Last Friday and Saturday, Roseau and Thief River Falls took swing through St. Cloud.  Each played the St. Cloud Ice Breakers and the Sartell/Sauk Rapids Storm ‘N’ Sabres.  Both St. Cloud and Sartell/Sauk Rapids are Class AA teams competing for higher seeds in Section 8AA.  The Class A Prowlers beat the Ice Breakers 8-1 and Sartell/Sauk Rapids 5-1.  Thief River Falls dominated the play in both games putting 97 shots on goal.  On the same weekend, Roseau beat St. Cloud 1-0 and the Storm ‘N’ Sabres 6-2.  The Rams dominated play at times in both games and put 71 shots on goal.

This week #1 goes to Thief River Falls; for all that is said and done, in the end, “victori spolia”.

1-Thief River Falls (Overall 19-1-3; Section 8A 8-0-0)-The Prowlers won three games last week.  Tuesday night, the Prowlers beat East Grand Forks 5-2 in addition to beating St. Cloud and Sartell/Sauk Rapids on the weekend.  Not only did Eden Prairie loose twice, but #3 Blake and #4 Maple Grove lost leaving a clear field for the #2 ranked Prowlers to claim the top spot.  The Prowlers single loss this season was to Minnetonka 4-0 in their second game of the season.  Thief River Falls tied Eden Prairie 1-1 a month later.  The Prowlers will be favored in their last two regular season games (at Detroit Lakes and home to Moorhead) to be played this week.  Thief River Falls should finish the season with a 21-3-1 record.  Both games this week are played against non-Section 8A teams.  That means the Prowlers have finished the season with an unbeaten Section 8A record (8-0-0) should get Section 8A’s #1 seed.  The Prowlers are a heavy favorite to win Section 8A and the trip to the Xcel.  As the #1 seed, they will get a first round bye, play either Crookston or Park Rapids in their semifinal game and play either East Grand Forks or Warroad for the Section 8A championship.  Looking ahead at the potential seeding in the Class A tourney at the Xcel, three teams standout.  Providing all three are not upset in their sectionals, Thief River Falls, Blake or Breck (only one can win Section 5A), and Proctor/Hermantown will be seeded #1, #2, or #3.  The Prowlers should end up with the #1 seed in the Class A tourney and play the Section 2A winner (Willmar or Mankato East) in their opening quarterfinal game.

2-Eden Prairie (Overall 19-2-3; Section 2AA 5-1-0)-Eden Prairie has one tough game left on its schedule.  The Eagles host Dodge County Saturday.  Dodge County seemed to have found the stride they had in early season in their game against Breck, beating the Mustangs 3-1 Saturday.  Dodge followed that with an 8-0 win over Owatonna Tuesday.  The Eagles have to watch out, the Wildcats are playing like a team on a mission.  Edina found a way to beat the Eagles last Saturday to give the Eagles their first loss of the season.  Eden Prairie had a strong opening period taking a 2-0 lead behind goals by Crystalyn Hengler and Allison Koloski.  Eden Prairie outshot the Hornets 14-3 in the opening period.  The second period was scoreless and the Eagles outshot Edina 14-4 in the third period but the Hornets managed to score twice on those four third period shots to tie the game 2-2.  Edina’s Lolita Fidler and Katie Murney scored the third period goals.  Taylor Williamson got Edina's winning goal four minutes into the overtime.  At Minnetonka Tuesday night, the Eagles led the Skippers late in the second period 1-0 on a Carly Dahlquist goal only to have Minnetonka tie the game at the end of the second period 1-1 and open a 3-1 lead seven minutes into the third period.  The game was evenly skated, but the loss cost Eden Prairie the Lake Conference Title.  Eden Prairie still remains the favorite to get the #1 seed in Section 2AA.  Edina, with seven losses on the season, is likely to get Section 2AA’s #2 seed, but the Eagles case for the #1 seed could be weakened with a loss to Dodge County.  In Section 2AA, the #1 seed has a better path to the Xcel.  The #2 seed will likely host Prior Lake in a quarterfinal game next week and then play Chaska/Chanhassen-Holy Family Catholic/Waconia winner in a semifinal game at Richfield February 7th.  The #1 seed gets a quarterfinal bye and will likely play the Jefferson-Shakopee winner in a second semifinal game at Richfield February 7th.

