With February just around the corner, the Top half in Class A are solidifying themselves on the season's body of work; we did, however, see the Broncos buck their way up the rankings this week! Week #10 Rankings Below: 

 

1. Hermantown (15-2-3)

Past Week Results: W 8-0 Superior (Wis), W 6-2 #5 Mahtomedi 

Upcoming Schedule: 1/30 @ #10 East Grand Forks, 1/31 @ Moorhead 

The Hawks are scoring in bunches again, suddenly. After a two-week stretch that saw their offense dry up a bit, their tenacious offense returned this week at home as they took out Superior with ease before claiming an excellent series sweep of a good Mahtomedi team. When they are scoring like that, they are tough to beat, and they will hope the hot offense continues when they head west to take on the Defending State Champs in both Class A and AA this coming weekend. 

 

2. Hibbing/Chisholm (15-2-2)

Past Week Results:  T 2-2 OT Duluth Marshall, W 4-2 #4 Warroad

Upcoming Schedule: 1/26 @ #10 East Grand Forks, 1/27 vs Rock Ridge, 1/29 vs Superior (Wis.) 

Hibbing started the week by allowing a Toppers crew to tie them in a game they wanted to close out. However, the Bluejackets regained their momentum when they went on the road, after having limited ice due to weather, and took down a very good Warroad team for their best character win of the season. Now they will hope to ride that this week as they have a very tough trip across the state when they head to EGF looking for revenge, then a tight turnaround with rival Rock Ridge the next night to offer plenty of challenges this week. 

 

3. Sartell (15-3-0)

Past Week Results: W 5-1 Brainerd, W 6-0 Alexandria

Upcoming Schedule: 1/29 vs Willmar, 1/30 vs #7 Cloquet/Esko/Carlton 

The Sabres kept beating the same drum with two more comfortable CLC wins against Brainerd and Alexandria this week to remain unbeaten within conference play. This week, they will get their first Section 6A game of the year when they take on Willmar before having a great matchup with Top 10 Cloquet/Esko/Carlton, which will be a great barometer for just how dangerous this Sartell crew is within Class A. 

 

4. Warroad (13-5-1)

Past Week Results: W 7-0 Crookston, L 2-4 #2 Hibbing/Chisholm 

Upcoming Schedule: 1/26 vs Roseau, 1/29 @ Thief River Falls 

Warroad got a Section 8A win over Crookston, which helped their push for the #1 seed. Against Hibbing, though they were unable to ever really get in command. They started slowly and fell behind early, and then had to chase the game the rest of the way, which, unlike vs Hermantown, did not work in their favor vs a very skilled Hibbing team. It wasn't a bad result and will serve as some lessons learned if they were to face them again come Tourney Time. This week, it's a rare Monday Rivalry Rams game and then a section contest at Thief River Falls.  

 

5. Mahtomedi (10-8-2)

Past Week Results: L 1-4 St Thomas Academy, L 2-6 #1 Hermantown 

Upcoming Schedule: 1/27 @ #16 Chisago Lakes, 1/29 @ Hill Murray 

The Zephyrs were cooled off this week, as after a hot stretch of play, they were taken out by two top-tier high school teams. Not going to overreact to losses to St Thomas Academy and Hermantown, but giving up four goals or more in both contests is not very Zephyrs-like, especially as we near February. Regardless, they stick with number five for now and have a big time Section 4A match-up with Chisago Lakes on the road this week for the #1 seed come playoff time.

 

6. Delano (13-4-1)

Past Week Results: W 6-1 #24 Minneapolis, W 4-2 Westonka 

Upcoming Schedule: 1/26 @ Hutchinson, 1/28 vs #9 Blake, 1/31 vs Holy Family  

Delano got some great news this week as they were able to get their main starting goalie back from injury, which considerably changed this group's outlook. They then took care of business against 2A Minneapolis and Westonka to stay unbeaten in section play. The stakes get higher this week, as they face a tough and also unbeaten within the section Blake crew, and the winner will claim the #1 seed in what by all indications will be the best sectional in Class A in a few weeks. 

 

7. Cloquet/Esko/Carlton (10-9-0)

Past Week Results: L 1-2 Rock Ridge 

Upcoming Schedule: 1/26 @ Duluth Denfeld, 1/27 vs Superior (Wis), 1/30 @ #3 Sartell 

The Lumberjacks lost their only game of the week in a tight checking and grind-it-out rock fight vs Rock Ridge. They play a very structured game, but if there is a weakness, it’s goal scoring. They have very rarely been able to score more than 2 goals vs the high-end teams in Class A. Regardless, Cloquet is a certified pesky team who will be a tough out in 7A. This week is a busy one with the matchup at the end of the week in Sartell being very intriguing for both Top 10 teams. 

