2023 Ms. Hockey Semifinalists

[Eagles93]

Rylee Bartz – Warroad
Ella Boerger – Andover
Isa Goettl – Andover
Ellah Hause – Hill-Murray
Josie Hemp – Minnetonka
Suzy Higuchi – Blake
Ava Lindsay – Minnetonka
Lauren O’Hara – Centennial/Spring Lake Park
Stella Retrum – Maple Grove
Kamryn Van Batavia – Luverne

https://www.stateofhockey.com/news_article/show/1259601

[jg2112]

Rylee Bartz – Warroad
Ella Boerger – Andover
Isa Goettl – Andover
Ellah Hause – Hill-Murray
Josie Hemp – Minnetonka
Suzy Higuchi – Blake
Ava Lindsay – Minnetonka
Lauren O’Hara – Centennial/Spring Lake Park
Stella Retrum – Maple Grove
Kamryn Van Batavia – Luverne

https://www.stateofhockey.com/news_article/show/1259601

I'm sorry. This list doesn't look right without at least one Gentry player.

I also hope Moran and Tuccitto were considered for their excellent senior seasons.

[girlshockey4ever]

Let this be a lesson....don't fill your AA schedule with the likes of.....wait for it.....

Sartell
St. Cloud
Hudson
Alex
Chisago Lakes
Moose Lake
Redwing
Hastings
Crookston
Fort Francais
Fort Francais

I'm sorry. This is an embarrassing schedule for a team of that caliber. All points their players scored are wildly inflated due to this. Not saying they are not good players, but c'mon. Fort Francais....twice????? I'll take less points against a real schedule any day.

[Slap Shot]

Is our new national nightmare now over?

[Timber545]

Let this be a lesson....don't fill your AA schedule with the likes of.....wait for it.....

Sartell
St. Cloud
Hudson
Alex
Chisago Lakes
Moose Lake
Redwing
Hastings
Crookston
Fort Francais
Fort Francais

I'm sorry. This is an embarrassing schedule for a team of that caliber. All points their players scored are wildly inflated due to this. Not saying they are not good players, but c'mon. Fort Francais....twice????? I'll take less points against a real schedule any day.

Just curious if you honestly think that this is the schedule Gentry wanted? I know of 3 current top teams that refused to schedule them (despite having availability), and it's been mentioned on more than one youth hockey hub podcast, that many schools just refuse to play them. I don't get it, but if I'm a coach of a good team, I want to play the best teams possible to prepare for sections and hopefully state. Regular season wins/losses mean absolutely nothing.

[girlshockey4ever]

First, I can't speak to those teams not scheduling them. I'd assume it's not what they want....but it is what they have. Second, I totally disagree with you about regular season not mattering. Ask Edina the cost of losing 1 game to Blake. Now they have to get through BSM instead of Armstrong Cooper. Big difference. I see your underlying point. But the schedule is what it is. The reason those kids aren't on this list is because of their schedule (my guess)

[MNHockeyFan]

Now they have to get through BSM instead of Armstrong Cooper. Big difference. I see your underlying point.

Speaking of BSM, when is the last time they played someone other than Edina in the 6AA final?

[jg2112]

First, I can't speak to those teams not scheduling them. I'd assume it's not what they want....but it is what they have. Second, I totally disagree with you about regular season not mattering. Ask Edina the cost of losing 1 game to Blake. Now they have to get through BSM instead of Armstrong Cooper. Big difference. I see your underlying point. But the schedule is what it is. The reason those kids aren't on this list is because of their schedule (my guess)

I disagree. They aren't on the list for the same reason a number of top schools refuse to schedule them.

If "strength of schedule" is a basis to discount a player's Ms. Hockey candidacy, your suggestion is hampered by the fact that Gentry played a far stronger schedule than Luverne this year.

[girlshockey4ever]

Correct. Gentry schedule is way tougher. Then I guess the only plausible explanation is that the people behind the selection process must realize that Gentry isn't a traditional high school and they are bias because of it. High School league records show Gentry only has 93 students enrolled.

[elliott70]

Let this be a lesson....don't fill your AA schedule with the likes of.....wait for it.....

