1. Hill-Murray (7-0) 

The Pioneers picked up their third win over a ranked Class AA team last week after holding off Edina for a 4-3 road victory, cementing Hill-Murray as the No. 1 team in the state, as if it needed any more…cementing. Is that a word? Who cares. 

The Pioneers will take on South St. Paul and No. 2-2A Holy Family this week. 

2. Holy Family (6-0) 

How did Holy Family convince all of these top-end opponents to go to Victoria Ice Arena for these games? Don't they know how far that drive is for me? In this economy? 

The Fire blanked high-powered Centennial/Spring Lake Park (which is averaging 5.71 goals per game this season) 2-0 over the weekend, getting one goal each from Katya Sander and Taryn Richter, plus a 32-save shutout from Kayla Swartout.

3. Minnetonka (4-0-1) 

How could the Skippers leapfrog three teams for the No. 3 slot!? How could the person who does the girls' high school rankings (who will remain nameless) be so dumb! 

That's how I imagine the conversations around the water coolers in Edina and Lino Lakes are going. But I love the Skippers' resume. 

Last week, Minnetonka edged No. 7-1A Orono 2-1, then pounded No. 2-1A Dodge County 8-1. Despite the close game against Orono, the Skippers outshot the Spartans 51-9, indicating an edge in offensive zone time and puck possession. Delaney Miller's five goals against Dodge County will go down in Skipper lore forever, as will the fact that she scored her first three goals in a 5:24 span of the first period. LEGEND. 

4. Edina (4-2) 

The Hornets battled back to make it a one-goal game against top-ranked Hill-Murray last week, but ultimately came up short. 

The Hornets are at their best when they can pin opposing teams low in the offensive zone, and when the physical play ramps up, the Hornet forwards are impressive at rubbing out opposing defenders to force loose pucks. 

5. Centennial/Spring Lake Park (5-1-1) 

Some people (like my boss) may say I spend too much time looking at numbers, especially special teams statistics, but I've always wanted to prove to the stats professor who flunked me that I was NOT HOPELESS and HAD OTHER NICE QUALITIES. 

But I glance at the power play and penalty kill numbers for the Cougars and scratch my lumpy head. A perfect 26-for-26 on the penalty kill does not match a 3-for-19 (15.8%) power play. Very weird. 

Road games with Elk River and Northwest Suburban Conference rival Maple Grove are on tap for this week. 

6. Maple Grove (5-1) 

Two things make me curious about Maple Grove. One, how does a team that averages 2.17 goals per game and has converted on two of 16 power plays still find itself as one of the best squads in the state? Two, has anyone actually seen the grove of maples the town is supposedly named for? Are there random patches so thick with saplings that one would exclaim, "It's a grove of maples"? 

A 3-1 win over Hopkins/Park gives the Crimson its fifth win in six tries, and now begins a five-game home stretch, with Eden Prairie and Centennial/Spring Lake Park coming to town this week. 

7. Moorhead (3-2) 

The Spuds did not play last week. They will be back in action with road games against Andover and Elk River on Friday and Saturday, respectively. 

8. Bemidji (7-0) 

The Lumberjacks have had it with these monkey-fighting rankings on this Monday-to-Friday website. The 'Jacks storm into the rankings this week after a 2-0 win over No. 1-1A Warroad and a 3-1 win over previous No. 8-2A Benilde-St. Margaret's. 

Bemidji's penalty killing unit was a perfect 8-8 against the Warriors and Red Knights, and goaltender Lily Lauer stopped 54 of 55 shots across the two games. Equally as important, the Lumberjacks are getting production from players not named Bailey Rupp. Naomi Johnson had a goal and two assists in the wins, and Mille Knott scored twice against BSM. 

9. Mounds View/Irondale (8-0-1) 

Mounds View/Irondale went 2-0 on the road last week, outlasting Chicago Lakes 5-3 and eking out a 3-2 win over pesky North Shore at Rukavina Arena. Rukavina will always hold a special place in my heart, since the only hat trick of my high school career was scored there in a thrilling (JV) tie with the Silver Bay Mariners in 2007. 

Be warned: No. 9-2A may be as high as MVI climbs, considering there are zero ranked opponents on the schedule for the rest of the season. 

