Class A Rankings Week #13 (2/19/2023)
1)Warroad (8A) (24-0-1)
Past Week Results: T 1-1 Sartell
Upcoming Schedule: Section 8A Playoffs
The Warriors were unable to complete the perfect (25-0-0) season as they suffered a rare offensive scoring outage as while they heavily outshot Sartell the goals just did not happen. They threw everything they had at Sabres in the overtime session but were unable to find the back of the net and they were forced to settle with a tie. They will now head into the Section 8A Playoffs with the Number 1 seed and will look to defend their Section 8A Title and return to St Paul this March.
2)Hermantown (7A) (22-2-1)
Past Week Results: W 4-1 Grand Rapids
Upcoming Schedule: Section 7A Quarterfinals vs North Shore
The Hawks wrapped up a very successful regular season by taking down 7AA Grand Rapids with relative ease which gave them the Lake Conference Conference title. Now Hermantown will get ready for the playoffs where they were awarded the #1 seed as they start their 7A sectional this coming week. Hermantown has steadily improved throughout the year and has an explosive top two lines and depth throughout the lineup that will be tough for anyone in 7A to match or conquer.
3)Mahtomedi (4A) (17-8-0)
Past Week Results: W 6-1 #10 Delano, W 4-2 Woodbury
Upcoming Schedule: Section 4A Playoffs
The Zephyrs continued their win streak and good play of late as they head into the 4A playoffs having won 6 in row and looked primed for a return trip to St Paul. They got the week rolling with a very good win over a solid Delano team and they made it look rather easy. They then finished up the regular season with a pesky AA Woodbury who has pulled some upsets on the year but Mahotmedi was not going to allow that to happen to them and they now head into the Section 4A Playoffs looking very confident and very likely to defend their section title.
4)Orono (2A) (20-5-0)
Past Week Results: W 11-0 Bloomington Kennedy, W 4-1 Chaska
Upcoming Schedule: Section 2A Playoffs
The Spartans had a very nice final week of the regular season. They started by routing Bloomington Kennedy to finish the regular season unbeaten in 2A and be the favorite heading into a deep sectional tournament with many challengers looming. They wrapped up the regular season with a nice win over Chaska team that has given many of the State’s top AA teams fits in recent weeks and the Spartans showed they deserve the 4th ranking in State for Class A and now will look to win one of the tougher Class A Sectionals and get back to St Paul for the first time since they won State back in 2018.
5) East Grand Forks (8A) (14-11-0)
Past Week Results: W 7-0 Thief River Falls, L 4-7 Roseau
Upcoming Schedule: Section 8A Playoffs
The Greenwave impressively put the Prowlers into run time to start their week which wrapped up the Section 8A #2 seed. East Grand Forks did end the season well though as they got off to a slow start vs Roseau and the Rams made them pay. After digging themselves a hole they did try to work their way out of it but they were never able to make up the three goal deficit and lost the game. Now they head into the Section 8A playoffs and will look to try to get an opportunity to play and knock off top ranked Warroad when it counts the most in the Section Final.
6) Northfield (1A) (20-5-0)
Past Week Results: W 9-0 Austin, W 8-1 Mankato West
Upcoming Schedule: Section 1A Playoffs
The Raiders did exactly what they needed to do in their final week of regular season action as they shutout Section 1A opponent, their 7th in the last 10 games, Austin. Northfield then finished seasons by taking care of Mankato West and winning the Big Nine Conference Title and they head into the playoffs with a very nice 20 win regular season. Now we will see if the Raiders can get their redemption for last year’s Section 1A playoff upset as they enter the playoff once again the favorite to win 1A this winter.
7)Little Falls (5A) (16-8-1)
Past Week Results: Idle
Upcoming Schedule: Section 5A Quarterfinal vs Sauk Rapids
The Flyers officially claimed their #1 5A seed this week and they enter the playoffs with all sorts of momentum going (10-1-0) in their last 11 games. However, due to a weird scheduling hiccup, they took the past full week off, and will hope they can be ready to make amends for last year’s playoff upset this coming Tuesday when they play Sauk Rapids. This is a team that really built up their schedule this year and unlike last year seems to be getting hot at the end of the year whereas last year they faded late. We will see if they show any signs of rust this week when they open up the Section 5A Playoffs.
8)Rock Ridge (7A) (16-8-1)
Past Week Results: W 4-3 #11 Hibbing, W 6-0 Greenway
Upcoming Schedule: Section 7A Quarterfinals vs International Falls
The Wolverines picked up two good Section 7A wins to end their year and pick up the #2 seed in the process. They started the week by hanging on to a nail biting win over Hibbing in a game that looked like they might let a big 4-1 lead slip away late. They did finish the regular season better by taking care of Greenway with no late game dramatics. The Wolverines again this winter have had a fantastic 2nd half to the season and will look to go further in the playoffs than last year when they were a first round upset in the 7A Playoffs before making the big jump to AA next year.
