1. Edina (13-2) 

A hat trick by Cate McCoy and a 37-save shutout by Reese McConnell powered the Hornets to a dominant win over last week’s sixth-ranked Hill-Murray Pioneers. McConnell and battery mate Nora Hannan have combined for seven blank sheets this season, roughly half of Edina’s games. 

2. Minnetonka (14-2) 

Despite outshooting Farmington 45-18, the Skippers needed two goals in the third period to edge the Tigers 3-2 in their lone game last week. 

Lake Conference rivals Eden Prairie and Edina are on tap for the Skippers this week. 

3. Benilde-St. Margaret’s (11-2-2) 

Like Minnetonka, the Benilde-St. Margaret’s needed a string final period to pull away from a team they were the on-paper favorite against, as the Red Knights scored four times in the third in a 4-1 win over Holy Angels. Kendall Hassler and Talla Hansen each scored twice in the win. 

Aside from having a completely mobile defensive core, the Red Knights’ goaltending has been close to lights out this season. Elie Hancock has a goals-against-average of 1.42, while Emma Matack has stopped 93 of 97 shots she’s seen in four games. Matack also has one of the best goaltending performances of the season under her belt, stopping 52 shots in a 6-0 shutout of Hill-Murray. 

4. Centennial/Spring Lake Park (14-2) 

All the Cougars can do right now is take a deep breath. Two losses are basically the cost of doing business with the schedule C/SLP crafted for itself before the season started, but there’s a unique frustration for running into brick walls in back-to-back games. 

In the Cougars’ consecutive losses - including last week’s to Holy Angels - Orono goaltender Viv Anderson and Stars netminder Zoe Rimstad combined to stop 71 of 73 shots.

5. Andover (10-5) 

Andover has not played since the last batch of rankings. The Huskies will take on Northwest Suburban Conference rival Maple Grove and Lake Conference foe Eden Prairie this week.

6. Moorhead (13-4-1) 

After outscoring Sartell/Sauk Rapids and Northfield by a combined score of 19-3 last week, the Spuds’ winning streak has run to four games. In the two wins, senior forward Olivia Kortan totaled four goals and nine points, sparking what could be a Ms. Hockey resume-building homestretch of the season. 

St. Cloud and Bemidji are on the docket for the Spuds this week. 

7. Hill-Murray (11-5) 

A 9-0 win over Hastings didn’t provide the palate cleanser the Pioneers were hoping for, as Edina hung six on Hill-Murray last week for the team’s fifth loss in seven contests. Metro East Conference opponents Cretin-Derham Hall and Simley provide a pair of get-right opportunities before the Pioneers finish the regular season with even straight games against (currently) ranked opponents. 

8. Roseau (15-3) 

A 5-2 win over Thief River Falls and a 7-2 victory over Alexandria marked the sixth and seventh straight wins for the Rams, whose coaching staff and fans likely appreciated the change in margin of victory after playing four one-goal finishes in their last five games. 

The highly anticipated rivalry night on the road in Warroad is slated for Tuesday night, part of the Warroad community’s Max Rivalry. The game will be live-streamed by YHH from The Gardens. 

9. Holy Family (11-5) 

Holy Family went on sabbatical last week, but the snooze comes to an end with high-profile games against Orono, Mound Westonka/Southwest Christian, and Benilde-St. Margaret’s in the span of four days. 

10. Maple Grove (10-5-2) 

Had the Crimson beaten a ranked opponent, it would have likely clawed past Holy Family in the rankings. Nevertheless, Maple Grove made quick work of Shakopee last week, blanking the Sabers 4-0. The win gave Bella Prosser her fourth shutout of the season, which makes her second among all Northwest Suburban Conference goaltenders in the category. 

Only Andover’s Clairebella Hills and Blaine’s Kayden Larson have more blank sheets than Prosser, with five apiece. 

1. Orono (9-4-3) 

The Spartans have been off the (game) ice since upsetting Centennial/Spring Lake Park 2-0 during the Benilde-St. Margaret’s Silverback Shootout. They will face Holy Family and Holy Angels this week without Macy Rasmussen and Maddy Kimbrel, who are playing with Team USA at this year's IIHF Under-18 Women's World Championships. 

2. Warroad (11-3) 

The Warriors picked up a routine win over Bemidji last week by a score of 5-1, giving the Warriors four consecutive victories heading into matches with Roseau and Crookston. The Warriors are one point away from having an impressive 10 players with 10 or more points this season.  

