Girls hockey brings the heat in run of spicy match-ups up north

A meeting of defending girls hockey state tournament champions Andover and Warroad on Friday continued a run of great hockey played up north at The Gardens Arena the past few weeks.

Warroad's Rylee Bartz, who leads the state with 80 points, scored two goals. The second brought the host Warriors within a goal of Andover at 3:13 of the third period. The Huskies pulled away for an 8-4 victory on goals from Nora Sauer, Ella Boerger and Cailin Mumm.

Warroad hadn't allowed eight or more goals in a game since the 2019-20 season. The Warriors remain atop the Class 1A heap this week in the Let's Play Hockey coaches poll.

Also last week, Andover coach Melissa Volk enjoyed postgame sheet cake to mark career victory No. 200. She became the third female coach in girls hockey to reach the plateau, following former Wayzata and Maple Grove coach Amber Hegland and current Minnetonka bench boss Tracy Cassano.

Speaking of the Skippers, they dispatched Maple Grove 3-1 on Saturday and outshot the Crimson 41-16. And yet, coaches saw fit to vote Maple Grove sixth, one spot better than last week.

Player of the month for January? Northfield junior forward Ayla Puppe was the figurative twister whipping through nine trailer parks. Puppe, verbally committed to the Gophers, tallied 21 goals and 14 assists in nine games. Put her on the short list of Ms. Hockey Award favorites in 2023-24.

The final week of the regular season features Orono at Holy Family on Thursday, Stillwater at Edina on Friday and Hill-Murray at Maple Grove on Saturday.

By Let's Play Hockey (released Jan. 31)

1. Minnetonka (19-2); 2. Hill-Murray (18-2-1); 3. Andover (19-3); 4. Gentry Academy (18-2); 5. Edina (17-4-1); 6. Maple Grove (16-5-1); 7. Stillwater (18-4); 8. Holy Family (17-5-1); 9. Centennial/Spring Lake Park (16-5-1); 10. Lakeville South (19-4).

11. Benilde-St. Margaret's (13-6-2); 12. Moorhead (15-7); 13. Apple Valley (17-5-1); 14. Lakeville North (16-7); 15. Roseville/Mahtomedi (16-7-1); 16. Northfield (16-6); 17. Grand Rapids/Greenway (13-11); 18. North Wright County (10-10-1); 19. Rogers (12-9-1); 20. Blake (11-11).

1. Warroad (20-3-1); 2. Holy Angels (19-3-1); 3. Proctor/Hermantown (16-6-2); 4. Simley (19-4-1); 5. Orono (15-3-4); 6. South St. Paul (19-5-1); 7. Fergus Falls (18-4-1); 8. Mound Westonka/Southwest Christian (16-7-0); 9. Luverne (16-6-0); 10. Duluth Marshall (16-6-1).

11. Crookston (15-5-2); 12. Dodge County (14-7-1); 13. Mankato East (15-6-0); 14. Albert Lea (14-7-1); 15. Rock Ridge (13-10-0); 16. Delano/Rockford (11-8-1); 17. Litchfield-Dassel/Cokato (10-9-3); 18. New Ulm (15-8-1); 19. Willmar (12-8-11); 20. Moose Lake Area (11-9-2).