With Holy Family Catholic making the move up to Class AA after only three years of having their own independent hockey program, what is stopping St. Thomas Academy, the 2011 Class A State Champions? St. Thomas Academy hockey is a proven successful program and the Cadets play over 50 percent of their regular season schedule against Class AA teams and prep schools. The Cadets would most likely be welcomed with open arms and better respected by the boys high school hockey fan base if they decided to FINALLY move up. Section 3AA looks like a nice fit for them.Holy Family Catholic 2011-2012 enrollment: 595 (boys & girls)
Hill-Murray 2011-2012 enrollment: 705 (boys & girls)
Academy of Holy Angels 2011-2012 enrollment: 741 (boys & girls)
St. Thomas Academy 2011-2012 enrollment: 1066 (all boys Academy)
Additional Information:
Since I made the post above, I received two emails that the St. Academy enrollment for grades 9 through 12 is actually 534. The Cadets school information can be found here: http://www.cadets.com/page/365
They, the MSHSL (Minnesota State High School League), doubled the number (1066) because it is an all boys school. Not sure why that was necessary but that is what they did. I think all they needed to do was list it as '534 (boys only)'.
One of the emails also suggested, since I was singling out St. Thomas Academy, that I should also call out Breck School, Hermantown, and Blake School to move up as well. They too have had successful hockey programs in recent years. The pro-St. Thomas Academy supporter that emailed me had a good point if we were strictly talking about similar enrollments and successful programs at the Class A level. However, we are talking about an ALL BOYS SCHOOL. They have 534 BOYS. The other three schools, cut in half to represent the number of potential boys, would be Breck (200), Blake (260), Hermantown (313).
My point is that St. Thomas Academy has a much larger pool of boys eligible to play hockey and that they schedule a majority of their games against Class AA teams or prep schools. They play like a Class AA team during the regular season but they go into the Class A tournaments looking like Goliath's big brother.
2010-2011 regular season games vs. Class AA and elite non-MSHSL prep schools:
St. Thomas Academy: 15 out of 25 | 60%
Blake School: 9 out of 25 | 36%
Breck School: 8 out of 25 | 32%
Hermantown: 6 out of 25 | 24%
New Class AA team Holy Family Catholic: 4 out of 24 | 16.7%
If St. Thomas Academy does not want to move up due to their enrollment size, that is absolutely their prerogative. However, if the Cadets argument is that they want to play better competition during the regular season, why does that not stay consistent with deciding to opt up to the Class AA level and play in that tournament where the better teams are?
St. Thomas Academy's record versus Class A schools in the last six years:
91-8-4 (.919 win percentage)
2010-2011: 16-0-0 | CLASS A CHAMPIONS
2009-2010: 13-2-0 (lost to Mahtomedi twice including the Section 4A title game)
2008-2009: 11-2-2 (lost to Duluth Marshall and Mahtomedi, Mahtomedi in the 4A title game)
2007-2008: 16-2-0 (lost to Breck and Duluth Marshall) | CLASS A CHAMPIONS
2006-2007: 17-1-1 (lost to Duluth Marshall at state and tied them regular season) | CLASS A THIRD PLACE
2005-2006: 18-1-1 (lost to Breck, tied Red Wing) | CLASS A CHAMPIONS
If it were not for Mahtomedi, St. Thomas Academy could be, should be looking at four straight Class A titles. But, somehow, Mahtomedi was able to upset St. Thomas Academy not once but twice in the Section 4A playoffs in back-to-back years thanks to some outstanding and timely goaltending by Brad Wohlers of the Zephyrs in both years. Mahtomedi was badly outshot in both games. In the 2010 playoffs, St. Thomas Academy outshot the Zephyrs 45-25. In 2009, 49-23 Cadets.