 

8. Northfield (14-2-0)

Past Week Results: W 6-3 #11 Breck  

Upcoming Schedule: 1/26 vs Rochester Mayo, 1/29 @ Mankato East, 1/31 @ Rochester Century/JM

Northfield kept the beat going as they went on the road and took care of a very good Breck team in their only action this week, and have now won five straight, and now they head back into the last piece of their Big Nine Schedule as they look to lock up yet another Big Nine Conference Title in recent years. This is a very solid team down south, and they look every bit the part of the Section 1A favorite as we get closer to February.  

 

9. Blake (13-5-2)

Past Week Results: W 5-1 #18 Waseca 

Upcoming Schedule: 1/28 @ #6 Delano, 1/30 vs Holy Angels 

The Bears handled their business well in their only action of the week when they went on the road and took out a ranked Waseca crew. Now they head into the biggest regular season game left on their schedule as they will go to Delano with the #1 seed at stake. Both teams are Top 10 and unbeaten within Section 2A play, so it should be a great game on Wednesday and a potential Section Final Preview. 

 

10. East Grand Forks (9-8-1)

Past Week Results: W 6-0 Thief River Falls

Upcoming Schedule: 1/23 vs #2 Hibbing/Chisholm, 1/27 @ Moorhead, 1/30 vs #1 Hermantown 

The Greenwave continued their annual second-half push and scored goals in bunches again this past week, making short work of Section 8A Thief River Falls. The Defending Champs got all sorts of momentum, but we’ll get a better sense of how real it is this week when they face maybe the toughest week imaginable for a Class A team. They start with a Monday matinee vs a highly skilled Hibbing group out for revenge for last year's tourney loss, then a trip to an angry Spuds unit looking to get back on track, before finishing up with Class A’s top team to end the week. What a week ahead! 

 

11. Breck (13-5-1)

Past Week Results: W 10-1 St Paul Academy, L 3-6 #8 Northfield 

Upcoming Schedule: 1/27 @ #24 Minneapolis, 1/29 @ Chaska

Breck got a win over St Paul Academy in conference play on outdoor ice to start the week, but the loss to Northfield eliminates any real possibility of moving any higher in these rankings. The week ahead is a big one, as they hit the road in a big seeding matchup vs Minneapolis. The 612 crew beat Orono, so Breck needs a win in that one to try and have an argument at the #3 seed in Section 2A, which becomes a real possibility with a win in that one. 

 

12. St Cloud Cathedral (10-9-0) 

Past Week Results: W 6-1  Little Falls, W 7-1  Princeton 

Upcoming Schedule: 1/27 @ #15 Northern Lakes, 1/29 @ Providence Academy, 1/31 vs #21 Detroit Lakes 

The Crusaders found the rare soft spot in their schedule this past week as they were able to pick up two road wins against struggling teams. The game vs Little Falls was mildly interesting due to the heroics of the Flyers' outstanding goalie, while the Princeton game provided them their final Section 5A win, which should lock up the #1 seed. Now this week brings some good challenges as a rematch with Northern Lakes won't be easy, and they then play two sneaky tough teams in Providence and Detroit Lakes to round out a busy week. 

 

13. Monticello (12-4-3)

Past Week Results: L 2-7 Providence Academy, W 7-3 River Lakes 

Upcoming Schedule: 1/27 @ Princeton, 1/31 vs #24 Minneapolis 

The Moose got blown out on the road in an upset loss to Providence, which did set off some alarm bells to begin the week, but followed that up with a 5A rout of River Lakes, and overall, this still feels like a Top 15 team and one of the main favorites to make State out of their Section. Looking at the rest of their schedule, it would appear Monticello could go on a run now to have all kinds of momentum heading into the playoffs in the three weeks. They will look to start that run week with winnable games vs Princeton and Minneapolis. 

