Top 25 Minnesota high school boys hockey rankings (1/2/2024)

A sold-out Plymouth Ice Arena was treated to an absolute classic between Minnetonka and Wayzata on Friday afternoon. The Skippers were fewer than three minutes away from staying perfect on the season, but Trojans forward Rhys Wallin pushed one past the Skipper goaltender as the two teams would wind up skating to a 1-1 tie. 

With the Skippers thrashing Rogers and Lakeville South earlier in the week, they remain the top team in the state, but the Trojans are nipping at their heels.

The Trojans also met Lakeville South and Rogers in the Premiere Hockey Classic, but made things a bit more interesting. They would wind up shutting out Lakeville South 5-0 and holding off Rogers 4-2, so style points are what separates them and Minnetonka in the rankings. 

With that being said, if this were a hierarchy ranking, it would be Minnetonka and Wayzata who would be in a tier of its own.

No team in the state of Minnesota had a better week than the Maple Grove Crimson as they took down three top-10 teams in the PHC. The highlight for the Crimson came in period three versus Holy Family where they netted five straight goals en route to a 5-3 victory. 

They'll head into the new year on an eight-game win streak before welcoming Andover to town this Thursday.

The Knights were unable to make it a perfect 3-0 week in the PHC as they skated to a 3-3 tie versus a tough Holy Angels squad. Two victories–one over Holy Family and the other over Champlin Park earlier in the week help the Knights to jump up one spot in this week's rankings. 

Nothing came easy this week for coach Giles and the Hornets as all three games in the Traditions tournament came down to the wire. They were able to hang on and beat Moorhead 3-1 but tripped up against a surging St Thomas Academy squad 3-2. The Hornets would rally in the last game of the tournament and defeated a stout Cretin-Derham Hall squad 2-1 in overtime to make it an overall winning week. 

Despite nearly doubling up Maple Grove on shots, the Storm were unable to find the back of the net as they fell 2-0 to the Crimson. They would bounce back in their next two games as they handled Holy Angels and Hill-Murray to give themselves some confidence heading into the new year. 

The Cadets continue their surge up the rankings after going undefeated in the Tradition tournament, highlighted by a win over No.5 Edina 3-2. Another top-five matchup awaits for St. Thomas Academy as it will go on the road to take on No. 4 Benilde-St. Margaret's to open up 2024. 

Several minutes of poor hockey is what cost the Irish a chance at holding their No.3 position from last week's rankings. Rosemount allowed three goals in the span of three minutes to Maple Grove, a game in which it would lose 5-2– and did nearly the same things against Champlin Park, where they would wind up falling 4-3. 

With that being said, the Irish proved this week they belong with the best in the state, so expect them to hang around the top five all year. 

Though the Fire lost twice last week, their stock may have risen among hockey pundits around the state. The Fire went tit for tat with Benilde-St. Margaret's before falling 3-2 and had a three-goal lead versus Maple Grove that completely evaporated in the third period as they would fall 5-3. With a lighter schedule than most of the top ten, there's a good chance this is the lowest they will be in the rankings. 

While mostly known for their high-powered offense, the Sabers proved last week that they can anchor down on defense when they need to as they shut out the previously number one ranked class A Hermantown Hawks 4-0. 

With only one loss since November—that being to No. 1 Minnetonka— the Sabers will be a confident group heading into the new year.

It was a clean sweep for the Eagles in the Traditions tournament as they blew out Lakeville North, Chaska and Moorhead to extend their unbeaten streak to five games. With Benilde-St. Margaret's and Hermantown on the docket for this week, the Eagles can't let their foot off the gas if they want to continue their streak. 

Slowly but surely, the Bears are climbing up the rankings as they continue to beat the teams put in front of them. White Bear Lake was one of the few teams in the Power 25 not playing in a tournament last week as it played just a lone game against its Suburban East foe Mounds View, a game in which the Bears dominated pillar to post, winning 7-0. 

The Virginia Cavaliers basketball comparison seems appropriate here as while Hill-Murray is stingy on the defensive end, it's had trouble when it comes to scoring. The Pioneers dropped two of their three games in the PHC, but their one win was against a quality Champlin Park squad. With a wealth of talent on their roster, there's little reason to believe the Pioneers wouldn't get out of this midseason slump. 

The Warriors remain at the top of the class A rankings, winning two of three games in the Hockeytown Holiday Classic. The lone loss came to Grand Forks Central, a game in which the Warriors doubled the Knights in shots 40-20 but were unable to find an equalizer late as they fell 3-2. Warroad will look to bounce back on Friday against Fergus Falls, which will be game one of a five-game road trip.

While the Hawks were shutout in their most recent game against Shakopee, their work at the beginning of the week is what keeps them in the top 15. Hermantown defeated Delano and East Grand Forks, both by a score of 5-1.

With a young team like Rogers, these types of weeks can happen. The Royals lost all three games they played this week–granted they had to play the No.1 and No.2 team in the state– and now drop to 7-4-1 on the season. This week, a lighter schedule should give the Royals some momentum they may have lost from last week.

The Huskies pushed No. 8 Rosemount to the limits in the PHC but ultimately fell 4-3. They would rebound by getting a big win versus Hill-Murray and rounded out the tournament by thrashing Blake 7-0. The offense is seemingly starting to gel for the Huskies, and a big-time test versus Maple Grove will give them another opportunity to continue their momentum.

It was an encouraging week of hockey for the Raiders as they won two of their three games in the Traditions tournament. The lone loss came to No. 5 Edina in overtime, which proves they can compete with the best teams in the state. Playing in a wide-open Suburban East Conference, expect Cretin-Derham Hall to slowly climb the rankings as the season progresses. 

The Shiners notched a result in each record column last week, going 1-1-1 in the PHC. The most eye-opening result of the three was a 3-3 tie with No.4 Benilde-St. Margaret's, which showed Holy Angels could go toe-to-toe with the best team in its section. The Shiners will have a chance to finally get a marquee win this week as they will take on No. 25 Gentry Academy on Friday.

The last remaining undefeated team in class A kept that title last week as they buzzed through all three teams in the Rochester Kiwanis Hockey Festival. The Cardinals will have tune-up games versus Fairmont and Redwood Valley before starting a nine-game road stretch that starts with a strong Waseca team that gave them fits earlier in the season.

The record isn't the prettiest, but the eye test gets the Rebels into the ranking for this week. An overtime loss to No. 13 Hill-Murray and a 4-3 win versus No. 8 Rosemount are both impressive results for a team that was struggling in mid-December. The schedule is relatively soft this week, so look for the Rebels to possibly sneak their way into the top 20 by this time next week.

The loss of goaltender Nick Hanson has really hurt this squad as when he was in between the pipes, the Crusaders were 6-0-1. SCC has played musical chairs with its goaltending position and is 3-3-1 since the absence of Hanson. The raw talent on this squad has kept them in most games, but the Crusaders are not the same team they were earlier in the season, thus the lower ranking. 

The Lightning were idle last week and will hit the road this week to play a couple of top-ten teams in Shakopee and Rosemount.

The Wolverines played just one game last week versus previously ranked Delano and skated to a 3-3 tie with the Tigers. With Hermantown on the schedule for this week, Rock Ridge will get another chance to take down a ranked team.

The schedule is less than inspiring, but the Stars have won 11 of their last 12 games, earning them a spot at the end of the rankings. Things will start to ramp up scheduling-wise for Gentry as it will take on No. 19 Holy Angels on Friday night.