- Hermantown (7A) (9-2-2)
Past Week Results: W 2-1 OT #13 Proctor, W 6-1 Rock Ridge, W 5-4 Eden Prairie
Upcoming Schedule: 1/11 @ #3 St. Cloud Cathedral, 1/13 vs #2 Warroad
The Hawks started their week by getting a serious scare from neighbor Proctor as it took them overtime on the road before they were finally able to sneak out with a 2-1 overtime win for their first 7A win of the year. Hermantown did respond well to the near upset scare and impressive fashion for the remainder of the week as they went into a good Rock Ridge and took home a convincing 6-1 victory before hosting a good AA Eden Prairie team coming away with 5-4 win to finish the week with a three game sweep. Now Hermantown has a challenging week ahead as they take on the #3 and #2 teams in Class A when they head to St Cloud Cathedral before hosting Warroad to end the week with the opportunity to leave no doubt that they are indeed the top team in Class A.
- Warroad (8A) (12-2-0)
Past Week Results: W 5-0 Fergus Falls, 1/6 @ #18 Detroit Lakes
Upcoming Schedule: 1/9 @ Roseau, 1/11 @ Crookston, 1/13 @ #1 Hermantown
The Warriors had a very business-like road trip when they ventured down to Fergus Falls and Detroit Lakes for a weekend swing. They opened the weekend by dispatched of a struggling Otters crew from Fergus Falls with the shutout being that highlight as it was the Warriors first one of the season. They then went into a red hot Lakers barn and were able to build a three goal lead and cruised from there to keep their perfect record within Section 8A play intact. Now they have their most challenging week of the season ahead as they have a trip to the rival Rams of Roseau before a big time end of the week showdown with Herantown in what has become the annual “#1 vs #2” regular season game of the year Class A the last few winters.
- St. Cloud Cathedral (5A) (10-3-1)
Past Week Results: W 3-2 #10 Cloquet/Esko/Carlton
Upcoming Schedule: 1/9 @ #15 Northern Lakes, 1/11 vs #1 Hermantown, 1/13 @ Mankato East
The Crusaders had a very big Top 10 home win in their only game of the week. Cathedral was able to build a quick two goal lead on Cloquet/Esko/Carlton in the first period only to see the Jacks chip away and get the game tied up at two in the third period. SCC’s first line, as they normally do, then played hero and scored the game winner and their newest backup goalie was able to win his second consecutive game in only his 2nd career start and the Crusaders are rolling along again. This coming week will be a challenging three game slate with road trips to ranked Northern Lakes and Mankato East sandwiched around a big home showdown with the #1 Hawks coming who will come to town on Thursday.
- East Grand Forks (8A) (9-5-0)
Past Week Results: W 5-4 OT Bemidji, W 4-1 #16 Thief River Falls
Upcoming Schedule: 1/9 vs #18 Detroit Lakes, 1/12 vs Academy of Holy Angels
The Greenwave were able to get 2024 started on a positive note as they were able to end their losing streak and pick up a nice overtime home win vs 8AA Bemidji which gives them the sweep of the Lumberjacks on the year. East Grand Forks then ended the week by picking up a very important section when they took down 8A rival Thief River Falls at home. They controlled the game throughout and were able to pull away late in the third period to finish up a very good week. This week EGF has two more home games as they host 8A opponent Detroit Lakes looking for the season sweep followed by what should be a good test from a very good AA Holy Angels team.
- Mahtomedi (4A) (5-8-0)
Past Week Results: W 7-3 St Michael Albertville, L 2-6 Minnetonka
Upcoming Schedule: 1/11 @ Tartan, 1/13 @ Hastings
The Zephyrs were able to get a little momentum going as they started the week by beating a AA St Michael Albertville crew and got some much needed offense going in the process. The win gave them their first win streak of the year but that was quickly but to end as their incredibly tough schedule then had them going to top ranked AA Minnetonka and the Zephyrs took that on the chin from an excellent Skippers crew. Now they look ahead to a week with more AA games but both are winnable but the Hastings game will provide Mahtomedi with a challenge.
