The top seven are starting to separate. Further down, though, it’s a muddled mess as 8-20 is a bunch of teams with flawed resumes. Luckily, many of them will play this week, which should provide clarity or just make things more mucky. Week #4 Class A Rankings below:
1. Hermantown (5-0-2)
Past Week Results: 5-5 OT Duluth Marshall, W 8-6 Centennial, W 7-3 Rosemount
Upcoming Schedule: 12/16 @ Duluth Denfeld, 12/19 @ Maple Grove
The Hawks remain unbeaten after hosting a trio of AA opponents this week. The good is that the offense is rolling, which was an issue last year. Scoring 20 goals in three games vs quality competition is impressive. The bad though is the defense looked leaky as they gave 14 goals and gave up comfortable leads in each game, including blowing a three-goal third-period lead vs the Hilltoppers in their tie. They will hit the road this week as they take on Denfeld before having another quilt test with a trip to AA Maple Grove to end the week.
2. Hibbing/Chisholm (7-1-0)
Past Week Results: W 5-2 Grand Rapids, W 5-0 Totino-Grace
Upcoming Schedule: 12/18 @ Cambridge-Isanti, 12/20 vs #7 Mahtomedi
The Bluejackets picked up two big wins over AA Grand Rapids, the first vs the Thunderhawks in years, and Totino Grace, which kept them right on Hermantown’s tail, playing sound hockey and responding well to their first loss of the year last week. This week, Hibbing will head down to Cambridge-Isanti for the Battle of Bluejackets before they get their first big Class test when they host a good Top Ten Mahtomedi team.
3. Delano (5-2-0)
Past Week Results: L 2-3 OT Chanhassen, W 3-2 OT #14 Monticello
Upcoming Schedule: 12/18 vs #10 Orono, 12/20 vs #12 St Cloud Cathedral
Delano lost to a good AA Chanhassen to begin the week in overtime, which doesn’t cost them much here. They then followed that up with their 3rd Top 15 Class A win of the year, taking out Monticello in overtime to remain unbeaten vs Class A teams. This week is a big one for the Tigers as they host their arch rivals, Orono, who ended their season a year ago, and then they finish the week with another Class A ranked team when Cathedral comes to town.
4. Warroad (7-2-0)
Past Week Results: W 4-2 #7 Mahtomedi, W 7-1 #10 Orono
Upcoming Schedule: 12/16 vs Thief River Falls
The Warriors continued their strong play since the opening season loss as they have been on a tear going (7-1-0) in their last 8 games with the only blemish being a competitive loss to the mighty Spuds. This past week they went down into the metro and won a great contest with Mahtomedi before they routed a good Orono squad. Everything seems to be trending in the right direction for Warroad who just have one game this week as they take on struggling 8A Thief River Falls.
5. Sartell (6-1-0)
Past Week Results: W 7-1 Roseau, L 2-3 Bemidji
Upcoming Schedule: 12/18 vs Alexandria, 12/19 vs Gentry Academy
The Sabres started their trek up north well as they thumped Roseau for some revenge for last year’s playoff loss, but the Bemidji loss, who Warroad beat. does leave some questions about where this team fits within the Top Five of Class A with the limited data points they have vs other Top Ten teams. Not going to overreact too much yet and Sartell will continue with their majority filled AA Schedule this week as they host Alexandria and then have a rematch with Gentry Academy.
6. Blake (7-2-0)
Past Week Results: W 7-1 #18 St Louis Park, L 1-6 St Thomas Academy, W 9-6 Armstrong/Cooper
Upcoming Schedule: 12/19 @ Rochester Century/JM, 12/20 @ #17 Rochester Lourdes
The Bears keep doing what they need to do, handling 2A foe St Louis Park from start to finish to show they belong in the top tier for now. They did drop a contest to AA STA which really doesn’t hurt them much and they were able to rebound with a win over Armtrong/Cooper end another successful week. Their opponents this week are not overwhelming, so they have a chance to just keep collecting wins and drift upward as other teams around them lose but the game vs Lourdes is an intriguing one.
