The Minnesota Girls High School season opened play November 6th.  Sectional play downs for both Class A and Class AA State Tourneys began February 2, 2015.  The maximum number of games a team can play is 25 under current rules.  Most teams will hit the 10 game mark this week as the girls hockey season nears the halfway mark.

These rankings reflect the games played through December 9.  The unbeaten list has shrunk again this week with Dodge County losing to Edina 4-2 last.  Eden Prairie picked up a blemish tying Thief River Falls at Thief River Falls 1-1.  Still that is not a loss especially in hockey.  The unbeaten list of teams heading into this week’s action consists of two teams Eden Prairie (8-0-1) and Maple Grove (10-0-0).  Maple Grove won against conference foes last week as expected and are now 10-0-0 in the Northwest Suburban Conference.foes.  The Crimson plays their first nonconference game at Benilde-St. Margaret’s tonight.

There were a number of big games played last week.  Last Friday, #1 Eden Prairie was tied by #9 Thief River Falls 1-1 in a game played at the Ralph Engelstad Arena in the Falls.  That was a big hockey game and a step forward the Prowlers this season.  Blake, ranked #2, traveled to Proctor/Hermantown and beat the Mirage 4-2.  Friday, Edina continued their tough schedule beating #10 Hill-Murray 4-3 and #5 Dodge County 4-2.  Both games were played at Braemar.  The loss drops the Hill out of the Top 10, but like Arnold, the Hill “will be back”.

The Hornets continued their march to the top of the rankings with their two wins last week.  Edina won their game against Dodge County without their #1 scorer, Taylor Williamson.  Sophomore Sophie Slattery stepped up to score twice against Dodge and added an assist.  Slattery figured in three of the four Hornet goals scored against Dodge.

Forwards Presley Norby/Minnetonka, Kenzie Prater/Hill Murray, Sophia Shaver/Wayzata, Paige Voight/Cretin-Derham Hall and defensemen Grace Bizal/Hopkins, Grace Bowlby/Edina, and Mckenzie Steffen/Hill Murray are all on the USA Women’s National U18 team.  Norby and Voight lead their teams in scoring.

Below, YHH has ranked the top 10 girls high school teams in the state without regard to class (Class AA and Class A).  After the rankings had been made this week, the Top Ten has three Class A teams and seven Class AA teams.   

1. Eden Prairie (overall 8-0-1, Section 2AA 1-0-0)-Eden Prairie tied Thief River Falls Friday 1-1 in a game played at REA in Thief River Falls and edged East Grand Forks 3-2 Saturday.  Swing trips to play Northwestern Minnesota teams (Roseau, Warroad, East Grand Forks, and Thief River Falls) are tough this year.  In Friday’s game, The Eagles came back in the third period to beat the Green Wave on goals by Charly Dahlquist and Angie Heppelmann.  Eden Prairie outshot EGF 19-3 in the third period.  Seniors Dahlquist and Heppelmann are tied for the scoring led on the Eagles’ varsity with 11 points each; Dahlquist has committed to play hockey at the University of North Dakota.  Eden Prairie ran into their second tough goaltender in two days.  EGF’s Mckenzie Whalen stopped 42 of 45 Eagle shots on goal.   Eden Prairie ended the week beating  Holy Family Catholic/Waconia 5-2.  The schedule does not get any easier for the Eagles.  Eden Prairie plays Chaska/Chanhassen, Benilde-St. Margaret’s, and Hopkins this week and plays two tough games the week after (Wayzata and Cretin-Derham Hall).  Then the Eagles get to host a tourney over the Christmas Holidays with an eight team field that includes Minnetonka, Wayzata, Chaska/Chanhassen, and Roseau.  The high flying Eagles continue their unbeaten streak, slightly spooked by the Prowlers.