 

14. International Falls (13-1-2) 

Past Week Results: W 5-3 #15 Northern Lakes

Upcoming Schedule: 1/26 @ Moose Lake Area, 1/30 vs Red Lake Falls, 1/31 vs Crookston 

The Broncos picked up their signature win this week as they went on the road and took down a Top 15 team, Northern Lakes, which has wins over others in this part of the rankings. Add in that The Falls has a tie with Proctor and a two-goal loss to second-ranked Hibbing, so this doesn’t feel like they are totally out of place. Now, realistically, they should run the table the rest of the way as they prepare to hopefully make a push come playoff time in 7A. 

 

15. Northern Lakes (10-7-1)

Past Week Results: W 1-0 OT Bemidji, L 3-5 #14 International Falls 

Upcoming Schedule: 1/27 vs #12 St Cloud Cathedral, 1/29 vs Duluth Denfeld, 1/31 vs #18 Waseca 

The Lightning started the week on a high note as they picked up one of their better wins of the season, shutting out Bemidji for an overtime win. The good times came crashing down, though this weekend as they picked up a very difficult loss to International Falls in a game they led and let get away. No time to feel sore for themselves, though, as they have a busy week upcoming with a rematch with Cathedral, a visit from Denfeld, and a very important Top 20 match-up vs. Waseca as they look to get back on track fast. 

 

16. Chisago Lakes (12-4-3)

Past Week Results: W 5-0  Simley, W 3-1 Two Rivers 

Upcoming Schedule: 1/27 vs #5 Mahtomedi, 1/30 @ Sauk Rapids-Rice

The Wildcats continued their recent hot streak as they picked up two more wins, a Section 4A victory over Simley and a road win at Two Rivers to move their unbeaten streak to seven games. Now comes the test they have been waiting for since the Section Final loss last winter, as they get to host Mahtomedi in their barn with the #1 seed on the line. The Wildcats are still in search of that big win on their resume, and they would love to become the Zephyrs. 

 

17. Proctor (11-8-1) 

Past Week Results: W 8-1 Ely 

Upcoming Schedule: 1/30 vs Alexandria 

The Rails raced past Ely for a Section 7A win in their only action of the week. They now have just five games left on their slate for the final push towards the playoffs. This week, Alexandria awaits in a game that will provide a good litmus test as to where this young team is at as we close in on February. It's a game that a Top 15ish team in Class A should win or be very competitive in, so it's a great test for this growing team. 

 

18. Waseca (11-5-2) 

Past Week Results: T 3-3 OT Dodge County, L 1-5 #9 Blake 

Upcoming Schedule: 1/27 @ Owatonna, 1/30 @ Little Falls, 1/31 @ #15 Northern Lakes 

The Bluejays were able to ride their wave of good vibes after last week's statement wins. Instead, they let a 3-0 lead slip away at home and had to settle for a disappointing tie with Section 1A Dodge County, and then lost at the end of the week vs a Top 10 Blake, who their counterparts down south, Lourdes, had tied. They will try to get back on track this week as they hit the road for three good contests, with the one vs Northern Lakes being very intriguing. 

 

19. Luverne (17-3-0) 

Past Week Results: W 14-0 Fairmont, W 15-0  Redwood Valley

Upcoming Schedule: 1/27 @ Marshall, 1/29 @ Worthington, 1/31 vs Austin 

Roll Cards Roll splattered two Section 3A and Conference teams this week as they put football scores on both Fairmont and Redwood Valley. Not much to say as those games don’t really benefit either team, but looking ahead to this upcoming week, it will be more of the same as they have a struggling Marshall & Worthington groups on the road before hosting Austin at home, none of which will offer Luverne much resistance. 

 

20. Rochester Lourdes (12-4-1)

Past Week Results: W 3-0 Winona 

Upcoming Schedule: 1/27 vs New Ulm, 1/30 vs La Crescent-Hokah, 1/31 vs Minnesota River  

Lourdes got back in the win column this week as they went on the road and picked up a Section 1A win over Winona, which should lock them into a home playoff quarterfinal game. This coming week is a busy one for the Eagles as they have a rare stretch of home games and all three are ones they should win to get a little roll here as we creep toward playoff time. 

 

Next Five Notable Teams

Detroit Lakes  (11-8-0) 

The Lakers may be the most disrespected Class A team in the state at the moment. Somehow, they did not even receive votes in the latest coaches' poll rankings. This is a good team out of 8A that is playing excellent hockey of late, as they are (6-1-0) in their last 7 games. That includes two more wins this week as they took down Willmar and Bemidji. Now this week, they have the second meeting with their rival, Fergus Falls, for “The Stick,” and they have a very good road test at ranked Cathedral. 