7. Mahtomedi (3-3-1)
Past Week Results: W 4-1 Two Rivers, L 2-4 #4 Warroad, W 6-0 #13 East Grand Forks
Upcoming Schedule: 12/16 vs St Thomas Academy, 12/19 @ #9 Cloquet/Esko/Carlton, 12/20 @ #2 Hibbing/Chisholm
The Zephyrs week went according to rankings form, as they dispatched of struggling AA Two Rivers and blew past East Grand Forks for their first big Class A win. They gave Warroad a heck of a fight, but came up just short, so they continue to hover right outside the top five. They get another chance to move up this week though as their gauntlet of schedule continues with a game vs AA power STA before a 7A swing to visit Top 10 .Cloquet/Esko/Carlton andHibbing/Chisholm.
8. Northfield (5-1-0)
Past Week Results: W 4-1 #23 Mankato West, L 2-5 #12 St Cloud Cathedral
Upcoming Schedule: 12/16 @ #20 Waseca, 12/18 vs Mankato East
Northfield’s upward push hit a rough patch this past week, as while they were able to take care of business vs a ranked Mankato West team the loss to Cathedral to end the week was not a great result. I don’t love keeping them here at #8, but there’s enough cloudiness among the teams below them that this feels more appropriate than pushing up someone else as they have a better resume then everyone else at the moment below. Huge game this week on the road with Waseca as the #1 seed in 1A could be on the line.
9. Cloquet/Esko/Carlton (4-4-0)
Past Week Results: W 5-1 Proctor, L 2-5 Gentry Academy
Upcoming Schedule: 12/16 @ #12 St Cloud Cathedral, 12/19 vs #7 Mahtomedi
The Lumberjacks had a .500 week as they won the most important game of the week, dispatching Proctor at home for the 7A win. That win moves them to (4-1-0) vs Class A competition. However, they continued their struggles against AA teams when they fell to Gentry to end the week. The win over the Greenwave doesn’t feel as strong a week later, but this team will get its chance to cement itself more in these rankings this coming week as they have games vs Cathedral & Mahtomedi, offering us hopefully a better picture of who this team really is.
10. Orono (2-3-2)
Past Week Results: W 4-3 OT #11 Breck, T 5-5 OT #13 East Grand Forks, L 1-7 #5 Warroad
Upcoming Schedule: 12/16 @ #3 Delano, 12/19 @ #12 St Cloud Cathedral
The Spartans continued their grueling stretch of early-season games as they were able to pick up the best win of their season so far when they knocked off 2A Breck in overtime to start the week. The weekend though, was filled with mixed results for Orono as they had a strong start vs EGF but again let things unravel in the 3rd period, a concerning trend, and they were thoroughly beaten by Warroad to end the week. More challenges await this week as they hit the road to take on 2A rival Delano and then head to surging Cathedral.
11. Breck (5-3-0)
Past Week Results: L 3-4 OT #10 Orono, W 7-4 Armstrong/Cooper, L 1-10 Holy Angels
Upcoming Schedule: 12/20 @ Westonka
Breck had its first real setback of the year this week as the Mustangs dropped a critical 2A seeding game at Orono to begin the week, and while they did get a rebound win at Armstrong/Cooper, the Holy Angels result is an ugly one, no matter how you try to look at it. A little adversity never hurts anybody, and it can be good for teams early in the year to see how well they handle it and respond. Just one game week, but it’s one they want to win as they take on 2A Westonka, which will have seeding implications down the road.
12. St Cloud Cathedral (3-4-0)
Past Week Results: W 4-1 Pine City, W 5-2 #8 Northfield
Upcoming Schedule: 12/16 #9 Cloquet/Esko/Carlton, 12/19 vs #10 Orono, 12/20 @ #3 Delano
The Crusaders had themselves a great week to vault back up into the Top 15 of the ranking. As noted, this is a young team, and they took some big steps forward as they were able to get a Section 5A win over Pine City Area before pulling one of the big early-season upsets as they went down into unbeaten Northfield and took care of the Raiders. Now they will show how real of contenders they are with three ranked games this week, taking on Cloquet/Esko/Carlton, Orono, & Delano.
13. East Grand Forks (2-4-1)
Past Week Results: T 5-5 OT #10 Orono, L 0-6 #7 Mahtomedi
Upcoming Schedule: 12/16 vs Bemidji, 12/20 @ #21 Detroit Lakes
Here we go again, it is another painfully slow start for the Greenwave this year. They went into the meteor this week and left still looking for their first Minnesota win. They were able to salvage a tie vs Orono with a furious third period rally, but they were soundly defeated the next day by Mahtomedi to drop them out of the Top Ten. We all learned never to count this group out, but they do want to start to put something positive together as they take on AA Bemidji and 8A Detroit Lakes this week.
