With February just around the corner the Top 10 in Class A are solidifying themselves on season’s body of work, not a ton of movement again this week as teams start to lock into playoff positioning. Week #10 Rankings Below:
1. Hermantown (13-5-3)
Past Week Results: W 3-1 Superior (Wis.), L 2-5 St Thomas Academy, W 3-0 #11 Mahtomedi
Upcoming Schedule: 1/30 vs #2 Cloquet/Esko/Carlton, 1/31 vs Moorhead
In a Class A season of few sure things and lots of parity, the Hawks continue to be the one relatively sure thing and they are again the Top Team in A, they had another solid week that saw them end it by sweeping a solid Mahtomedi club with ease to remain unbeaten vs Class A competition. Now the top spot is theirs to lose both in these rankings and within Section 7A, and a win this week over Cloquet/Esko/Carlton would only drive home this status and they also have a fun Top Class AA vs A matchup against the Spuds to end the week.
2. Cloquet/Esko/Carlton (15-4-0)
Past Week Results: L 1-5 Rock Ridge, W 6-4 Bemidji
Upcoming Schedule: 1/28 vs Duluth Denfeld, 1/30 @ #1 Hermantown, 2/1 vs #8 Minneapolis
The Lumberjacks had one of their worst performances of the year to start the week as they got rocked by Rock Ridge on the road. However, to their credit they rebounded well as they went home and took down a good Bemidji crew to end the week on the positive note. They sit firmly at this spot of the rankings as they are one of only two remaining unbeaten teams vs Class A competition left on the year and they will meet the other unbeaten this week as we will get the highly anticipated game between the Jacks and Hawks which should be a great game.
3. Warroad (13-5-1)
Past Week Results: L 2-3 Roseau, W 4-3 #7 Northfield
Upcoming Schedule: 1/28 vs Bemidji, 1/30 vs #18 Thief River Falls
The Warriors played two tight one goal games this week as it started with a loss to their rival the Rams in a game that they seemed to carry the pace of play but just could not ever seize momentum enough to carry a lead and they ultimately fell to Roseau. However, they responded well as they returned home and took on Section 1A favorite Northfield and potential State Tourney game preview that saw the Warriors find a way to win the game in the third period and stay solidly at this spot in the rankings. It’s another tough week looking ahead as they have a tough Bemidji team followed by an improta 8A seeding game vs Thief River Falls on deck.
4. Monticello (17-1-1)
Past Week Results: W 3-2 #24 Providence Academy, W 5-1 #11 Little Falls
Upcoming Schedule: 1/28 vs Princeton, 1/31 @ Northern Edge
The Moose have now won their past four games, beating ranked Providence & Little Falls this week, and the sweep of the Flyers could plausibly give them the 1-seed in 5A. Though they’ve been vulnerable to occasionally letting inferior teams stay close, when they lock down, they seem to do well in these low-scoring games with ranked Class A teams. They’re winning the right games to stay solid here, while it may not be stylistically pleasing to Danny Ryan, they have numerous Top 20 Class A wins and the resume has them as a Top 5 Class A team. More winnable games this game with Princeton & Northern Edge up next.
5. Hibbing/Chisholm (12-8-0)
Past Week Results:W 3-2 OT Duluth Marshall, W 8-0 International Falls, L 3-4 Eden Prairie (HDMN)
Upcoming Schedule: 1/28 @ Rock Ridge
The Bluejackets had a good beginning to the week as they dug out of a 3rd period deficit to beat Duluth Marshall in overtime and then went over 7A International Falls and destroyed a decent Broncos team. However, as has been the case all season, just when it looks like maybe this young talented team is ready to take off they dropped the big finale under the spotlight of HDMN to Eden Prairie. The loss isn’t a bad one and doesn’t do much as far as affecting their Class A Ranking but it again slams the door on a potential win streak. They now hope to avoid another losing streak heading into February but it won’t be easy this week as they hit the road to play the hottest team in Northeast Minnesota when they take on a very good Rock Ridge team.
