SBLive's Minnesota boys' hockey Power 25 (Jan. 31)

A new team takes the top spot, and Edina jumps back into the top-5

Vote now: Who should be SBLive's Minnesota Athlete of the Week? (Jan. 24-30)

Minnesota boys and girls hockey top performers of the week (Jan. 24-30)

Minnesota high school boys and girls basketball top performers (Jan. 24-30)

---

1. Warroad (18-0)

Last Week: 3

It was bound to happen eventually. After defeating Wayzata and winning 18 straight, it would be criminal to have the Warriors any lower than the first seed for this week. The hottest team in the state doesn’t look like they’ll cool down anytime soon.

2. Chanhassen (17-2)

Last Week: 1

Finally dethroned after three weeks at No. 1, the Lightning suffered an uncharacteristic 4-1 loss against Benilde-St. Margaret's on Thursday, snapping their 16 game winning streak. Time will tell if this Lightning is more than just in a bottle.

Photo by Jon Namyst

3. Minnetonka (17-2)

Last Week: 2

Taking bronze for this week’s rankings is Minnetonka, who won their two weekly games with ease against St. Michael-Albertville and Lakeville South. The Skippers two losses so far this year have been against top five teams, so naturally they will spend another week encroaching on first.

4. Maple Grove (15-4-1)

Last Week: 5

The Crimson had a three game homestand this last week, winning their first two by a combined score of 16-1. Then Centennial came to town. The Cougars edged out an overtime victory against Maple Grove thanks to a high powered offensive attack, and the Crimson ended their otherwise solid home streak on a sour note.

Photo by Earl Ebensteiner

5. Edina (13-4-1)

Last Week: 9

After getting shut out against Minnetonka, Edina came back with a vengeance, as the Hornets have tended to do all year after losses. They shut out St. Michael-Albertville and Eden Prairie in dominating wins, not to mention their 5-3 victory over highly ranked Wayzata. For a team that started 0-3, Edina has mounted an unbelievable comeback to one of the top teams in the state.

Photo by Jeff Lawler

6. Rogers (12-3-3)

Last Week: 8

The Royals dispatched Totino-Grace with ease this last week, but ran into trouble against Buffalo, losing 4-3 in overtime. A matchup against Anoka will be a good tune up game for Rogers, as it is set to face its rival Maple Grove once again this Friday.

7. Wayzata (13-4-2)

Last Week: 4

In perhaps one of the most unanticipated cold streaks of the year, Wayzata has lost three of its last four games, the other being a tie to Roseau. They were also shut out in two of these three losses, so until the Trojans can rally their troops, their ranking will take a hit.

8. White Bear Lake (13-4)

Last Week: 7

With a lot of teams losing in the top 10, it looked like the Bears had a chance to jump a few spots in the rankings. Unfortunately, White Bear was no exception to this bizarre phenomenon either. The Bears dropped both of their games last week to Chanhassen and Hill Murray, but still lead their conference.

Photo by Jon Namyst

9. St. Thomas Academy (15-5)

Last Week: 10

The Cadets extended their winning streak to five games after defeating Hastings, Prior Lake, and Tartan. While none of these teams have been outstanding this year, the Cadets notoriously tough schedule warrants a few breaks in the action.

10. Andover (14-5-1)

Last Week: 11

Cracking the top 10 for the first time in recent memory, the Huskies continued their red hot tear, dominating their weekly matchups just like they have been all month. Since January 7, Andover has outscored its opponents 58-6.

11. Benilde-St. Margaret's (13-5)

Last Week: 13

The Red Knights had a great week, playing a key role in dethroning Chanhassen by beating it in a 4-1 victory. If it can play like this consistently, the sky is the limit for this team.

Photo by Jeff Lawler

12. Cretin-Derham Hall (13-6-1)

Last Week: 6

It was a tough week to say the least for the Raiders. They lost to Eastview 2-4, then were narrowly defeated by Chaska 2-3. It will be back to the drawing board for the Raiders this week, as they face two non conference opponents before a tough stretch of games that loom ahead of them.

