Puppe led state with 111 points;
Zhan helped propel Pioneers to state title game
Let’s Play Hockey presented Northfield’s Ayla Puppe with the Ms. Hockey Award and Hill-Murray’s Grace Zhan with the Jori Jones Award Sunday at the annual Ms. Hockey Banquet held at the Saint Paul RiverCentre.
Both players led their teams to the Class AA state tournament.
Puppe led the state in scoring with 61 goals and 50 assists for 111 points. She led in all three categories and in 30 games recorded 10 hat tricks, scoring four goals four times and five goals once. She also had three or more assists in eight games leading the Raiders to a 27-3-0 record.
Puppe played parts of six seasons with Northfield and in her career scored 185 goals and added 140 assists for 325 points in 135 games.
She will continue her hockey career as a member of the Golden Gophers at the University of Minnesota.
“Ayla is an exceptional hockey player,” said Northfield Head Coach Paige Haley. “She is dominant on the ice. She is the best goal scorer in the state. Ayla can take control of games. Her ability to include her teammates around her in plays this year has contributed to our team’s success. There is not an athlete who works harder and wants it more than Ayla Puppe.”
Puppe combined a strong combination of skill and speed. Not just a goal scorer, her 50 assists also led the state and helped lead Northfield to a 27-1-0 record heading into the tournament.
Puppe was amongst a strong list of Ms. Hockey Finalists that included Minnetonka’s Lindzi Avar, Stillwater’s Josie St. Martin, Duluth Marshall’s Ilsa Lindaman, and Moorhead’s Kate Kosobud. Avar led Minnetonka to a third-place finish at this year’s tournament and finished her senior season with 23 goals and 32 assists. She will play next season at Cornell.
St. Martin led Stillwater in scoring and was also one of six Minnesotans on the Team USA U-18 squad that took home a gold medal earlier this winter. She finished the season with 26 goals and 39 assists and is headed to Ohio State University.
Lindaman was the state’s second highest goal scorer, notching 57 goals in 27 games and 86 points. She is headed to the University of St. Thomas.
Moorhead’s Kosobud was the lone defenseman to make the top five and will join Puppe as a Minnesota Gopher next season.
Jori Jones Award
Zhan helped propel the Pioneers to the Class AA state championship game with a 36-save effort in the semifinals against Andover. She stopped 21 shots in the finals and was named to the All-Tournament Team.
Zhan logged 1,361 minutes and posted a record of 23-4-1. She finished with a goals against average of 1.39 and a save percentage of .946. She faced 682 shots over the course of the season and stopped 645, allowing just 37 goals.
In her career, Zhan played in 86 games and had a record of 64-17-3. She posted a career goals against average of 1.68 and a career save percentage of .938. She also finished with 22 career shutouts.
Zhan will continue her playing career at Dartmouth.
Grace Zhan finsihes her senior season with a 1.39 GAA and .946 Sv%.“Grace is an amazing teammate and a terrific goalie,” said coach Krissy Pohl. “Her individual stats could be even gaudier this year if she stayed in games that have been decided. Almost 25% of the games she starts she doesn’t finish. When she is pulled from a game she leaves the ice with a smile and cheers her teammates on from the bench. She is a great teammate.”
Zhan was also amongst a strong list of candidates that included Kaitlin Groess of Centennial/Spring Lake Park, Claire Bronson of Lakeville South, Dani Strom of Maple Grove, and Kayla Simonson of Delano/Rockford.
The winners of both the Ms. Hockey and Jori Jones Award are chosen by a panel of college and high school coaches. Last year’s Ms. Hockey winner was Ella Boerger of Andover, who is now playing at the University of St. Thomas. Last year’s Goalie of the Year Award winner was Uma Corniea of Edina, who is now playing at Princeton.
MS. HOCKEY AWARD WINNERS
YEAR | NAME | TEAM |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Winny Brodt | Roseville |
| 1997 | Annamarie Holmes | Apple Valley |
| 1998 | Laura Slominski | Burnsville |
| 1999 | Ronda Curtin | Roseville |
| 2000 | Krissy Wendell | Park Center |
| 2001 | Renee Curtin | Roseville |
| 2002 | Ashley Albrecht | South St. Paul |
| 2003 | Andrea Nichols | Hibbing/Chisholm |
| 2004 | Erica McKenzie | Hastings |
| 2005 | Gigi Marvin | Warroad |
| 2006 | Allie Thurnstrom | North St. Paul |
| 2007 | Katharine Chute | Blake |
| 2008 | Sarah Erickson | Bemidji |
| 2009 | Becky Kortum | Hopkins |
| 2010 | Bethany Brausen | Roseville Area |
| 2011 | Karley Sylvester | Warroad |
| 2012 | Hannah Brandt | Hill-Murray |
| 2013 | Dani Cameranesi | Blake |
| 2014 | Sydney Baldwin | Minnetonka |
| 2015 | Taylor Williamson | Edina |
| 2016 | Presley Norby | Minnetonka |
| 2017 | Grace Zumwinkle | Breck School |
| 2018 | Taylor Heise | Red Wing |
| 2019 | Madeline Wethington | Blake |
| 2020 | Olivia Mobley | Breck School |
| 2021 | Peyton Hemp | Andover |
| 2022 | Vivian Jungels | Edina |
| 2023 | Ella Boerger | Andover |
Senior Goalie of the Year Award 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 – Umna Corniea, Edina HS
