1. Hill-Murray (5-0) 

It's easy to become enamored with the Pioneers' offense. Watching three forward lines with virtually zero talent drop-off move the puck the way they do is hypnotic. 

But the goaltending duo of junior Charlotte Oscarson and eighth-grader Piper Tam deserve credit for excelling in goal while (attempting to) replace last year's stalwart Grace Zhan. Oscarson and Tam have combined to stop 74 of 81 shots in a nearly fifty-fifty split. 

2. Centennial/Spring Lake Park (5-0) 

The Cougars are rolling, edging Minnetonka 3-2 on the road before thumping Northwest Suburban Conference and Section 5-2A rival Champlin Park/Coon Rapids 7-2. The Cougars are off until Dec. 3, but the following Saturday (Dec. 7) gives them a chance at their third win over a top-10 opponent when they travel to Andover. 

3. Edina (2-1) 

Did the Hornets lose to Andover? Yes. Did Andover also lose to Holy Family? Yes. Therefore, Edina slips two spots to No. 3-2A (still ahead of Andover) after being blanked by the Huskies 3-0.

The Hornets will get a crack at top-ranked Hill-Murray this Tuesday in yet another must-see matchup for girls' high school hockey fans. It feels like we've had a lot of those, considering it's only Thanksgiving, but we're not complaining. 

4. Andover (3-2) 

Did the Huskies lose to Holy Family? Yes. Did…I can't do this anymore. Someone save me. 

Andover's No. 4-2A this week based on the strength of its 3-0 win over previously top-ranked Edina, blanking the Hornets 3-0 and holding the state's top team (at the time) to just 14 shots on goal. 

Normally, losing to a lower-ranked team would be cause for falling down the rankings, but a win over No. 1 serves as a life preserver after Holy Family torpedoed Andover's boat.

5. Minnetonka (3-1-1)

The Skippers lost to Centennial/Spring Lake Park and tied newly minuted No. 1-1A Dodge County last week. The only difference in this year's team is the names on the back of the top line's jerseys, as the Skippers still play a swarming style of hockey. That's a testament to the development in the program, where Head Coach Tracy Cassano has built a system that causes a million headaches for opposing teams based on offensive zone pressure. 

Even without a win over the last week, the Skippers are still comfortably in the top five. 

6. Benilde-St. Margaret's (3-1-1) 

The only ranked team (along with Holy Family) that had a win over a top-10 team. The Red Knights beat Northfield 5-1 and last week's No. 7-2A Moorhead 4-1 on the road last week after losing to Maple Grove and tying Orono.

I'm unsure how to feel about this team yet, and the power play should be better than its current 11.5% success rate, but there's a lot to like about this year's squad.   

7. Holy Family (3-1) 

The 4-0 win over Andover is a testament to Holy Family's talent, and it makes one daydream about how good this team could be if Haley Box was still in the lineup. The win over the Huskies featured a 38-save shutout by Kayla Swartout, who helped the Andover 15A team to a runner-up finish at the 2022 15A State Tournament. 

8. Maple Grove (4-1) 

The Crimson bump down even after winning both games last week, topping Eden Prairie 3-1 and shutting out North Wright County 3-0. The Crimson has won four consecutive games since a season-opening loss to Centennial/Spring Lake Park and will have a chance at moving back up if it can beat fifth-ranked Minnetonka on Tuesday. 

9. Moorhead (3-2) 

The Spuds are now 0-2 against ranked opponents after Saturday's loss to Benilde-St. Margaret's. A date with plucky Wayzata is on deck for Tuesday, then the Spuds will travel to No. 7-2A Maple Grove for a chance at their first top-10 win. 

10. Roseau (5-2) 

The Rams are back after beating Bemidji and Orono last week, coupled with previous No. 10-2A Farmington falling against unranked Rosemount. Roseau has scored 13 of its 31 goals in the third period of games this season. 

1. Dodge County (5-0-1) 

The Wildcats came within inches of beating No. 5-2A Minnetonka over the weekend, salvaging a 2-2 tie after taking a 2-1 lead in the third period. Senior goaltender Ida Huber was her usual top-tier self, stopped 35 of 37 shots against the Skippers, and proved to be just as effective without a stick. 

