Hill-Murray repeats as Class AA champs by
holding off late surge from Centennial/SLP

by Robert Brent, Let’s Play Hockey
Photos by Jeff Anderson

The Pioneers jump out to a four-goal lead and fend off a furious late
comeback attempt to secure another state championship.

The Hill-Murray Pioneers entered the 2025-26 season as the #1-ranked team in the state after winning the 2025 State Championship. The Pioneers finished the season in the same spot after reaching the pinnacle of Minnesota High School hockey Saturday evening for a second-straight season.

Hill-Murray defeated Centennial Spring Lake Park 4-3 in a championship game that displayed a plethora of talented hockey players. 

The Pioneers and Cougars finished the season ranked #1 and #2, respectively, and both programs are loaded with high-end talent. The quality of both teams was on full display. The Pioneers scored the first four goals of the game and appeared to have the title in hand before a furious comeback attempt by the Cougars.

Lillian Renslow scored the Cougars’ first goal of the game with only 2:21 remaining in the game, which seemed to open the floodgates. Centennial/Spring Lake Park’s Jozie Kelzenberg scored twice in the final two minutes to make a major comeback bid.

Hill-Murray ultimately extinguished the Cougars’ attempt to force overtime. The Pioneers’ ability to remain calm and confident was paramount to the victory. Senior Pioneer forward Sophie Olson spoke about those final minutes after the game.

“I want to give props to Centennial. They showed that they never gave up,” Olson said. “All of us were really confident, and we just wanted to sacrifice everything for each other. We wanted to win the state championship.”

One of the keys to Hill-Murray’s victory was the team’s ability to establish control of each period early on. All four of the Pioneers goals, scored by Jaycee Chatleain, Emily Pohl, Reese Unklesbay and Sophie Olson, came within the first four minutes of the period.

Junior forward Jaycee Chatleain spoke after the game about the team’s desire to have strong starts coming out of the locker room. She says it came from a desire to match a Cougars’ team the Pioneers respected.

“We knew we needed to come out strong, because they were definitely going to come out hard,” Chatleain said. “They weren’t going to give up the whole game. They were going to come out strong every period and we needed to match that.”

For Hill-Murray the win was also an example of the team’s ability to sacrifice individual stats or glory for the betterment of the team. The Pioneers are stacked with talented players and future college stars, but the team is always built on making the right play.

John Pohl pointed out Chatleain as a prime example of that. Chatleain was the leading scorer for the Pioneers this season, and tallied a goal in the final. Still, Pohl says her defensive contributions were the most important part of her game on the night.

“Jaycee is an offensive player, but today was by far the best defensive game Jaycee Chatleain has ever played for Hill-Murray,” Pohl said. “We wanted to take away their centers. They’re so good. If we could stay on the defensive side of that and take their time and space away it’s tough. To do that a center is sacrificing offensive ability. But we’re the state champions because Jaycee was willing to do that today. Sophie (Olson) has been willing to do that her whole career.”

The state championship victory was the culmination of another excellent season for Hill-Murray, a program that consistently challenges for championships. 

Winning one is difficult enough, but winning two state titles in a row is a particularly hard challenge because of the target that winning puts on a team’s back. While that makes the season challenging, Hill-Murray uses it as an opportunity to prepare for the end of the season when games matter most. Head coach John Pohl spoke about facing stiff competition after the game. 

“Teams circle our game. When we’re on someone’s schedule, they know they have to play their best against us.” Pohl said. “We feel like that really strengthens us and makes us better throughout the year.”

Hill-Murray is well-positioned to be back in the state tournament next season. They’ll only lose two seniors, though they’re very important ones in netminder Charlotte Oscarson and forward Sophie Olson. Oscarson’s steady presence and Olson’s leadership and versatility will be difficult to replace, both on the ice and in the locker room.

Before any of that can happen, however, the Pioneers have earned the opportunity to celebrate a state title for the second year in a row.