Sartell
St. Cloud
Hudson
Alex
Chisago Lakes
Moose Lake
Redwing
Hastings
Crookston
Fort Francais
Fort Francais

I'm sorry. This is an embarrassing schedule for a team of that caliber. All points their players scored are wildly inflated due to this. Not saying they are not good players, but c'mon. Fort Francais....twice????? I'll take less points against a real schedule any day.

Frances

[Green and White Fan]

It is interesting that the girl playing for Warroad scored the game winner in OT to win the North Dakota state championship last year and may well win a Minnesota state championship this year? I bet that doesn't happen often.. Hmmmm?

[jg2112]

Let this be a lesson....don't fill your AA schedule with the likes of.....wait for it.....

Sartell
St. Cloud
Hudson
Alex
Chisago Lakes
Moose Lake
Redwing
Hastings
Crookston
Fort Francais
Fort Francais

I'm sorry. This is an embarrassing schedule for a team of that caliber. All points their players scored are wildly inflated due to this. Not saying they are not good players, but c'mon. Fort Francais....twice????? I'll take less points against a real schedule any day.

Frances

I feel for the kids and family from Ft. Frances. Travel 9 hours round trip to the Twin Cities. Pay for car / bus travel and hotels / meals costing thousands of dollars. Play a team that scores more goals (26) in 2 games than your team gets SOG (16). What exactly was the point of playing those games from their point of view?

Put this on the MSHSL. They could do something about this. There are alternatives to booking Canadian and Wisconsin teams. Obviously the last weekend of the season is tough for the 9 independent teams in MN because they aren't locked into conference matchups. The League should move the independents into a scheduling compact or agreement so they can ensure state-based competition.

[Sparlimb]

If the enrollment truly is 90ish kids, I wonder whether Gentry has a long term future. They'd have been better to go the SSM route and play nationally and not worry about the MSHSL.

[girlshockey4ever]

"The League should move the independents into a scheduling compact or agreement so they can ensure state-based competition."

Two things will prevent this. First, Conferences will never go for this. In the SSC teams only get 7 non conference games. 18 conference games. The SSC member schools would say that being forced to play independent teams takes away their autonomy to set up their own schedule. Second, The high school league grants a tremendous amount of power to member schools and conferences. They wouldn't mandate this. So what we get is independent schools having to play these schedules. In the case of Gentry, as mentioned, nobody good wants to play them.

[elliott70]

Let this be a lesson....don't fill your AA schedule with the likes of.....wait for it.....

Sartell
St. Cloud
Hudson
Alex
Chisago Lakes
Moose Lake
Redwing
Hastings
Crookston
Fort Francais
Fort Francais

I'm sorry. This is an embarrassing schedule for a team of that caliber. All points their players scored are wildly inflated due to this. Not saying they are not good players, but c'mon. Fort Francais....twice????? I'll take less points against a real schedule any day.

Frances

I feel for the kids and family from Ft. Frances. Travel 9 hours round trip to the Twin Cities. Pay for car / bus travel and hotels / meals costing thousands of dollars. Play a team that scores more goals (26) in 2 games than your team gets SOG (16). What exactly was the point of playing those games from their point of view?

Put this on the MSHSL. They could do something about this. There are alternatives to booking Canadian and Wisconsin teams. Obviously the last weekend of the season is tough for the 9 independent teams in MN because they aren't locked into conference matchups. The League should move the independents into a scheduling compact or agreement so they can ensure state-based competition.

To Minneapolis its 4 and a half five hours to thunder Bay about 4 hours and a minute or two.
Their boys team play a lot of northern MN and farther schools.
But not as many girls' teams around so a big trip is worthy it for all of them. (They get to see part of the world that they may be living in at some point). And their team was down a bit this year from the norm.

[jg2112]

"The League should move the independents into a scheduling compact or agreement so they can ensure state-based competition."

Two things will prevent this. First, Conferences will never go for this. In the SSC teams only get 7 non conference games. 18 conference games. The SSC member schools would say that being forced to play independent teams takes away their autonomy to set up their own schedule. Second, The high school league grants a tremendous amount of power to member schools and conferences. They wouldn't mandate this. So what we get is independent schools having to play these schedules. In the case of Gentry, as mentioned, nobody good wants to play them.

