We are off and running in the 2024-2025 season, and things got started with some big time opening weekend games that already caused some shuffling in Class A! Here’s my take week #1::
1. St Cloud Cathedral (0-0-1)
Past Week Results: T 2-2 #2 Warroad
Upcoming Schedule: 11/29 @ #4 Hibbing/Chisholm
The Defending Champs played a very tough Warroad team to start the year and they were actually down by a goal with only 30 seconds left but they showed some championship character by tying the score. Their Big Three are elite and they seem to have found a good replacement in net now it’s just molding the depth pieces into spots. Another big test for the defending champs as they head to #4 Hibbing in what should be a classic game.
2. Warroad (1-0-1)
Past Week Results: W 5-3 #5 Delano, T 2-2 OT #1 St. Cloud Cathedral
Upcoming Schedule: Idle
The Warriors were the big winners of Week #1 and they are off to a very strong start through two games, as they handled Delano in the opener and then went toe to toe with the defending State Champs, a team that ended their championship dreams last season. They now get to take the week off over Thanksgiving Break to contour to tinker with their young lineup that looked very good in its opening showing of the year.
3. Hermantown (0-0-0)
Past Week Results: Idle
Upcoming Schedule: 11/29 vs CDH, 11/30 @ Hill Murray
The Hawks took the opening weekend off and won’t play till after Thanksgiving. However, they will kick their season off in style as they wil; take on two AA private powers in Cretin Derham Hall and Hill Murray to open the season this coming weekend. We will get an early look at how their revamped D core and new goalie look as those two teams will be a stiff early challenge.
4. Hibbing/Chisholm (1-0-0)
Past Week Results: W 3-2 OT #6 Mahtomedi
Upcoming Schedule: 11/26 vs #9 Cloquet/Esko/Carlton, 11/29 vs #1 St Cloud Cathedral, 11/30 vs CDH
The young Bluejackets got exactly out of the opening weekend what they had hoped for as they were able to pick up a signature Class A win on the road over a traditional power in Mahtomedi. But it doesn’t get any easier this week as guanlent of games await when they host 7A rival CEC then the defending State Champ SCC and finish with Top 10 AA CDH. Gonna find out alot about this group of talented youngsters this week.
5. Delano (1-1-0)
Past Week Results: L 3-5 #2 Warroad, W 6-5 OT #7 East Grand Forks
Upcoming Schedule: 11/30 vs Buffalo
Which Delano is the real Delano: the ones who lost Warroad while struggling to mount consistent offensive pressure or the ones who were relentless on offense in their comeback win over EGF? It seems to always take Delano a while to find their stride. I’ll lean on the side of great coaching and an experienced lineup to say this still looks like a Top 5 team in Class A after the up and down opening week.
6. Mahtomedi (0-1-0)
Past Week Results: L 2-3 OT #4 Hibbing/Chisholm
Upcoming Schedule: 11/26 vs Hill Murray, 11/29 @ Centennial, 11/30 vs Blaine
The Zephyrs didn’t do anything to damage their ranking in the opening week, as an overtime loss vs Hibbing in a game where they were able to control significant stretches of the game with a young lineup did appear to be promising looking into the future of how they fit within Class A. However, in the here and now it won’t be any easier this week with AA games vs Hill Murray, Centennial & Blaine staring at them this week.
7. East Grand Forks (0-2-0)
Past Week Results: L 1-6 Gentry Academy, L 5-6 OT #5 Delano
Upcoming Schedule: 11/26 vs #15 Detroit Lakes, 11/29 @ Grand Forks Red River, 11/30 @ Grand Forks Central
It was a rough start for the preseason Class A favorite Greenwave, while going (0-2-0) on the weekend opening trip was rough, it was the way in which they lost first getting blown out by AA Gentry and then not being able to hold a lead multiple times vs Delano and giving up 6 goals in both game is concerning. They will need to shore up things fast with a 8A matchup vs Detroit Lakes and followed by a trip across the border for a pair of Gambucci Cup games on the docket.
8. Northern Lakes (0-0-0)
Past Week Results: Idle
Upcoming Schedule: 11/25 vs Prairie Centre, 11/27 @ Northern Edge, 11/30 @ Bemidji
The Lightning took the opening week off as well but they will get their season started in a quirky Monday night neutral site Section 6A game to start the year. All eyes of the state will be on this game as Legendary Coach Mike Randolph will be looking to become the all coaching wins leader in Minnesota High School History. After that they have two road AA games vs Northern Edge and a tough Bemidji crew to round out their opening week.
