Class of 2025 produces talented group of goaltenders

Winner to be announced Feb. 23 at Ms. Hockey Banquet

The semifinalists for the Jori Jones Senior Goalie of the Year Award have been announced by Let’s Play Hockey.

The Jori Jones Award is given to the state’s top senior goaltender based on criteria that includes: academics, community/extra-curricular activities, citizenship, coachability and, of course, on-ice performance.

Coaches nominate their players for consideration and panel of high school and college coaches and select members of the media vote on the top 10 semifinalists. A second vote will determine the five finalists and the winner of the award.

This year’s Semifinalists include: Nora Hannan (Edina), Mallory Hartl (Moose Lake Area), Ashlyn Hazlett (Minnetonka), Layla Hemp (Minnetonka), Ida Huber (Dodge County), Taylor Kressin (Moorhead), Reese McConnell (Edina), Jayda Moyer (Albert Lea), Zoe Rimstad (Academy of Holy Angels), and Kaydence Roeske (River Lakes). Seven of the 10 goalies are committed to play Division I hockey. Five hail from Class AA programs and five are from Class A programs.

Combined, the goaltenders have 10,025 minutes, have won 136 games, have faced 4,808 shots on goal, made 4,535 saves for .940 save percentage and have a combined 1.33 goals against average.

“This is an outstanding class for goaltenders,” said Let’s Play Hockey editor Bryan Zollman. “There are a lot of goaltenders who are not on this short list who have been tremendous this season and throughout their careers. The State of Hockey continues to produce quality female goaltenders, many who go on to have success at the collegiate level.”

The award will be presented to the winner at the annual Ms. Hockey Banquet at the Saint Paul RiverCentre on Sunday, Feb. 23 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Doors open at 10:30 a.m. Tickets to the event can be purchased HERE. The banquet is sponsored by the Minnesota Girls Coaches Association, the Minnesota Wild, and Tradition Companies. Chris Long of KSTP will emcee the event which will include guest speakers Gabby Billing of the Minnesota Wild and Madi Goldsworthy of Tradition Companies. The banquet also recognizes players and coaches who receive other individual and team awards.

Last year’s winner was Grace Zhan of Hill-Murray High School.

Previous winners include: 1999 — Katie Beauduy, Blaine; 2000 — Shari Vogt, River Lakes; 2001 — Jody Horak, Blaine; 2002 — Amber Hasbargen, Warroad; 2003 — Robin Doepke, Chaska; 2004 — Emily Brookshaw, Hill-Murray; 2005 — Johanna Ellison, Cloquet/Esko/Carlton; 2006 — Alannah McCready, Centennial; 2007 — Ashley Nixon, Blaine; 2008 — Alyssa Grogan, Eagan; 2009 — Laura Bellamy, Duluth Northern Stars; 2010 — Kallie Billadeau, Hopkins; 2011 — Julie Friend, Minnetonka; 2012 — Erika Allen, Roseville; 2013 — Sydney Rossman, Minnetonka; 2014 — Erin O’Neil, Hopkins; 2015 — Frances Marshall, Thief River Falls; 2016 — Jenna Brenneman, Breck; 2017 — Breanna Blesi, Maple Grove; 2018 — Alexa Dobchuk, Eden Prairie; 2019 — Calla Frank, White Bear Lake; 2020 – Anna LaRose, North Wright County; 2021 – Brynn Dulac, Minnetonka HS; 2022 – Maggie Malecha, Northfield HS; 2023 – Uma Corniea, Edina HS; 2024 –  Grace Zhan – Hill-Murray.

This year’s semifinalists are (in alphabetical order):

Jori Jones Award Semifinalists

Nora Hannan – Edina Hornets

Minutes: 685:53  W-L-T: 11-2-0  GAA: 1.04  SV%: .933  SHO: 5  College: St. Thomas

Hannan is part of a dynamic duo for the defending champion Hornets, splitting time with Reese McConnell. She is in her third year as a varsity goaltender and this year has a 1.04 goals against average and a .933 save percentage. She as played in 13 games this season, leading her team to a 11-2-0 mark. In her career she has started 30 games and won 23 with an overall goals against average of 1.20 and save percentage of .928. This year she has started three games against top-ranked Minnetonka and allowed just four goals on 69 shots. She also beat Hill-Murray with a 31-save effort. She has earned five shutouts on the season and was a member of the Team USA 2024 U18 Gold Medal squad and has participated in multiple USA National Camps. She will continue her hockey career at St. Thomas.

