Class A Rankings Week #12 (2/12/2023)

1. Warroad (8A) (24-0-0)

Past Week Results: W 4-2 #5 East Grand Forks, W 3-2 #5 East Grand Forks, W 8-0 Bemidji

Upcoming Schedule: 2/18 @ Sartell

The Warriors had another strong week as they won the first game of the home and home with East Grand Forks on the road. In an excellent hockey game #22 Marvin-Cordes played the hero as his hat trick propelled Warroad to the win. The next night they were outplayed for large stretches by EGF but thanks to Hampton Slukynsky in net the Greewave were never able to take a lead and the Warriors held on for the 8A sweep and #1 seed. The Warriors wrapped up the week by routing Bemidji on the road and now are just one game away from a perfect regular season as they head to AA Sartell this coming weekend.

2. Hermantown (7A) (21-2-1)

Past Week Results: 6-1#10 Rock Ridge, W 7-2 Benilde St Margrets, W 3-1 Chaska

Upcoming Schedule: 2/14 vs Grand Rapids

The Hawks let Rock Ridge hang around for a bit in their opening game of the week but they slammed the door shut in the third period and showed that it looks like for another winter no one in 7A will be able to push them. The Hawks then had a very impressive weekend 1st routing a top tier AA Benilde and then taking care of pesky AA Chaska and Hermantown looks to be clicking on cylinders. This week one final test with 7AA Grand Rapids remains before heading into sections where they look like the heavy favorite again this winter in 7A.

3. Mahtomedi (4A) (15-8-0)

Past Week Results: W 6-0 Two Rivers, W 7-1 Hastings, W 8-2 Breck

Upcoming Schedule: 2/14 vs #10 Delano, 2/16 @ Woodbury

The Zephyrs rolled to three wins this week and now are looking very solid as they head into a Section 4A playoff that based on their regular season results won’t be much of a challenge for them. They opened up the week by racing out to a big lead and then never letting Two Rivers really get into the game in another 4A big win for them. After wrapping up the #1 seed the Zephyrs continued to roll as they routed both Hastings and Breck on the road and they now have won 4 games in a row. A good test with Delano and a sneaky decent AA Woodbury await this week as Moahtomedi looks to end the regular season on a hot note.

4. Orono (2A) (18-5-0)

Past Week Results: L 2-6 Benilde St Margrets, L 2-9 Chanhassen

Upcoming Schedule: 2/14 @ Bloomington Kennedy, 2/18 vs Chaska

The Spartans had a rough week as they had a lineup missing players due to illness and got bullied by two solid AA teams this past week. The first period issues continued for Orono as Benilde blitzed the Spartans and never looked back after building a lead and that was followed by Chanhassen routing them with a six goal 1st period and Orono has now suffered their first losing streak of the year as they dropped both games. They will look to wrap up the season on a better note as the game vs Bloomington Kennedy is a Section 2A game they can use as their closing statement before the playoffs.

5. East Grand Forks (8A) (13-10-0)

Past Week Results: L 2-4 #1 Warroad, L 2-3 #1 Warroad, W 5-1 #16 St Cloud Cathedral

Upcoming Schedule: 2/14 vs Thief River Falls, 2/16 vs Roseau

The Greenwave showed in their two games with the Warriors that they are going to be a serious threat to Warroad’s chances at making the State tournament even though they dropped both games they pushed the Warriors and will be ready to make the third time a charm if they both make the 8A Final. The Greenwave wrapped up the week by jumping out to a 3-0 1st period lead over St Cloud Cathedral and never looked back in a solid four goal win at home. This week they finish up with a big 8A game vs Thief River Falls they don’t want to trip up with to lock up the #2 seed and then a good test with Roseau before they look forward to the 8A playoffs.

6. Northfield (1A) (18-5-0)

Past Week Results: W 8-2 Rochester Century, W 8-0 Mankato East

Upcoming Schedule: 2/16 @ Austin, 2/18 vs Mankato West

The Raiders had a good week outsourcing their opponents 16-2 in their two games in Big 9 Conference play as they avenged an earlier loss in the year to Rochester Century by hammering them the 2nd time around. They then finished the week by beating a team that could be at State in a few weeks in Mankato East. This week looks to be more of the same as they have two very winnable Big 9 Conference games to finish with before they head into the playoffs with the #1 seed in Section 1A.

