MN Girls Hockey Monthly Recap – January 2026 

We’re quickly approaching one of my favorite times of the year, MN high school hockey section tournaments and then state tournament! It has been a busy and action packed month of girl’s hockey, so let’s look at what has happened and who’s positioning themselves best for the upcoming playoffs. 

Class AA – Top 10 Rankings 

Holy Family has established themselves as the top team in class AA, with their only loss of the season coming on New Year’s Eve against Centennial/SLP. Holy Family has beaten Centennial/SLP twice earlier in the season, so that likely is what kept Holy Family on top of the rankings. The two teams match up one more time on January 17^th, and that result could have a big impact on rankings and seeding for the upcoming section tournaments, as well as possibly the state tournament if both teams advance that far. 

Among the top teams in AA, most or all of their losses and/or ties have come in games against one another, which should make for exciting games to come, both as we close out the regular season and also if the teams face off again in either the section or possibly in the state tournament. There is some overlap in terms of which section each of our top 10 ranked teams play in, so there will be plenty of excitement in those section tournaments when we get there in a few weeks. First, though, we have a fun end of the season to get to. I noted some key matchups down below to keep an eye on as the season wraps up its final few weeks. 

 
Class A – Top 10 Rankings 

Warroad has proven itself to be a strong and impressive team, with its only losses coming against top-10 ranked AA teams. They look to be the team to beat at this point in the season, especially when considering the tough schedule they have played, including a number of matchups against AA teams. They still have a bunch of games against some of the top AA teams the rest of the regular season, so they will be battle tested by the time they get to sections and could be tough to beat, regardless of the outcome of those last regular season games. 
 
Many of the top ranked class A schools have some or all of their losses coming at the hands of AA schools, which means they all should be ready for the intensity level of sections when that comes in a few weeks’ time. AA schools aren’t by definition better or more skilled than A schools, but facing such a strong variety of schools and also facing a higher number of ranked opponents will only strengthen these teams and help them to be as prepared as they can be for the playoffs ahead.

Top Scorers 

The top scorers in the state have some eye-popping stats to say the least. The top goal scorer, Brooklyn Mauch, is averaging almost 2.5 goals per game, which is pretty incredible. All of our top scorers are averaging more than 1 goal per game, which is impressive enough in itself. Brooklyn Mauch has set 3 state records this year, for most points in a single game with 11, most goals in a single game with 6, and most hat tricks in a single game with 2, but she’s a long way off the individual season state record, which Krissy Wendell set back in 1999-2000 with an astounding 110 goals. Even so, Mauch is having an impressive and record setting season in a number of categories, and is doing impressive and special things on the ice. 

In terms of assists, we see top goal scorer Brooklyn Mauch also showing up with the 3^rd most assists of any player, which just makes her numbers even more impressive to see how often she’s assisting other players as well as scoring so many herself. Top assist getting Abbey Foley is from the same school as Brooklyn Mauch, at Marshall, so it’s a safe bet to assume that a lot of Abbey Foley’s assists are coming on goals scored by Brooklyn Mauch. That’s quite the scoring tandem for Marshall. Emily Pohl also has impressive assist totals, as do the three players tied with 26 assists so far this season. 

Top Goalies 

When looking at the goalies, we see some pretty incredible stats for the top performers here as well. To have 3 goalies still averaging less than 1 goal per game at this point in the season is beyond impressive, and speaks volumes about how strong these goalies ae, and also likely how strong the teams in front of them are as well. Breck’s Clara Milinkovich is the leader in both GAA and save percentage, and is having an incredible year in net. Woodbury’s Alyssa Polaski has also had a strong season with some impressive numbers for her as well. It’s a tough day for a team if they have to face any of these goalie leaders, to say the least. 

Key Upcoming Matchups 

We’re in the home stretch of regular season games before the section tournaments start, but there are still a number of key matchups remaining that could impact rankings, seeding in section tournaments, and the overall approach and feelings of these teams heading into the sections. Here are the games that could most largely impact standings, rankings, etc.: 

• #1 AA Holy Family vs. #2 AA Centennial/SLP on 1/17 
• #1 AA Holy Family @ #4 AA Hill-Murray on 1/24 
• #1 AA Holy Family vs. #5 A Proctor/Hermantown on 1/29 
• #2 AA Centennial/SLP vs. #3 AA Minnetonka on 1/22 
• #2 AA Centennial/SLP vs. #4 AA Hill-Murray on 1/31 
• #4 AA Hill Murray vs. #1 A Warroad on 1/17 
• #4 AA Hill Murray vs. #2 A Breck on 1/22 
• #5 AA Edina vs. #3 AA Minnetonka on 1/15 
• #5 AA Edina vs. #1 A Warroad on 1/22 
• #2 A Breck vs. #5 A Proctor/Hermantown on 1/17 
• #2 A Breck vs. #3 A Dodge County on 1/31 

Final Thoughts 

It’s been a great season so far, and it’s only bound to get more interesting and exciting as we watch these final regular season games and as teams prepare themselves for the playoffs, which are coming up soon! 

Who do you think will make it all the way to the state tournament? Which team or player has impressed you the most so far this season?