Top 25 Minnesota high school boys hockey rankings (1/8/2023)
Another week of Minnesota high school boys hockey passed, and St. Thomas Academy is rising in the Power 25. The Cadets have won seven in a row, and they have an opportunity to defeat No. 3 Edina on Friday, January 12 to make a statement.
Minnetonka remains at the top after defeating Mahtomedi during the week. Hermantown remains at the top in Class 1A.
Here is the Minnesota high school boys hockey Power 25.
Minnesota high school hockey Power 25
No. 1 Minnetonka (12-0-1)
It was champ versus champ on Saturday as Mahtomedi and Minnetonka faced off, both fresh off a state title. A fast start from the Skippers helped them cruise to a 6-2 victory, keeping their defeated season alive. It will be a rare light schedule this week for the Skippers, who play two sub-.500 teams before a date with Edina on the 18th.
No. 2 Wayzata (12-0-2)
The Trojans took the two-hour trip up north to take on a tricky Grand Rapids squad in a quest to maintain their zero in the loss column. Despite the Thunderhawks getting within one goal twice, the Trojans' offense proved to be too much to handle as they pulled away, winning 6-2. With just one game versus a three-win St. Michael-Albertville squad, expect little movement between the top two spots.
No. 3 Edina (11-2)
The number three spot has been as volatile as any, with no team able to hold this spot in consecutive weeks. This week, it's Edina who earns the honor of number three, fresh off a dubbing of former top ten-ranked Holy Family. This week, the Hornets will travel to St. Paul to face off against St. Thomas Academy, which is currently one of the hottest teams in the state.
No. 4 Chanhassen (11-4)
Two games, two shutouts for the storm as they made quick work of both Delano and Duluth East. Wisconsin commit Gavin Uhlenkamp strengthened his case for Mr. Hockey with a four-point week to bring him to 25 points on the season. This week, the Storm will look to extend their winning streak to six games as they'll take on Waconia and Chaska.
No. 5 St. Thomas Academy (10-3-1)
It took a couple of weeks to hit their stride, but after a 2-3-1 start, the Cadets are as hot as any team in the state of Minnesota. Some late-game magic against Benilde-St. Margaret's saw St. Thomas Academy’s win streak extend to six, then to seven after a deceived 5-1 victory over Tartan. All eyes are on the Cadets this week as they'll take on No. 3 Edina on Friday with a chance to take the Hornet's spot in the rankings.
No. 6 Maple Grove (9-3)
The Crimson came back down to earth last week as they fell to a tough Andover squad 1-0. They would bounce back and make quick work of one-win Blaine to get back to level on the week. A young and hungry Rogers squad waits in the wings for Maple Grove as the Crimson looks to regain some momentum they lost from last week.
No. 7 Benilde-St. Margaret's (9-2-1)
The Knights played 50 minutes of good hockey against St. Thomas Academy, but the wheels came off in the final minute as they gave up two goals, leading to a 3-1 defeat. Benilde-St. Margaret's bounced back against Section 8AA favorites Moorhead, using a big third period to outlast the Spuds 6-4.
The Knights will look to hit the double-digit win mark against St. Louis Park before traveling west to take on the Eden Prairie Eagles on Friday.
No. 8 Cretin-Derham Hall (7-4)
For Cretin Derham-Hall, its greatest asset lies in between the pipes. goaltender Leo Miller is top three in the state when it comes to goals against average, boasting a 1.29 GAA. The senior posted his third shutout of the season on Saturday as Cretin-Derham Hall thumped Roseville 7-0. With strong goaltending and an offense that's starting to hit their groove, the sky's the limit for the Raiders.
No. 9 Shakopee (10-3-1)
It was a split for the Sabers this week: first getting a win against a hot Eastview squad before slipping up on the road against Prior Lake. Shakopee will have a chance to get the bad taste of its mouth on Tuesday when it takes on No. 14 Rosemount.
No. 10 Andover (9-5)
After a 2-5 start, some hockey pundits penciled in this season as a rebuilding one for the Huskies. Since then, though, Andover has blitzed through just about everyone as it has won seven of its last eight games. The highlight of this ongoing hot streak was a gritty 1-0 win over previous No. 3 Maple Grove. The Huskies will have to be on high alert this week as a scrappy Centennial squad awaits them on Thursday.
No. 11 Hermantown (9-2-2)
The seesaw for the top spot in Class 1A continues as this week it's Hermantown who takes the top spot. The Hawks picked up two impressive Class 2A wins versus Rock Ridge and Eden Prairie last week. We will get our answer as to who really is the top team in Class 1A on Saturday as the Hawks will meet Warroad in the biggest game Class 1A has seen all year.
