Before we get to this weeks Power Poll I want to take time to mention the Minnesota State High School hockey tournament that took place this weekend in St. Paul.
St. Thomas Academy won it's 4th state title, all in Class A defeating Hermantown 5-1. Matt Perry and Alex Johnson scored goals in the 1st period for the Cadets as they jumped out to a 2-0 lead and never looked back.
Johnson, Peter Krieger and Austin Sattler added goals to make it 5-0 St. Thomas Academy before Jared Kolquist scored for Hermantown. The goal by Kolquist was the only goal that goalie David Zevnik gave up in the tournament. Zevnik finished the tournament with 55 saves.
St. Thomas academy finishes the year 26-5 while Hermantown suffers their only loss of the season in the state title game, finishing 30-1.
In the Class AA title game Hill Murray took on what many people believed was the team of destiny, Benilde St. Margaret's.
Junior forward Grant Besse had a game to remember as he scored all five goals for the Red Knights, three of them short-handed, en route to a 5-1 victory.
What impressed me about Besse was how well he skated and always had a sense to be in the right place at the right time. Besse has already committed to play at Wisconsin and after that game I'm guessing he is on the radar of every NHL scout. If he isn't he should be.
The state title is the 3rd for Benilde and their first in Class AA. The win caps an emotional season where forward Jack Jablonski was paralyzed due to a hit in a game on December 30th.
To me it just seems right that nobody else but Benilde wins the Class AA State Hockey Tournament.
Here is the Power Poll for Week 21.
1. St. Louis 45-18-7 97 points
Blues have won a season high five straight and have the best record in the NHL
2. Detroit 44-22-3 91 points
Good news for the Red Wings as Jimmy Howard looks to return just in time for their trip to California.
3. N.Y. Rangers 43-18-7 93 points
The Rangers are 23-7-2 at Madison Square Garden this season, their best home mark since 1994.
4. Pittsburgh 42-21-5 89 points
Don't look now but the Penguins have won nine in a row.
5. Vancouver 42-19-8 92 points
The Canucks look like a lock to win the Northwest Division again. That has their fans celebrating.
6. Boston 40-25-3 83 points
Goalie Tuukka Rask is out 4-6 weeks with a lower body injury leading the Bruins to sign Marty Turco to back up Tim Thomas. Having Turco on your roster never ends well.
7. Nashville 40-21-7 87 points
Newly acquired Andrei Kostitsyn has six points (3G, 3A) in five games as a Predator.
8. New Jersey 40-24-5 85 points
Congrats to Martin Brodeur on his 650 career victory, against the Flyers no less.
9. Philadelphia 39-22-7 85 points
Ilya Bryzgalov (4-0-0, 0.49 GAA, .985 save %) named NHL 1st star of the week.
10. Dallas 38-26-5 81 points
Stars penalty kill is now 30 for 31 over their last 10 games, a success rate of 97 percent.
11. Chicago 37-25-8 82 points
Blackhawks give a two year extension to forward Dan Carcillo. I for the life of me do not understand why.
12. Ottawa 36-25-9 81 points
Erik Karlsson has 69 points this season which leads all defenseman. The next closest is Panthers defenseman Brian Campbell with 44 points.
13. Colorado 36-30-4 76 points
Avalanche forward Matt Duchene out 3-4 weeks with an ankle injury. Not good news for a team fighting for a playoff spot.
14. Washington 35-28-6 76 points
Are the Capitals finally turning things around? They've won three in a row.
15. Phoenix 34-25-10 78 points
3-0 win over San Jose snaps a five game skid (0-4-1) Coyotes are currently 7th in the West.
16. San Jose 33-25-9 75 points
Sharks forward Joe Thornton is slumping as he only has two goals in his last 15 games.
17. Los Angeles 32-25-12 76 points
Kings are 5-4-1 in their last ten games and are hanging around in the Pacific Division race.
18. Florida 32-23-13 77 points
Random stat that I find interesting: Panthers are 5-1 in their last six Sunday games.
19. Winnipeg 32-29-8 72 points
After watching their game against Buffalo last week I can't think of a better home crowd this season than the fans in Winnipeg.
20. Buffalo 32-29-8 72 points
Sabres are 8-2-1 in their last nine games and are currently on the outside looking in at the playoffs.
21. Calgary 32-25-12 76 points
Right now the Flames are tied for 8th in the West. I still don't think they get in.
22. Tampa Bay 31-30-7 69 points
Steven Stamkos is only two goals away from 50 on the season.
23. Toronto 30-31-8 68 points
The hiring of Randy Carlyle may work for the Maple Leafs. It just won't work this season.
24. Anaheim 29-30-10 68 points
Corey Perry is playing like an MVP scoring four goals in his last five games.
25. Minnesota 29-30-10 68 points
It's painful trying to watch the Wild do something simple right now, like completing a pass.
26. N.Y. Islanders 28-31-10 66 points
Some good news for the Islanders and John Tavares is ranked 10th in scoring amongst forwards with 66 points (28G, 38A)
27. Montreal 27-32-10 64 points
Max Pacioretty is the first American born player to score 30 goals for the Canadiens.
28. Carolina 26-28-15 67 points
Good News for the Hurricanes as Tuomo Ruttu could return to the lineup as early as Saturday.
29. Edmonton 26-35-7 59 points
Oilers have lost five of their last six games. (1-4-1)
30. Columbus 22-40-7 51 points
Swept by St. Louis in a home & home this past weekend which ended a four game winning streak.
No comments:
Post a Comment