- Orono (2A) (9-4-0)
Past Week Results: W 5-3 Providence Academy, W 3-2 #7 Delano
Upcoming Schedule: 1/11 @ New Prague, 1/13 @ St Louis Park
The Spartans had a very nice two win week which started the week by letting a Providence Academy team hang around in a game that they dominated which has been a familiar theme for this team this year. The Spartans were able to break out of a 3-3 tie in the third period with two late goals to get the win. They followed that 2A win with the biggest Section win of the year when they finished the week by going into Delano and picking up a massive road win in a game where they really carried the play throughout the day. The win should lock them into the #1 seed for playoffs and they now will look to continue their positive momentum as they have two AA tests vs New Prgaue and St Louis Park this coming week.
- Delano (2A) (8-5-1)
Past Week Results: L 0-8 Chanhassen, L 2-3 #6 Orono
Upcoming Schedule: 1/11 vs Holy Family
The Tigers had a rough week as they opened it by getting routed by a very good AA Chanhassen crew which shows this is a team that can’t fall behind as they they are built to play low scoring tight games and the Storm’s depth and talent were too much for the Tigers which doesn’t hurt them when it comes to Class A Ranking purposes. However, the loss to rival Orono was a major deflater for Delano as they now drop back to the middle of these rankings and seem now locked in the #2 seed in Section 2A. To make matters worse they now host Holy Family in their only game of next week which is a program the Tigers have not beaten in years.
- Northfield (1A) (9-1-2)
Past Week Results: W 4-1 Mankato West
Upcoming Schedule: 1/13 vs Owatonna
The Raiders picked up another Big 9 Conference win in their return from a week off over the Holiday Break. In a game where the Raiders did look a bit off and rusty at the start they fell behind 1-0 to Mankato West that came out playing physical. However, Northfeild’s speed and skill eventually took over the game and they were able to score the next four unanswered goals and come away with a good 4-1 win to start the new year on. Now they again only have one game this week but it will be a good test vs one of the better Big 9 Conference teams in AA Owatonna in what should be a good hockey game.
- Monticello (5A) (10-2-0)
Past Week Results: W 6-4 Cambridge-Isanti
Upcoming Schedule: 1/9 vs Mound Westonka, 1/11 Becker/Big Lake
The Moose continued their hot stretch and picked up their 6th straight win and 10th overall on the season when they took down Cambridge-Isanti in their only game of the week in Mississippi 8 Conference play. The Moose jumped out to a big 3-0 lead after the first period but the Bluejackets were able to make a push and did make things interesting by the third period but Monticello never relinquished the lead and came away with another win to add to their resume. Now this week they have two more games they should be heavily favored to win the take on Mound Westonka dn Becker/Big Lake this week to keep their win streak going.
- Cloquet/Esko/Carlton (7A) (8-6-0)
Past Week Results: L 2-3 #3 St. Cloud Cathedral, W 2-1 OT Superior, L 0-7 Brainerd
Upcoming Schedule: 1/11 @ Duluth Marshall, 1/13 vs Coon Rapids
The Lumberjacks busy week started with a tough one goal loss to a very good Cathedral team. While Cloquet didn’t get the win they showed in the game that they are a threat in Class A as they can play with the top teams and give them a very close game. CEC then hosted a Superior team from across the border and were able to get back into the win column with a 2-1 overtime win. However, the good week of results was totally tainted when they got routed on their home ice by AA Brainerd to end the week which really raises questions for this team. They will look to rebound this week when they play two of the most improved AA teams in the state in Duluth Marshall and Coon Rapids this week.
