Class 2A
The entire preseason top-5 remains the same in the second week of Let’s Play Hockey rankings, though change is on the horizon.
Eden Prairie had the makings of a seemingly great start to its campaign to repeat as the Class 2A State Champions, as the Eagles won their first three games by a combined score of 16-2.
But in a rematch of last year’s state championship game, the Eagles were upset 2-0 by Maple Grove on Nov. 26.
Currently, Eden Prairie is the top-ranked team with eight first-place votes. But as a result of their upset loss, this could be the Eagles’ last week atop the rankings as the No. 3 Crimson and No. 2 Edina (4-0) each have credible resumes for the top of Class 2A.
Under new direction from first-year head coach and Edina alumni Sami Reber, the Hornets, who earned two first-place votes this week, are off to arguably the hottest start of any team. After opening the season with a 6-3 win over Maple Grove, Edina took down No. 7-2A Cretin-Derham Hall 5-1, outscoring the opposition 20-6 through four games.
Only Blaine (5-0) has more wins so far, though they haven’t faced a ranked Class 2A opponent. The Bengals check in at No. 5 this week, sandwiched between Hill-Murray (3-1) in fourth place, and Minnetonka (1-1-2) in sixth.
With losses to Edina and No. 19 Stillwater, Cretin-Derham Hall (2-2-1) slipped from No. 5 to No. 7 in Class 2A.
Rounding out the top 10 is No. 8 Elk River/Zimmerman (4-1), No. 9 Centennial (2-2) and No. 10 Wayzata (3-2) -- just as they were in last week's ranking.
Class 1A
Blake remains the heavy-favorite in Class 1A, earning all 10 first-place votes and holding down the top spot for the second-straight week. However with other one-loss teams in No. 2 Breck (5-1) and No. 3 St. Paul United (7-1-1), the Bears can’t afford any major slip-ups if they want to hold onto the top spot.
Blake will have its hands full this Saturday with fifth-ranked Thief River Falls (7-0), the only top-10 team still undefeated.
The Prowlers jumped up one spot from last week’s poll, after picking up a 15-0 win over Park Rapids and a 4-2 win over Roseau last weekend.
Despite three losses, New Prague holds steady in the No. 7 slot, followed by a pair of northern co-ops in No. 8 Proctor/Hermantown and No. 9 Hibbing/Chisholm, who flipped positions after the Mirage won the head-to-head matchup 2-1 Tuesday night.
If teams like No. 14 East Grand Forks (4-0-1) No. 17 Delano/Rockfield (4-0) and No. 19 Moose Lake Area (5-0) can keep their perfect records alive, these lower-ranked clubs will find room higher in the coming weeks.