YHH Staff Rankings (GIRLS): February 5

Youth Hockey Hub staff rankings:

Class AA

1. Minnetonka (22-2-1)

The Skippers concluded their regular season with two more wins last week, beating Woodbury 5-1 and Blaine 9-0. Since a Jan. 6 loss to Edina by a score of 1-0, the Skippers have won eight straight, with three one-goal victories among those eight.

2. Hill-Murray (21-3)

To the bitter end, Hill-Murray will play the most challenging schedule possible. Already locked in in Section 4AA’s top seed, the Pioneers will face fellow top-10 team Benilde-St. Margaret’s in the regular-season finale on Feb. 6 at the St. Louis Park Rec Center.

3. Andover (18-4-3)

The Huskies won three straight games to finish the regular season with 18 wins, defeating Champlin Park/Coon Rapids 4-1, Eden Prairie 5-0 and Stillwater 4-3. Three of the Huskies’ four losses this season have been by two goals or fewer, with the one outlier being the Jan. 25, 3-0 defeat at the hands of Edina.

4. Edina (18-6-1)

Edina drops two spots after losing 3-1 to Orono last week but stays in the top five partly because the Hornets are the rare squad that owns wins over two teams ranked ahead of them. The Hornets are the No. 2 seed in Section 6AA behind Benilde-St. Margaret’s.

5. Moorhead (22-2-1)

Wins over Section 8AA rival Brainerd/Little Falls and Gentry Academy give the Spuds 22 victories for the regular season, which could be a program record. The top seed in Section 8AA, the Spuds have scored five or more goals in their last four contests.

6. Centennial/Spring Lake Park (22-1-2)

The Cougars gutted out a 4-2 win over Blaine and then Kaitlin Groess won the Goaltenders’ Duel against Claire Bronson in a 2-1 victory over Lakeville South to close out the regular season. The Cougars will be the top seed in a crowded Section 5AA, but appear primed for a second straight run to the Class 2A State Tournament.

7. Benilde-St. Margaret’s (20-3-1)

In retrospect, I could have been too harsh on the Red Knights when they dropped precipitously in the rankings. As a result of my own rush to judgment, BSM now sits at No. 7 with no real chance to move up, given the fact that Moorhead and Centennial/Spring Lake Park concluded their seasons. Thankfully, these rankings bear no weight in section meetings as the Red Knights take up the sword of the top-seeded team in Section 6AA.

8. Northfield (24-1)

All is well in the town that captured the Jesse James Gang after an 8-0 win over Mankato West to close the regular season. Ms. Hockey candidate (not officially, but come on) Ayla Puppe surpassed the 100-point threshold in the win over the Scarlets, and the Raiders are the No. 1 seed in Section 1AA.

INTERLUDE: What do we even do here? Lakeville North lost to an unranked Prior Lake team. Lakeville South lost twice. Do we start playing the “who had the best loss” game between Maple Grove, Stillwater, and Woodbury? Do we look outside the box for a newcomer to the rankings? Honestly, I may just let my dogs pick the last two teams.

9. Lakeville North (20-3-1)

Don’t worry; the dogs had zero interest in ranking teams.

The Panthers stay at No. 9 despite the loss to Prior Lake. We’ll chalk it up to something weird in the airplane hangar next to a casino in a game played at 1:00 in the afternoon.

10. Lakeville South (19-3-3)

After careful consideration, the Cougars stay at No. 10 despite losing twice last week. Both losses were close and came against higher-ranked teams. The Cougars enter section play as the No. 2 seed in Section 1AA.

Class A

1. Orono (18-6-1)

A 3-1 win over then-No. 2-2A Edina lifts the Spartans back to the top spot among Class 1A programs. The Spartans are the No. 1 seed in Section 5AA, and five of the team’s six losses have been by a single goal this season. I’m sure I’ve made that point before, but it bears repeating, given the schedule the Spartans have played.

2. Proctor/Hermantown (15-8-2)

The Mirage scored nine times in a win over Superior, tied Section 8AA contender Brainerd/Little Falls, and then edged Class A top 10 team Mound Westonka/Southwest Christian 3-2 in overtime to cap the regular season with a five-game unbeaten streak.

Despite a 4-3 win over Duluth Marshall on Jan. 23, the Mirage are the No. 2 seed in Section 7A.

3. Holy Angels (19-3-3)

The Stars won two of three games last week, beating Waconia 7-2 and Minneapolis 7-1 with a 5-3 loss to No. 2-2A Hill-Murray sandwiched between the victories. The loss to the Pioneers interrupted an 11-game unbeaten streak for the Stars, the No. 1 seed in Section 4A.

4. Warroad (17-8)

Splitting hairs a bit at this point, Warroad slips behind Holy Angels based on strength-of-loss. Both teams went 2-1 last week, but Holy Angels’ loss to Hill-Murray outweighs Warroad’s loss to unranked Roseau. The Warriors are the top seed in Section 8A ahead of Crookston and will look to make their ninth consecutive trip to St. Paul.

5. Dodge County (19-4)

The penultimate win of the regular season over Northfield was followed by a 3-1 loss to unranked Simley, which could be attributed to a ridiculous 47-save performance by the Spartans’ Sydney Ries. The Wildcats had two games canceled this season, against Thief River Falls and Crookston, so 23 contests are the final number for the regular season slate.