Based on their three wins over the week and previous No. 1-1A Warroad's loss, the Wildcats find themselves in the big chair this week. 

2. Orono (4-2-1) 

The Spartans picked up wins over No. 7-1A Breck and upset Warroad on the road last week before losing by one against No. 10-2A Roseau. Goaltender Viv Anderson is playing at an All-State through the season's first quarter, posting a 1.53 goals-against-average and a .945 save percentage. 

3. Warroad (3-1) 

The Warriors suffered their first loss of the season against Orono but are still too good to ding too much rankings-wise. The Warriors will play Bemidji before the holiday break and will be back in action on Dec. 6 against Gentry Academy. 

4. Holy Angels (4-1) 

With a 5-1 win over Lakeville North, the Stars have now won four straight after opening the season with a 1-0 loss against No. 4-2A Andover. The game against the Panthers kicks off a five-game road stretch for the Stars, which will continue on Dec. 3 and Dec. 5 with matchups against No. 2-1A Orono and No. 6-1A Mound Westonka/Southwest Christian, respectively. 

5. Proctor/Hermantown (3-2) 

The Mirage blanked Prior Lake 4-0 last week and will play Rock Ridge and Gentry Academy before the next set of rankings are released. Both games are very winnable on paper for the Mirage. 

6. Mound Westonka/Southwest Christian (3-1) 

The White Hawks scored three times in the second and added three more in the third to pull away from Luverne after a scoreless first period last week. The team has not allowed a goal in the third period through four games this season. 

7. Breck (3-2) 

The Mustangs lost a nailbiter 2-1 to Orono and then edged Lakeville South by the same score. This is a young team learning to play close games, which can only pay off down the road as we get close to the postseason. 

8. South St. Paul (5-1) 

The Packers have found another quality goaltender in Reagan Tracy, who has a 2.17 GAA and .896 save percentage to go with two shutouts this season. The two blank sheets came last week as the Packers downed Simley 3-0 and New Ulm 2-0. 

9. Albert Lea (5-1) 

Owatonna brought the Tigers back to earn and handed them their first loss of the season in the process, as Albert Lea handed the Huskies nine power plays in the 3-1 defeat. Only time will tell if Albert Lea's aggressive play is a feature or a bug. 

10. Marshall (6-0) 

The Tigers continue to plug away, defeating Windom 10-1, Hutchinson 3-1, and Worthington 7-0 last week. The Tigers are doing what good teams do - beating who they should, but there are zero ranked teams on the team's schedule for the rest of the season. 

Chaska Chan beats Buffalo in the Moose Goheen to hold down the fort at #2 behind Edina. Eden Prairie joins the top-10 with two nice wins. Three top-10 teams (Wayzata, Minnetonka and Duluth) were idle.

No. 1 Alexandria is far ahead of everyone else to start the season; the Cardinals are 14-0 to date and are outscoring opponents an astonishing 88-7. Edina White swarms up to the No. 3 spot this week after a win over last week's No. 5 Cannon River.

District 3 is the big winner in the season's early stages, placing three teams in the top-10. Those teams include both Osseo-Maple Grove Black and Osseo-Maple Grove White, plus Wayzata. Those three teams give D3 the most ranked teams of any other district. 

Absolute craziness this week in 12A. Alex stays unbeaten, winning the Roseau tourney - they are headed to Braemar this weekend for the Cake Eater. Speaking of Edina, the Hornets win the Raspberry Jam in Hopkins...top-ranked Edina is on a roll. WBL sneaks into the T10 after winning a Moose Goheen title.

No. 4 Owatonna is one of the most impressive teams early this season, extending their win streak to ten games. No. 3 Orono/Westonka notched a good 5-1 win over No. 7 Apple Valley/Burnsville/Eastview. Luverne is new in the rankings this week at No. 10. The Cardinals are 6-1 and are impressively outscoring opponents 40-4.