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.

The post 2018 Girls Class A QF Gallery appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Taylor Heise makes the most of shot at redemption in  3-2 Red Wing win

SAINT PAUL – All Taylor Heise wanted was another chance. Her Red Wing teammates are thankful she got it.

The freshman forward who missed an open net early in the third period, bounced back to score the game winner with 52.4 seconds remaining in the Wingers’ 3-2 Class 1A girls’ third-place win over South St. Paul on Saturday morning at Xcel Energy Center.

After watching her redirect of a 2-on-1 pass from teammate Reagan Haley sail over the crossbar the Wingers up 2-0 to start the final period, Heise wasn’t about to let the opportunity get away when the identical situation presented itself in the final minute.

“When I missed that [first one] I was really mad,” Heise admitted. “But when we came back I said I wasn’t going to miss the second one.”

Heise scored twice, with Haley assisting on each, after Kayla Oberding opened the scoring at 9:50 into the game. The win gives Red Wing and coach Scott Haley a third straight, and fourth overall, Class 1A third-place trophy.

“We are the master of the third-place game,” coach Haley said. “That’s a three-peat.”

Before Heise’s misfire, Red Wing nearly extended its lead to 3-0 with half a minute to play in the second but was thwarted by the brilliant effort of South St. Paul goalie Sydney Conley.

With Red Wing’s Maddy Hardyman racing into the Packers’ zone all alone, Conley opted to charge at the Winger’s junior forward, knocking the puck away with a diving poke check above the hash marks. Conley then quickly recovered to deny Haley, a Minnesota-Duluth recruit, with a terrific toe save.

In the ensuing mayhem Conley pulled down a Red Wing player to earn herself a tripping penalty to complete an eventful 20-second sequence. Conley said her decision to challenge Hardyman the way she did was a matter of her instincts taking over.

“It was kind of just an adrenaline rush,” Conley said. “I was just, ‘I might as well do something and not let her have a chance,’ and it worked my way.”

“It was as great a goaltending display that I’ve ever seen, I think,” South St. Paul coach Dave Palmquist said. “I mean, it was point-blank robbing them, stealing goals from them.

“We kind of motivated the team by saying, ‘Look at what your senior goaltender is willing to do for you guys, you guys gotta pick it up,” and in the third period we played really well and were right there, it just didn’t go our way today.”

The Packers indeed came back in the third to tie the game on goals by AJ Deering and Taylor Cashman 3:03 apart past the period’s halfway mark making Heise’s heroics necessary.

“To get the two goals to tie it up, that was a great effort, gutty effort,” Palmquist said. “Except for the end result, I’m really happy with the way we played today and, obviously our goaltender was again outstanding.”

The post Wingers clip Packers for 3rd appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Freshman breaks scoreless tie sparking Blake over Red Wing

[ Box Score ] | [ Game Sheet ]

SAINT PAUL – For almost two periods, the Blake Bears couldn’t figure out Red Wing goaltender Ashley Corcoran.

From making glove saves to stopping second and third rebounds, Corcoran stifled the Blake offensive attack. The Bears continued to pepper her with shots, but they couldn’t figure out the Winger puzzle named Ashley Corcoran.

But with 1:07 left in the second period, center Sarah Chute solved the complex puzzle.

Chute took the puck down the ice and buried the puck just over Corcoran’s left pad, giving the Bears a 1-0 lead heading into the second intermission.

After Chute figured out Corcoran, her teammates followed suit. The No. 2 seeded Blake Bears scored two more goals to defeat Red Wing 3-0 in the Class 1A girls’ state hockey semifinal.

Coach Shawn Reid and the Blake Bears look forward to playing for a third consecutive Class 1A girls’ state title on Saturday. (MH Photo / Tim Kolehmainen)

The Bears now move on to the Class 1A state championship game where they will face the winner of Thief River Falls and South St. Paul Saturday afternoon at the Xcel Energy Center.

While she is only a freshman on a team with talented seniors, Chute brought it upon herself to be the player who began the scoring run.

“Someone had to do it, so it was great to get momentum for our team,” Chute said.

Even though Corcoran gave up three goals, her performance on the back end of the Red Wing defense kept her team in the game with the reigning state champion Blake Bears. Her 44 saves on the day after a shutout on Wednesday doesn’t surprise her head coach Scott Haley because he knows the work Corcoran puts in.

“She’s probably the hardest working player on our team,” Haley said. “She is on the ice first and she is on the ice after [the team leaves]. The amount of time and effort she has put in to become a better goaltender is incredible.”

Despite the strong goaltending from Corcoran, senior forward Jordan Chancellor later scored two goals in the third period. But Chancellor said it was Chute’s goal that ultimately sent the Bears back to the state championship where they will look to win their third straight.