14. Monticello (1-2-2)
Past Week Results: L 2-3 OT #3 Delano
Upcoming Schedule: 12/16 vs Princeton, 12/20 @ Buffalo
While not a horrible result in their only action of the week, the overtime loss with Delano leaves the Moose still searching for another level, and it continues their run of not terrible but not great results vs Top 15 Class A Teams so far this season. This week should see them get back in the win column when they take on Section 5A foe Princeton, but the matchup vs Buffalo will be an intriguing one as the Bison have caused Monticello fits over the years, giving them a chance to finally get over the hump this winter.
15. Chisago Lakes (4-2-2)
Past Week Results: 2-3 OT Gentry Academy, W 5-0 Osseo
Upcoming Schedule: 12/16 vs Hastings, 12/18 vs Becker/Big Lake
The Wildcats lost to Gentry to begin the week, but kept it interesting enough that it didn’t cost them much and actually kind of improved their overall stock. They took care of Osseo at the end of the week to get a Section 4A win, and with ties vs Monticello & Orono keeping them at #15 for now seems about right. This week is an important one as the game vs Hastings has big section seeding implications, and they follow that up with a conference game vs an improved Becker/Big Lake squad.
16. Luverne (7-0-0)
Past Week Results: W 11-2 Fairmont, W 4-2 #20 Waseca
Upcoming Schedule: 12/16 vs Windom, 12/19 @ New Ulm, 12/20 vs Dodge County
Roll Cards Roll continues to take care of business in the Big South Conference. They rolled over Fairmont to start this past week for a Section win and then won a good game over ranked Waseca to stay unbeaten on the year. This week is a busy one for Luverne as they host Windom before taking on longtime rival New Ulm on the road and then finish up the week back at home against Dodge County as they look to continue their strong play.
17. Rochester Lourdes (6-2-0)
Past Week Results: W 5-2 Albert Lea, W 5-1 Red Wing, L 1-2 OT Duluth Marshall
Upcoming Schedule: 12/20 vs #6 Blake
Lourdes had a great start to their week as they were able to fly to two Section 1A wins with ease. It looked like they were on the verge of a huge upset win to end the week when they led unbeaten AA Duluth Marshall late. However, they would give up the tying goal with under 10 seconds left in regulation, and to add salt to the wound, they gave up the game-winner while on the power play in overtime. The result still shows this team has the potential to do big things, and they will get another shot at a big win this week when they host Top 10 Blake in their only action.
18. St. Louis Park (3-4-0)
Past Week Results: 1-7 #6 Blake, W 4-3 Spring Lake Park/Coon Rapids
Upcoming Schedule: 12/16 vs Academy of Holy Angels, 12/20 @ Chaska
The Orioles had a clunker against Blake, who is a very good Class A and Section 2A team, but it exposes the defensive liabilities of this team at the moment. It’s not a horrible loss, but it is the sort of game you would like to see a top 15 team be more competitive in. They did rebound with a win over Spring Lake Park/Coon Rapids. This week as they host a good AA Holy Angels before a more winnable AA game vs a struggling Chaska.
19. Northern Lakes (4-2-1)
Past Week Results: W 7-2 Thief River Falls
Upcoming Schedule: 12/16 @ Little Falls, 12/18 @ Proctor
The Lightning took care of business in their only game of the week vs Thief River Falls. After a sluggish start Northern Lakes scored seven unanswered and cruised to a nice home win. It took a bit but this team is now starting to catch its groove as we head into late December. This coming week they hit the road as a good test with 6A Little Falls awaits before a trip up to Proctor to play a young but skilled Rails team to end the week.
20. Waseca (5-2-0)
Past Week Results: W 6-0 Minnesota River, W 15-0 Worthington, L 2-4 #16 Luverne
Upcoming Schedule: 12/16 vs #8 Northfield, 12/18 vs Windom, 12/20 @ Farmington
Waseca started the week strong and eased past Minnesota River and Worthington but they came up short in their big test vs Luverne, and finding consistent play in bigger games is an ongoing challenge here. They’ll have another opportunity for that big program defining win this week when they Top Ten Northfield a game that was circled in the preseason by many. They will then wrap up the week taking on Windom and AA Farmington.
