With help from the sticks of senior forward Sena Hanson and junior forward Lauren Boettcher and the pads of freshman goalie Kenzie Giese, St. Paul United defeated Red Wing 5-2 Tuesday night at Drake Arena in St. Paul. 

United got the upper hand early with two goals from Hanson. Her first was an unassisted score at the 15:12 mark of the first period, while her second was a hard slap shot from the slot that got past Red Wing goalie Tyler McGrath top shelf.

Hanson said she was confident her first goal was going in, but not her second.

“The second one was just pure luck, honestly,” Hanson said.     

If not for Hanson’s goals, United could’ve been trailing 2-0 heading into the first intermission.

Wingers senior forward Maddy Hardyman netted two goals in the first period. Her first goal came just eight seconds after Hanson’s second goal.     

United coach Nate Mauer said the early lead fed his team’s momentum.  

“You’re always excited to try and get a lead," Mauer said. "I don’t even know how many leads we had against them...it was lucky she came out where she did, because we could’ve been down early."     

With her two goals Tuesday night, Hanson became the team's second-leading scorer with six on the season and trails sophomore forward Samantha Burke by one.

Hanson is the only senior who has tallied more than two goals this season. The three other seniors have combined for three goals.

The fruitfulness of United's underclassmen has spilled over to Hanson’s line. She’s paired with freshman Catherine Kerin (3-5-8) and eighth-grader Jenna Hoops (2-3-5), who are fifth and seventh in the points column, respectively.

Mauer called Hanson the "mom" of the group, and Hanson said her linemates have been very attentive.  

“They’ve just been the greatest listeners everyday," Hanson said. "They’ve been learning everyday. I’m so proud of them."     

Boettcher understands what Kerin and Hoops are going through better than most.

Boettcher joined United as a freshman and has blossomed into a key component of the team's success. She is second on the team in points (12) and recorded the game-winning goal Tuesday night with 13:52 remaining in the second period.    

“You don’t want to have a hierarchy with your players because you don’t want underclassmen on your team to feel undervalued," Boettcher said. "Because then they don’t want to work as hard as you want to, or they won’t feel as much of being part of the team as the upperclassmen."

Mauer said Boettcher leads with her play rather than her voice.

“She’s kind of like the quiet leader," he said. "She’s not going to say much, but she’s going to play her role, and she’s done really well."    

United last played in the Class 1A state tournament two years ago, when they defeated Proctor/Hermantown 5-2 in the quarterfinals before bowing out in the semifinals with a 3-2 defeat to No.1-seeded East Grand Forks.

The loss sent United into the third-place game where they squared off against Red Wing, which scored four unanswered goals en route to a 5-2 victory.

Mauer said this year's team is more well-rounded than its predecessor.

“We were dependent on one or two players and that’s how we got into situations two years ago,” Mauer said. “We were so young, depending on our freshman and sophomore lines, that it was overwhelming for these girls.” 

Boettcher said the team's all-around scoring ability will play a role in United's success this season.

“One of the things that’s going to make us really great for the entire season is we have so many kids that can shoot the puck and can score," she said. "But another part of it is we’re a team. We have good kids, but we don’t have kids who think they’re so good that they don’t want to work with anyone else.” 

Senior forward Sena Hanson and junior forward Lauren Boettcher each netted two goals to lift St. Paul United over Red Wing 5-2 Tuesday night at Drake Arena in St. Paul.

Hanson opened the scoring with two goals less than five minutes apart in the first period. Hanson's first goal with 15:12 to play as she uncorked a nice shot from the slot that went top shelf against Wingers freshman goalie Tyler McGrath.

Red Wing senior forward Maddy Hardyman provided the offense the Wingers needed, tallying two goals before the first intermission. Hardyman recorded her first just eight seconds after Hanson’s second gave United a 2-0 lead, and she scored the equalizer with 3:42 left in the period.     

In the second period, Boettcher pushed United into the driver’s seat with two goals. Her first was unassisted while the second was on the power play with assists from sophomore forward Samantha Burke and junior forward Joie Phelps.

Boettcher returned the favor, setting up Burke for a goal with 14:37 left in the third period that added to United's lead. 

United freshman goalie Kenzie Giese turned away 15 shots, while McGrath faced 40 shots.

United (5-0) travels to Forest Lake on Saturday and Red Wing (1-3) hosts New Prague on Thursday.  

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