2026 Minnesota Girls High School Hockey State Tournament Preview

There’s nothing in Minnesota quite like state tournament week. The energy in St. Paul is electric, the talent on the ice is exceptional, and every team arrives with a story worth telling. From powerhouse programs to first‑time qualifiers, this year’s field of 16 brings a mix of tradition, grit, and possibility. Here’s a closer look at each team and what they bring to the biggest stage in girls’ high school hockey. 

Class AA Team by Team

Seed #1 – Hill-Murray

• **Defending state champions** 
• Section: 4AA 
• Record: 23-3-1 
• State tournament appearances (prior to 2026): 10 
• Most recent state tournament appearance (prior to 2026): 2025 
• One standout player: Anna Pohl (27 G, 19A) 
• Matchups against tournament teams:
  • Won against Centennial/Spring Lake Park on 1/31, 4-3 
  • Lost to Holy Family on 12/6, 2-3 
  • Won against Holy Family on 1/24, 5-3 
  • Won against Edina on 11/25, 4-3 
  • Won against Bemidji on 1/16, 4-0 
  • Lost to Andover on 12/19, 3-4 
• Why they could win: They just won the tournament last year, so they know what it takes to win, and had another strong season that puts them in good position to repeat. They score a ton of goals (over 5.50/game), give up less than 1.50 goals per game, and their power play is operating at an eye-popping 46.50% on the season. Plus, they’re coached by 2 legends in MN hockey, in John Pohl and Krissy Wendell-Pohl, and the coaches’ daughters are all top contributors on this team. 

Seed #2 – Centennial/Spring Lake Park 

• Section: 5AA 
• Record: 24-3-1 
• State tournament appearances (prior to 2026): 2 
• Most recent state tournament appearance (prior to 2026): 2025 
• One standout player: Alaina Gnetz (30 G, 18 A) *Ms. Hockey finalist 
• Matchups against tournament teams:
  • Lost to Hill-Murray on 1/32, 3-4 
  • Lost to Holy Family on 11/29, 0-2 
  • Lost to Holy Family on 12/20, 2-3 
  • Won against Holy Family on 12/31, 4-3 
  • Won against Holy Family on 1/17, 3-2 
  • Won against Edina on 12/11, 5-1 
  • Won against Edina on 12/30, 6-2 
  • Won against Andover on 12/29, 8-1 
  • Won against Andover on 1/20, 3-1 
  • Won against Farmington on 1/10, 4-1 
• Why they could win: They’ve been one of the top-ranked teams all season, and rightfully so. They score over 5.50 goals per game, give up less than 1.50, and kill penalties at a 90.2% rate. They also have a ton of experience playing against the other teams in the tournament, which means they’re used to playing against top teams. 

Seed #3 – Holy Family

• Section: 2AA 
• Record: 24-3-0 
• State tournament appearances (prior to 2026): 1 
• Most recent state tournament appearance (prior to 2026): 2025 
• Standout players: Maddy Kimbrel (34 G, 18 A) *Ms. Hockey finalist, Katya Sander (9G, 9A) *Ms. Hockey semifinalist, and goalie Kayla Swartout (1.48 GAA, 0.944 save percentage)  *Jori Jones finalist 
• Matchups against tournament teams:
  • Won against Hill-Murray on 12/6, 3-2 
  • Lost to Hill-Murray on 1/24, 3-5 
  • Won against Centennial/SLP on 11/29, 2-0 
  • Won against Centennial/SLP on 12/20, 3-2 
  • Lost to Centennial/SLP on 12/31, 3-4 
  • Lost to Centennial/SLP on 1/17, 2-3 
  • Won against Edina on 11/13, 3-2 
  • Won against Bemidji on 12/12, 4-2 
• Why they could win: They give up an average of less than 1.5 goals per game, their power play is operating at 33.3% for the season, and their penalty kill is operating at 88.2% for the season. Plus, they average over 4.50 goals scored per game. They have been one of the top-ranked teams all season, spending most of the season ranked as #1. They did falter with a few losses later in the season, but if they learned from those losses, it could only make them stronger coming into the state tournament. 

Seed #4 – Edina

• Section: 6AA 
• Record: 20-4-3 
• State tournament appearances (prior to 2026): 15 
• Most recent state tournament appearance (prior to 2026): 2025 
• One standout player: Lorelai Nelson (20 G, 18 A) *Ms. Hockey finalist 
• Matchups against tournament teams:
  • Lost to Hill-Murray on 11/25, 3-4 
  • Lost to Centennial/SLP on 12/11, 1-5 
  • Lost to Centennial/SLP on 12/30, 2-6 
  • Lost to Holy Family on 11/13, 2-3 
  • Won against Andover on 12/23, 3-2 
  • Won against Farmington on 11/22, 6-2 
• Why they could win: They score over 4 goals per game and give up an average of about 1.50 goals per game, plus their power play is operating at 27.6% and their penalty kill at 88.4%. 

