Faribault Girls Hockey Still Gets No Respect

The latest Let's Play Hockey high school rankings came out Wednesday and the Faribault Falcon girls are still not in the Class A rankings.

Faribault is still unbeaten (8-0-2) and atop the Big Nine standings.

The Class A rankings didn't change much, although Northfield dropped out of the top 20.

Evidently the pollsters look at numbers other than records. Faribault has not had a lights-out power play, although it's pretty good at 19.4 percent and the penalty kill is 85.7 percent.

The Falcons have been very good defensively, giving up just 1.8 goal per game while scoring 3.9.

Both goalies have been very good. Lauren Werner is 6-0-1 with a .948 save percentage and 1.51 goals against average, and Camryn Salmonsen is 2-0-1 with a .908 save percentage and 2.22 goals against average.

Faribault's formula has been simple: Move the puck. And it's working. Five players have double-digit points 10 games into the season.

Five players have scored five goals or more.

The Falcons are also staying out of the penalty box with 52 penalty minutes in 10 games.

Top goal scorer sophomore Payton Putrah has just one penalty. Senior defender Madison Beaupre is tied for second on the team in points and has not been whistled for a penalty. Beaupre is tied with eighth-grader Olivia Williamson with 11 points each. Putrah has 16 points. Williamson also has just one penalty.

Faribault plays 18th-rated Owatonna on Thursday night, and a win should capture the attention of the pollsters.

The Huskies are 7-3 on the season, their losses coming to John Marshall, Red Wing and Bloomington Jefferson.

I get the feeling Falcon head coach Ali Miller would like to see her team get more recognition for their hard work, but she can also use this as motivation for her squad.

I'll have Thursday night's showdown with Owatonna on Power 96 Radio 95.9FM.

The drop of the puck is early for this game, so our coverage will begin at 6:45PM from Four Seasons Arena in Owatonna.

The Falcons have won six straight since a tie against 13th-rated New Ulm on the road.

Their other tie also came on the road. The Let's Play Hockey girls rankings are below.

Class A girls

1. Blake

2. Breck

3.St. Paul United

4. Warroad

5. Thief River Falls

6. Proctor/Hermantown

7. East Grand Forks

8. Red Wing

9. New Prague

10. Alexandria

11. Orono

12. Mound Westonka

13. New Ulm

14. South St. Paul

15. Hutchinson

16. Princeton

17. Hibbing/Chisholm

18. Owatonna

19. Mahtomedi

20. Moose Lake Area

Class AA Girls

1. Hill-Murray

2. Minnetonka

3. Edina

4. Wayzata

5. Maple Grove

6. Eden Prairie

7. Elk River/Zimmerman

8. Cretin-Derham Hall

9. Chaska/Chanhassen

10. Blaine

11. Lakeville South

12. Dodge County

13. Stillwater Area

14. Mounds View

15. Eagan

16. Centennial

17. White Bear Lake

18. Spring Lake Park/Coon Rapids

19. Eastview

20. Buffalo