Next Five Notable Teams
Detroit Lakes (3-3-0)
The Lakers were able to improve to (3-0-0) vs Minnesota teams when they started the week by going into their rivals’ Fergus Falls house and picking up a shutout win. The win streak, though, was halted at the end of the week as they fell to (0-3-0) vs North Dakota schools with an overtime loss to Fargo Davies. This week will provide some good tests within their CLC slate before finishing up with a huge game when they host 8A East Grand Forks.
Minneapolis (4-3-0)
The 612 crew got back above .500 this week as they took care of business, taking down St Paul in the first-ever “Cross River Rivalry” game in their only action of the week. Now they will look to stay in the win column this week as they have two more winnable games when they take on Two Rivers and Osseo.
Mankato West (3-2-1)
The Scarlets had another .500 week to remain a bit of a mystery team in Class A, having lost to Top 10 Northfield, which there is no shame in that result, and then took care of business vs Winona to end the week. Clearly they have talent, but just how dangerous is this team and where do they stack up in the 15-25 range of this ranking? More mid tier Class AA games this week that won’t help judge that much as they take on East Ridge & New Prague.
International Falls (5-0-0)
The Broncos did unspeakable things again to inferior competition as they now have a mind-boggling 60 goals in just 5 games. This week, the numbers should keep piling up as they take on struggling teams, Park Rapids and Moose Lake Area, before wrapping up the week with an interesting one vs Canadian rival Fort Frances for the traveling trophy “The Fish”.
Crookston (5-0-1)
The Pirates were able to stay unbeaten this week as they picked up another Section 8A win, taking out Bagley/Fosston to begin the week and then were able to take out a Mayville/Portland squad from North Dakota to end the week. Nothing flashy here, just racking up wins, and this week that should continue as they take on a struggling Princeton team.
Class A Section by Section Rankings Week #4
Section 1A Ranking (12/14/25)
1- Northfield Raiders (5-1-0)
2- Rochester Lourdes Eagles (6-2-0)
3- Waseca Bluejays (5-2-0)
4- Albert Lea Tigers (6-2-0)
5- Dodge County Wildcats (3-2-0)
6- Winona Winhawks (4-3-0)
7- La Crescent-Hokah Lancers (2-4-0)
8- Red Wing Wingers (2-4-0)
9- Faribault Falcons (1-6-0)
1A Summary –Northfield went .500 vs ranked teams outside the section. Waseca went (2-1-0) in conference action. Rochester Lourdes got 1A wins over Red Wing & Albert Lea. The Tigers rebounded to get a 1A win over La Crescent-Hokah. Winona picked up a 1A win over Faribault. Dodge County went (.500) outside of the section.
Section 2A Ranking (12/14/25)
1- Delano Tigers (5-2-0)
2- Blake Bears (7-2-0)
3- Orono Spartans (2-3-2)
4- Breck Mustangs (5-3-0)
5- St Louis Park Orioles (3-4-0)
6- Minneapolis (4-3-0)
7- Providence Academy Lions (3-4-0)
8- Waconia Wildcats (3-2-1)
9- Westonka White Hawks (2-3-0)
10- Southwest Christian/Richfield Stars (1-4-0)
11- Hutchinson Tigers (0-6-0)
2A Summary- Delano went (.500) outside of the section. Blake got a Section 2A win over St Louis Park. Orono picked up an important 2A win over Breck. Providence Academy got a 2A win over Hutchinson. Minneapolis went unbeaten outside of the section. Waconia won its only game outside the section. Southwest Christian/Richfield went .500 outside the section. Westonka went winless outside the section.
Section 3A Ranking (12/14/25)
1- Luverne Cardinals (7-0-0)
2- Mankato West Scarlets (3-2-1)
3- New Ulm Eagles (4-2-0)
4- Mankato East Cougars (4-4-0)
5- Minnesota River Bulldogs (2-4-0)
6- Marshall Tigers (1-5-0)
7- Fairmont Cardinals (2-1-0)
8- Windom Eagles (2-2-0)
9- Redwood Valley Cardinals (1-5-0)
10- Worthington Trojans (0-5-0)
3A Summary- Luverne picked up 3A wins over Fairmont but the Cardinals got a 3A win over Windom. Mankato East, Mankato West & New Ulm all went (.500) outside of the section. Minnesota River got a 3A win over Redwood Valley. Marshall & Worthington all went winless outside of the section.