Coach’s comments:  “When it comes to Nora, I would describe her as passionate, competitive, hardworking, and determined, but also caring, kind, and loving. She may not be the biggest player on the ice, but she has developed her game so well that she plays like she’s six feet tall. Watching Nora battle it out at such high levels is so fun to do because you know that when she’s locked in, good things are going to happen for your team. As mentioned, Nora is very, very competitive. With this, she can sometimes be hard on herself when mistakes are made or things just aren’t going her way, but what I love is that no matter what, she is still entirely coachable even when she’s frustrated. That competitive drive is such a benefit for our team and helps motivate those around her to want to be better. Nora may not be the loudest of the group, but she continues to exemplify what it means to be ‘team first.’ She lifts people up around her and is such a special person to get to know and have as a part of your team.” – Sami Cowger

Mallory Hartl – Moose Lake Area Rebels

Minutes: 1226:26  W-L-T: 11-13-1 GAA: 1.91  SV%: .948  SHO: 3  College: Providence

Hartl is a multi-sport athlete who has excelled in both hockey and volleyball. In volleyball she served as team captain and was named defensive player of the year in the section. That defensive ability certainly carries over onto the ice where the senior netminder has posted a .948 percentage, fifth in the state. She has started for the Rebels since she was in seventh grade and has accumulated more than 3,500 saves in her career, won 65 games and posted a career .938 save percentage. She was a member of the 2024 Team USA U18 National Camp and is a 5-time letter winner for Moose Lake Area. She will play college hockey at Providence.

Coach’s Comments: “Not only has Mallory grown into an exceptional athlete, she is also an inspiring leader who embodies the core values of dedication, resilience, and teamwork. As the starting goalie and captain, she has consistently demonstrated a unique combination of skill, composure and leadership. Her technical ability as a goaltender is truly remarkable. She possesses the mental toughness required to excel under pressure and time and again has delivered game-saving performances, providing our team with the confidence to compete at a high level.”

– Reilly Fawcett

Ashlyn Hazlett – Minnetonka Skippers

Minutes: 548:37  W-L-T: 8-1-1 GAA: 1.02  SV%: .926  SHO: 4  College: Bemidji State

Hazlett is part off a goalie tandem for the top-ranked Skippers and a huge reason why they are No. 1 in the state heading into section playoffs. She has been a member of Team USA festivals, tournaments and development camps since 2021. In her career at Minnetonka she is 35-5-1 with a .938 save percentage and 18 shutouts. Amongst her four shutouts this season was a 27-save effort against Holy Family. She also had a 24-save effort in a 2-2 tie with Dodge County. Hazlett will continue her hockey career at Bemidji State.

Coach’s Comments: “Ashlyn has an extremely calming presence on and off the ice. She has a great stance, excellent butterfly form, and has overall technically sound structure in net. These strengths set her up for success, allowing her to manage the rush, control rebounds, quick reaction down low, and the ability to locate and track pucks through traffic. She is kind, respectful, inclusive to all and an amazing teammate. She works hard to perfect her skills, she is coachable, and is always smiling.” –  Tracy Cassano

Layla Hemp – Minnetonka Skippers

Minutes: 785:23  W-L-T: 15-1-0 GAA: 0.91  SV%: .953  SHO: 6  College: University of Minnesota

Hemp is one of two outstanding goaltenders for top-ranked Minnetonka and has put up spectacular numbers with a 0.91 goals against average and .953 save percentage this season. She is a 4-year letterwinner for the Skippers an is a captain on this year’s squad. She was an all-conference pick in 2022-23 and 2023-24 and was named Team MVP last season. She is also a two-time member of Team USA’s U18 squad and was the starting goalie during the team’s competition in 2024 in Switzerland where they earned gold and Hemp finished second in the tournament in save percentage and goals against and had a 28-save performance versus Sweden. In her high school career she has a 43-4-1 record and a .947 save percentage. She will continue playing hockey at the University of Minnesota.

