Holiday hockey pits girls teams from the peak of the poll

The holiday hockey season breaks out next week, and a tour through the top of the latest Let's Play Hockey girls rankings, released Thursday, reveals high-end clashes. Here's a sample:

A series of games pitting ranked teams starts at noon Monday in the Walser Invitational at the Braemar Arena in Edina. No. 1 Andover plays No. 19 Moorhead, No. 3 Minnetonka and No. 5 Maple Grove meet, and No. 4 Edina takes on No. 20 Grand Rapids/Greenway, and No. 7 Holy Family goes against Wayzata. The tournament continues through Thursday.

No 2 Gentry Academy is at the Breck Holiday Tournament for a string of three games starting Tuesday against Rogers, No. 12 Centennial/Spring Lake Park and No. 9 Stillwater.

No. 6 Hill-Murray is at the Mid-Winter Meltdown at Eden Prairie Community Center, taking on Roseau in the first round Tuesday. No. 15 Benilde-St. Margaret's is also at the Mid-Winter Meltdown and plays North Wright County in the first round.

By Let's Play Hockey

Class 2A

1. Andover 8-1-0; 2. Gentry Academy 9-1-0; 3. Minnetonka 10-1-0; 4. Edina 7-2-0; 5. Maple Grove 9-1-0; 6. Hill-Murray 8-2-0; 7. Holy Family 9-2-0; 8. Blake 8-4-0; 9. Stillwater 9-3-0; 10. Lakeville North 10-2-0.

11. Lakeville South 7-2-0; 12. Centennial/Spring Lake Park 8-2-1; 13. Bemidji 9-1-1; 14. Benilde-St. Margaret's 5-3-1; 15. Woodbury 10-2-0; 16. Northfield 7-4-0; 17. Brainerd/Little Falls 6-4-2; 18. Champlin Park/Coon Rapids 7-5-0; 19. Moorhead 7-2-0; 20. Grand Rapids/Greenway 7-4-0.

Class 1A

1. Warroad 10-1-0; 2. Holy Angels 9-1-0; 3. Proctor/Hermantown 6-2-2; 4. South St. Paul 9-2-0; 5. Orono 8-2-2; 6. Simley 8-3-1; 7. Dodge County 10-2-0; 8. Crookston 10-1-1; 9. Luverne 8-1-0; 10. Mankato East 8-2-0.

11. Fergus Falls 8-4-0; 12. Moose Lake Area 8-1-0; 13. Delano/Rockford 7-3-1; 14. Mound Westonka/SWCC 7-4-0; 15. Chisago Lakes 5-4-0; 16. Willmar 5-4-1; 17. Albert Lea 7-5-0; 18. Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato 6-5-0; 19. River Lakes 4-4-1; 20. Duluth Marshall 4-4-1.