Class A Rankings Week #9 (1/22/2023)

Class A Rankings Week #8 (1/15/2023). The top teams stay the same and Warroad is solidifying their top spot with a 3-0 win over Wayzata. Follow on Twitter @ClassAHockeyGuy for more Minnesota High School Class A News and Notes……..enjoy the rankings!

1. Warroad (8A) (16-0-0)

Past Week Results: W 3-0 Wayzata, W 8-1 #12 Duluth Denfeld

Upcoming Schedule: 1/24 @ Roseau, 1/28 @ Moorhead

The Warriors took on the #1 team in AA to open their week and they won a very good hockey game 3-0 as they shut out the Trojans and now have the claim of the state’s best team regardless of Class. They followed up that big win by heading to Duluth the next day and taking out Denfeld to remain unbeaten on the year. This upcoming week will be a very stiff test as they have two tough road AA games vs their rival Roseau and then with a better then their record Spuds team as every game we get closer to February the eyes of the state on this group’s pursuit of perfection intensifies.  

2. Hermantown (7A) (12-2-1)

Past Week Results: W 6-0 #8 Hibbing, W 3-2 Moorhead, L 0-3 St Thomas Academy

Upcoming Schedule: 1/24 @ Superior, 1/26 @ Proctor, 1/28 @ #3 Mahtomedi

The Hawks found themselves in a scary game on the road only up 2-0 on Hibbing. They did respond with a big third period and put the game away but they may have given Hibbing some belief in the process if they meet again in the sections. Hermantown followed that up with a very impressive home win over the Spuds of Moorhead when they scored the game winning goal with just 10 seconds left in a great hockey game. The Hawks did not finish the week great getting shut out by St Thomas Academy but are still #2 for now. Big test upcoming next weekend when they take on the #3 Zephyrs at Hockey Day MN.

3. Mahtomedi (4A) (11-4-0)

Past Week Results: W 6-4 Benilde, L 2-3 OT Eden Prairie, W 4-3 OT East Ridge

Upcoming Schedule: 1/25 vs Hill Murray, 1/28 vs #2 Hermantown

The Zephyrs got their week off to a fantastic start when they hit the road and took down a good AA Benilde team. Mahtomedi jumped out to 3-0 period lead and never  trailed to pick up yet another impressive win on the road vs AA competition. The Zephyrs continued their good play when they erased a two goal deficit on the road vs AA Eden Prairie to send the game to overtime. While they lost the game overall it was still another very impressive showing. They finished the week struggling with East Ridge but did find a way to win in overtime. Now this week a struggling AA Hill Murray and then a big Hockey Day MN showdown with the #2 Hawks on National TV.

4. Orono (2A) (14-2-0)

Past Week Results: W 6-3 #15 Providence, W 4-3 #11 St Cloud Cathedral, W 5-2 Bloomington Jefferson

Upcoming Schedule: 1/24 vs New Prague, 1/28 @ Waconia

The Spartans got a little bit of a push from the 2A Lions but a big 5 goal send period put the game away and Orono picked up a critical 2A sweep over ProvidenceAcademy for the year. Orono after another slow start used a big four goal second period to overwhelm a good Cathedral team but then took five penalties in the 3rd period, penalties are an issue with this group,and  they nearly let the game slip away but came away with a good win. They did end the week with a solid win over Jefferson and now have two more Metro West Conference games this week with the rematch of the overtime win over Waconia presenting some intrigue.

5. East Grand Forks (8A) (11-6-0)

Past Week Results:W 6-5 OT Roseau, W 5-1 #12 Duluth Denfeld, W 4-2 Bemidji

Upcoming Schedule: 1/28 @ Greenway 

The Greenwave continued their great stretch of hockey and went up to Roseau and scored late to tie the game and then after an outstanding highlight reel save by their goaltender to save the game went down the ice put the Rams away. East Grand Forks then hit the road over the weekend first taking down a ranked Denfeld team with ease winning 5-1 and having the heavy shot favor total. They finished off the trip in grand fashion when they went into red hot Bemidji and avenged an earlier loss and took the Lumberjacks down. This week the Greenwave just have one game they should win as they continue to prepare for the looming back to back with Warroad in a few weeks for the 8A top seed.

6. Northfield (1A) (12-4-0)

Past Week Results: L 2-4 Rochester Mayo, W 6-0 Mankato West, W 7-0 Winona

Upcoming Schedule: 1/24 @ Mankato East, 1/26 @ #19 Albert Lea, 1/28 vs Rochester Mayo

The Raiders did not start their week off well and they dropped their 2nd consecutive game when they dropped a game to Mayo on the road. Northfield did right the ship a bit to end the week when they beat Mankato West and Winona both convincingly. Now this week they have a tough week and really can solidify things with a few wins when they take on a 3A co-favorite Mankato East, 1A contender Alert Lea, and the team that just beat them this week Rochester Mayo.

7. Delano (2A) (9-7-0)

Past Week Results: W 8-1 Mound Westonka, L 0-6 Lakeville South

Upcoming Schedule: 1/24 @ #17 Litchfield Dassel Cokato, 1/26 @ Holy Family

Delano did exactly what they needed to do vs Mound Westonka blitzing the Whitehawks and picking up another very important Section 2A win in the process. They finished the week getting roughed up by AA Lakeville South which really doesn’t hurt them when looking at the mess that is 6-30 A rankings. This week is a Wright County Conference with an important opportunity to sweep 2A LDC and the match up with Holy Family, a program that has owned Delano over the years.

8. Hibbing (7A) (11-5-1)

Past Week Results: L 0-6 #2 Hermantown, W 11-2 North Shore

Upcoming Schedule: 1/23 vs Duluth Marshall, 1/26 @ Superior, 1/27 vs Crookston, 1/28 vs #17 Thief River Falls

Hibbing hung around with the Hawks for 2 periods only down 2 goals to give them hope that if they meet again in the Section Final they can hang around. However the Hawks put the game away in the third period putting it into run time late. Hibbing responded but taking care of North Shore for another 7A win now this week is busy with the game vs Thief River Falls the end of the week looking very intriguing.

9. Detroit Lakes (8A) (11-4-1)

Past Week Results: W 8-1 Prairie Centre, W 6-2 Red Lake Falls

Upcoming Schedule: 1/23 vs Northern Lakes, 1/26 @ Wadena Deer Creek, 1/27 vs Lake of the Woods

The Lakers have entered the stretch of their season looking at the schedule where they hypothetically should win out in the remainder of their games. They started that stretch well as they took down two teams they should be beating Prairie Centre and Red Lake Falls this week. Now they play three more games this week they should be favored to win in as they look to build some momentum heading into the 8A section playoffs..

10. Rock Ridge (7A) (11-4-1)

Past Week Results: W 6-0 North Shore, W 7-1 Princeton

Upcoming Schedule: 1/24 vs Cloquet, 1/26 vs #12 Duluth Denfeld

The Wolverines stayed red  hot this week and won their 6th and 7th straight game and are still unbeaten in the new year. They started out their week by shutting out 7A North Shore for a solid section win. After that they took on Princeton and were able to win another game fairly comfortably and this team is playing really good hockey of late. This week they have a game with Cloquet before a big matchup with 7A Duluth Denfeld looms.