No. 12 Holy Family (7-3-1)
Holy Family picked up a solid 6-1 win over Lakeville North on Tuesday, but an alarming 9-3 loss to Edina overshadows that result. The Fire came out flat to start the game and paid for it dearly, surrendering four goals in the first period. A lone game versus Delano this week will give us an idea as to whether the Edina result was a one-off.
No. 13 Warroad (12-2)
The Warriors are in the midst of a five-game road trip, and so far good. They picked up wins versus Fergus Falls and Detroit Lakes last week, but things really start to toughen up this week. Warroad will play the likely two seed in Section 8AA in Roseau, then finish its trip with a one-versus-two matchup versus Hermantown.
No. 14 Rosemount (10-4)
It's tough to sugar-coat things for the Irish as they are in the midst of three games losing after winning their last ten. The lone game for Rosemount last week was an overtime loss to Eastview, which isn't something to be too concerned about. The season will not get any easier for the Irish as this week they take on two ranked teams in Shakopee and Lakeville South.
No. 15 Stillwater (5-5)
It took almost two months, but finally someone in Section 4AA has made a statement. Stillwater went on the road to White Bear Lake and blitzed the Bears 5-0, which puts it as the favorite to get the one seed in the section tournament. The Ponies will try and further cement themselves as contenders on Thursday against Cretin-Derham Hall in what will be a battle of top teams in the Suburban East.
No. 16 Eden Prairie (7-4-1)
The Eagles took the trip up I-35 and gave top-ranked Hermantown all they could handle, but their comeback effort fell short as they couldn't find the equalizer, losing 5-4. It's still an encouraging result for Eden Prairie, who will get another crack at a top-ranked team on Thursday as it will travel to Benilde-St. Margaret's.
No. 17 Gentry Academy (12-3)
Not only did Gentry Academy pick up its first win versus a ranked opponent, it did so in a dominant fashion. The Stars defeated Holy Angels 6-3 on Saturday, extending their win streak to nine games. This week the Stars play three teams with sub .500 records, so there's a good chance they will waltz into Chanhassen on the 23rd riding a 12-game win streak.
No. 18 Champlin Park (8-5-1)
Champlin Park has a knack for quietly putting together solid seasons, and this year seems to be no different. The Rebels rode the momentum of their win versus Rosemount two weeks ago into last week where they defeated Robbinsdale Armstrong/Cooper and Blaine. Champlin Park will welcome in No.19 Rogers this week which is a very even matchup on paper.
No. 19 Rogers (8-4-2)
Like Champlin Park, Rogers also played Robbinsdale Armstrong/Cooper, but defeated the Falcons in more impressive fashion, winning 11-2. However, the Royals followed that performance up with an uninspiring 1-1 draw versus Elk River/Zimmerman on Saturday. With Maple Grove and Champlin Park on the docket for this week, Rogers will need to find some of its early season mojo to get its season back on track.
No. 20 Luverne (12-0)
Rollcardsroll did just that last week as the Cardinals thumped Fairmont 9-0 to improve to a perfect 12-0 on the season. After a tune-up game versus winless Redwood Valley on Thursday, Luverne will embark on a nine-game road trip that starts in Waseca on Saturday.
No. 21 Eastview (7-6)
And just like that, the Eastview Lightning are the projected one seed in Section 3AA. The Lightning defeated their section foe Rosemount 4-3 in overtime on Thursday and now hold two key section wins– the first one coming early in the year versus St. Thomas Academy–and get their record back above .500.
No. 22 St. Cloud Cathedral (10-3-1)
The Crusaders gutted out a win versus Cloquet/Esko/Carlton on Tuesday to reach the ten-win mark for the season. St. Cloud Cathedral is still without its starting goalie Nick Hanson, but if he's able to go against Hermantown, it will make for a good matchup in Class A.
No. 23 White Bear Lake (7-3-1)
Stillwater got its revenge over White Bear Lake last week, which could be a costly result for the Bears come postseason seeding time. It's a light week scheduling-wise, so expect White Bear Lake to get back on track.
No. 24 Lakeville south (7-5)
The Panthers went 1-1 last week, losing to Edina 2-1 and then bouncing back against Eagan 3-2. A one-goal loss to the No.3 team in the state is an encouraging result for Lakeville South, which keeps it in the Power 25 for the time being.
No. 25 Holy Angels (8-8-1)
The Stars played one game last week, a lopsided defeat at the hands of Gentry Academy. Holy Angels will try to regain some of its early season momentum as it will take the trip up north this weekend to take on East Grand Forks and Alexandria.