- Little Falls (5A) (9-4-0)
Past Week Results: W 1-0 Hutchinson, W #12 Hibbing/Chisholm
Upcoming Schedule: 1/12 @ Duluth Denfeld, 1/13 @ #13 Proctor
The Flyers continued their low scoring ways as they pulled out a 1-0 win over Hutchinson to start their week. However, they had a much needed offensive explosion when they scored more than two goals in a game for the first time in nearly a month as they put up 4 to take down a very good #12 Hibbing team in what was a great hockey game to end their week. The Flyers, while it hasn’t been pretty to watch, have now suddenly won five straight games and find themselves just outside the Top 10 this week. They have a tough week coming up as they head up north to take on a tough AA Denfeld team before having a showdown with #13 Proctor to end the week.
- Hibbing/Chisholm (7A) (10-6-0)
Past Week Result: W 8-0 Greenway, L 2-4 #11 Little Falls
Upcoming Schedule: Idle
Hibbing did exactly what they needed to do when they hosted 7A Greenway to start their week as they routed a struggling Raiders crew as this young group continues to show more maturity nightly. They were not able though to carry that momentum when they hit the road over the weekend and fell to a low scoring gritty #11 Little Falls group that did not make anything easy for this young team While Hibbing carried the play they were unable to score and ever hold the lead and they fell on the road to end the week at (.500). Now they oddly take the entire week off as they prepare for their next game in two weeks which will be a big showdown with the #1 Hawks of Hermantown.
- Proctor (7A) (11-5-0)
Past Week Results: L 1-2 OT#1 Hermantown, W 3-1 Duluth Denfeld, W 3-1 International Falls
Upcoming Schedule: 1/13 vs #11 Little Falls
The Rails nearly pulled off the biggest upset in Class A in a long time when they took the #1 Hawks to overtime to start their week. However, they fell just short as they were looking for their first win over Hermantown since 1999 and will have to look forward to a potential 7A Semifinal rematch now for their next opportunity. Proctor then finished the week strong as they took down a very tough AA Denfeld crew on the road and then traveled to Bronco Arena to pick up a 7A win over International Falls to end the week. This team is a true darkhorse in 7A and an opponent many don’t want to face come section time. This week just one game but it’s a really good one when they take on #11 Little Falls, a team they have been jockeying for position within these rankings over the past few weeks.
- Alexandria (6A) (4-7-1)
Past Week Results: L 1-2 West Fargo Sheyenne (N.D.), L 1-6 St Cloud Public, L 2-3 Bemidji
Upcoming Schedule: 1/9 vs Fergus Falls, 1/13 vs Holy Angels
The Cards looked rusty after choosing to take the entire holiday break off and their goal scoring issues reemerged as they entered 2024 with a miserable (0-3) week vs three non Class A teams. They dropped a tough game where they were only able to score once vs West Fargo Sheyenne out of North Dakota to start the week. They followed up that loss with an ugly effort vs AA St Cloud Public crew in a game where they completely unraveled in the third period and got routed in a game where they again could only score 1 goal. Alex then capped the week with another tight loss to AA Bemidji and while they were able to muster two goals it was not enough in one goal loss. Wins over #15 Northern Lakes and a split with #11 Little Falls keep this team from tumbling too far in the rankings but the Cards will hope to find their stride again next week with the big game being the 6A matchup vs Fergus Falls.
- Northern Lakes (6A) (9-2-0)
Past Week Results:W 3-1 #16 Thief River Falls
Upcoming Schedule: 1/9 vs #3 St Cloud Cathedral, 1/11 vs Greenway, 1/13 @ Duluth Marshall
The Lightning picked a massive program win in their only game of the week as they hosted a good ranked Thief River Falls crew. Northern Lakes was able to jump out to a quick two goal lead which they never surrendered and they went on to pick up a very good win especially when considering they are still down two of their top six forwards. They will look to continue the good momentum this week when they welcome in #3 St Cloud Cathedral and they will follow that with a rematch with Greenway and then a road trip to a good AA Duluth Marshall to finish the week.
