No, she wasn’t talking about any of her hockey stats as a Minnesota Frost center. She was referring to her connections with the 2025 girls’ high school state hockey tournament champions: Class 2A Hill-Murray and Class 1A Dodge County.

“I did two captain’s practices, and one was with Hill (-Murray) and one was with Dodge County,” Heise said on Sunday afternoon following the Frost’s 2-1 loss to Toronto in St. Paul.

“So, 100% on my part,” Heise quipped.

The Frost returned to Xcel Energy Center on Sunday afternoon for a game against the Toronto Sceptres following a four-game road trip. Crews at the arena had the on-ice and board advertising changed over quickly for the 12:30 p.m. puck drop following the four-day girls’ state hockey tournament. Both Class 1A and Class 2A girls’ championship games were decided in overtime, a first in tourney history.

In Class 1A, top-seeded Dodge County – a co-op of Kasson-Mantorville and Byron in southeastern Minnesota – took a 3-1 lead before three-time defending champ Warroad tied the game with a pair of goals in 21 seconds in the middle of the third period by Vivienne Marcowka. In overtime, it took an official review to determine the puck crossed the goal line to give Dodge County the win. Zoe Heimer scored with 1 minute, 3 seconds left in the first overtime period to secure Dodge County’s first girls’ hockey state championship.

Red Wing’s Taylor Heise’s game-winning shot touches the twine as South St. Paul goalie Sydney Conley helplessly looks on in the Wingers’ 3-2 Class 1A girls’ state third-place game in 2013 at Xcel Energy Center. (MHM Photo / Mackenzie Marinovich)

Heise, a Red Wing graduate from southeastern Minnesota, watched the game online.

“I honestly turned the game off when it was 3-1 with about eight minutes left because I had to go do something,” Heise said. “And I came back and I saw it was 3-3.”

She flipped the game back on and saw the Wildcats earn their title, after getting second place a year ago against the same opponent. The championship was the first for a girls’ hockey program in southern Minnesota.

But Dodge County had to wait a few minutes to celebrate. The teams waited by their benches as officials reviewed the final play. When the official signaled “good goal,” the Wildcats rushed off the bench across the ice toward their ecstatic student section, traditionally tossing their sticks, gloves and helmets along the way.

“I love that for them,” Heise said. “You could see how excited they were. I saw girls crying. I would have cried if I made it there, too. But you could just see the pride in their eyes that they knew they could do it.

“They obviously got stuck in that championship game last year, obviously didn’t make all the way through that they wanted to. But I’m really proud of them. I’m proud of any of the teams that came there. State tournament’s a hard place to play. Playing in a big arena with your whole town watching you, I know the feeling. It’s not easy but really happy for them.”

Close connections to Dodge County hockey
Heise, the 2018 Ms. Hockey winner, played in four state tournaments during her high school career with Red Wing. But she never reached the state championship game. She helped lead the Wingers to three consecutive Class 1A third-place finishes in 2012-14 before finishing as the consolation runner-up in 2018.

Though Heise graduated from Red Wing, she called her connection to Dodge County “southeast Minnesota.” Since basketball was more the sport of choice where she grew up, she remembers playing hockey for Red Wing and going to Dodge County for scrimmages.

She also knows Dodge County coach Jeremy Gunderson and his staff well. Gunderson and her high school coach were friends, so the teams scrimmaged before the regular seasons started. She also gives lessons to Wildcats player Alexa Van Straaten, along with the captain’s practice. During last year’s state tournament, Heise also spoke with the Wildcats before their big game.

“Southern Minnesota pride,” Heise said.

Mercury Bischoff (left), the 2025 Ms. Hockey winner, and the Jori Jones Award recipient, Layla Hemp, watch the Frost game Sunday after receiving their awards at a banquet. (MHM Photo / Heather Rule)

During Sunday’s Frost game, an in-arena announcement and team championship photos shown on the videoboard recognized Dodge County and Hill-Murray. In the Class 2A title game, Hill-Murray upset top-seed and defending champion Edina with a 5-4 win in double overtime.

Next door on Sunday, this year’s Ms. Hockey and Jori Jones Award for goaltender of the year award winners were announced. Mercury Bischoff, a Grand Rapids/Greenway forward who scored 58 goals and 86 points in 28 games this season, won Ms. Hockey, while Minnetonka goaltender Layla Hemp took home the Jori Jones Award. Bischoff is committed to play for Minnesota State next season, while Hemp is off to play for the Minnesota Gophers.

At a TV timeout in the third period, Bischoff and Hemp were acknowledged with an announcement and shown watching the Frost game from a suite. They were wearing their green Minnesota Wild jerseys, traditionally given to the winners of these annual awards. They received a round of applause from the season-high attendance mark of 8,770 fans, and Heise noticed them watching the game, too.