2. Blake (overall 10-1-0, Section 5A 1-0-0)-Blake beat Proctor/Hermantown 4-2 Friday night and beat Duluth 8-3 Saturday afternoon.  Against the Mirage, the junior Carly Bullock figured in all four Blake goals (2 goals/2 assists).  Bullock (29 points/14 goals) and senior Karlie Lund (22 points/11 goals) have returned as Blake’s top scorers.  The two Bears last year tied for the top scoring honors at Blake.  Each scored 55 points (Bullock scored 41 goals, Lund scored 22 goals).  Both Bullock and Lund have committed to play college hockey for Princeton.  After beating Proctor/Hermantown and Duluth, Blake returned to the cities and beat Minnehaha United (a cooperative team sponsored by De LaSalle High School, Minnehaha Academy, St. Agnes High School, St. Croix Lutheran High School, Providence Academy) 4-0.  Thursday they play archrival #6 ranked Breck in a key section 5A battle.  After playing Breck, the Bears take the next three weeks off until they play a tough Roseville team in the opening round of the South St. Paul Tourney over the New Year’s Weekend.  The Bears’ made the right decision in hiring Shawn Reid as coach two years ago.  Reid has posted 54-13-1 record and won two state championships since being hired.

3. Maple Grove (overall 10-0-0, Section 0-0-0)-As predicted, Maple Grove beat Irondale 3-0, Totino-Grace 4-0, and Spring Lake Park 4-0 to run their season record to a perfect 10-0-0.  Defense has become the Crimson calling card.  The team has shutout five of the ten teams played and held four teams to a single goal.  Only Coon Rapids has managed to score more than one goal against the Maple Grove this year (the lost 6-3 in the season’s opener).The Crimson step out of the Northwest Suburban Conference for the first time this season playing a tough Benilde-St. Margaret’s team at St. Louis Park Thursday and return to conference play the following Tuesday playing North Metro (cooperative team sponsored by Brooklyn Center High School, Columbia Heights High School, Fridley High School, Maranatha Christian Academy, Osseo High School, Park Center High School, Heritage Christian Academy).  The Benilde game will be the first of eight games against Section 6AA opponents that will determine seeding for February Section 6AA tourney.  Section 6AA is a tough section to win every year.  The Crimson are favorites to win both games this week before they break for two weeks.  Maple Grove should be unbeaten and 12-0-0 when the Crimson play Edina in the Edina Tourney opener December 29th.

4. Edina (overall 8-1-1, Section 2AA 1-0-0)-Edina beat two ranked teams Hill-Murray 4-3 and Dodge County to move to #4 this week.  They also beat Rosemount 9-0.  The Hornets’ Emily Oden scored the winning goal with 30 seconds left in the game, breaking a 3-3 tie in the Hill-Murray game.  Edina’s leading scorer Taylor Williamson (28 points/18 goals) assisted on two of the four goals.  Oden scored two goals and had an assist in a tight defensive game.  Hill-Murray and Edina each was held to 19 shots on goal for the game.  The Hornets then beat Dodge County Tuesday 4-2 without Williamson as Sophia Slattery scored twice and got an assist.  Edina’s schedule is becoming a list of teams they have to beat to get to #1.  The Hornets play Minnetonka (at Braemar) in their first Lake Conference game and travel to Buffalo this week.  The Hornets play at Hopkins and host Wayzata in two more conference games the following week.  Wayzata has shown improvement since tying Anoka and Cretin-Derham Hall and losing to Lakeville South early in the season.  The Hornets do not shy away from competition and their schedule this year is one of the toughest in the state.  Edina will play Maple Grove in their holiday tourney opener December 29th.