10. Benilde-St. Margaret's (5-2) 

The win over Wayzata keeps the Red Knights from completely falling out of the rankings this week, even after losing to previously unranked Bemidji. The Red Knights are on the road for the next four games, and will face Andover on Dec. 2, then take a nine-day break before heading to Northfield. 

1. Dodge County (6-1) 

The Wildcats topped Blake 3-1 to earn their first win over a ranked opponent, then hosted No. 3-2A Minnetonka and watched the Skippers put eight on the board in an 8-1 loss. The loss stings, especially with that running clock, but losing to Minnetonka looks better than Warroad’s loss to previously unranked Bemidji, and Breck hasn’t beaten a ranked opponent in either class yet. 

2. Warroad (4-2) 

Like Dodge County, Warroad maintains a top-two slot based on multiple wins over Class A opponents, having already beaten Proctor/Hermantown and Westonka/Southwest Christian. The Warriors bounced back with a win over Andover and will look to continue the victory parade against Crookston and Gentry Academy before No. 3-1A Breck comes to The Gardens. 

3. Breck (6-0) 

The only top-10 team that remains undefeated, polishing off Rosemount 4-0 on Saturday for the Mustangs’ third shutout in six games. A trip to the northland will give the Mustangs their best chance at beefing up their resume. With a win over Warroad, Breck could find itself in the state’s top spot in Class A. 

4. Blake (5-2) 

The Bears bump up after beating previous No. 9-2A Farmington 4-0 to make up for a 3-1 loss to top-ranked Dodge County. Janie McGawn stopped 37 shots to earn the shutout in the win over the Tigers.

5. Proctor/Hermantown (4-3)

The Mirage had a three-game winning streak snapped in a 4-1 loss to unranked Class AA Andover on Saturday. Despite the loss, the Mirage maintains an edge over Orono based on the 3-1 win over the Spartans on Nov. 21.   

6. Orono (4-3) 

The Spartans are beneficiaries of a plethora of losses among ranked Class A teams, and find themselves up to No. 6-1A this week after taking No. 3-2A Minnetonka to the mattresses in a 2-1 loss, and then beating Northfield 3-2. Northfield edged Albert Lea in overtime on Tuesday, which throws tomato sauce on Albert Lea’s win over Marshall. 

7. Marshall (7-1) 

Marshall ends up at No. 7 this week, based on the loss to Albert Lea and the lack of a ranked Class A win, unlike the teams ahead of them. The Tigers responded to the Albert Lea loss with wins over Shakopee and Hutchinson, and will get its shot at a ranked team on Dec. 13 against Westonka/Southwest Christian. 

8. Westonka/Southwest Christian (3-1-1) 

The White Hawks returned from two weeks of only practices and bagged wins over North Shore and Rock Ridge ahead of big-time games against Holy Angels and Blake. Minnesota Duluth commit Lizzy Callahan tore up the last two games, totaling three goals and 10 points in the wins over the Storm and the Wolverines. 

9. Albert Lea (5-2) 

Albert Lea’s win over Marshall could have powered the Tigers up the rankings, but losses to unranked Class AA teams in Northfield and Gentry Academy hold the Tigers at No. 9. Next up for Albert Lea is a road tilt with Rochester Mayo on Thursday. 

10. Mankato East (4-0-1) 

The Cougars did not play last week. New Prague, Austin, and Osseo/Park Center are up on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday this week. 

Some new blood and some old in 15A again this year. Blaine-Rogers is a nice tandem of associations for some top players to get high quality competition. They are #2 in our first poll. Moorhead has a lot of depth at the HS level, which means the pushdown effect has helped the Spuds 15A team, they are #4.

Edina wins the Cake Eater...they are number one (again).

With not a lot of teams having played games yet these are very tentative rankings. The Cake Eater helped get teams, games and a pecking order a little bit clearer.

12A is going to be a blast this year. Several quality teams and many from all over the state.

CTR MN Riverblades win the Star of the North tourney in Grand Rapids, they are #8. Add Warroad and Moorhead to the top-10, that makes for a fun season.

Edina remains undefeated after winning the Cake Eater on Sunday over a very talented Wayzata team Sunday.

Teams are doing what we expect of them here losing to teams ahead of them. Edina Black clearly gets the nod of Edina Gold with their 2-1 win this weekend.