Mason Kraft and the Spuds remained atop the rankings in Class AA and have now won 15 straight. PHOTO BY TIM KOLEHMAINEN/BREAKDOWN SPORTS
Kraft and company keep rolling
Moorhead extended their win streak to 15 with a pair of wins last week, defeating No. 18 Bemidji 3-1 and No. 14 Benilde-St. Margaret’s 5-3. In the latter game Mason Kraft had two goals and two assists as he continues his torrid scoring pace.
Kraft now has 21 goals and 27 assists in the team’s 16 games, good enough for third in the state behind Rogers linemates Mason Jenson (23-28-51) and Parker Deschene (13-36-49).
St. Thomas Academy jumped a spot to No. 2 after defeating No. 2 Hill-Murray 2-1 last Tuesday behind a strong effort from senior goalie Cody Niesen who stopped 32 shots. Luca Pedri scored the game winner in the third period for the Cadets who improved to 13-2-0. The Pioneers fell to No. 3 but rebounded after their loss to STA with two lopsided wins over Hastings (9-0) and Two Rivers (7-2). Boden Sampair had four goals in the win over Hastings with Logan Montpetit adding a pair of goals as well. Sampair is committed to Holy Cross and now has 21 goals and 20 assists on the season.
Rogers jumped a spot to No. 4 as they improved to 13-1-1. They are 10-0-1 in their last 11 games and their only loss was to St. Thomas Academy back in November. They tied No. 16 Rock Ridge 3-3 on Dec. 21. Jenson and Deschene are putting together a strong season up front for the Royals who look to get through Section 5AA for the first time in school history.
Cody Niesen stops Hill-Murray’s Boden Sampair on the doorstep in STA’s 2-1 win over the Pioneers last Tuesday at Aldrich Arena. LPH PHOTO BY JEFF ANDERSONEdina became the latest victim of St. Thomas Academy, losing 3-0 Saturday behind a shutout from STA’s Niesen and a pair of goals from Michael Mikan who leads the Cadets with 35 points (13-22-35).
Cretin-Derham Hall rounds out the top six, which seem to have a hold as the upper echelon of teams in Class AA, representing five different sections.
Some big match ups this week:
Wednesday
No. 5AA Edina vs. No. 13AA Wayzata
Friday
No. 10AA Grand Rapids vs. No. 7AA White Bear Lake
Saturday
No. 10AA Grand Rapids vs. No. 3AA Hill-Murray 
No. 13AA Wayzata vs. No. 1 AA Moorhead
No. 11AA Shakopee vs. No. 1A Hermantown
No. 6AA Cretin-Derham Hall vs. No. 7AA White Bear Lake
Class AA Boys Rankings
Presented by Tradition Companies
| Team | Section | Record | Last Week | ||
| 1. Moorhead | 8AA | 15-1-0 | 1 | ||
| 2. St. Thomas Academy | 3AA | 13-2-0 | 3 | ||
| 3. Hill-Murray | 4AA | 12-1-1 | 2 | ||
| 4. Rogers | 5AA | 13-1-1 | 5 | ||
| 5. Edina | 6AA | 11-4-0 | 4 | ||
| 6. Cretin-Derham Hall | 3AA | 12-2-1 | 6 | ||
| 7. White Bear Lake | 4AA | 10-2-2 | 7 | ||
| 8. Stillwater | 4AA | 10-3-0 | 9 | ||
| 9. Rosemount | 3AA | 15-2-0 | 8 | ||
| 10. Grand Rapids | 7AA | 11-3-0 | 10 | ||
