was really no way to anticipate that in the rankings. There were a handful of misses--last year I underrated Grand Rapids and Bemidji at the start of the year; this year I did the opposite. Hopefully I’ll find middle ground next year. I also missed Andover’s rise; I was expecting them to take another year to show up on the state scene. Beyond that, most things were within a reasonable margin of error.
Acknowledgements:
-mnhockeyprospects.com, for giving these rankings a platform beyond the forum and for my press box experience at the State Tourney.
-MN Hockey Hub, for its ever-improving coverage of hockey across the state.
-FollowThePuck, for quick and easily accessible scores.
-Lee’s site for PS2 and plenty of hockey history.
-MyFoxHockey and OTSN for continuing to expand my online viewing options and allowing me to see pretty much every top team in the state without leaving my bedroom.
-MnSportsNetwork for their radio coverage of so many games, especially during sections.
-The various radio stations out there that get their game broadcasts up online.
-My many editors and critics on the forum for their constant input and interest.
Thanks again for another fun season on here. I thank everyone for their contributions, and hope you’ll pitch in your thoughts this offseason and next year. I’ll have some final thoughts on this season a little later.
The Wildcats were overrated all year.
), but his rationale was always, well, rational. In contrast to your final rankings… 