6. St Cloud Cathedral (10-7-2)
Past Week Results: W 7-5 Princeton
Upcoming Schedule: 1/28 @ #11 Little Falls, 1/31 @ #10 East Grand Forks, 2/1 @ #17 Detroit Lakes
The Crusaders had a wild one in their only game of the week; as they needed to scrape and claw their way out of two separate holes vs fellow struggling Section 5A Princeton. The positive from the game is that their star forwards appear healthy now and are starting to really go. The negative is the backend that continues to be this teams biggest question mark as we get near playoff time. Now they have another gauntlet week that starts with the Flyers on the road. They will need to beat Little Falls for an argument at #1 seed in 5A, then they take a trip up north to take on ranked EGF and Detroit Lakes for a tough back to back.
7. Northfield (14-3-1)
Past Week Results: W 4-1 Mankato East, W 5-2 #17 Detroit Lakes, L 3-4 #3 Warroad
Upcoming Schedule: 1/28 @ Winona, 1/30 vs Mankato West, 2/1 @ Rochester Century/John Marshall
Northfield had an overall strong week as they extended their win streak to 7 games when they took out Mankato East and Detroit Lakes to begin the week. They did then have their win streak snapped but they showed in the game vs Warroad that they are a legitimate contender and they will be a threat come March in St Paul should they get out of Section 1A. Now the Raiders return south where they will set their sights on wrapping up the #1 seed and winning the Big Nine Conference which they can take big steps toward both with a good week vs Winona, West and Rochester Century/John Marshall.
8. Minneapolis (11-4-3)
Past Week Results: W 4-3 OT Eagan, W 5-1 Mankato East
Upcoming Schedule: 1/28 @ Breck, 1/30 vs Irondale, 2/1 @ #2 Cloquet/Esko/Carlton
The 612 crew went untroubled through this week of easier competition, though the Eagan game was closer than it needed to be, and they hold strong at this spot in the rankings for now. This week does present more challenges as their two Class A opponents this week won’t be easy games, they can’t afford to overlook Breck who is playing good hockey of late and they need a win over the Mustangs to secure the #1 seed in Section 2A, and they wrap up the week heading north to CEC which will be a great challenge for this team that seems to be trending towards a legitimate State Tournament contender status of late.
9. Delano (9-9-0)
Past Week Results: W 5-1 #13 Orono
Upcoming Schedule: 1/28 @ Holy Family, 1/31 @ Southwest Christian/Richfield
Delano for all of this season’s travails, the Tigers are still literally the middle ground of Class A. They don’t have a bad loss looking at their schedule and they move up here as they haven’t lost to anyone ranked below them and they have not beat anyone above them. They were able to have a fun Friday afternoon ruining their 2A rivals Orono’s chance at #1 seed on outdoor ice and the win could be the turning point the Tigers were looking for. We’ll see if they can build on that this week with two games in the Wright County Conference with the game vs Holy Family being a stiff test.
10. East Grand Forks (9-9-1)
Past Week Results: W 3-0 Grand Forks Red River (ND), L 0-3 Grand Forks Central (ND)
Upcoming Schedule: 1/28 vs Moorhead, 1/31 vs #6 St Cloud Cathedral
The Greenwave had another .500 week within their .500 overall season. They were able to pick up a split with border rivals Grand Forks Red River and Grand Forks Central which was good enough to allow them to claim the Gambucci Cup for the year. Another team within this portion of the rankings that is looking to find momentum as we get closer to playoff time. The overall resume allows them to stay just inside the Top 10 this week and they have a very tough week as they host the top AA team in Moorhead before welcoming the Defending Champs on Friday night when Cathedral makes the trek up north.
