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Staff Rankings (Girls): Jan. 30

By YHH Staff, 01/31/23, 8:15AM CST

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The YHH Staff's take on the top-10 at each level.

Class AA


Gentry Academy hangs in at No. 5 this week in Class 2A.

1. Hill-Murray (18-2-1) 

The Pioneers hosted Farmington and No. 2-1A Proctor/Hermantown last week at Aldrich Arena. The state’s top-ranked team handed the Tigers an 8-2 loss and shut out an expected Class 1A State Tournament final-four team in the Mirage in those two contests, all but guaranteeing the Pioneers 20 wins for the season. 

Ellah Hause is back in full force for the Pios, tallying two goals and six points in the wins, while Chloe Boreen added three helpers against Farmington and a hat trick in the win over Proctor/Hermantown. 

2. Minnetonka (19-2) 

The Skippers took care of business over the weekend, taking a 3-0 lead over Maple Grove and then hanging on for a 3-1 victory. 

Ava Lindsay, Kendra Distad, and Bella Finnegan each scored once for the Skippers in the win over the Crimson. 

North Wright County, Blaine, and Wayzata are on tap to conclude the regular season for Minnetonka, three games in which the Skippers should be handily favored. 

3. Andover (19-3) 

Tuesday, the Huskies sent Centennial/Spring Lake Park into running time for the last half of the third period in a 7-1 win. 

Friday, the Huskies scored three times in the final twelve minutes of regulation to pull away from No. 1-1A Warroad for an 8-4 victory. 

Saturday, the Huskies blanked top-10 Moorhead 5-0 in the Red River Valley, despite going 0-5 on the power play. 

You get the picture - Andover’s good. 

4. Edina (17-4-1) 

An 8-0 win over Wayzata was followed by a 2-1 win over Benilde-St. Margaret’s and a 5-0 win over Cretin-Derham Hall, giving the Hornets a shot at 20 wins by the end of the regular season. 

Lake Conference opponents Eden Prairie and North Wright County are up next, with a game against Stillwater sandwiched between the familiar foes. 

5. Gentry Academy (18-2) 

At times during the second period, it looked as though the Stars would put Blake into running time on Saturday, as the Stars held the Bears to a measly 11 shots on goal in a 6-3 win. 

The Stars will take on Stillwater on Tuesday, then are hosting Fort Frances (Ont.) for a back-to-back on Friday night and Saturday afternoon. 21 wins are in sight, 20 virtually guaranteed for the Section 4-2A contender. 

6. Holy Family (17-5-1) 

It appears as though Holy Family has all but wrapped the Wright County Conference championship, knocking off conference foes Mound Westonka/Southwest Christian and Delano/Rockford last week by a combined score of 9-1. 

Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato and Orono will round out the Fire’s regular-season schedule on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively. 

7. Maple Grove (16-5-1) 

The first of the top 10 to lose a game last week, the Crimson hit the trifecta since the previous batch of rankings - a win, loss, and tie. 

The Crimson tied with North Wright County in a battle of top goaltenders in Maple Grove’s Dani Strom and NWC’s Jayden Weiser, then shut out Armstrong/Cooper 5-0 before falling to No. 2-2A Minnetonka 3-1 on Saturday. 

Anoka, top-ranked Hill-Murray, and Rogers represent the final three opponents on the Crimson schedule. 

8. Moorhead (15-7) 

A 6-0 win over Fargo Davies (the second-ranked team in North Dakota girls’ high school hockey) did little to prepare the Spuds for visiting Andover, as the Huskies scored three times in the opening period en route to a 5-0 win.
 
 After giving No. 1-1A Warroad one of its closest games of the season on Jan. 21, the Spuds will get a second crack at the Warriors this coming Thursday. The Warroad game is one of three this week that will end the regular season for the Spuds, with Bemidji and Brainerd/Little Falls also on the docket. 

Though a 5-0 loss looks bad on paper, Stillwater wins over East Ridge, and White Bear Lake (combined record of 23-24-1) don’t move the needle enough to knock the Spuds out of the No. 8-2A spot. 