Seed #5 – Bemidji

• Section: 8AA 
• Record: 20-5-1 
• State tournament appearances (prior to 2026): 2 
• Most recent state tournament appearance (prior to 2026): 2007 
• One standout player: Bailey Rupp (42 G, 19 A) 
• Matchups against tournament teams:
  • Lost to Hill-Murray on 1/16, 0-4 
  • Lost to Holy Family on 12/12, 2-4 
• Why they could win: This team sure looks strong on paper, even if they weren’t ranked the highest. They’re strong in average goals scored per game (4.36), average goals allowed per game (1.64), power play (34.5%), and penalty kill (92.2%). They also have one of the highest scoring players of the season in Bailey Rupp. If they can keep playing the way they have throughout the season while under the pressure of the state tournament, they could do something special. 

Seed #6 – Andover

• Section: 7AA 
• Record: 17-10-1 
• State tournament appearances (prior to 2026): 8 
• Most recent state tournament appearance (prior to 2026): 2025 
• One standout player: goalie Clairebella Hills (2.01 GAA, 0.919 save percentage)
• Matchups against tournament teams:
  • Won against Hill-Murray on 12/19, 4-3 
  • Lost to Centennial/SLP on 12/29, 1-8 
  • Lost to Centennial/SLP on 1/20, 1-3 
  • Lost to Edina on 12/23, 2-3 
• Why they could win: They give up an average of less than 2 goals per game, and their penalty kill operates at an impressive 90.5%. They might not score a ton of goals, but they are unlikely to give up a ton of goals either. 

Seed #7 – Farmington

• Section: 1AA 
• Record: 22-4-1 
• State tournament appearances (prior to 2026): 7 
• Most recent state tournament appearance (prior to 2026): 2025 
• One standout player: Jenna Goblirsch (23 G, 27 A), goalie Makenna Underwood (1.71 GAA, 0.922 save percentage)  *Jori Jones finalist 
• Matchups against tournament teams:
  • Lost to Centennial/SLP on 1/10, 1-4 
  • Lost to Edina on 11/22, 2-6 
  • Won against Lakeville North on 12/9, 4-1 
  • Won against Lakeville North on 1/23, 3-1 
• Why they could win: both their power play (33.8%) and penalty kill (89.3%) numbers are strong, and they average scoring over 4 goals/game.  

Seed #8 – Lakeville North

• Section: 3AA 
• Record: 17-9-2 
• State tournament appearances (prior to 2026): 5 
• Most recent state tournament appearance (prior to 2026): 2023 
• One standout player: goalie Bethany Bigalke (1.65 GAA, 0.921 save percentage)
• Matchups against tournament teams:
  • Lost to Farmington on 12/9, 1-4 
  • Lost to Farmington on 1/23, 1-3 
• Why they could win: They are fairly strong on both the power play (24.7%) and penalty kill (82.9%), and they give up an average of less than 2 goals per game. 

Class A Team by Team

Seed #1 – Warroad

• Section: 8A 
• Record: 21-5-1 
• State tournament appearances (prior to 2026): 16 
• Most recent state tournament appearance (prior to 2026): 2025 (runner up) 
• One standout player: goalie Payton Rolli (1.31 GAA, 0.932 save percentage) *Jori Jones finalist 
• Matchups against tournament teams:
  • Won against Breck on 12/6, 3-1 
  • Won against Proctor/Hermantown on 11/7, 4-1 
  • Won against St. Cloud on 12/19, 7-2 
• Why they could win: They haven’t lost to a class A team all season, and all of the losses they have were to top-ranked class AA teams. They look strong in every area: average goals scored per game (4.58), average goals against per game (1.38), power play (29.6%), and penalty kill (86.2%). They are battle tested, and strong overall. 

Seed #2 – Breck

• Section: 5A 
• Record: 25-1-1 
• State tournament appearances (prior to 2026): 8 
• Most recent state tournament appearance (prior to 2026): 2020 
• One standout player: goalie Clara Milinkovich (0.75 GAA, 0.967 save percentage) *Jori Jones finalist 
• Matchups against tournament teams:
  • Lost to Warroad on 12/6, 1-3 
  • Won against Blake on 11/11, 4-2 
  • Won against Blake on 12/31, 4-0 
  • Won against Blake on 1/10, 2-0 
  • Tied Dodge County on 12/30, 1-1 
  • Won against Dodge County on 1/31, 2-0 
  • Won against Proctor/Hermantown on 1/17, 5-1 
• Why they could win: Their record speaks for itself. They’re also killing penalties at a 89.7% clip, giving up under 1 goal per game, and scoring plenty of goals themselves. There’s a lot to like about this team and what they could do in the state tournament. 

