Buffalo gains little in rankings, lots in section standing with boys hockey upsets

Timing wasn't on Buffalo's side.

The Bison boys hockey team upset second-ranked Wayzata 1-0 on Saturday. A 4-3 overtime victory at seventh-ranked Rogers followed Monday — after most coaches in this week's Let's Play Hockey poll had submitted their votes.

Wayzata and Rogers dropped just one spot each this week. Buffalo's reward? A spot on the "others receiving votes" short list. As my late father used to say, "That and 75 cents will get you a White Castle slider."

Maybe next week, boys.

Then again, who cares about rankings when you've entered the discussion of teams with a good chance to come out of Class 2A, Section 8? Players such as senior forward Ryan Roethke and junior goalie Max Varner (92% saves) will lead the charge down the stretch.

Meanwhile, Section 6 got more interesting as Edina moved from fifth to second and Benilde-St. Margaret's rocketed from 10th to fifth. And don't forget defending state tournament champion Andover. The Huskies went from No. 8 to No. 4.

Meanwhile, things over in Class 1A are much more stagnant. No. 1 Warroad and the teams ranked Nos. 2-8 remain in place.

Thursday's games could shuffle the deck. St. Thomas Academy heads to Mahtomedi and Minnetonka visits Wayzata. Friday offers a showdown of Section 5 powers when Maple Grove and Rogers hook up at the Bloomington Ice Gardens.

Should the Crimson and Royals need a snack afterward, the White Castle on Lyndale is 2 ½ miles away.

By Let's Play Hockey (released Jan. 31)

1. Minnetonka (17-2); 2. Edina (13-4-1); 3. Wayzata (13-4-2); 4. Andover (14-5); 5. Benilde-St. Margaret's (13-5); 6. Chanhassen (17-2); 7. Maple Grove (15-4-1); 8. Rogers (12-3-3); 9. St. Thomas Academy (15-5); 10. Cretin-Derham Hall (13-6-1).

11. White Bear Lake (13-4); 12. Lakeville South (11-5-1); 13. Champlin Park (14-5); 14. Holy Family (13-5); 15. Shakopee (12-5); 16. Eastview (12-6); 17. Centennial (10-6-1); 18. Stillwater (10-4-3); 19. Duluth East (12-6-1); 20. Hill-Murray (9-8-1).

1. Warroad (18-0); 2. Hermantown (15-2-1); 3. Orono (16-2); 4. Mahtomedi (11-6); 5. East Grand Forks (12-6); 6. Northfield (15-4); 7. Detroit Lakes (13-4-1); 8. Hibbing-Chisholm (13-6-1); 9. Two Rivers (15-4-1); 10. Delano (10-8).

11. Rock Ridge (12-5-1); 12. St. Cloud Cathedral (11-7); 13. New Ulm (16-2-1); 14. Minneapolis (10-6-2); 15. Fergus Falls (9-7-1); 16. Little Falls (11-7-1); 17. Luverne (11-6-1); 18. Providence Academy (10-8); 19. New Prague (10-6-1); 20. Duluth Denfeld (10-10-1).