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Girls Class A State Tournament: Top five teams set to battle

02/20/2018, 2:15pm CST
By Let's Play Hockey

The state’s top five ranked teams – Warroad, Breck, Red Wing, Alexandria and St. Paul United – head to St. Paul in search of the Class A girls’ hockey state championship.


St. Paul United and Warroad look to meet for the second straight season in Friday's semifinals. Photo: Nick Wosika

The state’s top five ranked teams – Warroad, Breck, Red Wing, Alexandria and St. Paul United – head to St. Paul in search of the Class A girls’ hockey state championship. They will be joined by No. 8 Proctor/Hermantown, No. 10 New Ulm and unranked Marshall.

Three teams – Alexandria, St. Paul United and Warroad – are making return trips to the state tournament, and three teams – Alexandria, Breck and Warroad – have captured past state championships. Alexandria lead the way with 12 past tournament appearances, followed by Warroad with eight and New Ulm with seven. Four teams – Breck, Red Wing, St. Paul United and Warroad – own all-time winning records at the state tournament.

Below is a look at the eight teams in the Class A state tournament.

 

Alexandria Cardinals
Record: 20-7-0
Coach: Molly Arola
Last state appearance: 2017
Best state finish: First (2008)
Road to state (Section 6A wins): Willmar 2-1, River Lakes 3-0
Leading scorers: Kristin Trosvig (14-19--33), McKenna Ellingson (16-10--26), Alexis Heckert (4-17--21), Marki Oberg (8-11--19), Mayson Toft (9-10--19), Calley Richardson (7-11--18)
Goaltenders: Amanda Bitterman (12-3-0, 1.45, .925), Hailee Bailey (7-3-0, 1.29, .927)
Notes: Alexandria is making its 13th state tournament appearance • eight Cardinals own double-digit point totals • Alexandria is 12-18 all-time at the state tournament with first- (2008) and third-place (2006) finishes • Alexandria is 11-1 in 2018  • the Cardinals went 12-2 vs. Class A teams and 8-5-0 vs. Class AA teams.

 

Breck Mustangs
Record: 16-10-1
Coach: Ronda Engelhardt
Last state appearance: 2012
Best state finish: First (2012)
Road to state (Section 5A wins): Chisago Lakes Area 3-0, Orono 3-2
Leading scorers: Olivia Mobley (27-13--40), Gabby Billing (7-26--33), Sadie Lindsay (14-15--29), Ally Qualley (14-15--29), Carly Beniek (12-11--23), Ashley Halverson (8-12--20)
Goaltenders: Ally Frantzic (8-5-0, 2.31, .914), Uma Corniea (8-5-1, 2.32, .913)
Notes: Breck is 8-1 vs. Class A teams and 8-9-1 vs. Class AA teams • the Mustangs have scored five or more goals in 10 games this season • Breck is 3-1 vs. Class A state tournament teams • the Mustangs are 11-7 all-time at the state tournament • three Mustangs have committed to a Division I team – Billing (Dartmouth), Mobley (Quinnipiac), Qualley (Merrimack).

 

Marshall Tigers
Record: 17-10-0
Coach: Deanna Suby
Last state appearance: 2008
Best state finish: Seventh (2007, 08)
Road to state (Section 3A wins): Luverne 6-3, Mankato West 2-1 (OT)
Leading scorers:Sydney Mauch (29-16--45), Rachel VanKeulen (23-14--37), Olivia Peterson (12-15--27), Courtney Mauch (13-13--26)
Goaltender: Emma Klenken (15-7-0, 1.95, .920)
Notes: Marshall is making its first appearance in the state tournament since 2008 • the Tigers have not lost back-to-back games since losing Dec. 28-29 • Marshall has scored five or more goals in nine games this season • the Tigers are outscoring their opponents 106-54 • Marshall has allowed two or fewer goals in 16 games, including seven shutouts • the Tigers were 7-8-0 in 2017 and are 10-2-0 in 2018 • Marshall is 2-2-0 in neutral site games this season.

 

New Ulm Eagles
Record: 23-4-1
Coach: Kristin Faber
Last state appearance: 2015
Best state finish: Sixth (2009, 12)
Road to state (Section 2A wins): Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato 5-1, Hutchinson 4-1, Delano/Rockford 5-2
Leading scorers: Ali Beltz (68-38--106), Dani Weiss (35-29--64), Ashtyn Wiltscheck (21-26--47)
Goaltender: Cassie Reed (20-3-1, 1.32, .909)
Notes: The Eagles are making their eighth appearance in the state tournament • New Ulm’s losses have come to Delano/Rockford, Burnsville, Fargo North/South and Hutchinson • the Eagles have allowed two or fewer goals in 22 games, including the last 11 contests • New Ulm has scored four or more goals in 21 games • the Eagles are outscoring their opponents 170-44 on the season • New Ulm is 2-1-0 in neutral site games this season • Beltz led the state in points and goals in the regular season.