6. Duluth Marshall (21-3-1)

Last week was busy for the Hilltoppers, with four games against Class A opponents in five days. The Hilltoppers emerged with four victories in those five games, including a win over last week’s No. 8-1A team, Breck. The Hilltoppers are the top seed in Section 7A.

7. Mound Westonka/Southwest Christian (17-7-1)

Two losses go down sour, but the fact that they came against Class AA Holy Family and No. 2-1A Proctor/Hermantown in overtime, the White Hawks remain at No. 7.

8. Breck (18-7)

I don’t know how many people had Breck winning 18 games on their bingo card, but if that describes you, congrats. The Mustangs concluded the regular season with a 6-4 loss against Duluth Marshall. They will be the No. 3 seed in the Section 5A playoffs behind Mound Westonka/Southwest Christian and top-seeded Orono.

9. Crookston (16-8-1)

The power play continues to be an issue for the Pirates (11.1% success rate), but wins are wins, and Crookston finished the regular season with a 7-1 win over Detroit Lakes and a 4-0 blanking of Thief River Falls. Like last season, it should come down to the Pirates or Warroad in the Section 8A final.

10. Simley (11-13-1)

The Spartans topped Dodge County 3-1 last week, and at some point, upset wins have to count for something. The Spartans’ regular season resume is odd, with wins against top programs like Dodge County and Orono and an overtime win over Class 2A Apple Valley.

There’s something about this team, man. I just can’t tell what it is yet.

15A
(Rank-Team-District-Last Week-Rank Jan. 29)

1. Edina Green 6 WW 1
2. Alexandria 15 WWWWW 2
3. Rochester 9 TWW 3
4. Wayzata Blue 3 WWWW 7
5. Andover 9 LW 4
6. Minnetonka Black 6 WL 5
7. Duluth 11 DNP 6
8. Stillwater Red 2 WW 8
9. Woodbury Black 8 LW 9
10. North Wright County 5 LWWWW NR

15B
(Rank-Team-District-Last Week)

1. Wayzata (Gold) 3 WW
2. North Shore 11 DNP
3. Fairmont 4 WWW
4. Armstrong Cooper 3 WWLWW
5. Grand Rapids-Greenway 12 L
6. Owatonna 9 WW
7. Alexandria 15 LLL
8. Central MN Riverblades 5 LLWW
9. Osseo/Maple Grove (Black) 3 LWLW
10. Rosemount 8 W

The one loss Wayzata Gold is the new No. 1 ranked team in U15 B. North Shore keeps climbing and is at No. 2 this week after a 20-4-1 record to date. Fairmont goes from unranked to ranked No. 3 in one week. The Cardinals are on a seven-game win streak. Rosemount is on a six-game win streak, that propels the Irish into the top 10 at No. 10.

12A
(Rank-Team-District-Last Week-Rank Jan. 29)

1. Centennial/Spring Lake Park 10 WLWW 1
2. Minnetonka 6 WW 2
3. Chaska/Chanhassen 6 WWWT 3
4. Edina 6 W 4
5. Woodbury 8 W 5
6. Grand Rapids-Greenway 12 LLWW 6
7. Anoka-Rogers 10 WW 9
8. Osseo Maple Grove 3 L 7
9. Orono-Westonka 3 WWW 10
10. Warroad 16 WWWT NR

12B
(Rank-Team-District-Last Week)

1. Eagan (Blue) 8 WT
2. Bemidji 16 W
3. Elk River 10 WWW
4. Minnetonka (Blue) 6 WL
5. Cannon River 9 WL
6. Woodbury (Royal) 8 WT
7. Eagan (White) 8 LW
8. Marshall 4 WWW
9. Minnetonka (Black) 6 WT
10. Northern Lakes 15 WL

Eagan Blue reclaims the top spot in U12B this week- their last loss was December 10th. Bemidji inches closer to the No. 1 spot. The Lumberjacks are on a current heater with win 11-game win streak.

10A
(Rank-Team-District-Last Week-Rank Jan. 29)

1. Osseo-Maple Grove 3 WWWW 1
2. Moorhead 15 W 2
3. White Bear Lake 2 WLWWW 3
4. Blaine 10 W 4
5. Chaska/Chanhassen 6 WWWT 5
6. Minnetonka 6 DNP 7
7. Edina Green 6 WWLWW 8
8. Stillwater 2 TWWW 9
9. Edina White 6 TWWW NR
10. Hastings 8 LWWL 6
10. Sartell-Sauk Rapids 5 DNP 10

10B
(Rank-Team-District-Last Week)

1. Waseca 9 WWW
2. Apple Valley/Burnsville/Eastview 8 W
3. New Prague 6 WWWWW
4. North Shore 11 WWWWW
5. Marshall 4 WWWL
6. Central MN Riverblades 5 W
7. White Bear Lake (Black) 2 WWTTWW
8. Osseo/Maple Grove (White) 3 WWLWWT
9. Anoka-Rogers (White) 10 W
10. Fergus Falls 15 W

No. 2 Apple Valley/Burnsville/Eastview got a key win this week, as they defeated previous No. 2 Marshall. Fergus Falls getting added to the rankings at No. 10 is our only other change this week. The Otters are ranked No. 6 on the YHH Now Rankings.

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