7. Little Falls (5A) (16-8-1)

Past Week Results: W 4-2 #16 St Cloud Cloud Cathedral, W 3-2 #13 Detroit Lakes, W 8-2 Sauk Rapids

Upcoming Schedule: Section 5A Playoffs

The Flyers closed their regular season on a very impressive note as they picked up a big sweep of St Cloud Cathedral to start their week as they built a 2-0 lead on the road only to see it slip away. They however responded with a game winning goal with just 45 seconds left and were able to leave St Cloud with the 5A season series sweep.The Flyers then hosted a highly ranked Detroit Lakes squad and was able to pick up another impressive win in their late hot stretch. They finished the week by taking care of 5A Sauk Rapids and they come flying into the Top 10 carrying a #1 5A seed and all sorts of momentum having gone (10-1-0) in their last 11 games but now they have to sit and wait a week in a weird scheduling hiccup, they have the full week off, and will hope they can be ready to make amends for last year’s playoff upset.

8. Rock Ridge (7A) (14-8-1)

Past Week Results: L 1-6 #2 Hermantown, W 5-0 Proctor, W 9-1 Pine City

Upcoming Schedule: 2/14 vs #11 Hibbing, 2/16 @ Greenway

The Wolverines announced this week they will be going to AA next winter possibly in large part to avoid 7A king Hermantown who they battled tough for 2 periods before the Hawks showed their strength and blew Rock Ridge away in the third period. After that though they were able to end their 3 game losing streak and take care of business winning the final 2 games of the week over 7A Proctor and 5A Pine City. Now this week sets up well to lock into the 2 seed as they end with 2 very important 7A games. If they can beat both Hibbing and Greenway this week they will be the #2 seed in 7A. They control their playoff fate with their play.

9. Providence Academy (2A) (14-9-0)

Past Week Results: W 5-4 #10 Delano, W 7-0 Rochester Lourdes

Upcoming Schedule: 2/14 vs Gentry Academy, 2/16 vs Chisago Lakes

The Lions had a big week as they went on the road and knocked off 2A power Delano in a critical section seeding game that should all but lock up the #2 seed. It was Providence Academy’s most impressive Class A win and shows this team can still be a serious threat come playoff time. They followed that up by romping over Rochester Lourdes and finished the week on a winning note and the Lions are now (7-1-0) in their last 8 games. Now this week they finish up with Gentry Academy and Chisago Lakes before getting ready for the Section 2A Playoffs.

10. Delano (2A) (13-10-0)

Past Week Results: L 4-5 #9 Providence Academy, W 3-2 Southwest Christian

Upcoming Schedule: 2/14 @ #3 Mahtomedi, 2/18 vs Chanhassen

Delano suffered a major blow to open their week when they were upset by 2A Providence Academy at home. They allowed the Lions to build up a multiple goal lead and then tried to claw back into it but were unable to do so and lost their chance at the Section 2A #2 seed in the process. They did respond by beating Southwest Christian to end the week and they now appear to be locked into the #3 seed in 2A. They will get a rematch with Providence Academy possibly in a few weeks but this week they finish up the year with two very tough games with highly ranked Mahtomedi and AA Chanhassen remaining.

11. Hibbing (7A) (15-7-1)

Past Week Results: L 4-5 OT Northern Lakes

Upcoming Schedule: 2/14 @ #8 Rock Ridge

Hibbing took what is probably their worst loss of the season in their only game of the week. They hit the road and played a Northern Lakes team that is better than their record but not a team a Top 10 Team should be losing to. In a game where they gave up an uncharacteristic 5 goals they never seemed to find their rhythm and they now drop out of the Top 10 for the first time in 2 months. This week they have a huge game with Rock Ridge as if they lose they could drop from the 2 seed to the 4 seed which would mean a semi final with the Hawks and they want to avoid that at all cost.

12. Duluth Denfeld (7A) (13-10-1)

Past Week Results: W 3-2 OT Duluth Marshall

Upcoming Schedule: 2/16 @ Sartell

The Hunters had big news this week as they announced they were heading to AA next winter and they promptly struggled with one of the lower end 7AA teams to show how big of a jump this is going to be for the Hunters. They were eventually able to escape the struggling Hilltoppers with a win in overtime but that was probably not the overall way they wanted to play with just a week remaining before playoffs. This week they have a good test with AA Sartell as they start to prepare for a massive jump their program is about to take once the season ends.