 

Proctor/Hermantown Mirage
Record: 16-12-0
Coach: Glen Gilderman
Last state appearance: 2016
Best state finish: Fourth (2016)
Road to state (Section 7A wins): Eveleth-Gilbert 3-0, International Falls 2-1, Hibbing/Chisholm 5-2
Leading scorers: Dehli Heikes (13-14--27), Mariah Haedrich (7-13--20), Kaitlyn Fawcett (5-12--17), Karie Lenard (6-10--16), Ella Anick (10-6--16), Torii Thomas (9-7--16)
Goaltender: Ryan Gray (10-7-0, 1.93, .907)
Notes: Proctor/Hermantown is making its fourth state tournament appearance • the Mirage have allowed two or fewer goals in 19 games, including seven shutouts • Proctor/Hermantown is outscoring its opponents 73-58 • the Mirage are 3-2-0 in neutral site games this season • seven players own double-digit point totals • this is the 20th year of the Proctor/Hermantown program.

 

Red Wing Wingers
Record: 23-4-0
Coach: Scott Haley
Last state appearance: 2015
Best state finish: Third (2009, 13, 14, 15)
Road to state (Section 1A wins): Austin 10-0, Rochester Lourdes 4-1
Leading scorers: Taylor Heise (67-28--95), Emily Hart (12-28--40), Nicole Oberding (17-19--36)
Goaltender: Tyler McGrath (23-4-0, 1.63, .932)
Notes: The Wingers are making their seventh state tournament appearance • losses on the season came to Northfield, Duluth Marshall, Farmington and Hutchinson • Red Wing is currently on an 11-game winning streak • the Wingers have allowed more than two goals in only five games this season • Red Wing has scored five or more goals in 16 games • the Wingers are 3-2-0 in neutral site games this season • Red Wing went 2-0 vs. state tournament teams • Heise, a Minnesota commit, is a Ms. Hockey finalist • Heise ranked second in the state in points and goals in the regular season • McGrath ranked second in the state in wins in the regular season.

 

St. Paul United
Record: 19-9-0
Coach: Nate Mauer
Last state appearance: 2017
Best state finish: Second (2016, 17)
Road to state (Section 4A wins): Simley 5-0, South St. Paul 2-1
Leading scorers: Samantha Burke (28-27--55), Catherine Kerin (12-28--40), Jenna Hoops (19-13--32)
Goaltender: Jillian Oncay (11-5-0, 1.98, .888)
Notes: St. Paul United is making its fourth appearance in the state tournament • United is 4-1 in neutral site games this season • United has allowed two or fewer goals in 17 games, including four shutouts  • St. Paul United has scored five shorthanded goals • United has not had back-to-back losses since Dec. 9/14 • United is 7-5-0 vs. Class AA teams and 12-4-0 vs. Class A teams this season • four players have committed to a Division I team – Burke (Cornell), Kerin (Princeton), Meredith Killian (Union) and Eleanor Winges (Harvard).

 

Warroad Warriors
Record: 22-3-2
Coach: David Marvin
Last state appearance: 2017
Best state finish: First (2010, 11)
Road to state (Section 8A wins): Park Rapids 15-0, East Grand Forks 4-1
Leading scorers: Madison Oelkers (42-28--70), Genevieve Hendrickson (14-53--67), Hannah Corneliusen (38-18--56), Abbey Hardwick (11-25--36), Marlie Johnston (10-23--33), Kaitlyn Kotlowski (13-19--32)
Goaltender: Quinn Kuntz (13-1-0, 0.64, .966)
Notes: The Warriors are making their ninth state tournament appearance • Warroad is 17-6 all-time at the state tournament • losses on the season came to Lakeville North, Brainerd/Little Falls and Roseau, all Class AA teams • the Warriors have allowed two or fewer goals in 22 games, including the last 10 contests • Warroad has scored five or more goals in 14 games • the Warriors are outscoring their opponents 161-32 and own 11 shutouts • Kuntz led the state with a 0.67 goals-against average and .966 save percentage in the regular season • Oelkers ranked fifth in the state in points and goals • Oelkers has committed to Minnesota State. 


Class A State Tournament Teams in the Let’s Play Hockey Rankings
1. Warroad
2. Breck
3. Red Wing
4. Alexandria
5. St. Paul United
8. Proctor/Hermantown
10. New Ulm

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