1. Edina (22-1)

The Hornets picked up wins over Buffalo 5-1 and North Wright County 3-0 over the past week, which obviously does nothing to change their spot at the top. The Hornets locked up the Lake Conference title in the process and went 10-0 through the gauntlet of the state’s best league.

2. Andover (20-1)

One game over the last week featured the Huskies eking out a 2-1 win over Blaine after running into Hailey Hansen, the Bengal netminder who made 47 saves on 49 shots. Were it not for Hansen’s heroics, the Huskies would have likely hung several goals on the board, having outshot the Bengals 49-8 in the game. 

3. Blake (16-5-1)

HoW dOeS a TeAm JuMp Up FoUr SpOtS? Uh, by beating two teams that were ranked No. 4 and No. 6 respectively last week. The Bears took down previous No. 4 Maple Grove 3-2 and then scored in the final seconds to edge Forest Lake 5-4. Add those impressive victories to two more wins over the last week, and you’ve got the girls’ high school hockey version of the Three Musketeers back in their preseason places. 

4. Minnetonka (17-5-1)

The Skippers fell to Eden Prairie 2-1 and rebounded with a 6-3 win over Buffalo last week. Minnetonka has lost three of its previous five games, with two of those defeats coming by a single goal. The Skippers close out the regular season with games against Wayzata and Blaine. 

5. Eden Prairie (15-6-1)

The Eagles made their lone game last week count, edging Minnetonka 2-1 behind a one-goal, one-assist performance by Grace Kuipers and a 19-save outing by Molly Goergen. However, the fact that the Eagles have already lost twice to the Skippers this season keeps them from moving up in the rankings. The Eagles have won six of their last seven games. 

5. Maple Grove (17-5-1)

For the first time in the (brief) history of YHH’s GHS Rankings, we have a tie in the top-10. The Crimson defeated Breck 5-4 before falling to Blake 3-2, so they hang with Eden Prairie in this week’s batch of ratings. The win over Breck carries a significant amount of cache, and not just for people who like to play the transitive property card. The win over the Mustangs was the first time in a seven-game stretch that the Crimson has surrendered more than one goal in the single game. 

7. Forest Lake (18-5)

Losing to Blake doesn’t diminish the Rangers’ homestretch of the season, so the Rangers remain where they were last week for the most part. The brightest spot(s) of the week for Forest Lake came during a 9-0 win over Irondale/St. Anthony, during which two players scored their first varsity goals. Congratulations to Emma Brust and Jennarae Bateman on their accomplishment.

8. Roseau (15-5-2)

The Rams rolled through their three opponents last week, breezing past Moorhead, Sartell/Sauk Rapids, and St. Cloud by a combined score of 21-1. That three-game combined score won’t come close to that one in the Rams’ final regular-season games, where they face Thief River Falls, Brainerd/Little Falls, and No. 2-1A Warroad.

9. Stillwater (18-4-1)

Bumped up to No. 9 after Holy Family Catholic was shut out by Benilde-St. Margaret’s, the Ponies earned victories over Woodbury and Mounds View last week. The Suburban East Conference title will likely come down to the Ponies and their final regular-season game against Forest Lake, which lurks just one point being the Ponies in the SEC standings. 

10. Benilde-St. Margaret’s (16-6)

Since a 3-2 loss to Minnetonka just after Christmas, the Red Knights have been unstoppable, racking up nine straight wins. The Red Knights have not allowed more than one goal in a single game during that span and locked up their third straight Metro West Conference title last week. 

1. Breck (18-5)

No, Breck is not leaving its top post because of a one-goal loss to a top-five Class 2A team. Sorry to disappoint you. The Mustangs also defeated Chisago Lakes, a team the has spent some time in the Class 1A rankings, 8-3 over the weekend. 

2. Warroad (18-3-2)

The Warriors tied with Brainerd/Little Falls 3-3 on Monday and followed that with a 10-4 win over Bemidji on Thursday. No changes are here other than Hannah Coneliusen extending her lead to the state’s leading scorer with 71 total points. Corneliusen is one point ahead of Breck’s Olivia Mobley.

3. Proctor-Hermantown (16-8)

After beating Cloquet-Esko-Carlton 6-1, the Mirage continued their scoring outburst with a 6-0 win over Dodge County and a 7-0 win over Totino-Grace. The Mirage takes on Blaine on Jan. 30 in the final game of the regular season in Hermantown. 

4. Cloquet-Esko-Carlton (19-3)

Losing to Proctor-Hermantown doesn’t erase the 19 wins the Lumberjacks have piled up this season, with the 19th victory coming against Grand Rapids/Greenway by a score of 5-1. Taylor Nelson led the charge for the Lumberjacks in the win over the Lightning with a goal and two assists. 

5. South St. Paul (15-5-1)

The Packers had their five-game winning streak snapped in a 4-3 overtime loss to East Ridge, a participant at last year’s Class 2A State Tournament. South St. Paul bounced back with a 4-3 win over Hutchinson, and will face Breck on Tuesday, Jan. 28