11. Little Falls (11-5-2)
Past Week Results: W 2-1 OT #14 Northern Lakes, L 1-5 #4 Monticello, W 6-3 Dodge County
Upcoming Schedule: 1/28 vs #6 St Cloud Cathedral, 1/30 @ #22 River Lakes, 1/31 vs #15 Luverne
The Flyers had a very nice win over ranked Northern Lakes to start the week but all the recent momentum took a major hit when they were again outclassed by fellow Section 5A Monticello in the middle of the week as they were swept by the Moose who have now outscored them 11-2 in two games which is concerning for any potential playoff run. They did wrap up the week with a win over Dodge County to their credit. Now it’s a make or break week for Section 5A Seeding as they have huge games with Cathedral and River Lakes which will go a long way to solidify their playoff positioning and then they end the week with a ranked Luverne team coming to town.
12. Mahtomedi (6-11-2)
Past Week Results: W 7-3 Chaska, L 0-3 #1 Hermantown
Upcoming Schedule: 1/28 vs #20 Chisago Lakes, 1/31 vs St. Thomas Academy
The Zephyrs had another week with not much to write home about, they beat up on a bad AA Chaska team, again no idea why you put a non conference struggling AA team on the schedule by choice, and then got swept by #1 Hermantown for the year. They’ve had some flashes of showing they are indeed a Top 10 team, like when they beat Warroad & Orono, but overall they have yet to build any real momentum. This week is a big one for Section 4A purposes as they take on what looks like their top contender on a return trip to state when they host Chisago Lakes.
13. Orono (10-8-2)
Past Week Results: L 1-5 #9 Delano, W 4-2 Waconia
Upcoming Schedule: 1/31 vs Benilde-St. Margaret’s
The Spartans stumbled in their big Section 2A showdown, losing on outdoor ice to their rivals Delano and leaving them looking like the #3 seed in 2A. They did a nice job of shaking off that disappointment the next day by dispatching Metro West Conference foe Waconia. While their overall credentials are solid, they are stuck outside the Top 10 due to just not really ever being able to win those big games vs Top 10 teams outside of Hibbing. Their schedule over the last few weeks now dives into the Class AA portion and won’t have much of an impact here or in the section standings so they pretty much know their fate now it’s time to fine tune things for a playoff run.
14. Northern Lakes (12-6-0)
Past Week Results: L 1-2 OT #11 Little Falls, W 4-1 #19 Proctor, W 4-1 Dodge County
Upcoming Schedule: 1/28 vs Fergus Falls, 1/31 @ Gentry Academy, 2/1 vs #15 Luverne
The Lightning seem to slowly but surely be rounding into playoff form as they rattle off more wins, while they did lose to a good Little Falls team in overtime to start the week they finished it with two more victories. Coach Randolph is doing plenty of tinkering as he has been playing plenty of new faces and making line and position changes over the last two weeks trying to find the perfect combo for a playoff run. This week they can solidify the number 1 seed in 6A with a win over Fergus Falls and they then finish the week with two good tests at Gentry Academy before hosting ranked Luverne.
15. Luverne (15-2-1)
Past Week Results: W 5-2 New Ulm
Upcoming Schedule: 1/28 @ Worthington, 1/31 @ #11 Little Falls, 2/1 @ #14 Northern Lakes
Roll Cards Roll passed its Section 3A test this week by taking care of arch rival New Ulm on road. Their overall weaker schedule means wins like that matter a bit more, and they continue to play very good hockey down in the Southwest Corner of the state and are the heavy favorite to get to St Paul this year. Now this week they have a major test as after a contest with Worthington they venture out of the southwest and will take on two good ranked Class A teams in Little Falls & Northern Lakes which will be excellent games for this club.
16. Waseca (14-2-2)
Past Week Results: W 17-0 Windom
Upcoming Schedule: 1/28 @ Redwood Valley
The Bluejays had their important Section 1A seeding game with Dodge County postponed which only left them with only one game with struggling Windom, hammering on the Eagles, albeit it did end their three game winless streak, doesn’t tell us a ton. This week it will be more of the same as Waseca only has one game on the schedule and it’s vs another struggling Big South Conference opponent in Redwood Valley who they should handle with ease before a busy finish to the year.