9)Providence Academy (2A) (14-11-0)
Past Week Results: L 4-5 OT Gentry Academy, L 2-3 OT Chisago Lakes
Upcoming Schedule: Section 2A Playoffs
The Lions were missing their 2nd and 3rd leading scorer in both games this week and still battled tough but dropped both games in overtime. In the first game they took on a potent AA Gentry Academy and to their credit they were able to give the Stars a very good game that they eventually dropped in overtime. The second game was a game they should have won as they let Chisago Lakes back into the game late and dropped one to the second best team in 4A. This is a hard team to judge and cant get too much out of last week’s results due to missing two key players. The Lions will be at full strength this week and an interesting group to watch. I could see them making a run to their 1st ever State Tournament and also see them being a big upset in the 2A Quarterfinal. We will have to see which Providence team shows up.
10)Delano (2A) (13-12-0)
Past Week Results: L 1-6 #3 Mahtomedi, L 0-2 Chanhassen
Upcoming Schedule: Section 2A Playoffs
Delano took their lumps against two very good teams to end their year when they got beat up by both top ranked Class A Mahtomedi and then AA power Chanhassen to end the year. The record is not flashy but they have a resume with Class A losses only to 7 of the top 9 teams in Class A or good AA teams and with wins over Hibbing, Minneapolis, Cathedral & Monticello and still keeps them settled at the 10 spot in the final rankings and they will be a serious threat still in Section 2A. They will be thorn for whoever they face and it won’t be surprising to see this team make a deep playoff run.
11)Hibbing (7A) (15-8-1)
Past Week Results: L 3-4 #8 Rock Ridge
Upcoming Schedule: Section 7A Quarterfinals vs Proctor
Hibbing played only one game this past week and fell behind early to Rock Ridge and dug themselves a deep three goal hole. While they did show good character in fighting back they ultimately lost the game and enter the 7A playoffs on a two game losing streak. Despite the impressive year Hibbing suffered another a bigger setback in the Coaches seedings as they got the 4 seed below Denfeld, a team they have a better resume than, and now will have a scary game with a decent Proctor group before having to see the mighty Hawks in the 7A Semis. Really confusing on why they got the 4 seed but that is what it is and now Hibbing will have a mighty challenge on their hands in the 7A playoffs.
12)Duluth Denfeld (7A) (13-11-1)
Past Week Results: L 2-6 Sartell
Upcoming Schedule: Section 7A Quarterfinals vs Greenway
The Hunters started the game well in the first period vs Sartell in their regular season finale as they had a 1-0 and 2-1 lead but after that it was all Sabres as they took it to Denfeld the rest of the way. Again, this highlights the issues they will see with moving into AA with teams with depth next year but for now they will play their last season of Class A Playoffs as they head into the Section 7A Playoffs. They were awarded a nice surprise in the Coaches Seedings as they were given a 3 seed which will help them avoid the Hawks until the Section Final and they will look to make that 7A final for the 4th straight year.
13)Minneapolis (2A) (15-8-2)
Past Week Results: W 4-1 Chisago Lakes, W 3-0 Hopkins
Upcoming Schedule: Section 2A Playoffs
The boys from the 612 had a really good final week of the season which started when the hit the road and took care of the #2 seed in Section 4A Chisago Lakes in a game they never trailed. They then continued their roll and took down AA Hopkins to end the regular season on a very good note. Minneapolis is a team that went (14-4-2) in their last 20 games and slowly moved up the Class A rankings and finished at #13 right below Orono, Rock Ridge, Providence, Delano, Hibbing & Denfeld all ahead of them due to beating them head to head in the final ranking. This group will not be an easy out in the Section 2A playoffs and will have a good chance to return the X in a few weeks as they are playing as good of hockey as anyone in Class A.
14)St Cloud Cathedral (5A) (13-12-0)
Past Week Results: L 1-5 Holy Angels, W 3-2 #18 Monticello
Upcoming Schedule: Section 5A Playoffs Quarterfinals vs River Lakes
The Crusaders got their week going by losing a Monday road game to AA Holy Angels which dropped them back to .500 on their year. However, they did rebound and picked up their most important win of the season win when they took down Monticello 3-2 to show they are still going to be a major force in the Section 5A Playoffs. The next day they were awarded the #3 seed despite the win which was fair considering they did lose head to head to the 4 seed in 5A by three goals on home ice this year. Cathedral now has the exact same position they were last year heading into the 5A Playoffs. The Crusaders are still a very good bet to win 5A this winter.
15)Alexandria (6A) (11-12-1)
Past Week Results: W 5-1 Brainerd, W 4-1 St Cloud
Upcoming Schedule: Section 6A Playoffs Quarterfinals vs Breckenridge/Wahpeton
Alexandria was able to get two good wins over AA teams. First was vs AA Brainerd to start their final week when they broke open a tight 2-1 game with three goals with less than 4 minutes to play in the game. They followed that up with another good win over AA St Cloud in a game they jumped out to a 4-0 lead and never looked back. The Cardinals have fully recovered from their early season struggles and went (10-3-1) in their last 14 games and with the #1 seed in Section 6A they have to like their chances to defend their Section 6A crown and get back to St Paul.