3-Minnetonka (Overall 19-5-0; Section 6AA 5-1-0)-Last week, the Skippers beat two Lake Conference foes Hopkins 4-2 and Eden Prairie 3-1.  The win over Eden Prairie handed the Eagles their second loss of the season and also ended Eden Prairie’s Lake Conference title hopes.  The Skippers won the Lake Conference Title.  The two wins also helped Minnetonka in the Section 6AA seeding race.  The Skippers are now favorites to get the #1 seed.  Last week, Section 6AA's #1 seed seemed destined to play either Benilde-St. Margaret’s or Hopkins; the #2 seed likely to play Wayzata in semifinal games.  Minnetonka has matched up better with Wayzata this season than with Hopkins or Benilde.  By getting the #1 seed, Minnetonka could have a tougher path to the Xcel than having the #2 seed.  But last week, the potential 3-5 seeds in Section 2A crashed.  Wayzata lost their fourth straight game (five of their last six games); Hopkins matched Wayzata’s record (four straight losses and five of their last six); and Benilde didn't turn their corner and have now won only two games in January.  Suddenly what looked to be a strong section the past month looks to be dominated by two teams, the Skippers and Maple Grove.  Minnetonka will finish their regular season hosting Blaine next Tuesday.    

4-Maple Grove (Overall 21-1-1; Section 6AA 5-1-1)-Maple Grove beat Armstrong 8-0 in their only game last week.  They have two more games left in their season; Thursday they play a struggling Hopkins team at Hopkins and play at Irondale Saturday.  The Crimsons are favorites to win those two games.  Minnetonka’s late season surge has the Crimson holding on to hope to gain Section 6AA’s #1 seed.  But the rational for the importance of the #1 over #2 is harder to find this week with the collapse of Wayzata, Hopkins and Benilde-St. Margaret’s.  No one would have predicted a collapse three weeks ago.  Section 6AA is now a two team race.  Wayzata fans will maintain the Trojans are contenders, but right now the winds have shifted to a Minnetonka/Maple Grove championship battle for the ticket to the Xcel.

5-Hill Murray (Overall 18-5-0; Section 4AA 4-0-0)-The Hill gauntlet of games they have run in the last weeks of the season is almost over.  The Pioneers have played seven of those nine games (40% of their regular season games) in the last ten days and have posted a 6-1-0 record, losing only to Maple Grove 3-2 in overtime.  This past week, the Pioneers beat North St. Paul 12-0, Wayzata 6-1, and Mahtomedi 4-0. As noted here last week, stuck in the middle of those games, were tough games against top ranked teams that would challenge the Hill.  That happened a week ago with the overtime loss to Maple Grove.  This week it did not happen, the Hill beat Wayzata soundly.  Last week’s wins over North St. Paul and Mahtomedi clinched the Metro East title for the Pioneers.  They are unbeaten in conference play and have one conference game remaining against South St. Paul.  The Hill ends their season Saturday hosting Benilde-St. Margaret’s.  In Section 4AA, Hill-Murray and Cretin-Derham Hall remain in a battle for the #1 seed, but #1 or #2 in Section 4AA this year does not matter; both seeds will likely have to play either Stillwater or Roseville, both tough teams in semifinal games.