9. Cloquet/Esko/Carlton (1-0-0)
Past Week Results: W 7-1 Bloomington Jefferson
Upcoming Schedule: 11/26 @ #4 Hibbing/Chisholm, 11/30 vs Princeton
The Lumberjacks did exactly what they should when they took care of business vs AA Jefferson, to get off to a good enough start. Now a huge section opponent is up next, with the Hibbing game having major early seeding implications and they will follow that up by finishing the week taking on Princeton.
10. Monticello (0-0-0)
Past Week Results: Idle
Upcoming Schedule: 11/30 vs #11 Orono
The Moose were idle and will wait almost another full week before they open their season at home vs a very tough Orono squad. The Spartans come in having already played a few games and the younger piece of the Monticello roster will need to be able to adapt to varsity hockey fast. This will be a stiff challenge and a good barometer to see if they are truly a Top 10 Class A team this winter right out of the gate.
11. Orono (2–0-0)
Past Week Results: W 9-1 Hutchinson, W 7-4 #17 Alexandria
Upcoming Schedule: 11/29 vs Duluth Denfeld, 11/30 @ #10 Monticello
The Spartans are off to a strong start through two games, as they handled Section 2A Hutchinson in the opener and then went on the road the next afternoon and beat a shorthanded Alexandria crew. They have shown some good scoring prowess early on and this week they have a game with Denfeld before a good test with ranked Monticello with a chance to break back into the Top 10 with a good showing.
12. Northfield (0-0-0)
Past Week Results: Idle
Upcoming Schedule: 11/26 vs Rochester Century/JM, 11/29 vs #18 Minneapolis, 11/30 @ #16 Proctor
Northfield took the opening weekend off but they will be busy this week. They open the season with a big match up with their Big 9 Conference rivals Rochester Century/JM with the winner getting the early jump on the conference title. Then they finish the week with two good tests at Charity Shield Classic at the TRIA Rink taking on #18 Minneapolis and #16 Proctor which will be tests for the Raiders in the young season.
13. Little Falls (0-0-0)
Past Week Results: Idle
Upcoming Schedule: 11/26 vs Fergus Falls
The Flyers were idle in the opening week of the season and they will kick off their campaign vs long time and old 6A rivals Fergus Falls to begin their season this week. It’s a game that they should win but the “Battle of the Falls” always seems to create interesting scores and this will be ok to keep an eye on.
14. Thief River Falls (0-0-0)
Past Week Results: Idle
Upcoming Schedule: 11/26 @ Roseau, 11/29 @ Princeton, 11/30 @ Sauk Rapids
The Prowlers were another of a few Top 20 teams that took the opening weekend off but will be very busy this week. TRF opens up with an intriguing game vs a rebuilding Roseau before they swing down to Central Minnesota to take on a Princeton team who upset them last year before closing the week with Sauk Rapids.
15. Detroit Lakes (1-0-0)
Past Week Results: W 7-0 Fergus Falls
Upcoming Schedule: 11/26 @ #7 East Grand Forks, 11/29 vs St Cloud Public , 11/30 @ River Lakes
The Lakers got off to a nice start as they took care of their rival Fergus Falls for a relatively easy win to open the season. Now things crank up this week schedule wise as they have a huge 8A game with a struggling EGF team before starting their new CLC play with games with St Cloud Public and River Lakes to end the week.
16. Proctor (2-0-0)
Past Week Results:W 7-0 Greenway, W 6-3 Breck
Upcoming Schedule: 11/29 vs Mankato East, 11/30 vs #12 Northfield
The Rails are off to a solid start, rolling past Greenway and Breck in the opening weekend getting big scoring from their dangerous duo. This week they head down to the Metro after Thanksgiving to play at the TRIA Rink where they will take on Mankato East and then have a very good early season barometer game vs a ranked Northfield club to end their week.
17. Alexandria (0-2-0)
Past Week Results: L 1-6 Bemidji, L 4-7 #11 Orono
Upcoming Schedule: 11/26 vs Brainerd
It was a rough start for Alexandria as they were missing some significant pieces of their lineup due to the Prep Bowl and injury, also giving up 6 plus goals in both games is not a recipe for success, but they showed some grit coming back on Orono and making it a good game without some of their top guys. Not going to overreact to one off week for a program that is always a slow starter. They have a winnable game this week vs CLC Brainerd.