| 11. Shakopee | 2AA | 12-4-1 | 16 | ||
| 12. Benilde-St. Margaret’s | 6AA | 9-4-0 | 14 | ||
| 13. Wayzata | 6AA | 9-5-2 | 11 | ||
| 14. Minnetonka | 2AA | 8-6-1 | 15 | ||
| 15. Academy of Holy Angels | 6AA | 12-2-1 | 12 | ||
| 16. Rock Ridge | 7AA | 13-3-1 | 17 | ||
| 17. Bemidji | 8AA | 10-3-1 | 18 | ||
| 18. Eden Prairie | 2AA | 6-7-2 | 13 | ||
| 19. Maple Grove | 5AA | 8-6-1 | 20 | ||
| 20. Holy Family | 2AA | 8-6-0 | 19 | ||
Bobby Thornton fires a shot on goal as lineman Grady Knutson watches during No. 2A Cloquet’s 3-2 overtime win over Mahtomedi on Jan. 4. Thornton scored the OT winner. LPH PHOTO BY JEFF ANDERSONHermantown takes top spot in Class A rankings
Hermantown took over the top spot in the Class A Boys Rankings as Section 7A continues to dominate the top five with Cloquet/Esko/Carlton coming in at No. 2 and Hibbing/Chisholm No. 5. Monticello dropped two spots out of the top spot after losing their first game of the season, 2-1 to defending state champion St. Cloud Cathedral. John Hirschfeld scored both goals for the Crusaders, both assisted by Joey Gillespie as they outshot the Moose 43-35. Monticello goalie Logan Blahnik stopped 41 shots in a strong effort. 
Hermantown started their week with a 3-3 tie with No. 18 Proctor but finished strong with a 6-0 win over St. Cloud Cathedral and a 4-1 win over No. 5 Warroad. River Freeman had a hat trick in the 6-0 win and now has 18 goals on the season.
Cloquet/Esko/Carlton took a loss to AA Sartell-St. Stephen 2-1 but jumped a spot to No. 2. Warroad and Hibbing/Chisholm round out the top five as the Class A schedule heats up down the stretch.
Big Games this Week:
Thursday
No. 13A Minneapolis vs. No. 11A Delano
No. 4A Warroad vs. No. 8 East Grand Forks
No. 17A Proctor vs. No. 17AA Rock Ridge
No. 3A Monticello vs. No. 20A Chisago Lakes
Friday
No. 1A Hermantown vs. No. 5A Hibbing/Chisholm
No. 2A Cloquet/Esko/Carlton vs. #12A Orono
Saturday
No. 18A Luverne vs. No. 16A Waseca
Class A Boys Rankings
| Team | Section | Record | Last Week | ||
| 1. Hermantown | 7A | 9-4-3 | 2 | ||
| 2. Cloquet/Esko/Carlton | 7A | 13-2-0 | 3 | ||
| 3. Monticello | 5A | 13-1-1 | 1 | ||
| 4. Warroad | 8A | 10-4-1 | 5 | ||
| 5. Hibbing/Chisholm | 7A | 10-6-0 | 4 | ||
| 6. Northfield | 1A | 10-2-1 | 6 | ||
| 7. St. Cloud Cathedral | 5A | 8-6-2 | 7 | ||
| 8. East Grand Forks | 8A | 7-6-1 | 8 | ||
| 9. Little Falls | 5A | 7-4-1 | 14 | ||
| 10. Mahtomedi | 4A | 4-9-1 | 10 | ||
| 11. Delano | 2A | 6 | 9 | ||
| 12. Orono | 2A | 6-8-0 | 11 | ||
| 13. Minneapolis | 2A | 8-3-3 | 12 | ||
| 14. Northern Lakes | 6A | 8-4-0 | 13 | ||
| 15. Detroit Lakes | 8A | 7-6-1 | 16 | ||
| 16. Waseca | 1A | 13-0-1 | 15 | ||
| 17. Proctor | 7A | 8-7-1 | 18 | ||
| 18. Luverne | 3A | 12-2-1 | 17 | ||
| 19. River Lakes | 5A | 10-3-2 | 19 | ||
| 20. Chisago Lakes | 4A | 8-4-2 | 20 | ||