9. Stillwater (18-4) 

Zeroing in on another Suburban East Conference title after two more conference wins last week, the Ponies face arguably the most brutal three-game stretch of any team to conclude the regular season. 

No. 5-2A Gentry Academy, No. 4-2A Edina, and No. 3-2A Andover remain for the Ponies, perfect preparation for the upcoming Section 4-2A playoffs. 

10. Benilde-St. Margaret’s (13-6-2) 

The Red Knights came within two shots of defeating Edina last week, eventually falling just short in a penalty-filled 2-1 loss. 

An 8-0 win over Chaska/Chanhassen isn’t going to rocket BSM to the top-five, but pouring 50 shots on goal and nearing double-digits is a reminder of what the Red Knights can do when firing on all cylinders. 

Kendall Hassler led the way with a hat trick in the win over the Stormhawks, with Ella Pasqua adding two goals and one score each coming from Bailey Gray and Ellie Stewart. 

A question mark for the Red Knights is the health of top-four defender LuLu Rucinski, who hasn’t played in the team’s last three games. 

** The records and statistics used in this week's GHS rankings were completed on Sunday night (Jan. 29) 


Benilde-St. Margaret's top-four defender Lulu Rucinksi has been missed by the Red Knights while sidelined by injury.

Class A

1. Warroad (19-3-1) 

Losing to the defending Class 2A state champions isn’t going to move the Warriors from the top spot, especially considering that the Andover lead had shrunk to one goal at two different points during the game.

Roseau and Moorhead are the last two games that remain on the Warriors’ regular-season schedule.  

Rylee Bartz Goal Counter: 43 (Trademark: Youth Hockey Hub, 2023)

2. Proctor/Hermantown (15-6-2) 

The Mirage edged Duluth Marshall 4-3 and then blanked Eden Prairie 3-0 at Hermantown Arena, then made the trek south to face No. 1-2A Hill-Murray on Friday night at Aldrich Arena. The road contest ended 4-0 in favor of the Pioneers, but the Mirage was able to squeeze in one more test before postseason play. 

3. Simley (19-4-1) 

The Spartans hammered in three goals in the third period of last Friday’s win over South St. Paul, virtually guaranteeing Simley’s place as the No. 1 seed in Section 4-1A. 

With one regular-season contest left against Bloomington Jefferson, the Spartans are staring down the barrel of a 20-win campaign, and forward Mackaylan McGown is one crisp pass away from eclipsing the 50-assist mark. 

4. Orono (15-3-4) 

Orono didn’t allow a goal in its two games last week, thumping Minneapolis 7-0 and New Prague 9-0 to earn wins No. 14 and 15 this season. 

Perhaps no team is most looking forward to the playoffs, where the Spartans won't be forced to settle for a tie. The Spartans are currently tied (LOL) with Cloquet-Esko-Carlton for the state’s lead in draws. 

5. Holy Angels (19-3-1) 

All you can ask of a ranked team to do is win, and that’s exactly what the Stars did last week against manageable competition, outscoring Waconia, New Prague, and Bloomington Jefferson 17-1. 

Hill-Murray and Eden Prairie should give the Stars much more of a test before section play begins in early February.

** The records and statistics used in this week's GHS rankings were completed on Sunday night (Jan. 29)  

15A


Blaine is #7 this week in 15A

Rank Team District Last Week
1 Edina 6 WW
2 Osseo Maple Grove 3 WWW
3 Stillwater Red 2 W
4 Wayzata 3 LW
5 Minnetonka 6 WW
6 Andover 10 WW
7 Blaine 10 LWW
8 AV/BV/EV 6 TW
9 Proctor-Hermantown 11 WLWW
10 North Wright County 5 TW

Commentary

No major movement this week. Andover leapfrogs Blaine with a win over the Bengals.  North Wright County jumps into the top-10 with three quality wins in the last two weeks. 

