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Change in co-op leads to 'A' new excitement in Dodge County

jason feldman, post-bulletin, rochester, minn.
·4 min read

Nov. 11—KASSON — Ida Huber remembers what it's like to step on the ice at the Xcel Energy Center.

The butterflies. The 18,000 seats. The bright lights and TV cameras that come with being part of the Minnesota high school girls hockey state tournament.

That was two years ago, when Huber was just an eighth-grader, backstopping Rochester Lourdes to a Section 1A championship and a place in the 2021 Class A state tournament.

The Eagles were overpowered by a loaded Warroad team that day, but the experience of playing in a state tournament — even one that didn't include a consolation bracket due to the Minnesota State High School League's attempt to limit the spread of COVID-19 — has stuck with Huber, who now is a sophomore goaltender for the Dodge County Wildcats.

"When I played up there for the first time, it was an amazing experience," Huber said. "And I hope all these (Dodge County) girls can get that experience, as well. I'm going to try my best to help us get there."

Huber and the Wildcats have their eyes on the immediate future — they open their 2022-23 season on Tuesday against Winona at the Dodge County Ice Arena in Kasson — but when it comes to long-term goal-setting, 'X' marks the spot.

For the first time in program history, the Dodge County girls will play in Class A this season, after a change in the co-op brought the total enrollment of the schools in the co-op down into the Class A range.

And the Wildcats will be a favorite — if not the favorite — to win Section 1A and get to state for the first time. While they don't belong to a conference, they have always played a strong schedule, against many of the state-ranked teams in Class A and AA. That's the case again this season, as Dodge County hopes the regular season prepares it well for a deep playoff push.

"It's really helpful to play those tough teams during the (regular) season," Wildcats senior defender Greta Petree said, "because when it comes to the section playoffs, it's easier for us to compete with whatever teams we play against.

"We know now that we have the chance to make it to state and we maybe didn't have (as great of) chance if we hadn't moved to single-A."

For years, the Dodge County girls hockey co-op (hosted by Kasson-Mantorville High School) has included the following schools: Byron, Blooming Prairie, Hayfield, Pine Island, Triton and Zumbrota-Mazeppa.

This season, the Wildcats co-op includes only Kasson-Mantorville, Byron and Hayfield.

"I do feel bad for the kids who may not be able to participate in the future if they're in a school that doesn't have a co-op," Wildcats head coach Jeremy Gunderson said. "Every kid should have a place to play, but a program shouldn't be penalized for only having one kid from a school or no kids from a school."

While Wildcats coaches and players were pleased to get the news of the team's reclassification over the summer, the attitude of the team has changed with the start of practices. Now, it's about the process of building a team and improving incrementally as the season progresses.

For Dodge County, it starts in goal. Huber was outstanding as a freshman a year ago, when she went 12-12-0 with a 2.69 goals-against average and six shutouts. She qualified for the USA Hockey National Development Camp over the summer and played in the girls fall Elite League.

The Wildcats lost four of their top six scorers, but there are plenty of talented players waiting to fill those spots.

Sophomore forward Nora Carstensen was the team's second-leading scorer last year (13-24 — 37), while classmate Mollie Koch was fourth (10-16 — 26). Eighth-grader Maysie Koch (3-6 — 9) made the USA Hockey Select 14s camp last summer and played in the Minnesota Tier I fall league.

Senior Mady Krause and junior Abby Simons lead what is expected to be a deep defensive corps.

With Dodge County's depth of talent and just four other teams in Section 1A this season — defending section champion Albert Lea, Austin, Waseca and Winona — the Wildcats' hopes and expectations are high.

"I think the excitement (for moving to Class A) will come here during the season," Gunderson said. "The kids here are super competitive. You have to play the games; it's a long season. We try to keep it modest and humble. The path is different for us now than it was in AA, but we have to focus on working together and being a good hockey team."