Hermantown stays unbeaten with win over Mahtomedi
Playing a Class AA schedule can sometimes help a team in the rankings and sometimes it can hurt a team. That was the case last week when Hermantown was coming off a tie against No. 2AA Hill-Murray 2-2 and then beat Rock Ridge 3-1. Hibbing/Chisholm, who was ranked No. 1 heading into the week, lost to No. 11AA Shakopee 4-2.
Playing a rigorous schedule will only make a team better in the long run, and the Hawks tie against the Pioneers coupled with the Bluejackets loss to a climbing Shakopee squad (they jumped to No. 8), also created a shift at the top of the Class A Boys Rankings.
Hermantown is the new No. 1 and Hibbing/Chisholm falls to No. 2 in our latest coaches poll. That doesn’t mean there aren’t those who think the Bluejackets don’t still deserve the top ranking as they did receive numerous No. 1 votes. But Hermantown edged them this week, not only after their 2-2 tie against Hill-Murray, but their convincing 7-2 win over No. 7A Mahtomedi.
The Hawks are a perennial powerhouse in Class A, and the Bluejackets have a storied program that has re-emerged as a northern power having dethroned the Hawks from the peak of Section 7A last season, and along with Cloquet/Esko/Carlton, make it far and away the toughest section in Class A hockey.
Beau Christy and Ford Skytta each scored twice for the Hawks who are getting balanced scoring through their first four games this season with four players with at least three goals. Bryce Francisco has been strong in goal as well with a 1.92 goals against average and .940 save percentage.
Beau Christy leads the Hawks with four goals and four assists in their first four games. LPH PHOTOS BY ROBERT BRENT
The Hawks will try and stay on the winning track with another tough week of opponents. Tonight they face No. 20 AA Duluth Marshall (5-0-0) in Hermantown and on Thursday will host Centennial, who just last week beat No. 7AA Stillwater. On Saturday the Hawks will host No. 13AA Rosemount.
Hibbing/Chisholm, meanwhile, will look to get back on the winning track when they travel to Grand Rapids Thursday and then host Totino-Grace on Saturday. Senior Tate Swanson is off to a torrid start with eight goals and seven assists in their first six games. Isaiah Hidlebrand and Cole Swanson both have chipped in 13 points as well.
We would be remiss not to mention the climb another Section 7A team made this week as Cloquet/Esko/Carlton jumped three spots to No. 9 after a 4-1 win over No. 6A East Grand Forks, who have since dropped to No.10. The Lumberjacks got a strong effort in goal by Jacob Iallonardo and his 32 saves and got goals from four different players to get the big win.
While Hermantown and Hibbing/Chisholm are stealing the headlines early, a team to watch out for is No. 3A Sartell. The Sabres improved to 5-0-0 including convincing wins over AA squads such as Rock Ridge, Gentry Academy and Brainerd.
Warroad and Delano are hanging strong in the Top 5 after the Tigers improved to 4-1-0. Their early season wins over Warroad and East Grand Forks catapulted them into the top echelon of Class A teams and they have since set their skates in place as a top 5 team to be reckoned with. Warroad has won four straight and allowed just five goals over that span. Their lone loss other than Delano was to No. 1AA Moorhead and it was a close 5-3 battle.
The Warriors will take on No. 7A Mahtomedi Friday in Stillwater. The Zephyrs play Two Rivers tonight before continuing their gauntlet of a schedule that will include East Grand Forks, St. Thomas Academy, Cloquet/Esko/Carlton and Hibbing/Chisholm before Christmas.
No. 6 Blake jumped two spots after they beat Westonka and Totino-Grace last week. They will get a big test this Thursday when they host No. 4AA St. Thomas Academy.
Northfield comes it at No. 8 this week as they remained undefeated at 4-0-0 after a 4-3 win over No. 14A Orono after getting a pair of goals from Michael Steward. They also beat No. 12A Monticello in OT earlier this season which helped launch them into the Top 10 in Class A.
East Grand Forks fell to No. 10 this week and is now 2-3-0, but like the others play a tough schedule and after seeing what the Green Wave accomplished last season hockey fans know that any team can peak at the right time and make a run at a state championship. The Green Wave’s next three games are against No. 14A Orono, No. 7A Mahtomedi and Class AA Bemidji.
Teams 10-20 stayed relatively similar to last week with Northern Lakes creeping back into the Top 20 at No. 16 after beating Class AA Alexandria 3-1.
Let’s Play Hockey Class A Boys Hockey Rankings
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Other Teams Receiving Vote: Sauk Rapids-Rice, International Falls, Detroit Lakes, Albert Lea, Dodge County, Providence Academy, Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato.