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Girls Preview: Section 1AA up for grabs

01/11/2021, 4:15pm CST
By Shafin Khan

Lakeville South looks to unseat repeat winner Farmington in what should be a great battle for a trip to state


Brenna Fuhrman leads the Farmington Tigers into the 2021 season as they look to make it three trips in a row to state. Photo by Tim Kolehmainen/Breakdown Sports


Liberty Fettig and Lakeville South will look to get back on top in Section 1AA. Phot by Tim Kolehmainen/Breakdown Sports

If the section final comes down to Farmington and Lakeville South it will pit former teammates against each other in a must watch face off. Farmington has two of the top defensemen in the state with Brenna Furhman and Jayden Seifert and are poised to make a run at another section title after making it through last year as the No. 2 seed. But they will have to go through some stiff competition to do so.

Lakeville South could be the favorite as they return a ton of scoring and add Gopher commit Claire Enright, who transferred in from Farmington. Enright will add some punch to an already strong offense for the Cougars that already includes Taylor Otremba (30-24-54) and Ryann Wright (15-30-45). 

Northfield was the fourth seed last year and upset top-seeded Lakeville South 2-1 in the semifinals. Farmington caught lightning in a bottle as their offense exploded to score 19 goals in their first two playoff games before punching their ticket to state with a 4-2 win over Northfield.

Farmington’s Fuhrman is headed to UMD and Seifert is signed on to play at Minnesota State. They also have the top goalie in the section returning in Ryleigh Furlong, who posted .897 save percentage and 2.46 GAA.

Northfield could pay the sleeper role again, but this one appears to be a two-horse race between Farmington and Lakeville South and if both teams reach the section finals, look for a lot of eyeballs to be following when former teammates clash with a trip to state on the line.

 

 

Section 1AA Girls Hockey Preview

 

Dodge County

Section: 1AA

Conference: Independent

Head Coach: Jeremy Gunderson

2019-20 Record: 15-12-1

State Tournaments: 245-121-11

Top returning players: Eliza DiNatale (12/F, 29-6-38), Elizabeth Fagerlind (12/D, 11-9-20), Nevaeh Trihey (12/C, 10-9-19), McKenna Freerksen (12/F, 5-7-12), Halle Determan (11/F, 4-5-9), Natalie Ahren (11/F, 3-5-8), Katelyn Courteau (11/D, 0-7-7), Taylor Ludvigsen (12/F, 3-4-7), Emily Anderson (11/D, 0-4-4)

Graduation losses: F Kennedy Kraus, D Kayla Schubert, F Malia Schubert, G Annabel Smith

Team Outlook: The Wildcats lost three of their top four scorers from last season but return top scorer in senior forward, Eliza DiNatale. DiNatalie had 38 points last year on 29 goals and nine assists and will be counted upon to shoulder a lot of the offensive load. This team returns much of its roster from last season, particularly on the defensive end, but it’s a young team that will need some of its younger players to take big leaps in order to truly compete for a section title.

 

Farmington

Section: 1AA

Conference: South Suburban 

Head Coach: Jon Holmes 

2019-20 Record: 18-12-0

Conference Record: 11-7-0

State Tournaments: 2002, 2003 (as Farmington/Randolph), 2007, 2008, 2017, 2019, 2020

Top returning players: Jayden Seifert (12/D, 9-21-30), Sam Moehle (11/D, 13-14-27), Sadie Long (12/F, 14-8-22), Carly Lancaster (12/F, 10-6-16), Brenna Fuhrman  (12/D, 6-8-14), Liv Helleson (12/D, 10-3-13), Kenna Kadrlik (10/F, 3-9-12), Madison Kadrlik (10/D, 1-7-8), Abby Gehrke (10/D, 5-2-7)

Graduation losses: F Grace Auge, F Izzy Zwart

Team Outlook: The Tigers have made it to the state tournament the past two years and have their eyes set on making it three straight. Their strength is their defense where they feature multiple division one commits in Jayden Seifert and Brenna Fuhrman. They also have a seasoned goalkeeper in Ryleigh Furlong who is expected to do a phenomenal job in locking down the net. This team has offensive playmakers in Seifert, Sam Moehle, Sadie Long and Carly Lancaster but the question will be is if they can stay consistent enough down the stretch to win a third straight section title.

 

Lakeville South

Section: 1AA

Conference: South Suburban

Head Coach: Tim Morris

2019-20 Record: 20-6-1

Conference Record: 12-5-1

State Tournaments: 2002, 2004 (as Lakeville), 2009, 2011, 2015, 2016, 2018

Top returning players: Taylor Otremba (11/F, 30-24-54), Ryann Wright (11/F, 15-30-45), Iona Welsch (12/F, 14-17-31), Claire Enright (11/F, 13-10-23), Liberty Fettig (12/F, 6-12-18), Kaylynn Maloney (12/F, 4-9-13), Kenzie Smith (12/D, 4-7-11), Mariella Vitelli (12/D, 2-9-11), Riley Calderon (12/D, 1-8-9), Madison McKinney (12/F, 4-5-9)

Graduation losses: G Becca Macklin (All-SSC), F Lindsay Maloney (All-SSC)

Team Outlook: Lakeville South is the favorite to win this section and they have a chance to do that behind junior Taylor Otremba and Ryann Wright. Both of these girls boast a lot of offensive prowess and Otremba had 54 points during her sophomore season on 30 goals and 24 assists. Wright racked up 45 points on 15 goals and 30 assists. The biggest question mark for this team is their defense as they only return one starter and could be exposed on that end of the ice. 

