AA Rankings for 1/23/22

[karl(east)]

Just one month left in the regular season, so we’re starting to get down to the wire here. For as wide open as this season has seemed, I can’t remember the last time I had the exact same top four three weeks in a row, as has now been the case; it does seem like we’re starting to see some real separation, at least in terms of overall résumés, if not in talent level. Does it mean anything? Time will tell.

1. Cretin-Derham Hall (15-3) LW: 1
-The Raiders are settling in to the top spot here, and while they bled a few goals, they buried teams they should beat, including respectable White Bear Lake. They’re unlikely to be challenged in their Tour de Woodbury this week, either. Will their softer schedule down the stretch here affect their abilities to compete when they get into sections?
This week: Thurs at Woodbury, Sat vs. East Ridge

2. Andover (15-2-1) LW: 2
-The Huskies hung seven goals on a Centennial team that had been surging, reasserting their spot toward the top of the rankings. If they can keep up that offensive output, they’ll be tough to beat. Two mid-tier opponents are up his week, and we’ll see if they can avoid results like their loss to Rosemount and narrow win over Champlin.
This week: Thurs vs. Elk River, Sat vs. #13 Rogers

3. Benilde-St. Margaret’s (11-4) LW: 3
-The Red Knights thumped St. Thomas Academy to keep the pressure on the teams above them in the rankings; with no ranked opponents left, they are poised to climb if others fall and they take care of business. Their finishing touch, led by Adam Marshall and his sophomore sidekicks, remains a separator between them and other teams. They’ve got three games this week, two of which have some mild interest to them.
This week: Tues at Bloomington Jefferson, Thurs vs. Holy Angels, Sat at Mahtomedi

4. Hill-Murray (12-3-1) LW: 4
-The Pioneers running-timed Stillwater to throw down the gauntlet in 4AA, while a hard-fought battle with Grand Rapids ended in a tie. The offensive output seems to be coming around, but is it at the expense of their rock-solid defensive play? A battle with Minnetonka and a rematch with a St. Thomas team they hammered the firs time around will be instructive.
This week: Tues at Minnetonka, Thurs vs. Two Rivers, Sat at #X St. Thomas Academy

5. Edina (12-5) LW: 6
-The Hornets are suddenly rolling again after steady wins over Minnetonka and St. Michael-Albertville. The Lake Conference fun continues this coming week, with a big section battle against a Wayzata team they’ve beaten and an Eden Prairie team that stunned them a month ago.
This week: Thurs vs. #6 Wayzata, Sat at #14 Eden Prairie

6. Wayzata (11-5-1) LW: 10
-The Trojans are the biggest winners of the past week after an impressive road trip north, outgunning Roseau in a shootout and then shutting down the potent Warroad attack. Unlike many Wayzata teams, this team is showing it can win games in multiple ways. The stakes only get higher this week, though: can they do something against Edina and give themselves a shot at the all-important top seed in 6AA?
This week: Thurs at #5 Edina, Sat at Buffalo

7. Roseau (12-3) LW: 5
-A loss to Wayzata sets the Rams back a bit further, and the gap between them and Moorhead continues to tighten. Their defense against good teams may be a source of concern. Can they do better in their rivalry rematch, with both teams licking wounds after losses to Wayzata? They can’t overlook a couple of section games later in the week, either.
This week: Tues at Warroad, Fri at St. Michael-Albertville, Sat at St. Cloud

8. Moorhead (15-5) LW: 8
-The Spuds had to work for their wins on a trip across the state, winning in overtime against both Grand Rapids (a quality result) and Duluth East (an unexpectedly tight one). They play just three times over the next three weeks, albeit with a couple of significant ones in that stretch, including a Class A frontrunner on Saturday.
This week: Sat at Warroad

9. Grand Rapids (13-4-1) LW: 9
-The Thunderhawks came up short against Moorhead and then tied Hill in a very competitive game, which is solid despite going winless. They’ve certainly shown they can skate with most of their competition, but how they separate themselves from one of them to pull the big wins they’ll need as they head toward the playoffs? For a second weekend in a row they host two visitors from afar at IRA, and they get another shot at a quality result when they collide with Maple Grove.
This week: Tues at Brainerd, Fri vs. #11 Maple Grove, Sat vs. White Bear Lake

10. Lakeville South (12-3) LW: 13
-The Cougars had a hard-fought, positive week, pulling out an overtime victory over Prior Lake and getting past Eden Prairie. Despite a couple of flat results, they’re certainly going to be a tough out in a Tourney quarterfinal—if they get that far. We’ll get a sense of how likely that is in their rematch with their chief competition in 1AA this week.
This week: Tues vs. Apple Valley, Thurs at Farmington, Fri at Lakeville North

11. Maple Grove (11-5-1) LW: 12
-The Crimson restored some order with a pair of 7-0 wins, one over a Blaine team that had tied them in their December meeting. This team remains a bit of a question mark, but the talent is there to do some damage. They’ve got three road games in a row toward the end of the week, including two pretty big ones on a swing north. Which direction is this team headed?
This week: Thurs at Totino-Grace, Fri at #9 Grand Rapids, Sat at Hermantown