5. Dodge County (overall 7-1-0, Section 1AA 0-0-0)-Dodge County ran their unbeaten streak to 7-0 with a solid 7-0 win over Orono at Orono, but then lost to Edina.  They drop to #5 this week.  The Wildcats’ sophomore goalie Gabby Suhr got the shutout against Orono.  Dodge’s senior Dana Rasmussen (26 points/14 goals in seven games) scored twice and had three assists in the win; junior Molly Shelton scored twice and had two assists.  Rasmussen is Dodge’s #1 scorer this season; Shelton is Dodge’s #4 scorer.  Juniors Bella Wagner (#2 with 17 points/4 goals) and Katie Robinson (#3 with 15 points/3 goals) round out the top four.  Rasmussen has committed to play hockey for Ohio State and Robinson has committed to the Minnesota.  The Wildcats took their first loss of the season at Edina Tuesday night 4-2.  The Wildcats led 2-1 going into the third period and gave up three Edina goals to lose an evenly played game.  December only gets tougher for Dodge.  They play Buffalo and Rochester Century this week.  Buffalo is 7-1 this season losing only to Chaska/Chanhassen.  Next week, the Wildcats play at Hill-Murray, and at New Ulm before heading to Warroad for a four team event that includes Eastview and Lakeville North.  Dodge County’s schedule should ease in the first part of January, but have two tough games to end the season against Breck and Eden Prairie.

6. Breck (overall 8-2-0, Section 5A 1-0-0)-The Mustangs beat Orono at Orono 5-1 in a Section 5A game and beat Forest Lake 3-1.  This week they play only one game, but it is an important Section 5A game that will affect Section 5A seedings at the end of January.  They play archrival Blake at Blake.  The two teams have faced each other in the Section 5A championship game and Breck has lost both games (6-5 and 6-4).  The Mustang line of “44’s” figured in six of the eight goals Breck scored last week.  Their goaltending duo (Sydney Scobee and Jenna Brenneman) split the two games played last week.  Scobee was in the nets for the Orono game; Brenneman played against Forest Lake.  They held each opponent to a single goal.  The “44” line has posted 67 points/34 goals in 10 games this season.  Their defense has held their opponents to 1.5 goals per game.  Blake’s defense has held their 11 opponents to 1.9 goals a game.  It should be a defensive battle at Blake’s Arena Thursday night.  Breck hosts Red Wing the following week (Saturday); they play Lakeville South the following week before playing Hopkins in the Edina Tourney opener after Christmas.    

7. Minnetonka (overall 7-2-0, Section 6AA 0-0-0)-The Skippers beat Mounds View soundly 7-0 at Blaine this week and open Lake Conference play at Edina Saturday and at Wayzata next Tuesday.  They did not overlook the Mustangs.  The Skippers’ Presley Norby scored three of the first four Minnetonka goals and assisted on the fourth goal to put the Skippers up 4-0 going into the third period.  Kippin Keller scored the fourth goal and assisted on two of Presley Norby’s scores. 

8. Roseau (overall 8-1-1, Section 8A 3-0-0)-Roseau won twice last week.  The Rams beat Crookston 5-1 and Moorhead 5-0.  Against Crookston, Roseau put 50 shots on the Pirates’ goal.  Crookston goalie Lexie Cormican played a great game stopping 45 of the Rams’ shots in the loss.  Tianna Gunderson scored twice and had one assist for the Rams.  At Moorhead, Roseau’s offense put 60 shots on goal.  Moorhead goalie, Brianna Storms had a great game stopping 55 of the 60.  Sarina Goos scored twice for the Rams, Gunderson has two assists.  Gunderson (22 points/13 goals in ten games this season) and Sarina Goos (17 points/6 goals), last year’s #1 and #2 scorers, have returned to #1 and #2 this year for the Rams.  The Roseau defense has held their last four opponents to three goals.  The Rams are favored to win their next three games.  They play North Wright County, East Grand Forks, and Brainerd/Little Falls this week.  Then Roseau returns to the Twin Cities to play in a tough Eden Prairie Tournament over the Christmas Holidays and should have an 11-1-1 record before playing Chaska/Chanhassen in the Eden Prairie Tourney opener.  The Rams remain on track to win the Greater Minnesota Conference Title.  The Rams will play Thief River Falls Tuesday January 6th at home in a game that will decide the conference championship.  The Rams remain on track to get the Section 8AA #1 seed at the end of January.  Their nearest Section 8AA competitor is Buffalo.  The two teams do not play each other this season and Roseau should win their four remaining Section 8AA games.

