On Saturday February 25, 2017, at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, the Edina girls hockey team won 4-0 against the second-seeded school, Blaine. By doing so, they made EHS history as the first Edina girls hockey team to win the state Class AA championship. The victory brings tremendous celebrations to the Edina community, the players, and the coaches. “It feels amazing to have won the state championship, this was our goal for so long and to finally achieve it with a team that felt like family made it that much better,” said Senior Anna Klein.

Head coach Sami Reber has only been coaching the team for a year, yet she has already accomplished a big victory for the team. Reber was a former Edina girls hockey player, so most likely, there was some extra competitiveness leading into the game and wanting to beat the teams she had once played against. “Our coaches were amazing, they pushed us every day to be the best we could be but had such a great sense of humor and made every practice fun,” said Klein.

As for the players, they all contributed to what is being called the ‘dream team’- a close-knit bond of girls each with unique skill sets, talent, and determination. Without teamwork, this win would have been harder to accomplish. “I think our [the team’s] biggest accomplishment was staying consistent with winning and after losing coming together as a team. We won so many games, also due to our teamwork and the help of our coaches,” said senior Ellie Mahoney. “My favorite part of being a part of my team is that we are all best friends and I’m proud of how well we get together in good and bad moments,” she said.

This unbreakable bond and memorable accomplishment will always have a special place in each player’s heart. As this was both Klein and Mahoney’s last year playing for the team, so it was a bittersweet goodbye to a sport and team they both love; at least they were able to leave knowing they helped make history. “My favorite memory is obviously winning state. But another favorite team memory was going to Grand Rapids. That trip helped us grow closer as a team and also a lot of funny things happened that we will never forget. What I will miss most is playing and spending hours at the rink with my friends,” said Mahoney.