 

Mankato West (11-5-2)

The Scarlets saw their eight-game win streak get snapped this week in a competitive game with 1AA front-runner Farmington. Not at all a bad loss for Mankato West, who has really been playing excellent hockey since Christmas time. Now they have an opportunity to get the cross-town sweep of their arch rival, Mankato East, before having a conference game vs Red Wing to get right back to their winning ways of late as they build momentum to make a run in Section 3A. 

 

St Louis Park (9-9-1) 

The Orioles let a two-goal third-period lead slip away to start the week and had to settle for a tie with Jefferson, but they rebounded and showed how scary they can be by upsetting Chanhassen for their best win of  the year. St Louis Park now has two Metro West Conference games with a struggling Chaska before hopefully getting the 2A sweep of Waconia to be back above .500 heading into February as they will be a tough low seed match up for anyone come playoff  time. 

 

Minneapolis (9-8-1) 

The 612 Crew had a disappointing week as they were unable to really challenge Delano at home, and then they fell to Eagan. They did end on a positive note as they picked up the Section 2A win over Westonka, and they control their destiny for the #3 seed now. They have Section games remaining with Breck and Providence Academy, and if they win both, they will be the three seed; if they don't, they could fall to a road playoff game. Big game vs the Mustangs this week!  

 

Orono (5-10-3) 

Orono is a team that is much better than their record indicates. They dropped another game to a tough opponent in Benilde St Margaret's this week which really doesn't give us a true read on this team. This week is a critical one for the Spartans in Section 2A for two reasons. First and most important they need a win vs Waconia but they also will need to root for Minneapolis to beat Breck as those two results could help them keep their #4 seed at the moment.  

Class A Section by Section Rankings Week #10

Section 1A Ranking (1/25/26)

1- Northfield Raiders (14-2-0)

2- Waseca Bluejays (11-5-2)

3- Rochester Lourdes Eagles (12-4-1)

4- Dodge County Wildcats (10-6-1)

5- Winona Winhawks (10-7-0)

6- Albert Lea Tigers (11-8-0)

7- Red Wing Wingers (8-10-0)

8- La Crescent-Hokah Lancers (7-9-0)

9- Faribault Falcons (4-16-0)

 

1A Summary -Northfield won their only game outside the section. Waseca &  Dodge County skated to a section 1A tie. Rochester Lourdes got a Section 1A win over Winona but the Winhawks did get a 1A win over Faribault. Albert Lea got a Section 1A win against Red Wing and La Crescent-Hokah won their only game outside the section. 

 

Section 2A Ranking (1/25/26)

1- Delano Tigers (13-4-1)

2- Blake Bears (13-5-2)

3- Minneapolis (9-8-1) 

4- Orono Spartans (5-10-3) 

5- Breck Mustangs (13-5-1)

6- St Louis Park Orioles (9-9-1)

7- Waconia Wildcats (8-6-4) 

8- Westonka White Hawks (7-12-1) 

9- Providence Academy Lions (7-11-2) 

10- Southwest Christian/Richfield Stars (7-11-1) 

11- Hutchinson Tigers (1-16-0) 

 

2A Summary- Delano picked up Section 2A wins over Minneapolis & Westonka. The 612 crew did rebound for a 2A win over the Whitehawks but they had a 2A win over Southwest Christian/Richfield earlier in the week. Blake won their only game outside the section, Breck & Providence Academy went .500 outside the section, St Louis Park went (1-0-1) & Waconia went (0-0-2) outside the section. Orono & Hutchinson went winless on the week. 

 

Section 3A Ranking (1/25/26)

1- Luverne Cardinals (17-3-0)

2- Mankato West Scarlets (11-5-2)

3- Mankato East Cougars (9-9-0) 

4- Minnesota River Bulldogs (8-9-1)

5- New Ulm Eagles (12-7-0) 

6- Marshall Tigers (5-14-0) 

7- Fairmont Cardinals (5-10-0)

8- Redwood Valley Cardinals (4-14-0) 

9- Windom Eagles (5-13-0) 

10- Worthington Trojans (2-17-0) 

 

3A Summary- Luverne got a Section 3A wins over Fairmont & Redwood Valley. New Ulm also got a 3A win over the Cards. Mankato East got a 3A win over Minnesota River. Marshall got a 3A win over Windom but the Eagles & RWV both got a 3A win over Worthington. Mankato West lost their only game outside the section. 