Proctor-Hermantown sweeps Hayward and splits with Grand Rapids-Greenway to stay in the top-10.

15B


Rosemount is #6 this week (pic: Brenna Jacobsen)

Rank Team District Last Week
1 Grand Rapids-Greenway 12 DNP
2 Osseo/Maple Grove (White) 3 WW
3 Owatonna 9 WWW
4 Orono Westonka 3 WWW
5 Brainerd/Little Falls 15 WWW
6 Rosemount 8 WWW
7 Moorhead 15 WLL
8 Lakeville 8 LL
9 Stillwater 2 W
10 Minnetonka 6 WWW

Commentary

Orono Westonka keeps climbing the ladder at the U15B level, and the Warriors are riding a six-game win streak. Brainerd/Little Falls is up two spots this week to No. 5, and the Warriors had an impressive past week, beating previous No. 4 Moorhead not once, but twice. This week's No. 6 Rosemount defeated the previous No. 6 Lakeville and the previous No. 8 Cannon River to enter the top ten. No. 9 Stillwater and No. 10 Minnetonka have both been playing well as of late; those two teams are the other new additions this week.

12A


Alex is #4 this week (pic: Maya Dutton)

Rank Team District Last Week
1 Minnetonka 6 WWW
2 Woodbury 8 WW
3 Andover 10 TW
4 Alexandria 15 W
5 Grand Rapids 12 WW
6 Edina 6 WWLL
7 Centennial/SLP 10 WTW
8 Forest Lake 2 W
9 AV/BV/EV 8 WWLW
10 Farmington 8 W

Commentary

Top two teams Woodbury and Minnetonka flex their muscles. Edina is the only team to lose in the top-10. Hornets fall to two top-10 teams:  AV/BV/EV and Minnetonka. 

Most teams stay about the same.

12B


Tonka Blue is #5 this week (pic: Giada Rosati)

Rank Team District Last Week
1 Marshall 4 WWWL
2 Fergus Falls 15 WWW
3 Woodbury (Black) 8 W
4 Rock Ridge 12 DNP
5 Minnetonka (Blue) 6 WWW
6 Wayzata (Blue) 3 W
7 Armstrong Cooper 3 TLW
8 Minnesota River 9 WL
9 Edina (Green) 6 W
10 Two Harbors/Silver Bay 11 WW

Commentary

There are minimal changes this week at the U12B level. There is only one change, and that is Two Harbors/Silver Bay entering the top ten. Two Harbors/Silver Bay is currently on a six-game winning streak. No. 1 Marshall did drop their first game this week in a shootout; props to unranked Cottage Grove/Hastings for taking them down in what is a huge upset.

10A


Chaska Chan is #5

Rank Team District Last Week
1 Anoka-Rogers 10 TW
2 Roseville/Mahtomedi 2 W
3 Osseo Maple Grove 3 W
4 Forest Lake 2 WWW
5 Chaska Chan 6 WW
6 Lakeville 8 WW
7 Edina 6 WW
8 Andover 10 T
9 Orono-Westonka 3 WT
10 Centennial/Spring Lake Park 10 LL

Commentary

Not a lot of losses this week in the 10A's. Anoka-Rogers clings to number-1. Their win over red hot Roseville-MAHT remains the difference. Keeping an eye on Grand Rapids and Warroad up north...both teams are starting build a case for T10.

10B

Rank Team District Last Week
1 Elk River 10 WTW
2 Roseville/Mahtomedi (Silver) 2 WW
3 Hopkins/Park 3 WWW
4 Chaska/Chanhassen 6 WW
5 Roseville/Mahtomedi (Blue) 2 WW
6 Willmar 5 DNP
7 Armstrong Cooper (Red) 3 WW
8 Shakopee 6 T
9 Anoka-Rogers (Black) 10 WW
10 Proctor-Hermantown (White) 11 L

Commentary

U10B has made no changes this past week, as the top ten have all taken care of business. That means our top ten are pretty spot-on as of now. Nearing the end of the season, there will be some more games per week and likely more changes to come.

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