Girls High School Hockey Focus: The final countdown to the postseason has arrived

Jason Feldman, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.
·6 min read

Mar. 8—A week from today, the girls hockey season becomes win-or-go-home for teams around the state.

With just one week left to ramp up for the section playoffs, teams have just two or three games remaining in which to make their case for seeding purposes.

Here's a look at the top performances of the past week, the southeastern Minnesota Power Rankings, and games to watch in the coming week:

3 STARS OF THE WEEK

No. 1 —KATE HOLTZ, Austin

The junior forward scored two big goals and hit two milestones against Rochester Century/John Marshall in a 3-2 win on Tuesday. Her first goal of the game was her 100th career point. Her second goal was her 50th career goal.

No. 2 —SKY HUGHES, Dodge County

The Wildcats goalie was sharp in a loss at No. 16-ranked Holy Family Catholic on Thursday, and again in a win against Hutchinson on Saturday. Hughes stopped 38 shots in a 3-1 loss to Holy Family, then recorded a 19-save shutout (her second of the season) against Hutchinson in a 5-0 win.

No. 3 —DEVYNN PRIEST, Rochester Mayo

The senior forward and fifth-year varsity regular recorded her first hat trick of the season for the Spartans, who have been able to play only eight games because of COVID-19 protocols. Priest has eight points this season.

------HONORABLE MENTION

—Samantha Bogen, Owatonna: Bogen scored five goals in a win against Winona on Tuesday and had six total points in three games last week.

—McKenna Freerksen, Dodge County: Freerksen assisted on the Wildcats' lone goal in a 3-1 loss to No. 16-ranked Holy Family Catholic on Thursday, then scored twice in a 5-0 win against Hutchinson on Saturday.

—Aliya Gricius, Winona: The Winhawks' netminder held her ground in losses to Mankato West and Owatonna last week, making 102 saves total over the two games.

—Maggie Hanzel, Lourdes: After the Eagles were blanked by Holy Angels on Tuesday, Hanzel bounced back with a big game against Windom on Saturday. The senior defenseman notched a hat trick and four assists in a 10-1 win against Windom.

—Ida Huber, Lourdes: The eighth-grader made 50 saves in a loss at Holy Angels on Tuesday, then stopped 16 of 17 shots on Saturday in a 10-1 win against Windom.

—Grace Kober, Mayo: The Spartans' goalie stopped all 23 shots in her lone game this week, notching a shutout at Red Wing.

—Ezra Oien, Owatonna: Oien totalled three goals and seven points in wins against Winona and Austin over the past week.

—Abby Wick, Lourdes: The senior forward scored once and added four assists, for a five-point game, on Saturday against Windom.

POWER RANKINGS

(Editor's note: These are considered "pound-for-pound" rankings, similar to many rankings systems in boxing and mixed martial arts. They represent the best teams in southeastern Minnesota, relative to the class they play in. Teams in the Big Nine Conference, Section 1A and Section 1AA are considered for these rankings.)

1 —Lakeville South (11-3-1)

The No. 7-ranked Cougars remain atop the Power Rankings this week because their body of work as a whole is better than Farmington's.

2-TIE —Farmington (8-6-1)

The Tigers jump up to No. 2 because, while their overall record doesn't match Lakeville South's, they have battled the Cougars as well as any team. Farmington beat South 1-0 on Saturday, on a Sam Moehle short-handed goal with 21 seconds to go in regulation. The Tigers also battled the Cougars to a 2-2 tie in their first meeting this season.

2-TIE —Northfield (13-0-0)

The Raiders haven't had the chance to show what they can do against teams outside of the Big Nine this season, but they have dominated competition within their conference. Northfield has allowed seven total goals all season and is outscoring opponents by an average of 5.6-0.5 per game.

4 —Dodge County (9-6-0)

The Wildcats will be battle-tested come tournament time. Their six losses are all against teams ranked in the latest state polls: Benilde-St. Margaret's (No. 5-AA), Breck (No. 9-A), Hill-Murray (No. 3-AA), Warroad (No. 1-A), Gentry Academy (No. 3-A) and Holy Family Catholic (No. 16-AA).

5 —Owatonna (13-2-0)

Aside from the two losses against Northfield, Owatonna has allowed just nine goals all season. Like the Raiders, the Huskies haven't had the chance to play non-conference competition. They've been dominant against everyone in the Big Nine, except for Northfield.

------TUC (TEAMS UNDER CONSIDERATION)

—Lourdes (6-8-0): The Eagles close their regular season this week with a road game at Holy Angels (where they lost 7-0 last week) and a home game against winless Waseca.

—Mankato East (10-4-1): The Cougars had a strong week last week, beating Section 1A title contender Albert Lea twice, 4-3 and 5-2.

—Albert Lea (9-5-0): The Tigers close their regular season this week with another good test, facing Owatonna on Wednesday.

STATS THAT STAND OUT

—5: Power-play goals by Red Wing's Allison Roe, the most of any player in Section 1A. Roe has more power-play goals than three teams in the section (Albert Lea, 2; Waseca, 2; Winona, 1).

—8: Power-play goals by Red Wing this season, the most of any team in Section 1A. Rochester Lourdes is second with seven.

—20: Power-play goals by Owatonna this season, the most in Section 1AA. Farmington (16), Dodge County (12) and Lakeville South (10) also are in double figures.

—30: Points for Rochester Lourdes defenseman Maggie Hanzel, the most of any player in Section 1A this season.

—36: Points for Owatonna's Samantha Bogen, the most of any player from Section 1AA this season.

GAMES TO WATCH

—Owatonna at Albert Lea (7:15 p.m., Wednesday): Two of the top four teams in the Big Nine go head-to-head. Owatonna beat Albert Lea 5-1 in their earlier meeting this season. Albert Lea is playing for positioning in the Section 1A playoffs. It's the only team in the section with a winning record.

—Lakeville South: The Cougars have three challenging games to close out their regular season and prove they deserve the No. 1 seed in Section 1AA. South plays at Prior Lake, home against Burnsville and at Eagan this week. All three of those teams played South to one-goal games earlier in the season.

—Dodge County at Eden Prairie (7 p.m., Friday): The Wildcats will be battle-tested and ready for the playoffs. Their six losses this season are all against ranked opponents. They'll get one more crack at a ranked opponent on Friday, when they play at No. 17 Eden Prairie.