13. Hermantown (15-2-1)

Last Week: 12

Three straight games led to three straight wins for the Hawks, who didn’t face much of a challenge from any of their three opponents, even ranked Mahtomedi. This team doesn’t make many mistakes, and it takes a very complete hockey program to topple them.

14. Orono (16-2)

Last Week: 14

This team isn’t flashy by any means, but the Spartans just keep winning. The Spartans defeated both of their opponents by the same score, 3-2. With a big matchup against Hermantown on Wednesday, Orono will look to show their consistency against a top notch team.

15. Champlin Park (14-5)

Last Week: 15

The Rebels came out of their tough matchup against Centennial with a narrow victory, a 3-2 overtime win that featured a winning goal from the senior Drew Pajunen. They will take on eighth ranked White Bear Lake this week in what will likely be another highly competitive game.

16. Lakeville South (11-5-1)

Last Week: 16

It probably felt pretty good for the Panthers when they shut out Lakeville North in a 4-0 victory, their second win against their rival this year. However, it probably stung when Lakeville South lost 5-2 against Minnetonka less than 24 hours later. The game giveth, and the game taketh away.

17. Stillwater (10-4-3)

Last Week: 21

In a two week stretch where the Ponies saw three consecutive games go into overtime, they finally had one kept within the boundaries of regulation, winning 4-2 against Forest Lake. This team is good, but doesn’t have any outstanding wins on their resume to warrant a higher ranking.

18. Park of Cottage Grove (14-7)

Last Week: 25

An underappreciated team, Park has twice as many wins as losses, some quality victories on their schedule, and a three game winning streak under their belt. Admittedly, they struggle against some of the higher ranked teams on this list like White Bear, but there’s a reason 10 spots separate these two teams on the leaderboard.

19. Centennial (10-6-1)

Last Week: 22

Talk about gritty. Facing a tough top five Maple Grove team in their own house, the Cougars got off the bus and took care of business, winning 6-7 in overtime. The game winning goal was scored by Brock Carls, the Cougar’s brick wall of a lefty forward.

20. Shakopee (12-5)

Last Week: 23

The Sabers continue to climb. Despite a ugly 8-2 loss against Lakeville South, Shakopee still clings to a highly desirable record, and it will have a chance at revenge against South on Saturday, where the two teams are slated to face once again.

21. Buffalo (10-7-1)

Last Week: N/A

In a shock to many people's system, Buffalo netted not one, but two ranked wins over top 10 teams this last week. The Bison edged past Wayzata in a 1-0 victory, and then went and beat Rogers 4-3 in their house. As it stands now, Buffalo may just be one of the most feared teams in the state.

22. New Ulm (16-2-1)

Last Week: 19

Similar to Gentry Academy, the Eagles' incredible record is undercut by the smaller schools they play on a consistent basis. Considering they have no ranked opponents on their remaining schedule, it’s safe to say they will likely end the season somewhere in the twenties.

23. Roseville (11-7-1)

Last Week: 20

In a slow week, the Silver Foxes lost their lone game in a heartbreaking 3-4 overtime defeat to Osseo. Coming off two straight losses and a week long break, Roseville will need to come out sharp on Thursday against Forest Lake.

24. Mahtomedi (11-7)

Last Week: 17

After a three game losing skid, the Zephyrs have found themselves hanging onto the top 25 by a thread after being ranked 13th only two short weeks ago. To make matters worse, they face ninth ranked St. Thomas Academy on Thursday in what will need to be a momentum shifting game for Mahtomedi.

25. Gentry Academy (12-6)

Last Week: 24

There is no denying this team’s winning record and ability to play good hockey, but zero ranked wins is a trait they share with few teams, if any, on this list. Fortunately, it has a matchup against a solid Eastview team on Wednesday to prove some of its skeptics wrong.