Seed #3 – Blake

• Section: 4A 
• Record: 21-6-0 
• State tournament appearances (prior to 2026): 10 
• Most recent state tournament appearance (prior to 2026): 2017 
• One standout player: goalie Janie McGawn (1.26 GAA, 0.950 save percentage) 
• Matchups against tournament teams:
  • Lost to Breck on 11/11, 2-4 
  • Lost to Breck on 12/31, 0-4 
  • Lost to Breck on 1/10, 0-2 
• Why they could win: They score on average 2 more goals than they give up each game, and they kill penalties at an eye-popping 95.70% rate. Their losses have all been to some of the top A and AA teams in the state, and most of the losses were by 1 or 2 goals, so they know how to compete with the top teams. 

Seed #4 – Dodge County

• **Defending state champions** 
• Section: 1A 
• Record: 19-6-1 
• State tournament appearances (prior to 2026): 2 
• Most recent state tournament appearance (prior to 2026): 2025  
• Standout players: Maysie Koch (21 G, 29 A) and goalie Faith Humphrey (1.48 GG, 0.908 save percentage) 
• Matchups against tournament teams:
  • Tied Breck on 12/30, 1-1 
  • Lost to Breck on 1/31, 0-2 
  • Won against Blake on 11/25, 3-1 
  • Lost to Proctor/Hermantown on 12/20, 1-5 
• Why they could win: As defending state champions, they know what it takes to win it all. In addition, basically all of their team numbers are impressive: average goals scored per game (4.12), average goals given up per game (1.65), power play (30.6%), and penalty kill (87.3). It’s not at all a given that they will win back to back state titles, but they definitely have the tools to come out on top once again. 

Seed #5 – Proctor/Hermantown

• Section: 7A 
• Record: 18-6-2 
• State tournament appearances (prior to 2026): 9 
• Most recent state tournament appearance (prior to 2026): 2025 
• One standout player:  Mya Gunderson (20 G, 15 A)
• Matchups against tournament teams:
  • Lost to Warroad on 11/7, 1-4 
  • Lost to Breck on 1/17, 1-5 
  • Won against Dodge County on 12/20, 5-1 
• Why they could win: They score over 4 goals per game on average, and give up less than 2 goals per game on average. This is a hockey program who has been to the tournament a lot, so they won’t be intimidated by the moment. 

Seed #6 – Mankato East

• Section: 2A 
• Record: 23-2-1 
• State tournament appearances (prior to 2026): 2 
• Most recent state tournament appearance (prior to 2026): 2023 
• Standout players: Laina Peterson (35 G, 22 A) and Ella Fugazzi (27 G, 27 A). Goalie Ilamay Draheim has also impressed (1.05 GAA, 0.936 save percentage) 
• Matchups against tournament teams:
  • Won against Luverne on 1/3, 3-1 
• Why they could win: They score more goals than anyone else in the tournament (averaging a whopping 6.54 goals per game), give up just over one goal (1.19), and their power play is clicking at 34.7%. They have proven they know how to score goals and win games. 

Seed #7 – St. Cloud

• Section: 6A 
• Record: 18-9-0 
• Standout players: Reese Ruska (22 G, 19A) and goalie Jordan Bovy (1.66 GAA, 0.945 save percentage) 
• Matchups against tournament teams:
  • Lost to Warroad on 12/19, 2-7 
• Why they could win: While they have one of the higher loss totals of any team in the tournament, they lost to some good teams, so if they learned and improved from those games, they could surprise some teams. 

Seed #8 – Luverne

• Section: 3A 
• Record: 19-9-0 
• State tournament appearances (prior to 2026): 6 
• Most recent state tournament appearance (prior to 2026): 2024 
• One standout player: Ellie Van Batavia (42 G, 25 A) 
• Matchups against tournament teams:
  • Lost to Mankato East on 1/3, 1-3 
• Why they could win: They score a lot of goals, averaging 5.78 per game, and give up an average under 2 goals per game. It doesn’t hurt to have a player approaching 70 points on the season, and another 2 players above 40 points this season. 

Closing Thoughts

The beauty of the state tournament is that anything can happen — and often does. Whether you’re cheering for a favorite, rooting for an underdog, or simply soaking in the atmosphere, this week captures everything that makes Minnesota girls’ hockey special. Here’s to unforgettable games, breakout performances, and a championship run none of these players will ever forget.