- Thief River Falls (8A) (7-5-1)
Past Week Results: W 3-2 Crookston, L 1-4 #5 East Grand Forks, L 1-3 #17 Northern Lakes
Upcoming Schedule: 1/12 vs Princeton
The Prowlers got their three game week started by picking up the 8A sweep over an improved Crookston crew which will lock them into a top three seed based on their wins over the lower half of all the 8A teams behind them. However, after that it was tough going as against 8A East Grand Forks the Prowlers were shown again that they still have a ways to go to get beyond the 3 seed as they were on their heels most of the night in a tough road loss to a very good Greenwave team. They followed that up by dropping a game to Northern Lakes which sends Thief River Falls dropping in the rankings this week. They will look for more offense and to get back on track this week when they take on Princeton in their only game this upcoming week.
- Luverne (3A) (12-0-0)
Past Week Results: W 9-0 Fairmont
Upcoming Schedule: 1/11 vs Redwood Valley, 1/13 @ Waseca
Roll Cards Roll dropped a bit this week which is no fault of their own but due to some other ranked teams playing each other and those results and Luverne being landlocked into Southwest Minnesota making them hard to rank. They were able to rout Section 3A and Big Conference opponent Fairmont in their only game of the week 9-0. Luverne now continues to be the only unbeaten team in Class A as they head into Week #8 of the season. This coming week they have another game they should win big in as they face 3A Redwood Valley for a second time, a team they put 18 goals on earlier this year, before an interesting trip to Waseca vs a good young Bluejays crew in an arena that has been a house of horrors for the Cardinals recently as they have lost their in 4 of their 5 most recent trips in the last 5 years to serve as potential trip up game in their pursuit of perfection this season.
- Detroit Lakes (8A) (8-5-0)
Past Week Results: W 3-2 Fargo Davies, L 1-4 #2 Warroad
Upcoming Schedule: 1/9 @ #4 East Grand Forks, 1/12 @ Bemidji, 1/13 vs Princeton
The Lakers stayed hot when they started the week as they took down Fargo Davies to pick up their 8th win in the last 9 games. However, when they hosted the #2 Warriors at the end of the week their current hot streak came to a halt. The loss is nothing to be ashamed of but shows Detroit Lakes is still the #4 team in Section 8A for now. They can make that statement change this week when they get a second chance at #4 East Grand Forks and they then will have tough matchups with AA Bemidji and before finishing it by hosting Princeton.
- New Ulm (3A) (12-3-0)
Past Week Results: W 12-1 Redwood Valley, W 4-1 Marshall
Upcoming Schedule: 1/11 @ Worthington
The Eagles started their week by routing winless Redwood Valley to pick up another section 3A and Big South Conference win. The followed that up with another Section and Conference win when they were able to take down Marshall at home to complete the sweep of the Tigers this year on their official New Ulm Hockey Day in front of a great hometown crowd. New Ulm has now won 12 games on season and they should continue to pile up wins especially this week with only struggling Worhtington on tap in a game the Eagles will most likely cruise to another victory.
- Southwest Christian/Richfield (4A) (7-4-0)
Past Week Results: W 4-2 Waconia
Upcoming Schedule: 1/9 vs Minneapolis, 1/11 @ Hutchinson
The Stars were able to get a nice road win in their only game of the week as they took care of AA Waconia. In a game that saw the Wildcats make a push and tie the game after Southwest Christin had built a multiple goal lead it was nice to see the Stars respond on the road and come away with a victory. Now they have a very good test when they take on a better then their record Minneapolis team who blew them out and ended their season last year in the sectionals as the highlight of the upcoming week slate of games.
Next Five Notable Teams-
- Dodge County (1A) (9-5-0)- The Wildcats had another very nice week as they took down a solid Class A Chisago Lakes team on the road to begin their week and then finished at home by taking down AA Hopkins. They stay just outside the rankings due to their head to head losses to #17 Luverne and #20 Southwest Christian but overall they continue to have a very good year and are on track for the #2 seed in Section 1A. In order to keep that two seed they will need to win both games next week when they take on 1A Rochester Lourdes and Waseca.