6-Blake (Overall 20-4-0; Section 5A 4-1-0)-Blake’s defense was beaten twice last week.  The Bears lost 4-2 to Lakeville South and 5-3 to Centennial, before righting themselves with a 5-1 win over St. Paul United.  The string of three straight losses in the past ten days turns Section 5A seeding from a Bear lock on the #1 seed to a tossup between Blake and Breck.  Blake has one Saturday game left their schedule hosting Holy Angels.  Breck host Minneapolis Thursday and host Edina Saturday to end their season.  There is no home ice advantage in Section 5A; all tourney games are played at Minneapolis’ Parade Ice Gardens.  The advantage is getting Section 5A’s #1 seed is that it is an easier path to the championship game.  The #1 seed is likely to play either St. Louis Park or Minneapolis (teams seeded #8 or #9) in the sectional quarterfinals.  But the potential semifinal opponent (Orono, Princeton, Holy Angels, or Totino-Grace) are all evenly matched.  Blake losses to Lakeville South and Centennial were to teams in the running for their sections #1 seeds.  The two Cougar teams put pressure on the Blake defense that has become younger in the past month.  The Bears are skating six defense that include one ninth grader and two eighth graders.

7-Breck (Overall 16-6-1; Section 5A 5-1-0)-Breck played two games last week, losing to Dodge County 3-1 and beating Totino-Grace 6-0.  The Mustangs looked tough and on their way to a big win over Dodge in the Wildcats home arena until Dodge County exploded in the third period to win the game.  Their “44’s” line (Grace Zumwinkle, Leah Schwartzman, and Gabby Billing) skated together against Dodge and provided significant offensive pressure, but except for Grace Zumwinkle’s second period breakaway goal, the "44's" could not find the net.  Breck should beat Minneapolis this Thursday.  Saturday's Edina game will be a toss-up.  A Breck win over the Hornets could sway the coaches and give the Mustangs the Section 5A #1 seed.  

8-Lakeville South (Overall 20-3-1; Section 1AA 3-0-0)-The Cougars upset Blake 4-2 last week and went on to beat Shakopee 8-1 and Farmington 8-1.  South’s Janna Haeg tied the game with Blake 2-2 early in the third period and Elly Schroeder scored the game winner later in the third.  Haeg (51 points/20 goals) leads the Cougars in scoring this year.  Morgan Morse (44 points/23 goals) leads in goals scored.  The Cougars have their rivalry game with Lakeville North left to play in regular season Saturday.  The South Suburban title will not be at stake for the North game.  South won the South Suburban last week, North finished second.  What is at stake is Section 1AA #1 seed.  Both Lakeville’s are candidates for the #1 seed along with Dodge County.  The winner will be the favored to get the seed depending on how Dodge County does in their game against Eden Prairie.  The #1 seed this year will most likely draw Rochester Mayo in their opening game and play of the winner of the #4/#5 seed game (Farmington or Rochester John Marshall).  The #2 seed will likely draw Owatonna in their opening game and play Dodge County in their semifinal game.  But if Dodge beats Eden Prairie, that scenario would likely change and the loser of the Saturday’s rivalry game could end up with the #3 seed; the winner could end up with the #2 seed.

9-Dodge County (Overall 18-5-1; 3-2-0)-Dodge County lost a tough overtime game to Centennial 2-1 last Thursday, beat Breck 3-1, and beat Owatonna 8-0.  The Wildcats struggled early in the week and came alive in Saturday’s win over Breck.  The Wildcats skated a good game against Breck and played some great hockey in the third period to beat the Mustangs.  They have struggled in Section 1AA to beat one tough team, Lakeville North.  This year will be different.  Lakeville South and Rochester John Marshall are also tough teams.  In semifinal and championship play, the Wildcats will face two tough teams to get to the Xcel; but if they play as they did against Breck, they will have a shot at a ticket to the Xcel.

10-Roseau (Overall 18-3-2; Section 8AA 8-0-0)-Roseau beat Sartell/Sauk Rapids 6-2 and St. Cloud 1-0 in two Section 8AA games last week.  The two wins clinched the Rams #1 seed in 8AA giving Roseau the home ice for Section 8AA quarterfinal and semifinal games.  Roseau will likely play one of four teams (St. Cloud, Bemidji, Moorhead, or Brainerd) in their quarterfinal game.  All four teams could end up with Section 8AA’s #8 or #9 seed this year.  In the semifinal, the Rams would likely play the winner of the #4/#5 seed game (River Lakes, Sartell, or St. Cloud).  In the finals, at a neutral site, Roseau would likely play Buffalo, the projected #2 seed, or River Lakes.  In Section 8AA seeding this year, Roseau as #1 is an easy choice, after that it really gets difficult.  The Rams end their season hosting Bemidji and Warroad. 