Section 4A Ranking (12/14/25)
1- Mahtomedi Zephyrs (3-3-1)
2- Chisago Lakes Wildcats (4-2-2)
3- Hastings Raiders (5-3-0)
4- Irondale Knights (3-0-1)
5- Tartan North Titans (4-4-0)
6- South St. Paul Packers (4-1-1)
7- Simley Spartans (4-3-0)
8- Osseo Orioles (1-6-0)
9- St. Paul Hockey (1-6-0)
10- St. Paul Academy Spartans (0-6-0)
4A Summary- Mahtomedi went (2-1-0) outside of the section this week. Chisago Lakes got a 4A win over Osseo. Hastings got a 4A win over Simley. Tartan/North got a 4A win over St Paul. South St Paul picked up a 4A win over St Paul Academy. Irondale was idle this week.
Section 5A Ranking (12/14/25)
1- St Cloud Cathedral Crusaders (3-4-0)
2- Monticello Moose (1-2-2)
3- Sauk Rapids-Rice Storm (1-3-1)
4- Litchfield Dassel Cokato Dragons (4-2-0)
5- Pine City Area Dragons (3-3-1)
6- River Lakes Stars (1-4-0)
7- Becker/Big Lake Eagles (5-2-0)
8- Princeton Tigers (0-4-0)
9- Mora/Milaca Mustangs (2-6-0)
5A Summary- Monticello lost in their only action of the week outside of the section. St Cloud Cathedral got a 5A win over Pine City Area. Becker/Big Lake pulled off a big 5A win over Princeton. Litchfield Dassel Cokato & Sauk Rapids-Rice both went unbeaten outside the Section. River Lakes & Mora/Milaca went .500 outside the section.
Section 6A Ranking (12/14/25)
1- Sartell Sabres (6-1-0)
2- Northern Lakes Lightning (4-2-1)
3- Little Falls Flyers (1-3-0)
4- Fergus Falls Otters (2-4-0)
5- Prairie Centre North Stars (5-1-0)
6- Willmar Cardinals (4-1-0)
7- Breckenridge/Wahpeton Blades (1-4-0)
8- Morris/Benson Storm (0-6-0)
9- Wadena Deer Creek Wolverines (1-6-0)
6A Summary- Sartell went .500 outside the section. Northern Lakes went unbeaten outside of the section. Prairie Centre got an important 6A win over Breckenridge/Wahpeton. Willmar got a 6A win over Morris/Benson. Little Falls, Fergus Falls & Wadena Deer Creek went winless outside of the section.
Section 7A Ranking (12/14/25)
1- Hermantown Hawks (5-0-2)
2- Hibbing/Chisholm Bluejackets (7-1-0)
3- Cloquet/Esko/Carlton Lumberjacks (4-4-0)
4- International Falls Broncos (5-0-0)
5- Proctor Rails (3-6-0)
6- Greenway Raiders (4-4-0)
7- North Shore Storm (1-6-1)
8- Ely Timberwolves (2-3-0)
9- Moose Lake Area Rebels (1-6-0)
7A Summary- Hermantown & Hibbing/Chisholm went unbeaten outside of the section. Cloquet/Esko/Carlton got a 7A win over Proctor but the Rails did get a 7A win over North Shore. International Falls went unbeaten outside of the section. Greenway got a 7A win over Moose Lake Area. Ely went .500 outside of the section.
Section 8A Ranking (12/14/25)
1- Warroad Warriors (7-2-0)
2- East Grand Forks Greenwave (2-4-1)
3- Detroit Lakes Lakers (3-3-0)
4- Crookston Pirates (5-0-1)
5- Thief River Falls Prowlers (1-5-0)
6- Red Lake Falls Eagles (5-1-0)
7- Bagley/Fosston Flyers (6-2-0)
8- Park Rapids Area Panthers (1-5-0)
9- Kittson County Central Bearcats (3-3-0)
10- Lake of the Woods Bears (0-6-0)
8A Summary-Warroad went unbeaten outside the section. East Grand Forks went (0-1-1) outside the section. Detroit Lakes went .500 outside of the section. Crookston & Red Lake Falls got 8A wins over Bagley/Fosston. Kittson County Central got a 8A win over Lake of the Woods. Park Rapids went unbeaten outside of the section and Thief River Falls went winless outside of the section.