17. Detroit Lakes (8-8-2)
Past Week Results: W 2-0 West Fargo Sheyenne (N.D.), L 2-5 #7 Northfield
Upcoming Schedule: 1/28 @ #21 Alexandria, 1/30 vs Sartell, 2/1 vs #6 St Cloud Cathedral
The Lakers were able to break their winless skid with a win over West Fargo Sheyenne to begin the week. They then put up a decent fight against Northfield but came up short only being able to score two goals, which is kind of the story of their season so far. This week is going to be a tough one for them as they have a rematch with an improving Alexandria team followed by games against Sartell and Cathedral which if Detroit Lakes can’t find more offense it will only prolong their recent skid.
18. Thief River Falls (8-8-1)
Past Week Results: W 4-1 Greenway
Upcoming Schedule: 1/30 @ #3 Warroad
The Prowlers continued to collect wins this week as they beat Greenway in their action and got back to .500 for the first time since the start of the year. The relatively easy stretch is over now, though, and their final four games feature three against ranked Section 8A teams that are currently ahead of them in the standings. One of them is this coming week, as Thief River Falls hits the road to take on Warroad, so we’ll know a lot more about how much of a contender this group is by next weekend.
19. Proctor (9-9-1)
Past Week Results: L 1-4 #14 Northern Lakes, W 4-0 Tartan
Upcoming Schedule: 1/28 vs Pine City, 1/30 vs Superior (Wis.)
The Rails did not fare well in their visit to Northern Lakes to begin the week but did rebound to get a win over Tartan and stay at .500 and the tie vs Hermantown is the best result of any in Class A and therefore they maintain this 19th-20ish position for now but they are in trouble of falling out of Top 20 as we get near the end of the season. Proctor has two games this week that a Top 20 Class A team should win but it won’t be easy as both Pine City and Superior have been competitive on the year and these games will be telling if this team still deserves to be ranked here.
20. Chisago Lakes (9-6-2)
Past Week Results: W 2-1 Pine City
Upcoming Schedule: 1/28 vs #12 Mahtomedi, 1/29 @ Simley, 1/31 vs Sauk Rapids
The Wildcats weren’t overly convincing in their win over Pine City this week, but they did collect the win and live to tell the tale and with some other struggles around here they moved back into the Top 20. Now they head into their biggest game of the year as they make the trip to Defending Section 4A Champion Mahtomedi this week. If there was ever a year to beat the Zephs this year would seem to be the one but the Wildcats have yet to win a game they were not favored in and this could be just round one of a potential Section Final rematch in a few weeks.
Next Five Notable Teams
Alexandria (8-9-0)- Alexandria came surging back after a rough stretch the week prior and won both games this week, including a season turning victory over ranked River Lakes that saw them score 4 unanswered 3rd period goals to get the win and then finished up the week with Section 6A victory over Willmar. They’re currently right on track to contend for their 4th straight State Tourney berth and they will continue their long homestand this week with good tests vs Detroit Lakes, Sauk Rapids and Duluth Denfeld.
River Lakes (11-6-2)- The Stars flopped in their match up vs Alexandria this week as they held a 3-0 lead heading into the 3rd period only to let it all disappear and eventually lose the game all together. They did beat 5A Becker/Big Lake the next night to claim a section win but overall it’s been not tough times as they have lost 4 of 6 games. This week they have a huge contest vs Little Falls, a team they have had success against in the past, and a win there could get them an argument for the 3 seed in 5A event with all the recent struggles.
Rochester Lourdes (10-6-1)- Lourdes stayed competitive with an underrated and quality Roseville club in a road loss and then blew out a struggling St Paul Academy crew for an overall solid week. Now they have a challenging week ahead as they hit the road to take on a solid Blake team and follow that up with a trip to a suddenly red hot Breck crew. Both games will be good challenges for this young team that could be a major sleep come playoff time in Section 1A.