 

Section 4A Ranking (1/25/26)

1- Mahtomedi Zephyrs (10-8-2)

2- Chisago Lakes Wildcats (12-4-3) 

3- Irondale Knights (11-5-1) 

4- Hastings Raiders (9-8-1)

5- South St. Paul Packers (8-8-1)

6- Simley Spartans (6-11-0)  

7- Tartan North Titans (6-13-0) 

8- Osseo Orioles (3-14-0) 

9- St. Paul Hockey (3-13-2)

10- St. Paul Academy Spartans (1-14-0) 

 

4A Summary- Mahtomedi went winless outside the section. Chisago Lakes got a 4A win over Simley. Hastings went (0-1-1) outside the section while hosting HDMN. South St Paul got a 4A win over St Paul Academy. Irondale went .500 outside the section. Tartan/North & St Paul went winless outside the section. Osseo was idle due to the weather. 

 

Section 5A Ranking (1/25/26)

1- St Cloud Cathedral Crusaders (10-9-0) 

2- Monticello Moose (12-4-3) 

3- Pine City Area Dragons (11-6-1)  

4- Sauk Rapids-Rice Storm (8-10-1)

5- Litchfield Dassel Cokato Dragons (10-9-0) 

6- River Lakes Stars (7-11-0) 

7- Becker/Big Lake Eagles (8-10-0) 

8- Mora/Milaca Mustangs (5-12-0) 

9- Princeton Tigers (1-17-1) 

 

5A Summary- Monticello got Section 5A win over River Lakes. St Cloud Cathedral & Litchfield Dassel Cokato got a Section 5A win over Princeton. Sauk Rapids-Rice got a 5A win over Becker/Big Lake but the Eagles did get a 5A sweep of the Tigers this week. Pine City Area went .500 outside the section and Mora/Milaca went winless outside the section. 

 

Section 6A Ranking (1/25/26)

1- Sartell Sabres (15-3-0) 

2- Northern Lakes Lightning (10-7-1) 

3- Fergus Falls Otters (6-10-0) 

4- Little Falls Flyers (4-13-0) 

5- Prairie Centre North Stars (13-5-0) 

6- Willmar Cardinals (8-8-0) 

7- Breckenridge/Wahpeton Blades (6-8-1) 

8- Morris/Benson Storm (6-10-0) 

9- Wadena Deer Creek Wolverines (4-14-0) 

 

6A Summary- Sartell unbeaten outside the section this week. Breckenridge/Wahpeton & Wadena Deer Creek went unbeaten outside the section. Northern Lakes & Little Falls went .500 outside the section. Fergus Falls, Prairie Centre, Willmar & Morris Benson Area all went winless outside the section. 

 

Section 7A Ranking (1/25/26)

1- Hermantown Hawks (15-2-3) 

2- Hibbing/Chisholm Bluejackets (15-2-2) 

3- Cloquet/Esko/Carlton Lumberjacks (10-9-0) 

4- Proctor Rails (11-8-1) 

5- International Falls Broncos (13-1-2) 

6- Greenway Raiders (8-9-0)

7- Ely Timberwolves (6-10-0)  

8- North Shore Storm (4-10-1) 

9- Moose Lake Area Rebels (1-14-0) 

 

7A Summary- Hermantown, Hibbing/Chisholm & International Falls went unbeaten outside the section. Cloquet/Esko/Carlton went winless outside the section. Proctor got 7A wins over Ely. North Shore picked up a 7A win over Moose Lake Area. Greenway went .500 outside the section. 

 

Section 8A Ranking (1/25/26)

1- Warroad Warriors (13-5-1) 

2- East Grand Forks Greenwave (9-8-1) 

3- Detroit Lakes Lakers (11-8-0) 

4- Thief River Falls Prowlers (9-10-0) 

5- Crookston Pirates (11-6-1) 

6- Bagley/Fosston Flyers (14-4-0)

7- Red Lake Falls Eagles (12-6-0) 

8-  Park Rapids Area Panthers (6-11-0)  

9- Lake of the Woods Bears (2-16-0) 

10- Kittson County Central Bearcats (5-14-0) 

8A Summary- Warroad got a Section 8A win over Crookston but the Pirates did get an 8A win over Kittson County Central. East Grand Forks picked up an 8A win over Thief River Falls. Bagley/Fosston won the important second meeting of a 8A split with Red Lake Falls. Park Rapids won the season 8A sweep over Lake of the Woods. Detroit Lakes went unbeaten outside the section.