1. Holy Family (8-0) 

The Fire takes over as the top-ranked team in the state after edging previous No. 1 and defending state champ Hill-Murray 3-2 in overtime over the weekend. Kayla Swartout stopped 45 of 47 shots in the win. 

A northern swing this weekend will feature games against No. 7-2A Bemidji and just-outside-the-top-ten Moorhead. 

2. Hill-Murray (8-1) 

It was bound to happen. Going undefeated, despite what some BIG GENIUS at YHH says, is a tall task, especially with the type of schedule the Pioneers play. The loss to Holy Family snaps a 20-game winning streak for Hill-Murray, who will look to get back on the horse this week against Simley and St. Paul/Two Rivers. 

3. Minnetonka (6-0-1) 

The Skippers picked up routine wins over Lake Conference rivals Buffalo and Wayzata last week, and will continue the tour with Eden Prairie on Tuesday and No. 4-2A Edina on Saturday. The Skippers have now scored five or more goals in each of their last three games. 

4. Edina (5-2) 

The Hornets blasted Eden Prairie 6-0 in their lone game last week, powered by two goals from Hazel Schenkelberg and a 22-save shutout from Soren Peacock. North Wright County, Centennial/Spring Lake Park, and Minnetonka continue the gauntlet for Edina in the coming days. 

5. Centennial/Spring Lake Park (7-1-1) 

The Cougars bounced back after the loss to Holy Family by hanging 16 on the board against Elk River/Zimmerman and then beating Section 5AA rival Maple Grove. Mia Sutch and Laini Gnetz have now reached the 20-point mark, and lead the conference in scoring. 

6. Maple Grove (6-2)

The book’s out on Maple Grove - defense and goaltending will keep the Crimson in any game, but they may not crack the five-goal mark this season. The Crimson split last week, beating Eden Prairie 3-1 and then losing to Centennial/Spring Lake Park by the same score. 

7. Bemidji (7-0) 

Bemidji moves up even without playing a game, thanks to Moorhead’s loss to previously unranked Andover. The Lumberjacks will take on Crookston before hosting top-ranked Holy Family this weekend in yet another crucial litmus test for the state’s most entertaining wildcard. 

8. Benilde-St. Margaret’s (6-2) 

The Red Knights topped Andover 4-1 and will battle Northfield and Proctor/Hermantown this week. Goaltenders Emma Matack and Peyton Hassler have combined to allow just eight goals through eight games, and the duo has also combined for three shutouts. 

9. Andover (4-4) 

The Huskies gotta get something out of beating previous No. 7-2A Moorhead, edging the Spuds 3-2 in a slugfest that included only 38 combined shots on goal but 16 penalties between the two teams. Osseo/Park Center, Maple Grove, and Blaine are on deck this week. 

10. Moorhead (4-3) 

The Spuds rebounded after the loss to Andover with an 11-1 win over Elk River/Zimmerman, outshooting the Elks 58-15 and getting six-point performances from Shay Benson and Anna Bjorkman.  This ranking is as fragile as your grandma’s china, especially with unbeaten Brainerd/Little Falls coming to town on Tuesday night. 

1. Warroad (7-2) 

Welcome back, Warroad. We’ve missed you. And, please, help yourself to some coffee and bars. 

The Warriors return to the top spot after last week’s No. 1 Dodge County lost to Orono over the weekend, and Hockeytown U.S.A.’s finest rattled off three victories. The Warriors shut out Crookston and Gentry Academy by identical 7-0 scores, then scored twice in the third period to pick up a 3-1 win over previously third-ranked Breck. 

2. Dodge County (6-2) 

The loss to Orono played out on the United Heroes League outdoor sheet in Hastings, in a neutral-site game, the second loss for the Wildcats against a ranked team. The team’s next ranked opponent won’t come until Dec. 20 for Dodge County, when Proctor/Hermantown makes the trip south.

3. Blake (6-2) 

The head-to-head loss to Dodge County on Nov. 28 keeps the Bears from the No. 2 spot, but the 3-1 win over Westonka/Southwest Christian does give Blake its first win over a ranked Class A opponent. Chisago Lakes and Prior Lake are on tap for this week for the Bears.

4. Orono (5-4) 

I’m not quite sure how to feel about the Spartans. The win over Dodge County is a fantastic upset of a No. 1 team, but Orono has losses to Blake and Proctor/Hermantown already on the books, plus a loss to unranked Class AA Woodbury. The Spartans’ best chance to make a case to move up won’t come for another two weeks, when they play Moorhead on Dec. 20. 

5. Breck (7-1) 

A trip north yielded a 4-0 win over Roseau and a 3-1 loss to Warroad for the Mustangs, who have Delano/Rockford on the schedule for Tuesday before an 11-day break between games. The single goal in the loss to the Warriors marks the lowest scoring total for the Mustangs since last year’s Section 5A semifinal loss to Westonka/Southwest Christian. 

6. Proctor/Hermantown (5-3-1) 

The Mirage tied Grand Rapids/Greenway 1-1 and eked out a 2-1 win over Blaine. Nothing else to report here. 

7. Marshall (10-1) 

The Tigers topped Fairmont, Luverne, and South Central by a combined score of 26-2. The 6-1 win over Section 3A rival Luverne points to another Class A State Tournament run for the Tigers, and Brooklyn Mauch leads the state with 25 goals and 38 points. All is well in Tiger-land. 

8. Albert Lea (6-2) 

Albert Lea gets the nod at No. 8 based on the fact that Westonka/Southwest Christian missed a chance to earn its first win over a ranked Class A opponent and lost to Blake. The Tigers thumped Rochester Mayo 8-0 in their lone game last week, fueled by four points apiece by Hanna Austinson and Morgan Goskeson. 

9. Westonka/Southwest Christian (4-2-1) 

The White Hawks split last week with a 5-2 win over Holy Angels and a 3-1 loss to Blake to end a three-game winning streak. South St. Paul, Delano/Rockford, and No. 7-1A Marshall are up next this week. 

10. Mankato East (7-0-1) 

The undefeated Cougars won three games in five days last week, thumping New Prague, Austin, and Osseo/Park Center by a combined score of 29-2. Laina Peterson and Ella Fugazzi combined for 10 goals and 16 points in last week’s wins. Seven Cougars now have 10 or more points on the season.

Only two losses in the entire top-10 this week. 

Roseville-MAHT, new to the party, beat Rosemount. Eagan, waiting at the door of the party, beat Duluth. 

Edina gets real warm at the Bloomington Warm-Up (wish the rink matched the name) outscoring their four opponents 28-1 in four games to repeat as champions at BIG.

We asked for more games and we got some more games. Rochester keeps claim to the #1 spot after picking up two wins over teams that are nearing the Top 10 in Eagan and Cannon River. Chaska/Chanhassen make a big splash and are landing at #3 this week, they now have eight games with half of them coming this weekend so we will see if they can hold onto this spot. Edina Green enters the Top 10 this week after a good week that included a tie with #3 Chaska/Chan.

12A hockey this year is as good as it has ever been in Minnesota. A spike in girls hockey registration reflects it in how many teams are doing so well this year in the grade 6/7 hockey in the state.

Game of the week honors go to #1 Edina staving off a very talented #3 Chaska Chan team 4-3. Runner-up goes to Warroad and Moorhead with two game series 1-1 tie.

All's well that ends well this week, Edina Black retains the #1 seed again this week. The only change is moving Edina Gold down to #5 because I am a firm believer in head to head matchups, losing to Orono/Westonka 5-2. All other teams this week did what they should or didn't play this week. There are still quite a few teams that dont have many results so these rankings may get shaken up in the weeks to come.