Providence Academy (10-8-2)- The Lions recent swoon has reached crisis levels. First, they lost a tough game to Monticello as they dug a deficit they couldn’t quite climb out of, which is tough but happens against a Top 10 team; then, however, they lost to Albert Leas which is tough one to swallow. Suddenly they are (1-3-1) over their last 5 games, and while they have dealt with sickness and injuries of late there’s no excuses as they are trending in the wrong direction right now. Can Providence stabilize things here before it’s too late? Only time will tell.
Red Lake Falls (16-3-0)- The Eagles win over Bagely/Fosston was a bit close, but RLF picked up another 8A win nonetheless and they still control their fate for the #3 seed in the section. They remain in this general realm, borderline Top 20 material but not quite making any real moves upward due to the lack of strength of schedule. The game vs International Falls this week will be telling as the Broncos are one of their only three losses on the year so far.
Class A Section by Section Rankings Week #10
Section 1A Ranking (1/26/25)
1- Northfield Raiders (14-3-1)
2- Dodge County Wildcats (6-9-0)
3- Albert Lea Tigers (12-6-1)
4- Rochester Lourdes Eagles (10-6-1)
5- Waseca Bluejays (14-2-2)
6- Winona Winhawks (9-6-0)
7- Austin Packers (10-7-0)
8- La Crescent-Hokah Lancers (6-10-2)
9- Red Wing Wingers (1-17-2)
10- Faribault Falcons (3-12-1)
1A Summary- Northfield went (2-1-0) outside of the section this week. Albert Lea picked up Section 1A win over Winona. Austin got a Section 1A win over Red Wing. La Crescent got a 1A win over Faribault. Waseca won their only game outside the section, Rochester Lourdes went .500 and Dodge County went winless outside the Section.
Section 2A Ranking (1/26/25)
1- Minneapolis (11-4-3)
2- Delano Tigers (9-9-0)
3- Orono Spartans (10-8-2)
4- Providence Academy Lions (10-8-2)
5- Breck Mustangs (7-9-1)
6- Hutchinson Tigers (6-9-1)
7- Litchfield Dassel Cokato Dragons (7-10-0)
8- Mound Westonka White Hawks (9-10-0)
2A Summary- Minneapolis went (2-0-0) outside the section this week. Delano got a big Section 2A win over Orono. Hutchinson got a 2A win over Litchfield Dassel/Cokato. Breck went (2-0-0) and Mound Westonka went .500 and Providence Academy went winless outside the section.
Section 3A Ranking (1/26/25)
1- Luverne Cardinals (15-2-1)
2- Mankato East Cougars (8-12-0)
3- Minnesota River Bulldogs (10-9-0)
4- Mankato West Scarlets (6-10-1)
5- New Ulm Eagles (9-8-1)
6- Marshall Tigers (8-11-0)
7- Worthington Trojans (6-13-0)
8- Windom Eagles (5-13-1)
9- Redwood Valley Cardinals (2-16-0)
10- Fairmont Cardinals (0-15-0)
3A Summary- Luverne got Section 3A win over New Ulm. Minnesota River picked up 3A wins over Mankato West & Redwood Valley. Mankato East went (1-2-00) outside the section. Marshall got a 3A win over RWV. Worthington got 3A wins over RWV and Windom but the Eagles did have a 3A win over Fairmont this week.
Section 4A Ranking (1/26/25)
1- Mahtomedi Zephyrs (6-11-2)
2- Chisago Lakes Wildcats (9-6-2)
3- Southwest Christian/Richfield Stars (7-9-1)
4- St Paul Academy Spartans (4-12-0)
5- Simley Spartans (9-9-0)
6- St. Paul Highland Park Scots (5-12-2)
7- South St Paul Packers (5-12-1)
8- Bloomington Kennedy Eagles (1-16-0)
4A Summary- Mahtomedi went .500 outside the section and Chisago Lakes won their only game outside the section. Southwest Christian/Richfield got a 4A win over St Paul Highland Park but the Scots picked up a 4A win over South St Paul earlier in the week. St Paul Academy, Simley & Bloomington Kennedy all went winless outside the section this week.
