Class AA Rankings
FollowThePuck.com
2008-2009 Rankings
01/19/09
This week: 1/22 at Wayzata, 7:00 PM | 1/24 at Hopkins, 7:00 PM
10-1-0 vs. teams in last week's Class AA Top 20
10-1-0 vs. teams at .500 or better
Comments: Edina has been incredible since their loss to Hill-Murray in early December. They have been consistent and have been able to find ways to score and stiffen up on defense when facing teams that can slow them down with their physical play, like Eden Prairie and Elk River. My belief is that a solid defense always trumps a great offense. However, unless Edina stumbles along their way to the 2AA championship game, I will give them a minuscule edge over Jefferson. Edina is the best team in the state.
2. Bloomington Jefferson (2AA) 14-0-0
This week: 1/20 Rosemount, 7:30 PM | 1/24 at Chaska, 2:15 PM
3-0-0 vs. teams in last week's Class AA Top 20
6-0-0 vs. teams at .500 or better
Comments: It is hard for me not to slip Jefferson into the top spot. I am a firm believer in their defense and their ability to score. Edina has arguably played a much harder schedule and it will not get much easier. Jefferson's schedule is going to be much less challenging in comparison the rest of the regular season.
3. Eden Prairie (6AA) 11-3-0
This week: 1/20 Eagan, 7:30 PM | 1/24 Bloomington Kennedy, 2:30 PM
3-3-0 vs. teams in last week's Class AA Top 20 (losses were to Edina & Jefferson)
5-3-0 vs. teams at .500 or better
Comments: Eden Prairie has lost all three games to the teams ahead of the them (Edina twice (once in OT), Jefferson once). They lost each game by one goal. They are staying where they are in the rankings.
4. Blaine (5AA) 13-1-1
This week: 1/22 Andover, 7:30 PM | 1/24 Coon Rapids, 7:30 PM
4-1-1 vs. teams in last week's Class AA Top 20
7-1-1 vs. teams at .500 or better
Comments: I did not get any questions answered on who the better team was between Blaine and Centennial when they tied in their game on Saturday, 4-4. It took a shorthanded goal by the Bengals' Nick Bjugstad to tie it late in the game. Yet, Blaine outshot the Cougars in their own arena and Blaine figured out Maple Grove better. Blaine also defeated Duluth East, the Cougars tied them.
5. Centennial (5AA) 10-1-2
This week: 1/20 Champlin Park, 7:30 PM | 1/22 at Osseo, 7:30 PM
4-1-2 vs. teams in last week's Class AA Top 20
6-1-2 vs. teams at .500 or better
Comments: Centennial must be working on their defensive game. Ever since their 6-5 loss to White Bear Lake in the quarterfinal game of the Schwan Cup, they have been a lot more stingy about giving up goals, that is until they tied Blaine 4-4. Prior to Blaine, in their last five games, the Cougars had only given up an average of one goal per game to teams like St. Thomas Academy, Hill-Murray, Elk River, and Maple Grove. At the same time, Cougar goal production went down. They were averaging seven goals per game up through the White Bear Lake game. Since then, they are averaging four goals per game.
6. Duluth East (7AA) 11-2-1
This week: 1/23 Rochester Century, 7:30 PM | 1/24 Rochester Mayo, 1:00 PM
5-1-1 vs. teams in last week's Class AA Top 20
6-2-1 vs. teams at .500 or better
Comments: Duluth East recovered nicely since their loss to Blaine with wins over Duluth Denfeld and White Bear Lake this past week. The Hounds schedule the rest of the way does not include a Minnesota Top 20 team. The do have Rochester Mayo, Superior (WI), Apple Valley, and Stillwater on it.
7. Wayzata (6AA) 11-3-1
This week: 1/20 Burnsville, 7:00 PM | 1/22 Edina, 7:00 PM
3-3-1 vs. teams in last week's Class AA Top 20
6-3-1 vs. teams at .500 or better
Comments: Wayzata is 10-0-0 since starting the season 1-3-1. Players like Kevin Blackley, Matt Straate, Billy Soule, and goaltender Ty Simcoe have really stepped up lately. Simcoe has posted four shutouts in the last five games while the offense has generated 4.8 goals per game during their 10-game winning streak. Credit should also be given to their physical play by the defense protecting Simcoe around the net and keeping the puck out of their end. Their game on Thursday versus Edina should be a good one. Edina defeated Wayzata at the Turkey Trot Tournament in late November, 4-1.
