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Rogge Leads Defending Champ Eden Prairie Over Hill-Murray

11/15/2016, 10:30pm CST
By Peter Odney

Top-Ranked Eagles Beat Pioneers 4-2 in Tuesday Night Tilt

Eden Prairie’s Sydney Henrichs tacks on a goal in the Eagles’ 4-2 win over Hill-Murray on Tuesday night.  Credit: Peter Odney.

Eden Prairie’s Sydney Henrichs tacks on a goal in the Eagles’ 4-2 win over Hill-Murray on Tuesday night. Credit: Peter Odney.

Next season, Naomi Rogge will indulge a dream that first took root as a youth player when she dons the sweater of the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs.

Rogge’s decision has already sparked good-natured rivalrous comments from the Minnesota Golden Gopher men’s team, of which Naomi’s brother Mitch is a senior forward.

“I know some guys on the team, and they’re already like ‘we can’t talk to you, you’re a Bulldog now’,” Rogge said with a smile. 

Before Rogge takes her skills north for her collegiate career, she and her Eden Prairie teammates will do their best to repeat as Class AA state champions.

The Eagles (2-0-0) are ranked No. 1 in the latest Class AA state coaches’ poll, and are already off to a better start than last season, with wins over No. 11 Lakeville South and a 4-2 victory over No. 3 Hill-Murray on Tuesday night at the Eden Prairie Community Center.

Rogge scored 34 seconds into the first period to set the tone for the Eagles, which dominated puck possession and outshot the Pioneers 11-6 in the first frame.

Seniors Sydney Henrichs and Kasandra Bienkowski tallied goals for the Eagles, while sophomore Becca Kniss notched a highlight-reel quality goal of her own.

Kniss slipped the puck through a Pioneer’s skates and snapped a shot over Hill-Murray (0-1-0) goaltender Ava Bailey’s glove for the Eagles’ fourth goal of the evening late in the second period.

“We’re pretty excited about our squad,” Eagles’ coach Jamie Grossman said after the game. “We’re a lot younger than last year, but we think we’re a faster team and a deeper team.”

The Eden Prairie roster features 10 underclassmen, including four freshmen and an eighth grader. Similarly, Hill-Murray has 11 underclassmen in its lineup, with just three seniors.

According to Grossman, the youth of both teams is a source of common ground for he and Pioneer coach Bill Schafhauser.

“Bill and I were both talking before the game, because we’re both in similar spots, where we both have some young rosters,” Grossman said with a grin, adding that he appreciates having a balance of seasoned players and fresh faces. “I enjoy having the veteran players that know the systems, and then you get back to the younger kids and you’re teaching the game again,” Grossman explained.

Kasandra Bienkowski directs a pass from Naomi Rogge past Hill-Murray’s Ava Bailey during Tuesday’s win. Credit: Peter Odney.

Kasandra Bienkowski directs a pass from Naomi Rogge past Hill-Murray’s Ava Bailey during Tuesday’s win. Credit: Peter Odney.

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Tag(s): State Of Hockey  News