Teams to Watch: Centennial (17-6-1), Edina (15-7-1), Lakeville North (19-4-1), St. Paul United (15-7-1), Chaska/Chanhassen (16-8-0), Hastings (17-5-1), Cretin-Derham Hall (18-3-3), Proctor/Hermantown (22-3-0), Elk River (18-5-1), Red Wing (18-4-0), and Princeton/Big Lake/Becker (17-6-1).

Notes:

Red Wing beat Faribault 6-0 last week and that win should lock up Section 1A #1 seed. The Wingers have a good chance to finish the season winning 20 plus games.  Red Wing hosts Rochester John Marshall Saturday in a game that will match Section 1A’s top team against Section 1AA’s most likely #4 seed.  The winner of that game will win the Big 9 Conference title this year.  Both teams are unbeaten in conference play.

New Ulm won three games last week to lock up the Big South Conference title and most likely the Section 3A #1 seed.  The Eagles have one tough game left to play in regular season at Luverne’s Blue Mound Arena in a game that should be a preview to the Section 3A championship game.  New Ulm is on track to make their seventh straight Class A state tourney appearance.

Proctor/Hermantown beat Moose Lake Area 5-2, Eveleth 5-0, and Duluth 2-1 last week to post their 20th, 21st, and 22nd  wins on the season.  The Mirage have ended their regular season with those three wins and have a lock on Section 7A’s #1 seed and like New Ulm, should be at the Xcel February 18th.

With few games left to play next week, there are only four 20 game winners this season.  Class AA teams Maple Grove (21-1-1) and Lakeville South (20-3-1) and Class A teams Proctor/Hermantown (22-3-0) and Blake (20-4-0) have hit the mark.  There are eight teams that still can win 20 regular season games; Lakeville North (19-4-1), Thief River Falls (19-1-3), Rochester John Marshall/Lourdes (19-2-2), Hill-Murray (18-5-0), Eden Prairie (19-2-3), Minnetonka (19-5-0), Roseau (18-3-2), and Red Wing (18-4-0).  Lakeville North will need to beat Lakeville South to get to 20 wins this season.  If the Panthers do that, three Section 1AA teams (Lakeville South, Lakeville North, and Rochester John Marshall) could have 20 plus game winning seasons.  A fourth Section 1AA team, Dodge County could finish winning 19 games.

Red Wing will need to beat John Marshall/Lourdes to get to 20 wins.

Hastings (17-5-1) should take the #1 seed in Section 3AA.  The Raiders are favorites to win their last two regular season games.  Hastings beat their nearest 3AA rival Eagan (14-8-1) 4-3 earlier in the season.

The hottest January team, besides Minnetonka or Thief River Falls, is Centennial (17-6-1).  The Cougars won eight in a row including Tuesday’s win over Elk River 4-1.  Centennial will end their season in second place in the Northwest Suburban Conference behind Maple Grove; but the Cougars January run has made them the heavy favorites for the #1 seed in Section 5AA.  Blaine and Mounds View, the Cougars nearest rivals will have to settle for either the #2 or #3 seeds.  The Section 5AA quarterfinals are shaping up; Centennial will likely draw the winner of Anoka/Rogers, Mounds View will play Coon Rapids, Blaine plays Champlin Park; and Irondale/Sping Lake Park are likely to meet in the fourth/fifth seed game.

Elk River (18-5-1), despite losing to Centennial, remains the favorite for Section 7AA #1 seed.  Grand Rapids/Greenway (13-9-1) is the only other 7AA team with a season record better than .500.  Some case can be made that the Rapids is not worthy of the #2 seed.  Andover (11-11-2) can make a case for #2 since they beat the Thunderhawks 1-0 last Friday at Grand Rapids.  This section is a seeding nightmare and the higher seeds get the home ice advantage for the quarterfinals and semifinals.  The championship game will be played at Fogerty February 12th.