13. Detroit Lakes (8A) (16-6-1)

Past Week Results: W 4-1 Wadena Deer Creek, W 8-3 Park Rapids, L 2-3 #7 Little Falls

Upcoming Schedule: 2/14 @ #17 Alexandria, 2/16 @ Northern Lakes

The Lakers got their week started well when they took down Wadena Deer Creek 4-1 on the road for the season series sweep. They then took down Park Rapids with ease the next night to wrap up another Section 8A win and put the finishing touches on the Mid State Conference title.The Lakers though still lack that marquee win as they dropped a tough one on the road to Little Falls. They got some help in 8A and now are looking good for the #3 seed but they still want to beat quality opponent before playoffs they will have that chance this week with two hot 6A teams on the road when they visit Alexandria and Northern Lakes

14. Minneapolis (2A) (13-8-2)

Past Week Results: W 7-0 Armstrong/Cooper, L 0-4 Holy Angels, W 9-1 Bloomington Kennedy

Upcoming Schedule: 2/13 @ Chisago Lakes, 2/16 vs Hopkins

The boys from the 612 got their week rolling with a blow out win over AA Armstrong/Copper in a game they were able to put the Wings into a run tie which was impressive. They did get slowed down by Holy Angels in the middle of the week when they were shut out but they rebounded nicely and picked up another 2A win when they swept Bloomington Kennedy for the season series. Now this week they finish up with a decent Chisago Lakes club and AA Hopkins as they get ready to defend their Section 2A Championship.

15. New Prague (1A) (13-8-1)

Past Week Results: W 8-1 Minnesota River, L 4-5 Rochester Mayo, W 5-1 Waconia

Upcoming Schedule: 2/13 @ Rochester Lourdes, 2/14 @ St Louis Park, 2/17 vs Benilde St Margrets

The Trojans used Will Seymour’s big 5 goal second period to blow open a game they trailed after 1 and beat a team they should be in Minnesota River to start the week. The Trojans then lost a really tough game they let slip away in the last minute where not only lost the lead but the games well to a good AA Mayo team in the middle of their week. They rebounded and picked up a sound 5-1 victory over Waconia to end the week. This week the Trojans have an important Section 1A game with Rochester Lourdes to take care of before two AA Metro West Conference tests to end the regular season.

16. St Cloud Cathedral (5A) (12-11-0)

Past Week Results: L 2-4 #7 Little Falls, L 1-5 #5 East Grand Forks

Upcoming Schedule: 2/13 @ Holy Angels, 2/16 vs # 19 Monticello

The Crusaders continued their struggles this week as maybe the sickness has lingered as they dropped two more games this week though they were games against Top 10 Class A teams. The first one was a dagger to their hopes of maybe still a top seed in 5A when they were swept away for the second consecutive season by Little Falls. They then went up to East Grand Forks over the weekend and dug a three goal hole and were never able to recover. The Crusaders will finish up this week with a tough Monday turn around at a good AA Holy Angels and then they have a must win showdown with 5A Monticello if they want to avoid being the #4 seed and having to go to Little Falls for a 5A Semifinal Matchup.

17. Alexandria (6A) (9-12-1)

Past Week Results: L 1-2 St. Cloud, W 4-1 #18 Fergus Falls

Upcoming Schedule: 2/14 vs #13 Detroit Lakes, 2/16 @ Brainerd, 2/17 vs St Cloud

Alexandria lost to a decent AA St Cloud team to start their week on the road by one goal. They did, though pick up the big win of the week as they were able to sweep Fergus Falls and almost certainly claim the #1 seed in Section 6A. Now they finish up with a busy week and three really good tests taking on Class A ranked Detroit Lakes and then having two solid AA CLC teams in Brainerd and St Cloud to get them ready to try and defend their 6A title.

18. Fergus Falls (6A) (12-8-2)

Past Week Results: T 4-4 River Lakes, L 1-4 #17 Alexandria

Upcoming Schedule: 2/14 @ Bemidji, 2/16 vs St Cloud, 2/18 @ Hutchinson

The Otters started the week in some hot water as they found themselves in a big hole on the road vs River Lakes but to their credit they were able to dig out of it and salvage a tie on the road. However, they were not so fortunate against Alexandria as they again dug themselves a hole and this time they were unable to get out of it. The loss gave Alexandria the sweep and the #1 seed in 6A. The Otters will hope they get one more chance at the Cardinals in a section 6A final but until then they have a busy week with 3 games on the slate to end the regular season.