Coach’s Comments: “Layla is one of the Skippers team captains because of her strong leadership qualities. She is one of the fiercest competitors I have coached in my 22-year tenure as a girls high school hockey coach. Layla will battle, give her best, and do whatever it takes to keep the puck out of the net. She works incredibly hard every single day, she is respected and loved by all of her teammates and coaches, she makes those around her better as both hockey players and people. She is kind, caring, responsible, driven, passionate, dedicated, coachable, fun, positive, and always brings a team-first attitude. Layla is extremely talented goaltender and she is an extraordinary person.”    – Tracy Cassano

Ida Huber – Dodge County Wildcats

Minutes: 1294:57  W-L-T: 20-3-2 GAA: 0.79  SV%: .960  SHO: 11  College: Long Island University

Huber has been the varsity starter for Dodge County fort the past five seasons and has gotten better with age. She helped

lead the Wildcats to the state championship game last season and was named to the All-Tournament Team. She was also named All-State in 2024. She has been a USA National Camp participant, participated in the Upper Midwest Girls HS Elite League for three years, and is a two-time Team MVP. This season she leads the state with 11 shutouts and now has 34 for her career. She also leas the state with a 0.79 goals against average and a .960 save percentage. She has won 77 games in her career and is approaching 2,500 saves. She is a 3-year captain and  will continue her hockey career at Long Island University.

Coach’s Comments: “Ida has been a rock for us between the pipes. She has started every game but two in her career at Dodge County. She has been a huge part of our team’s success. On the ice, Ida is a fierce competitor trying to win every drill, which makes our players and team stronger. She has been a great mentor to our younger goalies in the high school and youth programs both on and off the ice to prepare them for their futures. Off the ice, Ida is a great person, teammate and student. She works very hard in the classroom and in her passion for non-profits. She has shown in her career a drive and passion that many players don’t have, which was rewarded with a D1 scholarship to continue playing college hockey.” – Jeremy Gunderson

Taylor Kressin – Moorhead Spuds

Minutes: 1233:16  W-L-T: 16-7-1 GAA: 1.49  SV%: .949  SHO: 6  College: Undecided

Kressin has been a Spud since eight grade and has won 83 games in her career, played more than 5,000 minutes and is approaching 2,500 saves. In all that time she has maintained a career .920 save percentage. This season, Kressin has won 16 games and boasts a .949 save percentage, helping lead the Spuds to a top-10 ranking. She’s had 12 games with 30-plus saves this season, including a 50-save performance early in the year in a 4-2 loss to Hill-Murray. She’s earned six shutouts and has made 676 saves on the season. She was an All-State Honorable Mention pick last year and is a three-time All-Section 8AA pick. She is a Spud captain this season and is still undecided on her hockey future.

Coach’s Comments: “Taylor is an outstanding goalie,  is extremely athletic and reads the game very well. She has been the backbone of our program for four years and her senior year has been her best version. Her stats speak for themselves and any D1 program would be lucky to have her. Someone is going to win the lottery with her. Her dedication and work ethic are unmatched and she has proven to be an outstanding leader. She wears the “C” with honor and has the utmost respect for the role. I simply can’t say enough good things about this young lady . In addition, she is an outstanding student who takes being elite in school very seriously and is always willing to help out with younger girls in our youth program. ” – Ryan Kraft

Reese McConnell – Edina Hornets

Minutes: 595:10  W-L-T: 10-1-1 GAA: 1.11 SV%: .935  SHO: 5  College: Undecided

McConnell splits time with teammate Nora Hannan, but it was McConnell in between the pipes last season when the final buzzer sounded and the Hornets took home the Class AA state title. McConnell started all three games and had two shutouts and allowed just two goals in the tourney. This season she has won 10 games and posted an impressive .935 save percentage with five shutouts. She is a Team USA National Camp participant and has 15 career shutouts in 30 starts where she has posted a save percentage of .938. She is undecided on her hockey future.