3. Dodge County (12-2-1) 

Dodge County shut out Chisago Lakes 4-0 in their only game last week as goaltender Ida Huber earned her fifth shutout of the season. The Wildcats will now make two northern swings for games, heading to Proctor/Hermantown on Jan. 7 and Moose Lake Area on Jan. 11. 

4. Holy Angels (10-4-3) 

Had the Stars beaten both Benilde-St. Margaret’s and Centennial/Spring Lake Park, they’d be higher this week, and I would personally throw them a parade down 66th. Alas, the Stars get one win out of the two and bump up a single spot. 

Zoe Rimstad stopped 75 of 80 shots between the games against the Red Knights and the Cougars. 

5. Blake (9-5-1) 

Where would Janie McGawn vs. Clara Milinkovich rank among the great gunslinger duels of our time? 

I’m talking heavy hitters - Wild Bill Hicock vs. Davis Tutt. Luke Short vs. Jim Courtright. The Shootout in Sonoratown. The (sometimes overrated) Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. 

I’d put McGawn vs. Milinkovich right up there. 

This time around, McGawn had the faster gun, stopping 36 of 37 as the Bears edged the Mustangs 2-1 on the road. The duel will resume on Jan. 16, this time in the Bears’ home cave. 

6. Proctor/Hermantown (12-4) 

Nearby rival Cloquet-Esko-Carlton hung tough with Proctor/Hermantown, but the Mirage pulled out a 2-0 win for its fourth victory in its last five games. The heavyweight fights don’t stop for P/H this week, with games against Dodge County, Chisago Lakes, and Breck on the schedule. 

7. Breck (11-5) 

The 2-1 loss to Blake is one thing, but the Mustangs falling to 5-11 Chaska/Chanhassen is a head-scratcher, even with a final score of 1-0. Four of the Mustangs’ five losses so far have come by a single goal. 

The only game for the Mustangs this week will be against No. 6-1A Proctor/Hermantown. 

8. Marshall (16-1-1) 

The Tigers topped Fairmont 5-1 to go 1-0 for the week. The Tigers are unlikely to lose for the rest of the season, having posted a record of 5-0-1 against six of their next seven opponents. 

9. Albert Lea (11-3-1) 

Albert Lea blanked Winona 6-0 last week. The Tigers currently rank second (behind Marshall) with 75 goals on the season and should be favored in eight of its final 10 games. 

10. Mound Westonka/Southwest Christian (10-7) 

The White Hawks snapped out of a 1-4 stretch with back-to-back shutouts last week, beating borderline top-10 team North Shore 6-0 and Chaska/Chanhassen 7-0. Lizzy Callahan recorded seven points in the two wins, while Elli Lundquist recorded six. 

There is a lot going on in 15A this week.

ICYMI. Chaska Chan wins the Danglefest and them loses two of three games (one to Wayzata and the other to Minnetonka Black). The Stormhawks cling to the #1 spot based on their win over Edina and recent split with a very good Wayzata team. 

Buffalo keeps climbing...the Bison  have won 14 consecutive games.

The top three teams all stay the same this week in U15B. Cannon River has won 10 of their last 12 games and moved up one spot this week to No. 4. Thief River Falls has earned a spot in the top ten this week at No. 9. The Prowlers are on a current ten-game win streak. 

Edina falls after a 26 game unbeaten streak to Anoka-Rogers in the Danglefest finals. What a run for the Hornets. What a great performance by AR in the tourney win.

OMG is the new Queen B of 12A. They took home the Fargo International title with a convincing 7-1 win over Farmington.  The Leafbirds now have a 22 game winning streal!

Orono Westonka was ranked no. 7 last week; they took a huge jump to no. 3 this week. Wayzata Blue was unranked last week and is now at No. 6. The Trojan's on an eight-game win streak.  Forest Lake runs the table in the Danglefest to pop into the T10.

Two big events in the same week propelled a little change in the 10A marks the last two weeks. District 6 won both the  Danglefest (#1 Tonka) and Fargo International (#4 Chaska Chan).  Stillwater slides up to T5 with a nice runner-up performance in Fargo. 

No. 1 Farmington Black is the first team at the level to hit twenty wins. Cannon River is 16-0 and received a nice bump from No. 4 to No. 2 this week. Wayzata Gold is on a twelve-game win streak and catapults from No. 10 to No. 3 in our rankings.