19. Monticello (5A) (14-8-1)

Past Week Results: L 2-4 Buffalo, W 6-3 Princeton

Upcoming Schedule: 2/14 @ Northern Lakes, 2/16 @ #16 St. Cloud Cathedral

The Moose have been hovering around just outside the Top 20 of these rankings for much of the season after a slow (0-3-1) start out of the gate Monticello has played really good hockey this winter going (14-4-0) in their last 18 games. That stretch includes winning the Mississippi 8 Conference Title going unbeaten in Conference play and also going (9-1-0) in Section 5A play. The Moose have assured themselves a top 3 seed and look to be a serious threat to win Section 5A for the 4th time in 6 years. This week two good matchups with a dangerous Northern Lakes squad followed by a big Section 5A Final rematch of last year with St Cloud Cathedral and major section seeding implications on the line.

20. New Ulm (3A) (20-3-1)

Past Week Results: L 1-2 Litchfield Dassel Cokato, W 6-2 Waseca

Upcoming Schedule: 2/14 vs Hopkins

The Eagles faltered in their chance to prove their Top 20 ranking when they lost to LDC this week in a game they outshot and had the better of the play for stretches against the Dragons. While the loss doesn’t mean they still can’t win Section 3A it does really raise the eyebrows of this team as they have struggled to beat mid range teams outside their section/conference this winter. New Ulm did rebound by doing what they do best when they took down yet another Big South Conference team to again finish a season unbeaten in conference play. This week another out of conference test when they take on AA Hopkins.

The Next 5 in Class A Week #12-

Cambridge Isanti (5A) (14-8-0)- The Bluejackets continued their hot stretch of hockey of late as they have now gone (10-3-0) since the start of 2023 and this week they picked up two more wins with the one of #2 4A Seed Chisago Lakes bening impressive. They will be a top 4 seed in 5A and could play spoiler and make a run to St Paul. Before that though they will have a busy week to end the season with 3 games on the slate this upcoming week.

Luverne (3A) (17-6-1)- The Cardinals rolled off three more 3A wins when they took down Fairmont and swept Minnesota River this week in their quest to have an argument for the #2 seed in Section 3A. This week they wrap up with an important road game at 3A Windom that they will need to win but they appear to have a very strong argument to grab a top spot in the Section 3A bracket behind New Ulm.

Albert Lea (1A) (17-5-1)- Albert Lea did what they needed to do in Section 1A play this week taking out two struggling teams in Red Wing and Austin with ease. They end their Section 1A play resume with a (9-1-0) record and will be number 2 or number 3 seed. This week they wrap up with two good tests in 3A contender Mankato East and red hot AA Rochester Mayo to finish up the regular season.

Chisago Lakes (4A) (12-8-1)- The Wildcats dropped a game to a decent Cambridge Isanti team that served as a mild upset to start their week. The Wildcats did rebound to take care of both Northern Edge but the loss to Princeton to end the week is very concerning. Now they finish the season with two really good tests when they play ranked and hot 2A teams Minnneapolis and Providence Academy this week before wrapping up the season with 4A Simley.

Red Lake Falls (8A) (15-8-0)- The Eagles deserve to get to some mention this week as they are now (7-1-0) in their last 8 games which includes their huge upset win over Thief River Falls the first in school history in series that dates all the way back to 1955. Red Lake Falls will now have a good shot at the 4 or 5 seed and more than likely a rematch with the Prowlers. This week they have two more winnable games with 8A Crooskton and Wadena Deer Creek to wrap up the year.

Class A 2022-23 Section Break Downs (2/12/23)

Section 1A Rankings (2/12/23)

1- Northfield (18-5-0)

2- New Prague (13-8-1)

3- Albert Lea (17-5-1)

4- Dodge County (13-9-0)

5- La Crescent (18-6-0)

6- Winona (8-11-2)

7- Faribault (11-11-0)

8- Rochester Lourdes (8-14-0)

9- Waseca (9-13-0)

10- Austin (3-17-1)

11- Red Wing (1-18-4)

Section 1A Team Resumes –

Northfield- Section 1A Record (6-0-0) PageStat Rank (1st out of 11) QRF (1st out of 11)

1A Wins- NP, AL, RW, Winona, RL & Faribo 1A Losses- None

Section 1A Games Remaining- Austin

New Prague- Section 1A Record (3-1-0) PageStat Rank (2nd out of 11) QRF (2nd out of 11)