- La Crescent-Hokah (1A) (13-1-0)- The Lancers continued to rack up Section 1A wins as they took down Austin again for their 6th straight Section win. Now La Crescent will take on their border rival Aquinas/Holmen (Wis.) before hosting Becker/Big Lake this week and both are games that they should be favored to win as Wyatt Farrell now official begins his home stretch of his pursuit to break Hanowski’s state scoring record in the midst of the best season in La Crescent hockey history.
- Breck (2A) (8-6-1)- The Mustangs had a very good start to their week as they were able to pick up wins against St Paul Academy and Bloomington Kennedy. However, they dropped to the finale to their arch rival Blake who came into the game at (0-12-0) while the Bears are not nearly as bad as their record states the game was definitely one Breck had been favored to win. This week Breck has a massively important 2A seeding game with Providence Academy as the winner will have the inside track to home ice for the Quarterfinal round come playoff time.
- Minneapolis (2A) (4-9-0)- The 612 crew dropped 7th game in row in their only action of the week as they faced another AA team and again gave up five plus goals which is their average during this ugly stretch of hockey for them. I am holding strong that this team is better than their record and they still control their fate for the #3 seed in Section 2A. Big game vs rank Southwest Christian this week to show they are still a serious contender despite their record this upcoming week.
- Minnesota River (3A) (7-2-0)- The Bulldogs are having a great season as they were a Class A team that I noted doing my season previews this fall as a potential surprise contender. The Bulldogs returned 6 of their 7 leading scorers, their starting goalie and 15 letterwinners this season and they have looked great so far this season. Now they have games coming up with Mankato West and Mankato East over the next two weeks if they can get two wins there they could lock up a top three seed in Section 3A.
BHS Class A 2023-24 Section Break Downs Week #7 (1/7/24)
Section 1A Rankings (1/7/24)
1- Northfield (9-1-2)
2- Dodge County (9-5-0)
3- La Crescent-Hokah (13-1-0)
4- Winona (6-4-0)
5- Albert Lea (5-8-1)
6- Rochester Lourdes (4-9-0)
7- Waseca (8-5-0)
8- Austin (3-10-0)
9- Faribault (3-8-0)
10- Red Wing (3-10-0)
Section 1A Outlook- Northfield won their only game of the week outside of section play. Dodge County won both of their games outside of section play. La Crescent got the season sweep of 1A Austin. Winona & Rochester Lourdes both got a 1A win over Red Wing. Albert Lea picked up a 1A win over Faribault. Waseca went (.500) in games outside the section this week.
Section 2A Rankings (1/7/24)
1- Orono (9-4-0)
2- Delano (8-5-1)
3- Breck (8-6-1)
4- Minneapolis (4-9-0)
5- Providence Academy (4-10-0)
6- Mound Westonka (5-6-0)
7- Hutchinson (3-7-1)
8- Litchfield Dassel-Cokato (3-10-1)
Section 2A Outlook- Orono picked up a huge 2A wins over Delano & Providence Academy to lock up the #1 seed. Breck went (2-1-0) outside of section play this week. Litchfield Dassel-Cokato went (1-0-1) outside of the section while Mound Westonka & Hutchinson both went winless on the week outside the section.
Section 3A Rankings (1/7/24)
1- Luverne (12-0-0)
2- New Ulm (12-3-0)
3- Minnesota River (7-2-0)
4- Mankato East (7-5-1)
5- Mankato West (4-7-1)
6- Marshall (7-8-0)
7- Windom (3-10-0)
8- Fairmont (2-13-0)
9- Worthington (1-9-0)
10- Redwood Valley (0-12-0)
Section 3A Outlook- Luverne picked up a 3A win over Fairmont this week. New Ulm picked up a 3A sweep of Redwood Valley & Marshall. Minnesota River & Mankato East both won their 7th game of the year outside of section play. Mankato West lost their 6th straight game this week outside of section play. Windom was swept outside of section play and Worthington picked up their first win of the season with a section win over the Cardinals.