Coach’s Comments: “Reese has been on our team for three years and every year she has gotten more and more confident in net. Last year was her breakout year being our starting goalie at the end of the year to help us win a state championship. Reese doesn’t get all the attention she deserves but she is one heckuva goalie. We play the toughest schedule in the state and Reese has risen to the occasion during some of our biggest games against the best teams in the state. Against teams like Minnetonka, Andover, Hill-Murray and BSM, Reese has helped us come away with big wins that without her may have been losses. She is a really good kid who comes to the rink ready to get better every single day. She works her butt off to get where she is now and deserves to get the recognition for it. Reese is the type of player you want to have on your team.” – Sami Cowger

Jayda Moyer – Albert Lea Tigers

Minutes: 1308:52  W-L-T: 21-4-1 GAA: 1.13  SV%: .947  SHO: 10  College: Undecided

Moyer has helped lead Albert Lea to prominence this season with a top-10 ranking in the LPH Coaches Poll. She has been the mainstay in goal and is second in the state with 10 shutouts. A three-year starter, Moyer has won 42 games in her career. This season she has 14 games in which she stopped 20 or more shots. Among her 10 shutouts were 31, 29 and 27-save efforts to help lead her team to close wins. She is still undecided on her hockey future.

Coach’s Comments: “Jayda has been a rock in the nets for us the last two years, this year playing all but two periods in a game she asked to let our sophomore play, showing her dedication to her team. Jayda remains amazingly consistent whether she’s getting 15 shots a game or 40, creating a calmness amongst her teammates knowing they will be in every game. Jayda’s practice habits are what makes our team so dynamic as our girls have to constantly work hard if they want to score in practice, both situations constantly pushing each other to get better. A coach couldn’t ask for a better goaltender, making every opponent beatable and always being the best teammate in the locker room as possible.”

– Michael Carlson

Zoe Rimstad – Academy of Holy Angels Stars

Minutes: 1042:00  W-L-T: 11-6-3 GAA: 1.76  SV%: .931  SHO: 3  College: Lindenwood

Rimstad is in her third year as a starter for the Stars and has 32 career wins and a .933 career save percentage. She helped lead the Stars to the state tournament a year ago splitting time and started the first game against eventual state champion Warroad where she made 35 saves in a 3-2 loss. This season she has started all but five games and has put up solid numbers with a .931 save percentage. She has 13 games with at least 20 saves, six with 30 or more and one with 41 saves. That game was against former No. 1 in Class AA Centennial/Spring Lake Park in a 4-2 win for the Stars. She also had a 38-save performance in the season opener in a 1-0 loss to Class AA powerhouse Andover. She was named All-Conference last season and participated in the Summer Elite League and US Development Camp. She will continue her career at Lindenwood.

Coach’s Comments: “Zoe has been a huge reason for the success of our team this year. She would have more shutouts, but we play our 9th grade goalie games where we don’t anticipate as many shots and Zoe helps support and develop her. She is our team captain this year and  is dedicated to a team-first mentality and has been steady in the net for us game in and game out. Our schedule is loaded with very good AA teams and she keeps us in all those games.”      – Ryan LaMere

Kaydence Roeske – River Lakes Stars

Minutes: 1306:12  W-L-T: 13-12-1 GAA: 2.11  SV%: .932  SHO: 4  College: Minnesota State

Roeske is a 4-time All-Conference player and a 3-time Team MVP award winner. She is a 6-year starter and is in her seventh season of varsity hockey for River Lakes. She has nine 30-save performances this season, five 40-save games and one 50-save game. She has won 65 games in her career and has more than 3,600 saves to her credit and a career .928 save percentage. This season she had a 40-save performance against top-ranked and reigning champion Warroad in a 2-0 loss (one was an empty netter), and had a 40-save shutout against Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato. She will continue her hockey career at Minnesota State.

