1. Edina (3-1) 

It was a brief absence from the top spot for the Hornets, who were dropped to No. 3 for approximately 48 hours before knocking off Hill-Murray 6-3 on the road. The Hornets are a well-oiled machine, which should come as no surprise to anyone with 1.5 eyeballs. 

2. Centennial/Spring Lake Park (5-0) 

The Cougars were idle over the holiday and will be back in action this week with games against Northwest Suburban Conference rivals Rogers, Elk River, and Andover. 

3. Hill-Murray (5-1) 

The winning streak concludes at five for the Pioneers, who jumped out to a 2-0 lead over Edina last week before allowing the Hornets to storm back for an eventual 6-3 victory. Losses teach more than wins, so one could assume the Pioneer coaching staff will welcome the chance to remind its team that there’s room for improvement. 

4. Andover (3-2) 

Another idle squad. The Huskies will face Robbinsdale Armstrong/Cooper on Tuesday and No. 2-2A Centennial/Spring Lake Park this coming Saturday. 

5. Minnetonka (4-1-1) 

Solid win for the Skippers last week, outshooting Maple Grove 33-26 and edging the Crimson 3-2 for the Skippers’ second win over a top-10 team this season. Alexandria and Buffalo are next for the Skippers, before a marquee date with top-ranked Edina on Dec. 7 at Pagel Arena. 

6. Benilde-St. Margaret’s (4-1-1) 

The goals are starting to come in bunches for the Red Knights, who have scored 17 times over the last three games, including an 8-2 win over Champlin Park/Coon Rapids last week. The win over the Bluebirds runs the unbeaten streak to four games for the Red Knights. 

7. Holy Family (5-1) 

Like Benilde-St. Margaret’s, the Fire are now unbeaten in four consecutive games, topping Eden Prairie and Blake last week by scores of 3-1 and 5-2, respectively. The Fire have two games on the docket this week, hosting Litchfield/Dasssel-Cokato on Tuesday and No. 3-2A Hill-Murray on Saturday. 

8. Moorhead (4-2) 

A three-goal third period helped Moorhead to a 6-3 win over Wayzata in its lone game of the week, as Sydney Martinson and Haylee Melquist led the Spuds with two points apiece, and Taylor Kressin stopped 34 of 37 shots. 

The Spuds will take to the road this week, traveling to Maple Grove on Friday and then taking on Gentry Academy on Saturday. 

9. Roseau (6-2) 

The Rams trounced Thief River Falls 6-1 in their only action, scoring three times in the first and adding three more in the second. St. Cloud State commit Peyton Remick is the first Ram to reach the 20-point milestone this season with 10 goals and 10 assists. 

10. Champlin Park/Coon Rapids (4-3) 

Is dropping Maple Grove out of the top 10 after losing to the Bluebirds harsh? Probably. But the Crimson and Bluebirds have the same amount of wins against ranked opponents after CP/CR pulled off the victory in a 4-3 overtime thriller last week, thanks to June Semling’s game-winner. 

Beating the Crimson is a good sign for the Bluebirds, who should once again be dangerous come playoff time.

1. Dodge County (6-0-1) 

At this point, Dodge County may enjoy the time spent on the bus, shuttling between Olmsted County and the Twin Cities. 

The Wildcats made the trip to South St. Paul last Tuesday and pocketed a 4-1 win, again proving up to the challenge of a road trip to a formidable opponent after tying Minnetonka last weekend. Nora Carstensen led all skaters with three points in the win over the Packers. 

Dodge County will host No. 6-1A Mound Westonka/Southwest Christian this Saturday. 

2. Orono (5-2-1) 

One game, one win for Orono, as the Spartans go seven-for-seven on the penalty kill and score three times in the third period to down visiting Cloquet-Esko-Carlton 6-2 last Tuesday. 

No. 4-1A Holy Angels is up next for the Spartans, one of two games against top-10 opponents this week, as the Spartans will also host No. 5-1A Proctor/Hermantown on Saturday. A tilt with Chaska/Chanhassen is sandwiched between those big-time Class 1A matchups. 