12. Centennial (11-3-1) LW: 7
-The Cougars had themselves a reality check, tying Elk River and losing to Andover this past week. For as good as the record’s been, I’m still not quite a full-on believer here. They have the first of two dates with their erstwhile section rival Blaine up next.
This week: Thurs vs. Blaine, Sat at Armstrong/Cooper

13. Rogers (12-6-1) LW: 14
-Let’s round out the 5AA run in the rankings: the Royals didn’t exactly cruise against Champlin Park, but they did win both their games this past week, which is not something that basically everyone else in this realm of the rankings did. They now get a crack at Andover in an important 5AA game.
This week: Thurs vs. Anoka, Sat at #2 Andover

14. Eden Prairie (10-7) LW: 15
-In a season of inconsistency, the Eagles keep finding ways to stay very steady around here in the rankings, losing to Lakeville South this past week but strengthening their top 15 credentials—and just about sealing the top seed in 2AA—with a win over Minnetonka. It’s not a bad sign for a team that had a lot of rebuilding to do, but can they show us any more? A second win over Edina would be a step in that direction.
This week: Thurs vs. Buffalo, Sat vs. #5 Edina

15. Rosemount (9-5-1)
-The Irish looked ready to leap higher before a tie with Apple Valley on Saturday dented their momentum, but the other options for this spot are so underwhelming this week that I’m going to slide them up anyway. The week ahead features a home-and-home with Lakeville North, which will make or break them here, and a date with Burnsville, too.
This week: Tues vs. Lakeville North, Thurs at Lakeville North, Sat vs. Burnsville

The Next Ten

Stillwater (12-5)
-The Ponies couldn’t keep pace with Hill, which is a setback for section placement, and the wins over Irondale and Forest Lake weren’t exactly by inspiring margins, either. East Ridge and Park should both be wins this week.

St. Thomas Academy (10-8)
-Sound the alarms in Mendota Heights: this Cadets team is in freefall, getting running-timed by a good opponent for a second straight week before a head-shaking loss to Blake. They had decent puck possession in the Benilde loss, but had none of the Red Knights’ dynamism. They have a very tough close to the season, so this could either give them a chance to get right back in things, or all go south in a hurry. Prior Lake and Hill kick off the gauntlet.

Lakeville North (12-3)
-Losing to Gentry puts a damper on what had been a pretty good run for the Panthers. They’ve got a big week ahead of them featuring a home-and-home with Rosemount and a rematch with archrival South.

Elk River (11-6-1)
-A tie with Centennial gets the Elks back on the radar here. They continue to be competitive with strong teams, even if they lack a signature win. They get a shot at Andover at the end of the week.

Chaska (10-5)
-Methodically collecting wins over teams they should beat. With Bloomington Kennedy and New Prague up next, there’s no reason to expect anything different.

Blaine (10-4-3)
-The Bengals beat respectable Blake and rolled past Anoka, but getting put in running time by Maple Grove after tying them in December is not exactly a positive result. Next up: a clash with Centennial.

Prior Lake (9-8)
-The Lakers fell short but put up a good fight against Lakeville South, won a shootout with Farmington, and had a fun romp against East Grand Forks on Hockey Day. An interesting week ahead includes limping St. Thomas and an Eastview team that beat them earlier in the season.

Minnetonka (8-7-1)
-The Skippers didn’t get destroyed by Edina or Eden Prairie, but remain a step behind in the Lake. Hill gives them another shot at a top team this week.

Gentry Academy (12-3)
-A win over Lakeville North is a highlight of the Stars’ season to date, boosting them back up the ladder here. Their only game this week is with a Denfeld team they’ve already handled this season.

Champlin Park (8-7-1)
-Put up a good fight against Rogers and slipped past Totino, which keeps them just ahead of Holy Angels here. They have a pretty forgiving next few weeks and should be able to beef up the record.

[northwoods oldtimer]

East 2-3 loss to Spuds wow!! Is coach Pitochia gearing up for a playoff upset?!

CDH schedule down the stretch is a line up of "little sisters of the poor" (Sid Hartman) not a good formula for playoff prep, ouch!!

Wayzata will be tough playoff team to solve. Like that Paddy O'Leary he's a damn good coach. May fire up the F250 to take in the Feb 5th clash of the 'Rapidly declining'.

Spuds surging at the wrong time LOL. GO RAMS!!

[GoldenBear]

Old timer—-spot on! Great summary Karl! GB

[mnmouth]

Rapids plays its last regular season road game vs Brainerd on Tuesday. Then it's 6 straight home games to finish out the year. For those believing that the Thunderhawks schedule has lacked top enders, their finish, including the Moorhead and Hill contests from last weekend, affords them a chance to gain a few wins against the Minnesota elite

Jan. 25 Brainerd 7:15pm Away
Jan. 28 Maple Grove 7:00pm Home
Jan. 29 White Bear Lake 3:00pm Home
Feb. 5 Wayzata 3:00pm Home
Feb. 8 Andover 7:00pm Home
Feb. 11 St. Thomas Academy 7:00pm Home
Feb. 15 Hermantown 7:00pm Home