HighSchoolHockeyForums.com

Lots of games last week, lots of upsets, and a little movement in the rankings. Things opened up for a lot of teams with all the losses and it makes teams below the Top 4 a matter of opinion. Many teams don't play a lot of notable teams in the near future.
This coming week we have a showdown of the top 2 teams and a handful of games including other ranked teams.

Enjoy!

1. [1] Hermantown (7-3) (1-0)
The Hawks beat Blake and Brainerd then lost to Rosemount. They have three 1-goal losses to solid AA teams this season. Their lone game this week is in St Cloud.
This week: Fri @ Cathedral

2. [2] Cathedral (12-0) (12-0)
The Crusaders picked up 3 more wins, but weren't challenged. Their lone game this week is hosting Hermantown.
This week: Sat vs Hermantown

3. [3] Mahtomedi (9-1) (6-0)
The Zephyrs played their first noteworthy Class A opponents of the season, all on the road. Their only comparison with EGF is beating Greenway 5-2 while the Green Wave won 4-2.
Two conference games this week; can they challenge the Cadets?
This week: Thurs @ Sibley, Sat @ Saint Thomas Academy

4. [4] East Grand Forks (10-1) (8-1)
The Green Wave's lone game last week was cancelled and they have two Grand Forks teams this week.
This week: Thurs vs Grand Forks Red River, Sat vs Grand Forks Central

5. [5] Alexandria (9-3) (7-3)
The Cardinals stumbled in Greenway, then had dominating wins in Virginia and Hibbing. They have played 3 ranked teams and those are their 3 losses. If they don't reverse that trend this week, they'll take a bit of a stumble.
This week: Thurs vs Sartell, Fri vs Wayzata

6. [6] Thief River Falls (7-4-2) (6-1-1)
The Prowlers lost to a 3-8 Fargo North team. The majority of their remaining schedule is from section 8.
This week: Thurs @ Lake of the Woods

7. [7] Orono (5-4) (5-1)
The Spartans haven't played in a week. This week they host two 7A teams.
This week: Fri vs Virginia, Sat vs Greenway

8. [9] Greenway (4-8) (3-5)
The Raiders beat Alexandria, then the next day lost to Delano. They are one of the most tested teams in the state at this point.
This week: Thurs vs Hibbing, Fri @ Chaska

9. [10] Detroit Lakes (9-0) (8-0)
The Lakers had one game cancelled, so they couldn't make it to 10 wins, but they still haven't lost. Despite the winning, they haven't played the top section teams yet. Will they still be undefeated in a week?
This week: Fri @ Crookston, Sat @ Warroad

10. [11] Warroad (6-5) (4-3)
The Warriors had a good week; 3 wins, 2 goals allowed, above .500 now. Two home games this week; can they give the Lakers their first loss?
This week: Fri vs Fergus Falls, Sat vs Detroit Lakes

11. [13] Totino-Grace (7-3) (1-2)
The Eagles picked up their first Class A win in their only game last week. Two AA teams and either another Class A or WI team this week. 7-1 in their last 8 games; can they keep up the winning this week?
This week: Mon vs Holy Angels, Tues vs SPA or University School, Sat @ Spring Lake Park

12. [-] Monticello (9-3-1) (7-2-1)
The Magic had a great week picking up wins over Sartell and Mankato East. On paper, they're still the 2 seed in their section, but they play Chisago Lakes again before the season ends. They have won 7 in a row now.
This week: Sat @ Buffalo

13. [14] Marshall (10-1) (10-0)
The Tigers made it to 10 wins and are still undefeated against MN teams this season. 3 games against Class A teams this week; can they keep it rolling?
This week: Mon vs Simley, Tues vs Southwest Christian or Kenneday, Sat vs Minnesota River

14. [12] Sartell (6-1) (4-1)
The Sabres picked up a solid win over Mankato East then lost to Monticello. Can they challenge the Cardinals this week?
This week: Thurs @ Alexandria

15. [8] Duluth Denfeld (6-3-1) (4-1-1)
The Hunters picked up their first Class A loss to Mankato West. Only 3 Class A games of note left.
This week: Thurs @ Proctor, Fri vs Lake of the Woods


Others to watch:

Chisago Lakes (8-5) (6-4)
This week: Mon vs Pine City, Tues vs Princeton or Sibley, Thurs @ Forest Lake, Sat @ North Branch

Litchfield (6-3-1) (5-3-1)
This week: Fri vs Little Falls, Sat @ Willmar

Minneapolis (4-6-2) (4-3-2)
This week: Thurs @ Cambridge-Isanti

North Branch (9-2-1) (8-1-1)
This week: Sat vs Chisago Lakes

Northfield (6-4) (5-2)
This week: Thurs @ Rochester John Marshall, Sat @ Mankato West