1A Wins- Waseca, Faribo, DC 1A Losses- NFLD

Section 1A Games Remaining- Rochester Lourdes

Albert Lea- Section 1A Record (9-1-0) PageStat Rank (3rd out of 11) QRF (3rd out of 11)

1A Wins- RL, Faribo x2, Winona x2, RW x2, Austin x2 1A Losses- NFLD

Section 1A Games Remaining- None

Dodge County- Section 1A Record (4-1-0) PageStat Rank (4th out of 11) QRF (4th out of 11)

1A Wins- RL, Faribo, LaC, Waseca 1A Losses- NP

Section 1A Games Remaining- La Crescent & Winona

La Crescent- Section 1A Record (5-2-0) PageStat Rank (5th out of 11) QRF (5th out of 11)

1A Wins- Faribo, Waseca, Austin, RW. RL 1A Losses- DC & Winona

Section 1A Games Remaining- Dodge County

Winona- Section 1A Record (5-4-2) PageStat Rank (7th out of 11) QRF (8th out of 11)

1A Wins- LaC, Waseca, Fairbo,Austin x2 1A Losses- NFLD, RL, AL x2 1A Ties- RW x2

Section 1A Games Remaining- Dodge County

Faribault- Section 1A Record (6-7-0) PageStat Rank (6th out of 11) QRF (6th out of 11)

1A Wins- RL, Waseca, Austin x2, RW x2 1A Losses- NFLD, NP, AL x2, DC, LaC, Winona

Section 1A Games Remaining- None

Rochester Lourdes- Section 1A Record (3-5-0) PageStat Rank (8th out of 11) QRF (7th out of 11)

1A Wins- Winona, RW, Austin 1A Losses- NFLD, AL, DC, Faribo, LaC

Section 1A Games Remaining- New Prague & Waseca

Waseca- Section 1A Record (2-5-0) PageStat Rank (9th out of 11) QRF (9th out of 11)

1A Wins- Austin & RW 1A Losses- NP, DC, Faribo, LaC, Winona

Section 1A Games Remaining- Rochester Lourdes

Austin- Section 1A Record (1-9-1) PageStat Rank (10th out of 11) QRF (11th out of 11)

1A Wins- RW 1A Losses- AL x2, Faribo x2, RL, LaC, Waseca, Winona X2 1A Ties- RW

Section 1A Games Remaining- Northfield

Red Wing- Section 1A Record (0-9-3) PageStat Rank (11th out of 11) QRF (10th out of 11)

1A Wins- None 1A Losses- NFLD, AL x2, Faribo x22, RL, LaC, Waseca, Austin 1A Ties- RW

Section 1A Games Remaining- None

Section 1A Seeding Outlook- Northfield is the lock for the 1A #1 seed as they are unbeaten in the section. New Prague due to a tougher schedule and being defending 1A Champions I believe gets them the nod at the #2 seed over Albert Lea who will be the #3 seed. The 2nd game between Dodge County & La Crescent winner this week will determine home ice of the #4 vs #5 Quarterfinal Game. Seed #6, #7 and #8 will be interesting Winona has a winning 1A record and won the head to head over the Lancers and Faribault which I think gets them the #6 seed. The Falcons own head to head win over Rochester Lourdes but the Eagles own the head to head win over the Winhawks so the coaches vote will be interesting here. Waseca’s only two 1A wins were over Austin & Red Wing and the Packers beat and tied the Wingers to set seeds #9, #10 and #11.

Section 2A Rankings (2/12/23)

1- Orono (18-5-0)

2- Providence Academy (14-9-0)

3- Delano (13-10-0)

4- Minneapolis (13-8-2)

5- Southwest Christian (12-7-4)

6- Waconia (11-11-0)

7- Hutchinson (10-12-0)

8- Litchfield Dassel-Cokato (14-8-2)

9- Breck (7-15-1)

10- Mound Westonka (4-19-0)

11- Bloomington Kennedy (2-21-0)

Section 2A Team Resumes –

Orono- Section 2A Record (6-0-0) PageStat Rank (1st out of 11) QRF (1st out of 11)

2A Wins- Providence x2, Delano, MPLS, Waconia X2 2A Losses- None

Section 2A Games Remaining- Bloomington Kennedy

Providence Academy- Section 2A Record (6-3-0) PageStat Rank (4th out of 11) QRF (4th out of 11)

2A Wins- Delano, MPLS, SWC, MW, Breck x2 2A Losses- Orono x 2, Hutch