8. Academy of Holy Angels (2AA) 9-3-1
This week: 1/20 Shakopee, 7:00 PM | 1/23 Farmington, 7:30 PM
1-2-1 vs. teams in last week's Class AA Top 20
7-3-1 vs. teams at .500 or better
Comments: Danny Mattson, Connor Reilly, and John Haeg are enough to carry any team through a very good season. They are a line of 'superstar' status. The question is whether that line alone is good enough to carry them to a championship season. We may not get answers for awhile as they begin a lighter Missota Conference schedule. With quality wins over Red Wing, St. Thomas Academy, New Prague and Hill-Murray, they deserve to be a Top 10 team. However, they struggled with White Bear Lake and lost to Edina and Minnetonka.
9. Benilde-St. Margaret's (6AA) 11-3-0
This week: 1/20 Hill-Murray, 7:00 PM | 1/22 at Totino-Grace, 7:00 PM
3-3-0 vs. teams in last week's Class AA Top 20
6-3-0 vs. teams at .500 or better
Comments: The Red Knights have quality wins over St. Cloud Tech, Cretin-Derham Hall twice, Burnsville, Minnetonka, and Duluth Marshall. They lost in decisive fashion to Stillwater, Edina, and Wayzata. So, right now, Benilde-St. Margaret's is a little bit difficult to figure out. With two big games this week, we should get a greater glimpse into who the Red Knights really are.
10. Minnetonka (6AA) 11-5-0
This week: 1/22 Hopkins, 7:00 PM | 1/24 Robbinsdale Armstrong, 2:30 PM
5-4-0 vs. teams in the last week's Class AA Top 20
8-5-0 vs. teams at .500 or better
Comments: Minnetonka had a very good week with wins over Stillwater, Holy Angels, and Moorhead. They had been following a similar course as Benilde-St. Margaret's. Their loss to the Red Knights, 4-3, a week ago Saturday was their only hinderance from moving further up the rankings.
11. Woodbury (3AA) 13-1-2
This week: 1/22 Eastview, 7:30 PM | 1/24 at Forest Lake, 7:30 PM
4-1-0 vs. teams in last week's Class AA Top 20
6-1-1 vs. teams at .500 or better
Comments: The good news about Woodbury is that they are very good against 3AA and 4AA teams. The bad news is we have no clue how good they are against everyone else. Section 3AA teams are 4-10-0 against 2AA teams and 1-10-2 against 6AA teams. Woodbury was getting the 'Royal' Top 10 treatment simply on their impressive record. They slipped five spots because they tied Forest Lake who is now 3-8-2.
12. Maple Grove (5AA) 11-2-2
This week: 1/22 at Coon Rapids, 7:30 PM | 1/24 Anoka, 7:30 PM
1-2-1 vs. teams in last week's Class AA Top 20
6-2-2 vs. teams at .500 or better
Comments: We found out how good the Crimson were against Blaine and Centennial. They lost 6-1 to Blaine and 2-1 to Centennial. They recovered nicely with a 4-1 win over Osseo on Saturday. Maple Grove is still a very good team. Their only defensive let down was against Blaine this year. They will continue to win and have their rematches with the two 5AA front runners in February.
13. Hill-Murray (4AA) 10-4-1
This week: 1/20 at Benilde-St. Margaret's, 7:00 PM | 1/24 Henry Sibley, 3:00 PM
3-3-0 vs. teams in last week's Class AA Top 20
5-4-1 vs. teams at .500 or better
Comments: I am not ready to concede that Hill-Murray's season was over when four of their players were removed from the team. The Pioneers never rebuild, they what? ... RELOAD. I'm sure seniors Tyler Zepeda and Jeff Westerhaus are not ready to pack it in and I'm sure players like Chris Casto, Willie Faust, and others will fill up the holes nicely. They seemed to be just fine with huge wins over Richfield and North St. Paul this past week. With the shock and awe of the news now starting to fade, we should get a good look at the 'new' Pioneers when they play Benilde-St. Margaret's on Tuesday.
14. Hopkins (6AA) 10-4-1
This week: 1/22/09 at Minnetonka, 7:00 PM | 1/24/09 Edina, 7:00 PM
0-0-0 vs. teams in last week's Class AA Top 20
0-3-0 vs. teams .500 or better
Comments: Hopkins has a lot of talent on the team with Archie Skalbeck, Travis Boyd, Nate Seashore, and Alex Fons among others. With a 10-4-1 record, it is hard to believe that the Royals have been 'struggling' this season. All four losses have come from Class A teams and the tie against a team on the rise in Eagan. This week, the Royals schedule starts getting MUCH more difficult. Arguably, it is the toughest season-ending schedule in the state. The will be facing Minnetonka twice, Edina twice, Wayzata twice, and Eden Prairie in seven of their last 10 regular season games.
