Minnesota high school girls hockey state tournament: Meet the top players

The 2024 Minnesota (MSHSL) high school girls hockey state tournament begins on Wednesday, February 21 at the Xcel Energy Center.

Here is one player from each team who has had a stellar season and helped their team reach the state tournament.

MINNESOTA HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS HOCKEY PLAYOFF BRACKETS

Hill-Murray senior Grace Zhan has been one of the top goaltenders throughout her career. Photo by Jon Namyst

Stay with SBLive Minnesota for full coverage of the state tournament including previews, brackets, game recaps and live score updates throughout the week.

Class 2A players to watch

Ayla Puppe, Northfield

Senior, forward

Northfield is the No. 5 seed in the Class 2A tournament, and Puppe is a large reason why. She’s amassed an impressive 110 points this season (61 goals, 49 assists). She scored 21 points on the power play this season, and this gives Northfield a chance in any game. Puppe is committed to the University of Minnesota.

Hannah Halverson, Edina

Senior, forward

A 50-point scorer, Halverson was fantastic at assisting her teammates this season. She had 24 assists this season, and twice she had three assists in a game. She finished with 26 goals this season, too. She is committed to the University of Wisconsin.

Lindzi Avar, Minnetonka

Senior, forward

A Ms. Hockey finalist, Avar had 22 goals and 30 assists this season. Avar had five games where she recorded over four points in a game. She helped lead Minnetonka to the No. 1 seed in the tournament.

Dani Storm, Maple Grove

Senior, goaltender

Storm and the Crimson will play No. 1-seed Minnetonka in the first round, so she’ll have to be at her best for the Crimson to pull the upset. But she has been stellar this season. She finished with a .942 save percentage and a 1.38 goals against average. She also had eight shutouts. Storm is committed to the University of St. Thomas.

Mackenzie Jones, Andover

Junior, defense

Jones is a defender who led the team in goals and assists. Jones had 27 assists and 17 goals this season for the No. 3 seed. She’s a key part in Andover holding opponents to 1.14 goals per game.

Annalee Holzer, Rosemount

Junior, forward

Holzer led Rosemount in points this season with 40. She scored 24 goals, and she had 16 assists. She scored three goals in the section tournament to lead the Irish to the state tournament.

Grace Zhan, Hill-Murray

Senior, goaltender

Zhan has been a top goaltender throughout her career, and she’s had a fantastic senior season. She has a .947 save percentage and a 1.34 goals against average. She’s a finalist for the Jori Jones Award.

Jasmine Hovda, Roseau

Sophomore, forward

One of the top underclassmen in the state, Hovda led the Rams in goals and assists this season. She scored 23 goals, and she assisted her teammates 36 times this season. She and the Rams will have their work cut out for them against Hill-Murray, a team they lost to 8-2 on December 28. Hovda had an assist in that game.

Class 1A players to watch

Jaylie French, Warroad

Freshman, forward

French leads the defending Class 1A state champion Warriors as a freshman. She led the team with 44 points (20 goals, 24 assists) this season. The No. 1-seed Warriors face Proctor/Hermantown in the first round, and French scored a goal against them in their 2-1 win back on November 10.

Izy Fairchild, Proctor/Hermantown

Senior, forward

Fairchild was the clear goal-scoring threat for Proctor/Hermantown. She has 24 goals to lead the team, and she’s tied for the team lead in assists with 20. She scored a goal the last time they faced Warroad.

Bella LaMere, Holy Angels

Senior, forward

The St. Olaf commit scored 22 goals this season for the Stars. She also had 11 assists this season. LaMere has scored a goal in three straight games entering the tournament.

Ellie Van Batavia, Luverne

Eighth grade, forward

Van Batavia is an eighth grader who leads the team in points this season. She has 28 goals and 16 assists this season, and she has had four hat-tricks this season.

Nora Carstensen, Dodge County

Junior, forward

Dodge County has amassed an impressive 5.64 goals per game this season, and Carstensen led the way with 31 goals this season. She also added 22 assists this season for an average of 2.12 points per game.

Ana Jyrkas, Fergus Falls

Senior, goaltender

Jyrkas had two shutouts in the section tournament to reach the state championship. It caps off her strong year where she held opponents to 1.67 goals per game. She had a .916 save percentage.

Zoe Lopez, Orono

Junior, forward

Lopez is committed to Minnesota State – Mankato, and she showed why this season. She was prolific in both setting up her teammates and scoring herself. She finished with 23 goals and 20 assists this season.

Erin Eilers, Willmar

Junior, goaltender

Eilers had a fantastic .933 save percentage this season, and she allowed only 1.44 goals against this season. She had eight shutouts this season.

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– Jack Butler | [email protected] | @Butler917