9. Thief River Falls (overall 8-1-2, Section 8A 5-0-0)-The Prowlers move up this week after having another great week.  They tied visiting #1 ranked and unbeaten Eden Prairie 1-1 in a Friday game and beat rival Warroad 1-0 in a key Greater Minnesota Conference game and a key Section 8A matchup.  The Prowlers had a big night at REA last Friday tying #1 unbeaten Eden Prairie.  The Prowlers Morgan Martell scored the tying goal on a power play with three minutes left in the game.  Goalie Frances Marshall had a great night in the nets stopping 52 of 53 Eagle shots to preserve the tie.  Against Warroad, Briana Jorde scored the winning goal with three minutes left in the game to give the Prowlers a 1-0 victory.  Marshall had an easier night in the nets against the Warriors stopping all 22 Warroad shots.  It was a big week for TRF Hockey.  This week things get easier for the Prowlers.  They host Brainerd/Little Falls (3-5-0) in their only game.  The following week TRF plays at Fergus Falls (3-7-0) and at Bemidji (4-8-0).  The Prowlers will be favored in all three games. 

10. Lakeville South (overall 7-1-0, Section 1AA 0-0-0)-South has moved to the top of the tough 10 team South Suburban Conference this week with three impressive conference wins (Eagan 6-0, Prior Lake 4-0, and Eastview 9-2).  But the Cougars are on shaky ground.  They lost to Hill-Murray 4-0, the team they are replacing in this week’s rankings, and will be tested in two weeks when the Cougars play Lakeville North at Ames and host Breck.  This week, Lakeville South should win their two games against Farmington and Shakopee.  The Lakeville North game played Thursday December 18th will be a rivalry game.  It is also a game that will impact Section 1AA seeding and go a long way in deciding who wins the South Suburban Conference this year.     

Teams to watch: Hill-Murray (3-3), St. Paul United (7-3-0), Proctor/Hermantown (9-2-0), New Prague (7-2-1),  Chaska/Chanhassen (7-3-0), Warroad (5-3-1), Cretin-Derham Hall (7-1-2), Elk River (8-2-0), Wayzata (6-1-2), Grand Rapids/Greenway (8-2-0), Buffalo (7-1-0), Red Wing (6-2-0), East Grand Forks (6-3-0), Lakeville North (6-2-1), and Rochester John Marshall/Lourdes (7-1-1)

Notes: Hill-Murray lost a tough game at Edina Friday night at Braemar and edged Andover 2-0 Saturday afternoon at Aldrich Arena.  The Hill return to the "teams to watch" list this week.  St. Paul United lost to Wayzata 5-2 and need some wins this week to stay on this list.  New Prague beat Mankato West 8-3 and Red Wing 2-0 and are now the favorites to take Section 1A’s #1 seed.

Chaska/Chanhassen beat New Ulm 10-1 last week and continues to roll with four straight wins.  Warroad beat Crookston 4-1 and Mahtomedi 3-1 before losing to Thief River Falls and hangs on to a place on the watch list.  Cretin-Derham Hall beat Woodbury 8-0, White Bear Lake 5-2, and Stillwater 7-3 as they get ready to take on #1 Eden Prairie December 23rd at Highland.  Elk River edged Champlin Park 2-1 in overtime and edged Anoka 3-2 to become the favorite in Section 7AA.  Wayzata beat Mpls 15-0 and St. Paul United 5-2 and should make a move playing Hopkins, Minnetonka, Eden Prairie, and Edina before Christmas.  Grand Rapids/Greenway beat Bemidji 2-1 and Rogers 3-1.  Buffalo beat Chisago Lakes 9-5 and Champlin Park 1-0.  The Bison play Rogers, at Dodge County and host Edina this week.

Red Wing beat Mankato East/Loyola 7-0 before losing to New Prague and should win their next four games before playing Breck.   East Grand Forks (6-3-0) lost to Eden Prairie 3-2 and plays Roseau this week.   Lakeville North beat Farmington 4-1 and Burnsville 6-0 and has not lost in their last seven games.  Rochester John Marshall/Lourdes easily beat Big 9 foes Austin and Owatonna to take the conference lead and set up a game at Red Wing for the Big 9 title Thursday, January 8th.