18. Minneapolis (0-0-1)
Past Week Results: T 5-5 OT Two Rivers
Upcoming Schedule: 11/26 @ Hutchinson, 11/29 @ #12 Northfield, 11/30 @ Cambridge-Isanti
The 612 crew didn’t do anything to damage their ranking in the opening week, but allowing 5 goals to Two Rivers still does raise the concerns about their defense zone lapses that haunted them last year. This week will be a much better indication for where this team is at early as they have a key Section 2A seeding game with Hutchinson and a trip to the TRIA Rink highlighted by a match up with highly ranked Northfield on the docket.
19. Chisago Lakes (0-0-1)
Past Week Results: Hastings
Upcoming Schedule: 11/26 vs Marshall
So far, the Wildcats seem correctly pegged in this neighborhood of the rankings, as they’ve picked up a respectable comeback tie against AA Hastings, a game in which they heavily outshot the Raiders, but needed to show some grit to come back and tie it on the road. Now they have a winnable game vs Marshall on the schedule.
20. Waseca (0-0-0)
Past Week Results: Idle
Upcoming Schedule: 11/30 vs Redwood Valley
Waseca is another team taking their time starting the year as after taking the opening weekend off they will not open up till the end of next week. The Bluejays will start their highly anticipated season at home when they take on Big South Conference foe Redwood Valley in a game that they will be heavily favored in.
Next Five Notable Teams
Mound Westonka (1-0-0)
It wasn’t a pretty start to the year for the Whitehawks but they will take the win needing to dig out of a 3-4 deficit to take down Minnesota River. The win illustrates my feelings on Mound Westonka coming into the year they can score but the defense is going to need to improve if they want to be a true contender in Section 2A. Winnable games vs Kennedy & SPA await this week.
Crookston (0-0-0)
The Pirates were off during the opening week but they will get their season started this week with two Section 8A games. They open the season vs Kittson County Central and they will hit the road for a big section matchup with a good Red Lake Falls team in a game both teams will want to win for seeding purposes.
Southwest Christian/Richfield (0-0-0)
The Stars are always one of the last teams in the state to play their first game due to school religious activities. So will will have to wait another week to see where this program stands but they will have a good early test out for the gate when they take on a ranked Minneapolis team in two weeks.
Mankato West (0-0-0)
The Scarlets were idle on the opening weekend but they will host their home opener this week when they welcome in AA East Ridge to All Seasons Arena in Mankato. It’s a game that will be tough to judge but looking at West’s schedule they play numerous lower tier AA teams which could make them a difficult bunch to rank as the year goes on.
Luverne (1-0-0)
Roll Cards Roll had a good opener as they went on the road and played a Minnesota River team that nearly upset Mound Westonka the night before and took care of business winning 5-2 for a Section 3A seeding win. This week they just have Section 3A Fairmont on the schedule for another 3A game they should win.
Class A Section by Section Rankings Week #1
Section 1A Ranking (11/24/24)
1- Northfield Raiders (0-0-0)
2- Waseca Bluejays (0-0-0)
3- Dodge County Wildcats (0-0-0)
4- Albert Lea Tigers (0-0-0)
5- Rochester Lourdes Eagles (0-0-0)
6- Winona Winhawks (1-0-0)
7- La Crescent-Hokah Lancers (1-0-0)
8- Austin Packers (0-0-0)
9 – Faribault Falcons (0–0-0)
10- Red Wing Wingers (0-2-0)
1A Summary -Both Winona & La Crescent picked up a big win over a Section 3A team. Rochester Lourdes dropped their opener to Two Rivers. Red Wing went winless on their weekend swing and the rest of the Section 1A teams were idle in Week #1.
Section 2A Ranking (11/24/24)
1- Delano Tigers (1-1-0)
2- Orono Spartans (2-0-0)
3- Minneapolis (0-0-1)
4- Mound Westonka White Hawks (1-0-0)
5- Breck Mustangs (0-2-0)
6- Hutchinson Tigers (0-1-0)
7- Providence Academy Lions (0-1-0)
8- Litchfield Dassel Cokato Dragons (0-0-0)
2A Summary- Orono picked up Section 2A win over Hutchinson during their opening weekend sweep. Delano went .500 in their opening weekend homestand vs Top 10 teams. Minneapolis tied Two Rivers in their only action. Mound Westonka had a comeback win over Minnesota River. Providence Academy lost to Armstrong/Cooper. Litchfield Dassel Cokato was idle in the opening week.