“It was really important to get that momentum going into the third period after Chute scored and that carried us through the game,” Chancellor said. “You get the first one and it was really good for our team to be able to capitalize on that and take the game into our own hands.”

The post Bears Chute back to title game appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

SAINT PAUL—Defending state champion The Blake School of Minneapolis will defend their title on Saturday after fighting off a strong challenge from a determined Red Wing Wingers team.  Blake once again broke the hearts of the Wingers with a 5-4 double overtime win.  Blake continues to have Red Wings number, with the Wingers closer than ever, having several great opportunities to finally beat their nemesis before bowing in overtime.  Blake  defeated Red Wing last year in the semi finals before defeating the top seed Warroad by a 7-2 margin to capture the 2013 title.

Blake started out with a quick goal two minutes and fourteen seconds into the game as Sylvie Wallin was able to find the back of the net.  Red Wing, With a chance to dethrone the champs,came right back, led by their 100 point Senior Nicole Schammel.  Schammel entered the tournament with 58 goals and 100 points and a school record of 266 goals and 446 total points.   With one game to go, Schammel leads all scorers in the state tournament, adding another 5 goals and 4 assists heading into the third place game tomorrow against St. Pual United.

Schammel would even the score at the 6:48 mark tying the game as Red Wing took control of the play out shooting Blake by a twelve to seven margin after one period.   Red Wing’s Taylor Heise would give the Wingers their only lead in the game early in the 2nd period scoring just 1:04 into the period.  The Bears then would score 3 unanswered goals with Sara Chute, Alex Lovaas and Carly Bullock scoring to give them a 4-2 lead.  Red Wing would cut the lead in half with a goal at the 13:52 mark as Emily Stegora would twinkle the twine beating Bears goalie Anna Kruessel.

With less than five minutes to play, Red Wing would cash in as the dominant Schammel would tie the score setting up  the game for extended time with overtime.  Both teams played hard in the first extra session with the Bears having a slight edge, outshooting the Wingers 6-3 in the first overtime.   The snake bitten Wingers, who have yet to beat Blake in five tries in state tournament games would get bit again, as the Bears leading scorer, Sophomore Carly Bullock ended the game with her fourth goal of the tournament.  Bullock would score for the 49th time this season, bring her team to the title game against first time entrant East Grand Forks.

The title match between the Blake School of Minneapolis and East Grand Forks has the defending state champion Bears playing against the tournaments top seed in the Green Wave.  Blake enters the game having played in four other state title games, winning all four, while East Grand Forks is a first time qualifier.  East Grand Forks defeated powers Warroad and the top rated team in the state Thief River Falls to qualify for the tournament and is battle tested setting up a solid title match.

The post Bears clip Wingers in Overtime appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Featured Image:
New Ulm’s Erika Ries (10) and Sam Guggisberg (11) converge on Red Wing’s Hailee Johnson in the Wingers’ 7-2 quarterfinal victory over the Eagles.
(MHM Photo / Jeff Wegge)

The second quarterfinal of the girls Class A state high school hockey championship pitted the #3 seed Red Wing Wingers and New Ulm Eagles.  The Wingers rode the crest of senior Nicole Schammel’s natural hat trick in the first period and cruised to a 7-2 quarterfinal round victory over the Eagles.

Schammel, a Ms. Hockey finalist, added to her impressive totals as the senior as she finished with three goals and three asists for the game giving her 61 on the season.  The Wingers led 5-0 after one and 7-0 after two periods and never looked back.

Schammel’s offensive effort on Wednesday afternoon lifted her totals to (269g-186a-455pts) for her incredibly productive high school career.  Along with senior Emily Stegora, who had (2g-1a-3pts) on the game, the duo signed national letters of intent to attend Minnesota State Mankato to play Division I women’s college hockey.

The Eagles notched a pair of goals, both by one in the second period b Brittany Denn at 5:08 and then scored the game’s final goal at 8:51 of the third period.  The goals were the 34th and 35th of the season for Denn.

The Wingers (23-6-0) finished third in the 2013 State Tournament last season and are looking to improve on that standing this season.  If the performance against the Eagles was any indication, the Wingers will give the defending state champion Blake Bears all they can handle and the semifinal which is a rematch from earlier in the year that the Bears won 5-2.  It also is a rematch of last year’s semifinal game that Blake captured by a 6-3 score.  The two teams  face off on Friday for the first semifinal at 11am.

This season marks the fifth appearance for the Wingers and fourth in the last five years. The Eagles (18-8-0) are in the midst of their sixth State Tournament appearance and fell out of last season’s tournament after a consolation round loss. The will look to keep the season alive with a win against the Alexandria Cardinals at Ritter Arena at 10am Thursday morning.

The post Schammel-Wingers handle Eagles appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.