Waconia (6-3-2) (5-2-2)
This week: Fri vs New Prague

http://minnhock.com/ps2019.htm

As of a week ago:
1. Hermantown
2. Mahtomedi
3. Cathedral
4. East Grand Forks
5. Totino-Grace
6. Alexandria
7. Sartell
8. Greenway
9. Orono
10. Thief River Falls
11. Monticello
12. Warroad
13. Denfeld
14. North Branch
15. Mound Westonka

16. Marshall
17. Princeton
18. Mankato East
19. Eveleth-Gilbert
20. Delano

1. St. Cloud Cathedral
2. Hermantown
3. Mahtomedi
4. East Grand Forks
5. Alexandria
6. Thief River Falls
7. Totino Grace
8. Orono
9. Warroad
10. Marshall
11. Detroit Lakes
12. Monticello
13. North Branch
14. Duluth Denfield
15. Greenway
16. Sartell
17. Northfield
18. Mankato East
19. Princeton
20. Eveleth

http://minnhock.com/ps2019.htm

Through 12/29/2018:
1. Hermantown
2. Mahtomedi
3. East Grand Forks
4. Cathedral
5. Totino Grace
6. Alexandria
7. Sartell
8. Marshall
9. Greenway
10. Orono
11. Warroad
12. Thief River Falls
13. Monticello
14. Denfeld
15. Northfield

16. Mankato East
17. Mound Westonka
18. Virginia
19. Litchfield
20. Detroit Lakes

FWIW, PageStat has Mahtomedi, EGF, and Cathedral clustered at 22 through 24 in the rankings, separated by only 0.13 in rating points. So they are basically interchangeable at #2 through #4.

Virginia at 18? No thanks. The Blue Devils’ schedule has been brutal, but they have also played like trash for most of the season.

Stang5280 wrote: ↑Mon Dec 31, 2018 2:07 pm FWIW, PageStat has Mahtomedi, EGF, and Cathedral clustered at 22 through 24 in the rankings, separated by only 0.13 in rating points. So they are basically interchangeable at #2 through #4.

Virginia at 18? No thanks. The Blue Devils’ schedule has been brutal, but they have also played like trash for most of the season.

It’s really interesting when you look at Greenway and Cloquet. Both preseason top 10 and both currently at 4-8. Would anybody be truest shocked if these 2 squads punched their tickets to the state tournament this year. -Not me

kniven wrote: ↑Mon Dec 31, 2018 3:38 pm

Stang5280 wrote: ↑Mon Dec 31, 2018 2:07 pm FWIW, PageStat has Mahtomedi, EGF, and Cathedral clustered at 22 through 24 in the rankings, separated by only 0.13 in rating points. So they are basically interchangeable at #2 through #4.

Virginia at 18? No thanks. The Blue Devils’ schedule has been brutal, but they have also played like trash for most of the season.

It’s really interesting when you look at Greenway and Cloquet. Both preseason top 10 and both currently at 4-8. Would anybody be truest shocked if these 2 squads punched their tickets to the state tournament this year. -Not me

Sorry kniven, your team isn’t getting past DE & Andover. Only faint hope is you get that tall, injured D back before the sections, otherwise it’s just not happening...

It’s really interesting when you look at Greenway and Cloquet. Both preseason top 10 and both currently at 4-8. Would anybody be truest shocked if these 2 squads punched their tickets to the state tournament this year. -Not me

They could both do that for sure. If Greenway can get past Hermantown they will have an excellent chance to run the table down there. If Cloquet can get by East and Andover the same can be said for them.

Cloquet will have to upset 2 to 5 teams to get to state, Greenway has 1 top 30 team. Cloquet has a much tougher road.

Who is voting that Greenway should be ranked in the four to six range? That seems insanely high for a 4-8 team with some bad losses along the way. Maybe the Raiders will eventually end up in that range, but they are definitely not currently performing like a top six team.

Stang5280 wrote: ↑Tue Jan 01, 2019 1:29 pm Who is voting that Greenway should be ranked in the four to six range? That seems insanely high for a 4-8 team with some bad losses along the way. Maybe the Raiders will eventually end up in that range, but they are definitely not currently performing like a top six team.

I was definitely wondering about this. This poll is with them coming off a win over Alexandria. They do have 2 goal losses to Cathedral and EGF and a 3 goal loss to Mahtomedi and really only have one "bad loss," which is to Delano. So, it's hard to keep them too far back, but top 6 does seem high.

Stang5280 wrote: ↑Mon Dec 31, 2018 2:07 pm FWIW, PageStat has Mahtomedi, EGF, and Cathedral clustered at 22 through 24 in the rankings, separated by only 0.13 in rating points. So they are basically interchangeable at #2 through #4.

Virginia at 18? No thanks. The Blue Devils’ schedule has been brutal, but they have also played like trash for most of the season.

Agreed on the 3 being close, although Cathedral beat EGF 7-2. As they continue to win, and win big, that seems to have been just an off game.