My hypothetical "compact" would only be to bind the independents, to ensure they have competition on weekends where conference-bound teams will likely be unavailable (the last weekend of the regular season, for example).

[bodyup88]

Here's a great scheduling idea: let's have the MSHSL mandate that every hockey team that built their school in the parking lot of a hockey arena and has
5 hours of WIN time per week to skate MUST play Gentry so their precious schedule is filled up.

[jg2112]

In the future, the High School League should probably wait until the final 20% of the season is complete before announcing the Ms. Hockey Top 10. It'll be high comedy next weekend listening to the Channel 45 folks try to explain away why Sajevic and at least one Gazdik isn't on the list.

Sajevic in particular. 3 years, 7 section games. 7-0 record. 16 goals, 8 assists. 7 goals in Section finals against Deering and Ramirez, Franco and Hause, and then Hause.

[bodyup88]

It's not the High School League that sponsors the award but point well taken. What a haul the University of St. Thomas has with this 2023 class of Sajevic, Boerger, Brown, Bartz, Hause and others. Will be very interesting to follow the Tommies the next few years.

[Slap Shot]

In the future, the High School League should probably wait until the final 20% of the season is complete before announcing the Ms. Hockey Top 10.

They announced the list on Feb 10th when less than 20% of the season remained for the majority of teams at that point, and how many seasonal awards in any sport/any league anywhere are given while including some/all of that sport's post-season results?

[jg2112]

In the future, the High School League should probably wait until the final 20% of the season is complete before announcing the Ms. Hockey Top 10.

They announced the list on Feb 10th when less than 20% of the season remained for the majority of teams at that point, and how many seasonal awards in any sport/any league anywhere are given while including some/all of that sport's post-season results?

Well, let's see. The Cy Young, Golden Glove and MVP awards in baseball are after the World Series.
Most NFL awards are handed out the day before the Super Bowl.
NHL awards handed out during the playoffs.
Heisman Trophy after the regular season.

You might recall the hilarity of Michael Jordan not being awarded the MVP in some seasons in the 90s, and him taking out on those who got the award during the playoffs (Karl Malone and Charles Barkley).

More pertinent to the issue, however. Weren't the five finalists supposed to be announced yesterday?

https://www.stateofhockey.com/news_article/show/1259601

Anyone see that announcement? Did I miss it?

[jg2112]

The final 5 are announced. What did their teams do in the 9 days between the Top 10 and Top 5 announcements?

Boerger - 17 points in 3 Section games. A worthy choice.
Hause - won 2 section games, lost to Gentry again.
Higuchi - 3 assists against Armstrong, shut out by Edina.
O'Hara - Through to State.
Van Batavia - 7 goals in 3 Section games.

Quite the surprise that Ava Lindsay (and if this is a senior award, Rylee Bartz) did not make it through to the top 5.

[Eagles93]

In the future, the High School League should probably wait until the final 20% of the season is complete before announcing the Ms. Hockey Top 10.

Are you saying they should wait until after the state tourney? No sport does that, including MLB, NHL, NFL, etc. - ballots for season awards like MVP, Cy Young, etc. are submitted before playoffs. They may announce them at a later date but they don't factor playoffs in the voting.

I am also very surprised Lindsay wasn't a finalist. Given who is in the final 5, I think Van Batavia is going to get it. Not saying she does or doesn't deserve it, just my prediction.

[skatez]

Zero transfers in the final group. Maybe that has something to do with it.

[Slap Shot]

In the future, the High School League should probably wait until the final 20% of the season is complete before announcing the Ms. Hockey Top 10.

They announced the list on Feb 10th when less than 20% of the season remained for the majority of teams at that point, and how many seasonal awards in any sport/any league anywhere are given while including some/all of that sport's post-season results?

Well, let's see. The Cy Young, Golden Glove and MVP awards in baseball are after the World Series.
Most NFL awards are handed out the day before the Super Bowl.
NHL awards handed out during the playoffs.
Heisman Trophy after the regular season.

It's not a matter of when they're awarded - it's a matter of which awards are voted upon that take post-season results into consideration.