 

Northfield

Section: 1AA

Conference: Big 9

Head Coach: Paige Haley

2019-20 Record: 17-10-0

Conference Record: 11-1-0

State Tournaments: 2016, 2017

Top returning players: Jessica Boland (12/F, 23-25-48), Ava Stanchina (10/F, 22-13-35), Ayla Puppe (9/F, 11-14-23), Payton Fox (12/D, 9-14-23), Tove Sorenson (10/F, 17-3-20), Cambria Monson (11/D, 6-13-19), Rachael Braun (12/F, 3-8-11), Marta Sorenson (12/F, 3-6-9), Emerson Garlie (9/F, 3-3-6), Lucy Boland (10/D, 1-2-3)

Graduation losses: D Anne Fossum (All-Big 9), Audrey Pagel

Team Outlook: Northfield only lost two players to graduation and return most of their scoring from last season. This will be a solid offensive team that brings back five players who had 20 or more points last season. They will be led by senior forward Jessica Boland who had 28 points last season on 23 goals and 25 assists. They also have a bright star in sophomore Ava Stanchina who had 35 points during her freshman campaign on 22 goals and 13 assists.

 

Owatonna 

Section: 1AA

Conference: Big 9

Head Coach: Tony Cloud

2019-20 Record: 17-7-1

Conference Record: 16-1-0

State Tournaments: 1997, 2001, 2003

Top returning players: Ezra Oien (10/W, 30-16-46), Olivia Herzog (11/F, 20-15-35), Sydney Hunst (12/C, 11-21-32), Anna Herzog (12/F, 11-15-26), Abby Vetsch (10/D, 7-19-26), Grace Wolfe (12/FD, 7-18-25), Molly Achterkirch (9/F, 9-14-23), Samantha Bogen (9/F, 9-5-14), Sarah Snitker (10/D, 3-11-14), Macy Stanton (10/F, 3-6-9), Calbey Podien (12/F, 5-3-8), Lillian Hunst (9/D, 3-4-7), Gabi Lamont (11/F, 2-4-6)

Graduation losses: G Asia Buryska (All-Big 9), F Chloe Schmidt (All-Big 9)

Team Outlook: The Huskies only lost three players to graduation and return all six of their defenseman from last season which will be their biggest strength. Their top three returning scorers are Ezra Oien, Olivia Herzog and Sydney Hunst, who all had over 30 points last season. They feature four more players that racked up 20 or more points last season, including stellar freshman forward, Molly Achterkirch. If Owatonna can put together a consistent offense, then they will be a team to watch out for in this section.

 

Rochester Century 

Section: 1AA

Conference: Big 9 

Head Coach: Tom Aney

2019-20 Record: 2-21-0

Conference Record: 2-14-0

State Tournaments: None

Top returning players: Kailey Birkestrand (10/F, 8-7-15), Katherine Thorvilson (12/D, 3-7-10), Kasey Klouser (10/F, 4-5-9), Zoey Manzardo (10/F, 2-5-7), Collette Barry (11/D, 3-3-6), Inga Skoglund (10/F, 2-1-3), Grace Oyen (10/F, 1-1-2)

Graduation losses: F Megan Andrist 

Team Outlook: The Panthers only lost one player to graduation and return their top three scorers in Kailey Birkestrand, Katherine Thorvilson and Kasey Klouser. This is an extremely young team loaded with sophomores who are learning to play at the varsity level. They will look for veteran leadership from senior Thorvilson and junior Collette Barry. This is a team that is learning how to play the game together and be competitive for a full three periods on a consistent basis. 

 

Rochester John Marshall

Section: 1AA

Conference: Big 9

Head Coach: TBD

2019-20 Record: 7-19-0

Conference Record: 5-10-0

State Tournaments: None

Top returning players: Greta Freed (12/F, 28-16-44), Halle Squires (10/F, 6-4-10), Josie Nichols (12/D, 2-7-9), Alix Gary (10/D, 4-2-6), Alyssa Kang (12/F, 3-2-5), Sophie Gilbertson (10/D, 1-1-2), Emerson Mueller (12/D, 1-1-2)

Graduation losses: G Anysia Heimer (All-Big 9), F Ashley Koehler (All-Big 9), F Kinsey Torgrimson)

Team Outlook: The Rockets lost two of their top three scorers but return their leading scorer from last season in senior stud forward Greta Freed. Freed scored 44 points last season on 28 goals and 16 assists. She will be expected to lead this team and she will have help from seniors Josie Nichols, Alyssa Kang, Emerson Mueller and Katherine Wheeler. This team is also full of sophomores that will be looking to capture more varsity experience under their belt.

 

Rochester Mayo

Section: 1AA

Conference: Big 9

Head Coach: Mike McCormack

2019-20 Record: 4-18-1

Conference Record: 3-13-1

State Tournaments: 2005, 2006 (as Mayo/Lourdes), 1998, 2007

Top returning players: Devynn Priest (12/C, 18-7-25), Luella Bianco (12/D, 7-9-16), Maggie Augeson (12/D, 3-6-9), Elizabeth Arendt (11/F, 4-3-7). Milla Sadowy (11/F, 1-6-7), Natalie Campbell (8/F, 3-3-6), Franka Boesch (9/F, 2-2-4), Molly Adair (11/F, 1-0-1)

Graduation losses: F Holly Boesch, F Haley Handelman, C Nakya Renn (All-Big 9 HM)

Team Outlook: The Spartans return their top three scorers in seniors Devynn Priest, Luella Bianco and Maggie Augeson. Bianco and Augeson are expected to anchor down the defense and will also be supported by an experienced roster. This team brings back their entire roster minus three players from last season, which will help them take the next step towards becoming a competitive program.

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Tag(s): State Of Hockey