Section 3A Ranking (11/24/24)
1- Mankato West Scarlets (0-0-0)
2- Luverne Cardinals (1-0-0)
3- New Ulm Eagles (1-0-0)
4- Mankato East Cougars (0-1-0)
5- Marshall Tigers (0-0-0)
6- Minnesota River Bulldogs (0-2-0)
7- Worthington Trojans (0-2-0)
8- Windom Eagles (0-1-0)
9- Fairmont Cardinals (0-0-0)
10- Redwood Valley Cardinals (0-0-0)
3A Summary- Luverne picked up a Section 3A win over Minnesota River. New Ulm got a Section 3A blowout over Windom. Worthington took two losses on their season opening trip to Southeast Minnesota. Mankato East dropped their opener to New Prague. The rest of Section 3A was idle in Week #1.
Section 4A Ranking (11/24/24)
1- Mahtomedi Zephyrs (0-1-0)
2- Chisago Lakes Wildcats (0-0-1)
3- Southwest Christian/Richfield Stars (0-0-0)
4- St. Paul Academy Spartans (0-0-0)
5- South St. Paul Packers (0-0-0)
7- Simley Spartans (1-0-0)
6- St. Paul Highland Park Scots (0-1-0)
8- Bloomington Kennedy Eagles (0-0-0)
4A Summary- Simley picked up a big Section 4A win over St Paul Highland Park to start the year. Chisago Lakes picked up a come from behind tie vs Hastings. Mahtomedi dropped a tough one in overtime vs Hibbing and the rest of Section 4A was idle in the opening week.
Section 5A Ranking (11/24/24)
1- St Cloud Cathedral Crusaders (0-0-1)
2- Monticello Moose (0-0-0)
3- Little Falls Flyers (0-0-0)
4- Princeton Tigers (0-1-0)
5- River Lakes Stars (0-0-0)
6- Pine City Dragons (0-0-0)
7- Sauk Rapids Storm (0-0-0)
8- Mora/Milaca Mustangs (0-1-0)
9- Becker/Big Lake Eagles (0-0-1)
5A Summary- St Cloud Cathedral skated to tie with Warroad to start the year. Princeton lost their opener to Waconia. Mora/Milaca lost to Northern Edge. Becker/Big Lake tied Breckenridge/Wahpeton and the rest of Section 5A was idle during Week #1.
Section 6A Ranking (11/24/24)
1- Northern Lakes Lightning (0-0-0)
2- Alexandria Cardinals (0-2-0)
3- Fergus Falls Otters (0-1-0)
4- Morris/Benson Storm (0-0-0)
5- Prairie Centre North Stars (0-0-0)
6- Willmar Cardinals (0-0-0)
7- Breckenridge/Wahpeton Blades (0-0-1)
8- Wadena Deer Creek Wolverines (0-0-0)
6A Summary- Alexandria went winless in their two opening games while playing shorthanded. Fergus Falls lost to rival Detroit Lakes. Breckenridge/Wahpeton tied Becker/Big Lake and the rest of Section 6A was idle
Section 7A Ranking (11/24/24)
1- Hermantown Hawks (0-0-0)
2- Hibbing/Chisholm Bluejackets (1-0-0)
3- Cloquet/Esko/Carlton Lumberjacks (1-0-0)
4- Proctor Rails (2-0-0)
5- North Shore Storm (0-1-0)
6- International Falls Broncos (0-0-0)
7- Greenway Raiders (1-1-0)
8- Ely Timberwolves (0-0-0)
9- Moose Lake Rebels (1-0-0)
7A Summary- Hibbing picked up a big Top 10 win over Mahtomedi to start the year. Cloquet/Esko/Carlton beat Jefferson to begin the season. Proctor picked up two wins including a Section 7A win over Greenway. North Shore lost to a Wisconsin team and Moose Lake picked up a win over Red Wing. Hermantown & Ely were idle in week #1.
Section 8A Ranking (11/24/24)\
1- Warroad Warriors (1-0-1)
2- East Grand Forks Greenwave (0-2-0)
3- Thief River Falls Prowlers (0-0-0)
4- Detroit Lakes Lakers (1-0-0)
5- Crookston Pirates (0-0-0)
6- Red Lake Falls Eagles (1-0-0)
7- Bagley/Fosston Eagles (1-0-0)
8- Lake of the Woods Bears (0-1-0)
9- Park Rapids Panthers (0-1-0)
10- Kittson County Central Bearcats (0-0-0)
8A Summary-Warroad had a good opening weekend going (1-0-1) vs Top 10 teams while East Grand Forks had a clunker weekend going (0-2-0). Detroit Lakes beat rival Fergus Falls. Red Lake Falls got an 8A win over Lake of the Woods.Bagley/Fosston got an 8A win over Park Rapids. Thief River Falls, Crookston & Kittson County Central were all idle this week.