3. Warroad (4-1) 

The Warriors made quick work of Bemidji in their only game of the week, scoring four goals in the first and four more in the second during a 9-3 victory. Both Jaylie French and Kaiya Sandy tallied three points in the win over the Lumberjacks, as did eighth-grader Olivia Anthony. 

A weekend set of games against Gentry Academy and No. 10-2A Champlin Park/Coon Rapids loom for the Warriors this upcoming weekend. 

4. Holy Angels (4-1) 

The Stars were idle last week and hit the road for away games at Orono, Mound Westonka/Southwest Christian, and New Prague this week. 

5. Proctor/Hermantown (6-2) 

Had the Mirage picked up a ranked win last week, it could have leapfrogged Holy Angels. Alas, P/H will “settle” for three straight wins last week, beating Prior Lake 4-0, Rock Ridge 7-0, and Gentry Academy 3-0. That stretch gives the Mirage four consecutive shutouts, dating back to a 4-0 win over Moose Lake Area on Nov. 19. 

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

No games last week, but the White Hawks should have their talons full with Blake, No. 4-1A Holy Angels, and top-ranked Dodge County this week. 

7. Breck (5-2) 

The Mustangs won the Grand Rapids/Greenway Lightning Tournament over the weekend in Grand Rapids, edging Blaine 3-2 in overtime and blanking White Bear Lake 5-0. The wins over the Bengals and Bears give the Mustangs three straight victories. 

The only game on this week’s schedule is against Northern Tier on Saturday. 

8. Albert Lea (6-1) 

The Tigers and South St. Paul are interchangeable at No. 8 and No. 9, and Albert Lea gets the edge this week after a 3-0 win over Mankato East/Loyola. 

Given where the Packers and Tigers live within the rankings, the fact they don’t play each other is a 100% organic, grass-fed bummer. 

9. South St. Paul (5-2) 

We can only say this so often - the Packers are building for the postseason. Would a win over No. 1-1A Dodge County have been ice? Absolutely. But wins and losses are of (relatively) little concern for the South St. Paul coaching staff. 

Hill-Murray comes to Doug Woog Arena on Tuesday, and the Packers travel to White Bear Lake on Thursday this week. 

10. Marshall (8-0) 

Marshall won its home Thanksgiving tournament over the weekend, downing Hopkins/Park 6-1 and Pine City Area 7-4. 2024 Class 1A State Tournament team Luverne and New Ulm, a section finalist last season, are up next for the Tigers. 

The top-ranked and defending state champ Hornets flex their cake muscles on Sunday.  Circle your calendar for December 10 - Braemar East. Number one Edina will host number two Chaska Chan.

North Wright County pops into the T10 with a nice run so far. They have one top-10 win and one tie and have faced off versus the state's best.

Alexandria is far above the rest of the t-10 currently with a 17-0 record and outscoring opponents by an impressive 100/10 so far. Cannon River jumped up three spots in the rankings this week. The Royals are 8-2 on the season. Lakeville is new in the rankings at No. 10 this week as the Prowlers are 3-1 so far. 

Edina keeps on rolling...they probably wolfed down a whole pan of sheet cake on Sunday at Braemar after their third tourney win in three attempts.

A lot of uncertainty in the middle this week. Anoka-Rogers, Tonka, Orono Westonka and CENT/SLP have shown top-5 potential.  But none seems to be able separate, yet.

Osseo/Maple Grove (White) leaped up to the No. 1 spot as the Leafbirds are on a current 8-game win streak. Shoutout to No. 9 Edina (Black), who took home some hardware in their hometown Cake Eater classic this past weekend.

No. 7 Forest Lake went 5-0 this weekend and won the Alexandria tournament. Unranked Shakopee is a team that is right on the brink of being ranked and a team YHH has had their eyes on for weeks to come. 

Our first stab at 10A was a tough one. There is no clear cut team that has dominated and faced tradtional powers.

Edina Green takes the Cake Eater with a shootout win over Orono-Westonka. Both of those teams crack the T10.

Farmington Black is playing outstanding hockey to start the season: the No. 1 Tigers are the first team at U10B to reach ten wins. River Lakes is dominant so far this season, as the Stars are outscoring opponents an eye-popping 70-4 so far this year. No. 10 Wayzata Gold is on a four-game win streak and is a team to watch going forward.