Preps: The week ahead

The answer is no. And the answer is yes.

No, it's not just you. Yes, it seems like every game between Lake Conference teams is a must-see contest.

Such is the case when you have five of the state's most athletically inclined schools grouped together in a single league.

With conference play in full swing, it makes sense that the Lake will likely be represented in any list of the top games of the week.

In the most recent basketball and hockey state rankings, Lake Conference teams are ranked 15 out of a possible 20 times. That's a cool 75 percent.

Two are No. 1 — Eden Prairie girls' hockey and Hopkins girls' basketball.

This week, the Hopkins girls' basketball team hosts No. 2 Minnetonka Friday at 7 p.m. while the No. 4 Minnetonka boys travel to No. 10 Hopkins for a game at the same time.

In girls' hockey, No. 1 Eden Prairie hosts No. 5 Wayzata on Tuesday and No. 6 Edina on Saturday.

The No. 2, 2A Edina boys' hockey team, fresh from a 6-3 win over Wayzata Saturday, hosts No. 12 Minnetonka Saturday and No. 6 Eden Prairie on Jan. 29.

In the Lake, it just never gets any easier.

Here's a quick glance at some of the best of the upcoming week that doesn't include Lake teams.

• Tuesday: No. 6, 4A Maple Grove at No. 1, 4A Champlin Park, 7 p.m. This might be the last real chance for the undefeated Rebels (16-0) to lose a game. Save for a hiccup against Centennial, Maple Grove has been tearing through the Northwest Suburban with five players averaging between 8.5 and 14.4 points per game.

• Tuesday: No. 3, 4A Eastview at No. 9, 4A Shakopee, 7 p.m. The host Sabers have been hanging around the top 10 all season, thanks to quality victories over New Prague and Edina, but this is clearly their stiffest test of the season. A victory — or even a close loss — will earn Shakopee plenty of court credibility.

• Thursday: No. 6, 1A Breck at No. 7, 1A St. Paul Academy, 7:30 p.m. Normally, Tuesday's Breck at Blake tilt would get the spotlight, but the development of the program at St. Paul Academy (14-2) makes this a much more compelling matchup. Few teams have been able to muster offense against the Spartans, who have not allowed more than four goals in any game and have given up just five goals in their past six games.