15. Eagan (3AA) 9-4-1
This week: 1/20 Eden Prairie, 7:30 PM | 1/24 at Lakeville South, 3:00 PM
1-2-0 vs. teams in last week's Class AA Top 20
2-2-1 vs. teams at .500 or better
Comments: Eagan is on the rise having won their last four games by a combined score of 15-1. Senior goaltender Trent Caspar is red hot recording four shutouts in the Wildcats last six games. Frankie Caron and Tony Markstrom are dependable goal scorers to keep your eye on.
16. Moorhead (8AA) 5-7-1
This week: 1/20 at Thief River Falls, 7:30 PM | 1/22 at Brainerd/P/P, 7:00 PM | 1/24 Warroad, 6:00 PM
2-5-0 vs. teams in last week's Class AA Top 20
4-7-1 vs. teams at .500 or better
Comments: It can be argued that Moorhead should not be in the Top 20 having lost their last seven games. With the exception of a good Bemidji team, six of Moorhead's losses were to teams either in the Class AA or Class A Top 10 at least at one point this season. Three of the losses were blowouts. The Spuds have only generated six goals in those seven losses while giving up 25. Ouch. Still, after all of that, if they can mentally right the ship back to how they started the season, the Spuds are still a threat. A lot will be known about how resilient Moorhead can be with a challenging schedule this week.
17. Roseville Area (4AA) 8-6-1
This week: 1/22 at Stillwater Area, 7:30 PM | 1/24 Mounds View, 7:30 PM
2-4-0 vs. teams in last week's Class AA Top 20
2-6-0 vs teams at .500 or better
Comments: If you look at the stats for the two goaltenders for Roseville, Ben Podobinski and Kyle McDonald, there is not much difference between either. However, if you look at the opponents each goalie has played against, it gets easier to see who plays better against the better teams and Roseville's rivals. Podobinski has three shutouts this season against White Bear Lake, Stillwater, and Mounds View. Stillwater has been shutout twice this year. Woodbury was the other team that shut them down. White Bear Lake & Mounds View have only been shutout by Podobinski and the Raiders. Podobinski also only gave up two goals each to highly-ranked Woodbury and Wayzata. Woodbury has not scored less than two goals this season. Only twice were they held to just two goals. Once against Roseville and once against Edina. Podobinski seems to come up big against good teams. The Raiders have a rematch with Stillwater on Tuesday.
18. White Bear Lake (4AA) 8-8-1
This week: 1/22 Forest Lake, 8:00 PM
2-7-1 vs. teams in last week's Class AA Top 20
2-8-1 vs. teams at .500 or better
Comments: White Bear Lake has shown moments of greatness with their speed and aggressiveness. However, the Bears tend to be vulnerable to numerous mental breakdowns in their own zone. They had a nice win against Centennial in the opening round of the Schwan Cup where they had to hang on. The Bears were melting down late in that game and they almost had a complete collapse. They looked overmatched in their game against Duluth East this past Saturday losing 6-3 at the Excel Energy Center. There are no more Hill-Murray's or Duluth East's on their schedule in the near future. They may benefit with a easier schedule coming up to help them cure what ails them before the playoffs begin.
19. Roseau (8AA) 6-6-2
This week: 1/23 Bemidji, 7:30 PM
0-2-0 vs. teams in last week's Class AA Top 20
3-5-2 vs. teams at .500 or better
Comments: Excuses. That is what I can offer as the reason for Roseau's lack of usual success so far this season. The excuses include early departures of Mike Lee and Aaron Ness and injuries. Even after those excuses, I still think the Rams have an above average shot at winning Section 8AA. Adam Knochenmus, Tyler Landman, and Shane Omdahl are three big reasons why. They can start proving that they are okay when they face Bemidji this week and host Moorhead next week.
20. Elk River/Zimmerman (7AA) 7-6-0
This week: 1/22 at Champlin Park, 7:30 PM | 1/24 North Metro, 7:30 | 1/26 Holy Angels, 7:00
0-6-0 vs. teams in last week's Class AA Top 20
2-6-0 vs. teams at .500 or above
Comments: The Elks are all but out of the Top 20. They have 'potential' to a better team. They stayed with the Blaines, Eden Prairies, Edinas, and Duluth Easts for most of those games but they have to start winning those games. They lost 5-3 to Duluth East, the ones to beat in Section 7AA, but the Hounds outshot Elk River 49-13. If there is any good news, all six losses the Elks have suffered have come to teams that are or were in the Top 10 for most of the season. I believe this team can still defeat most of the 3AA and 4AA teams. Hill-Murray and Woodbury would be the exceptions and a game against Woodbury would be a battle.
On watch: Stillwater Area (4AA) 8-4-2, Cretin-Derham Hall (3AA) 9-6-1, Tartan (4AA) 8-4-1, Apple Valley (3AA) 8-6-0
________________________________________________________________________