Section 5A Ranking (1/26/25)
1- St Cloud Cathedral Crusaders (10-7-2)
2- Monticello Moose (17-1-1)
3- Little Falls Flyers (11-5-2)
4- Pine City Dragons (9-7-1)
5- Sauk Rapids Storm (11-7-1)
6- River Lakes Stars (11-6-2)
7- Princeton Tigers (6-12-0)
8- Becker/Big Lake Eagles (3-13-2)
9- Mora/Milaca Mustangs (8-11-0)
5A Summary- St Cloud Cathedral got the 5A win over Princeton this week but the Tigers did get a 5A win over BBL. Monticello got the huge 5A sweep of Little Falls. River Lakes got a 5A win over Becker/Big Lake. Sauk Rapids & Mora/Milaca both went unbeaten outside the section. Pine City was winless outside of the section this week.
Section 6A Ranking (1/26/25)
1- Northern Lakes Lightning (12-6-0)
2- Alexandria Cardinals (8-9-0)
3- Fergus Falls Otters (10-9-0)
4- Breckenridge/Wahpeton Blades (8-12-1)
5- Prairie Centre North Stars (11-7-0)
6- Morris/Benson Storm (8-12-0)
7- Willmar Cardinals (6-14-0)
8- Wadena Deer Creek Wolverines (4-13-0)
6A Summary- Northern Lakes went (2-1-0) outside of the Section. Alexandria got a 6A win over Willmar. Fergus Falls went winless outside of the section. Breckenridge/Wahpeton pretty much locked up the 4 seed with a 6A sweep of Prairie Centre but the Northstars did beat the Cardinals to solidify their spot at the 5 seed. Morris/Benson went (2-1-0) outside the section this week and Wadena Deer Creek went (1-2-0) outside the section.
Section 7A Ranking (1/26/25)
1- Cloquet/Esko/Carlton Lumberjacks (15-4-0)
2- Hermantown Hawks (13-5-3)
3- Hibbing/Chisholm Bluejackets (12-8-0)
4- Proctor Rails (9-9-1)
5- International Falls Broncos (12-5-0)
6- Moose Lake Rebels (9-7-0)
7- Greenway Raiders (6-10-1)
8- North Shore Storm (6-12-0)
9- Ely Timberwolves (5-14-0)
7A Summary- Hermantown went (2-1-0) outside of the section while Cloquet/Esko/Carlton went .500 outside of the section. Hibbing/Chisholm got a 7A win over International Falls. Moose Lake went unbeaten, Proctor went .500, Greenway went (1-2-0) and Ely went .500 outside of the Section. North Shore was idle this week.
Section 8A Ranking (1/26/25)
1- Warroad Warriors (13-5-1)
2- East Grand Forks Greenwave (9-9-1)
3- Red Lake Falls Eagles (16-3-0)
4- Detroit Lakes Lakers (8-8-2)
5- Thief River Falls Prowlers (8-8-1)
6- Crookston Pirates (10-7-1)
7- Bagley/Fosston Eagles (10-8-0)
8- Kittson County Central Bearcats (5-11-1)
9- Park Rapids Panthers (7-12-0)
10- Lake of the Woods Bears (2-15-0)
8A Summary-Warroad went .500 outside of the section. East Grand Forks won the Gambucci Cup this week. Red Lakes Falls got an 8A win over Bagley/Fosston. Detroit Lakes went .500 and Thief River Falls won their only game outside of the section. Crookston got an 8A win over Kittson County Central. Park Rapids got an 8A win over Lake of the Woods.
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