Section 4A Rankings (1/7/24)
1- Mahtomedi (5-8-0)
2- Southwest Christian (7-4-0)
3- Chisago Lakes (6-7-0)
4- St Paul Highland Park (8-6-0)
5- St Paul Academy (3-7-0)
6- South St Paul (5-8-0)
7- Simley (3-11-1)
8- Bloomington Kennedy (3-11-0)
Section 4A Outlook- Mahtomedi went (.500) within AA play this week. Southwest Christian picked up a win outside the section in their only game of the week. Chisago Lakes lost their only game outside the section. St Paul Highland Park & South St Paul both went (2-0-0) as both got a 4A win over Simley and the Scots also got a 4A win over St Paul Academy. Bloomington Kennedy went (.500) outside section play.
Section 5A Rankings (1/7/24)
1- St Cloud Cathedral (10-3-1)
2- Monticello (10-2-0)
3- Little Falls (9-4-0)
4- River Lakes (5-5-2)
5- Princeton (6-5-1)
6- Pine City (5-9-0)
7- Sauk Rapids (5-7-2)
8- Becker/Big Lake (7-4-0)
9- Mora/Milaca (9-6-0)
Section 5A Outlook- St Cloud Cathedral, Monticell, Little Falls, River Lakes, Sauk Rapids & Becker Big Lake all went unbeaten outside of Section 5A play this week. Princeton picked up a nice 5A win over Pine City but the Dragons were able to get a 5A win over Mora/Milaca during the week.
Section 6A Rankings (1/7/24)
1- Alexandria (4-7-1)
2- Northern Lakes (9-2-0)
3- Fergus Falls (4-8-0)
4- Morris Benson (5-7-0)
5- Willmar (3-7-1)
6- Breckenridge/Wahpeton (2-8-0)
7- Wadena Deer Creek (3-8-0)
8- Prairie Centre (3-9-0)
Section 6A Outlook- Alexandria went (0-3-0) outside of Section 6A play. Northern Lakes picked up a big ranked win outside of Section play. Fergus Falls went (1-1-0) outside of 6A play and Willmar went (0-2-1) outside of section play. Morris/Benson was able to get a 6A win over Breckenridge/Wahpeton but the Blades were able to get a 6A win over Wadena Deer Creek. Prairie Centre has yet to win a Section 6A game yet this year.
Section 7A Rankings (1/7/24)
1- Hermantown (9-2-2)
2- Cloquet/Esko/Carlton (8-6-0)
3- Hibbing (10-6-0)
4- Proctor (11-5-0)
5- North Shore (5-5-2)
6- Greenway (2-8-2)
7- Ely (11-4-0)
8- International Falls (2-8-1)
9- Moose Lake (3-9-0)
Section 7A Outlook- Hermantown picked up Section 7A overtime win over Proctor but the Rails got a 7A win over International Falls. Hibbing got a 7A win over Greenway and the Raiders also got a 7A tie with North Shore. Cloquet/Esko/Carlton went (1-1-1) outside of section play and Ely went (1-1) outside the section. Moose Lake went winless on the week and has yet to get a Section 7A win.
Section 8A Rankings (1/7/24)
1- Warroad (12-2-0)
2- East Grand Forks (9-5-0)
3- Thief River Falls (7-5-1)
4- Detroit Lakes (8-5-0)
5- Park Rapids (7-3-2)
6- Crookston (6-5-0)
7- Red Lake Falls (9-3-0)
8- Lake of the Woods (6-5-0)
9- Bagley/Fosston (4-6-0)
10- Kittson County Central (2-12-0)
Section 8A Outlook- Warroad picked up a head to head win over 8A Detroit Lakes this week. East Grand Forks got an 8A win over Thief River Falls but the Prowlers did get an 8A win over Crookston. Park Rapids also picked up a win over the Pirates and also got an 8A win over Kittson County Central. Bagley/Fosston was also able to get an 8A win over the Bobcats and Red Lake Falls picked up an 8A overtime win over Lake of the Woods.