“Even before the game, I thought it would have been a great idea for them to get Frost jerseys,” Heise said. “To be here to see what it could be like for them later in life when they get through college and they get to see what we’re part of. It’s cool.”

The post Heise’s Southern Minnesota Pride appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Baldwin is the first player from Minnetonka to win the Ms. Hockey award and O’Neil is the second Hopkins goalie to win the Outstanding Senior goaltender award.  Kallie Billadeau won the award in 2010 as a member of the Hopkins Royals.

Baldwin is the first blue-liner  to win the award since South St. Paul’s Ashley Albrecht in 2002.  A blend of an offensive and shut-down defenseman, Baldwin is the career leading scorer among defenders at Minnetonka.  She averaged over 30 minutes a game this season and was an anchor as the captain of her team. .  She has been named all-conference three times and is a three-time all-state winner.  She was a member of the US Women’s National Under-18 team that won a sliver medal at the World U18 tournament last year and will be a part of the team again this year when they play in March.

Baldwin will be a member of the University of Minnesota to continue her hockey playing and education.  She carries a 3.45 grade-point-average and is actively involved with volunteer work.

“I have been to this banquet for four years and it’s kind always been a dream to be up there (at the table) but today, it kind of came true and I’m just really grateful for the experience and opportunity,” Baldwin said.  “There’s so many amazing people that are associated with the name and I’m just very grateful.”

Baldwin stormed on to the scene at a young age as a high level player and consistently improved to the level of achieving the highest honor in girls high school hockey.  She was quick to deflect praise and pointed to her teammates and coaches as to how she continued to improve each season.

“It all goes to my teammates and my coaches,” Baldwin stated after the banquet. “I am so lucky to have such amazing coaches at Minnetonka.  They have been so instrumental in my success as a player and so much thanks goes to them and my teammates.”

O’Neil capped off a seasons where a lot of expectations and she met and exceed those.  She posted an 18-5-0 record and had a sharp .948 save percentage to go along with a 1.25 goals against average and seven shutouts.  O’Neil is committed to play her college hockey at Boston University and was a two-time all conference goaltender in the Lake Conference.  She was an honorable all-state selection last year and named to the all-state team this year.

O’Neil talked about the importance and legacy that surrounds the award she just won. “I was looking through the list after I got done and I’ve met only a few of them, but the few that I have met are all unbelievable people,” Oneil said after the banquet.  “They are all great goalies and just great people all around.  Kallie Billadeau is one of the winners from Hopkins and she was kind of my mentor when I was younger so it’s kind of cool to be able to put my name in the same kind of realm as she was.”

When asked about what is common about Hopkins goalies and this award, O’Neil was quick to point to the coaches and her support structure and said, “It all comes down to our coach,” Oneil said. “We have coach P (Vin Paolucci) and he is an unbelievable coach, he’s an unbelievable man.  He really puts us first and he has really made Hopkins what it is today.”

Both players had a memorable season and were able to add to the legacy of Ms. Hockey and the Outstanding Goalie awards that were issued at the River Center before a packed house of over 500 attendees.  Let’s Play Hockey delivered another solid performance as the event continues to grow each year.

Past Ms. Hockey Award Winners:

1996 – Winny Brodt, Roseville
1997 – Annamaire Holmes, Apple Valley
1998 – Laura Slominski, Burnsville
1999 –  Ronda Curtin, Roseville
2000 – Krissy Wendell, Park Center
2001 – Renee Curtin, Roseville
2002 – Ashley Albrecht, South St. Paul
2003 – Andrea Nichols, Hibbing/Chisholm
2004 – Erica McKenzie, Hastings
2005 – Gigi Marvin, Warroad
2006 – Allie Thunstrom North St. Paul
2007 – Katharine Chute, Blake
2008 – Sara Erickson, Bemidji
2009 – Becky Kortum, Hopkins
2010 – Bethany Brausen, Roseville
2011 – Karley Sylvester, Warroad
2012 – Hannah Brandt, Hill-Murray
2013 – Dani Cameranesi, Blake
2014 – Sydney Baldwin, Minnetonka

Past Senior Goalie of the Year Award Winners:

1999 — Katie Beauduy, Blaine
2000 — Shari Vogt, River Lakes
2001 — Jody Horak, Blaine
2002 — Amber Hasbargen, Warroad
2003 — Robin Doepke, Chaska
2004 — Emily Brookshaw, Hill-Murray
2005 — Johanna Ellison, Cloquet/Esko/Carlton
2006 — Alannah McCready, Centennial
2007 — Ashley Nixon, Blaine
2008 — Alyssa Grogan, Eagan
2009 — Laura Bellamy, Duluth
2010 — Kallie Billadeau, Hopkins
2011 — Julie Friend, Minnetonka
2012 — Erika Allen, Roseville
2013 — Sydney Rossman, Minnetonka
2014 — Erin O’Neil, Hopkins

The post Baldwin, O’Neil Caputure Honors appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.