16)Detroit Lakes (8A) (16-7-1)
Past Week Results: L 0-1 OT Northern Lakes
Upcoming Schedule: Section 8A Playoffs vs Kittson County Central
The Lakers wrapped up the regular season by dropping probably their worst game of the season when they lost to Northern Lakes in their only action of the week. The game exposed the glaring issue with this club, its goal scoring as they were shut out 1-0 in an overtime loss. Now they need to just put that behind them as they need to get ready for the 8A Playoffs as they will draw a tough Kittson County Central team who took them to overtime in the first meeting between the two clubs. The Lakers will need to be refocused and ready for the Bobcats challenge this coming week.
17)New Prague (1A) (14-10-1)
Past Week Results: W 7-1 Rochester Lourdes, L 2-4 St Louis Park, L 3-13 Benilde St Margrets
Upcoming Schedule: Section 1A Playoffs
The Trojans won the most important game of their final week when they rolled over 1A Rochester Lourdes on the road to show they are going to be a very serious threat to defend their Section 1A title once playoffs get going next week. They did however lose their final two games of the year to AA Metro West Conference schools when they fell to both St Louis Park and Benilde. As they showed last year though, those defeats to Metro AA schools only will have them more battle tested as they head south and look to defend their Section 1A crown.
18)Monticello (5A) (15-9-1)
Past Week Results: W 7-3 Northern Lakes, L 2-3 #14 St. Cloud Cathedral
Upcoming Schedule: Section 5A Playoffs Quarterfinals vs Pine City
The Moose got their week rolling well when they went into a hot Northern Lakes and routed them putting up 7 goals. However, they dropped the most important game of the week to St Cloud Cathedral to end the week. In a very competitive game the Crusaders were able to get the big 3rd period goal to win the game. The Moose will regroup now and hope for a rematch in the Playoffs this coming week in the Section 5A semis where they will have the home ice advantage in the playoff rematch.
19)New Ulm (3A) (21-3-1)
Past Week Results: W 2-1 Hopkins
Upcoming Schedule: Section 3A Playoffs
The Eagles wrapped up their regular season by beating AA Hopkins to finish the year with 21 wins. Now they shift their focus to the Section 3A tournament where as the #1 seed again this winter and they will look to get some revenge from last year. The Eagles have had a fanatic regular season and should be well equipped to make a serious run in Section 3A.
20)Fergus Falls (6A) (12-10-2)
Past Week Results: L 1-4 St Cloud, L 1-2 Hutchinson
Upcoming Schedule: Section 6A Playoffs Quarterfinals vs Prairie Centre
The Otters dropped their opening game of the week to St Cloud Public in a tough game. That was followed by another game where they were only able to score 1 goal again as they dropped the season finale to the Hutchinson to end the regular season on sour note and will need to find goal scoring fast as Semifinal matchup with a red hot Northern Lakes looms and if the Otters want to make their 3rd Section Final in 3 years they will need to dig deep the defense and goaltending is there but can they score those needed goals in the playoffs will be the big question mark.
The Next 5 in Class A Week #13-
Cambridge Isanti (5A) (16-9-0)- The Bluejackets finished the regular season on a strong note going (2-1) in their last 3 games dropping the regular season finale to Holy Angels. They will enter the 5A Playoffs as the 4 seed even though they beat the 3 seed Cathedral by 3 goals head to head. They will be a good darkhorse pick in 5A but also now face long time rival Princeton in the Quarterfinals which should be a great high intensity playoff game.
Luverne (3A) (18-6-1)- The Cardinals ended the regular season going (14-2-0) in their last 16 games which should give them a 3 seed in 3A again this winter at the worst. All signs point to a likely rematch with Mankato East in the 3A Semis who routed them last year in that game. Luverne will look to carry the momentum of a great year and hopefully take this a step further this year and get to the 3A Final this winter.
Albert Lea (1A) (18-6-1)- Albert Lea ended the year going .500 in the final week beating Mankato East but then dropping the finale to Rochert Mayo. An 18 game regular season is a good accomplishment and this team has many of the same faces that went to the Section 1A Championship a year ago, don’t be surprised to see them make another deep playoff run in 1A again this winter.
Northern Lakes (6A) (11-14-0)- The Lighting have an ugly overall record but they are hot going into the 6A Playoffs. They went (6-2-0) in their last 8 games and that includes wins over Top 15 Hibbing & Detroit Lakes. They already own a win over Alexandria this year; don’t discount the Lightning in 6A; they could be the surprise Section Champion in a few weeks.
Thief River Falls (8A) (9-15-1)- The Prowlers have had a disappointing year but played a tough schedule. They still have Senior Tysen Loeffler along with Juniors Forwards Max Arlt, Braydin Lund & Defender Junior Jace Erickson who give Coach Bergland enough to pull off a playoff stunner or two although unlikely.