And she scores! After winning against the Centennial Cougars 2-1, the Edina Girls’ Hockey team successfully defended their Class 2A state title on Feb. 25. Their success was due to hard work, endless practices, and “how much the team wanted it… knowing that if we didn’t play our best, we wouldn’t reach our end goal,” senior Aliyah Lance said.

During a power play in the third period, Lance broke the 1-1 tie and scored the game-winning goal. “It was such a thrill being able to put one away early in the third period because we wanted the title so badly,” Lance said. Senior goalie Megan Smith kept Centennial at one goal by blocking many third-period shots.

After graduating many skilled players last year, the team questioned whether they could win state again. The players also felt additional pressure since they won state the previous year. “Because we did win last year, we had a target on our back because we were defending our title,” Lance said.

The team recognized the challenges they’d face in order to win state for the second time. “We remembered how good that [winning state last year] felt, but we also remembered the work it took to get there,” Smith said.

Despite an earlier 3-2 loss to Centennial in December, the top-seeded Edina Girls’ Hockey team won against the Cougars, capturing their second consecutive state tournament title. This season of Girls’ Hockey was very competitive and unpredictable. “It was the most competitive it’s been in awhile which is very true because it was hard to predict who would beat another team in games and we had a lot of close games,” Lance said.

In the end, the team’s grueling practices paid off. In addition to high school season practices, the players would also practice during their offseason and focus on their individual skills in order to bring more to the team come winter. “Hockey is an all-year round sport. You always have something. Summer hockey, spring hockey, fall hockey, you’re always on the ice,” Smith said.

While many great players will be graduating once again, next year’s team hopes to win state for the third consecutive time. “I believe they can do it…I know that our junior class is very strong and will definitely have the leadership they need to lead the underclassmen,” Lance said.