Coach’s Comments: “My first year as her coach were win the middle of a slump, our team was playing in tight games and we could not find a way to win. In early January we lost a heartbreaker to Fergus Falls 3-2 in the final seconds. After the team left I went back to the locker room and found Kaydence sweeping near her stall. I sat down in a stall nearby and began to tear up. I looked at Kaydence and said, ‘Kaydence, I don’t know what to do.’ She looked back at me and smiled and replied, ‘we will find a way, we always do.’ Form this moment on I knew Kaydence was special. For the past three seasons I have had the privilege of working with Kaydence. I have never seen a high school student so driven and ready to make a difference in the classroom, school hallways, hockey arena, and surrounding community. Kaydence is selfless with her time, volunteering in many different areas, including as our district goalie coach. She never expects anything in return for her service. Knowing she made an impact is the reward she enjoys. She has endured many challenges to which she has responded with a humble, hungry, and smart approach — pillars of our team culture. She is the ideal team player as she excels in all three areas of high character.” – Andrew Marod

Honorable Mention:

Ericah Folden (Brainerd/Little Falls), Kambelle Freije (Crookston), Lily Peterfeso (Roseville/Mahtomedi), Ava Brennan (New Ulm), Addison Moudry (Farmington), Sydney Ries (Simley), Abby Thurmer (Northern Tier), Erin Eilers (Willmar), Alli Olson (Osseo/Park Center), Victoria Steinke (Hastings), Nola Kwiatkowski (Rock Ridge), Annika Olson (Anoka), Lauren Lafferty (Anoka), Abby Huselid (Elk River/Zimmerman), Macy Mueller (Northfield), Maya Pena (Waconia), Britlyn Rasmussen (East Grand Forks). 

Past Winners:

1999 — Katie Beauduy, Blaine
2000 — Shari Vogt, River Lakes
2001 — Jody Horak, Blaine
2002 — Amber Hasbargen, Warroad
2003 — Robin Doepke, Chaska
2004 — Emily Brookshaw, Hill-Murray
2005 — Johanna Ellison, Cloquet/Esko/Carlton
2006 — Alannah McCready, Centennial
2007 — Ashley Nixon, Blaine
2008 — Alyssa Grogan, Eagan
2009 — Laura Bellamy, Duluth Northern Stars
2010 — Kallie Billadeau, Hopkins
2011 — Julie Friend, Minnetonka
2012 — Erika Allen, Roseville
2013 — Sydney Rossman, Minnetonka
2014 — Erin O’Neil, Hopkins
2015 — Frances Marshall, Thief River Falls
2016 — Jenna Brenneman, Breck
2017 — Breanna Blesi, Maple Grove
2018 — Alexa Dobchuk, Eden Prairie
2019 — Calla Frank, White Bear Lake
2020 – Anna LaRose, North Wright County
2021 – Brynn Dulac, Minnetonka HS
2022 – Maggie Malecha, Northfield HS
2023 – Uma Corniea, Edina HS
2024 –  Grace Zhan – Hill-Murray

About the Jori Jones Senior Goalie of the Year Award

With the success of the Ms. Hockey Award, it only seemed natural to honor the top senior playing girls’ hockey goaltender in Minnesota with a similar award.

In 1999, Let’s Play Hockey established the Senior Goalie of the Year Award with Katie Beauduy of Blaine named the first winner. Every year since, the award has been presented at the Ms. Hockey Award banquet. The award was named in honor of Jori Jones in 2024. Jones was a goaltender who was a semifinalist for the award in 2022. She passed away in August of 2023 at the age of 19.

“The Minnesota Girls Hockey Coaches Association is proud to partner with Let’s Play Hockey in naming this award in Jori Jones’ honor,” said MGCHA Executive Director Tim Morris. “It is always tragic when the Minnesota hockey family loses someone, especially someone as young and vibrant as Jori. Attaching her name to the Senior Goalie Award only strengthens and enhances the prestige of that honor and will keep her spirit alive for future classes of female goaltenders in the state of Minnesota. We are looking forward to presenting the award to one of this year’s worthy nominees. Gracious thanks to the Jones family and Roseville hockey for allowing us to forever connect Jori’s name to this award.”

The Jori Jones Award is presented to the top senior girls’ high school hockey goaltender in the state, based on the following criteria: academics, community/extra-curricular activities, citizenship, coachability and, of course, on-ice performance.

The candidates are identified based on nominations by their coaches. The selection of the top 10 candidates, then the five finalists, and ultimately the winner, is based on consultations with a panel of Division I and III college women’s coaches from the states of Minnesota and Wisconsin, as well as a panel of high school coaches.