Senior Jac Kaasa and sophomore Abigail Boreen likely spend more time together than any other teammates on Hill-Murray's roster.

They are not only linemates but also neighbors whose families have grown close. Kaasa even drives Boreen home from practice everyday. 

On those car rides, the two often reflect on their play and how to improve it.

“We’ll talk about some of our shifts. The good and the bad ones,” Kaasa said.

The duo had plenty to talk about on the ride home from Maple Grove on Saturday night. Boreen assisted on Kaasa's two goals as the Pioneers rolled to a 4-1 victory in the Crimson’s final regular-season game at Maple Grove Community Center.

Boreen and Kaasa also had an assist on Katie Kaufman's goal late in the third period and finished the game with six combined points.

The second liners have been hot recently.

Kaasa has two goals in each of the past four games, helping the forward amass a team-high 22 on the season.

Boreen has 11 points in the same span and leads Hill-Murray with 33 points and 23 assists.

“These past couple games, we’ve been clicking,” Boreen said. “I look up to (Kaasa) because she’s a great person on and off the ice.”

Kaasa, who will depart for Bemidji State next season, said she’ll miss the rides home from Aldrich Arena, the Pioneers' home rink.

“This is our last year together in high school, and we gotta enjoy what we have left,” Kaasa said.

The victory avenged a 3-2 overtime loss last year to Maple Grove and moved Hill-Murray (19-0-1), ranked No. 1 in the Class 2A coaches’ poll, closer to matching last season's 20-win regular season.

“It was a classic road game,” Hill-Murray coach Bill Schafhauser said. “You’re not always going to get the breaks you want, but I thought we persevered.”

The Pioneers committed four penalties in the second period, where Katie Denecke’s power-play goal was just the second allowed by the Pioneers' penalty-kill unit all season.

Boasting a 0.54 goals-against average through 20 games, Hill-Murray has been dominant this year despite playing a tough schedule that included ranked teams such as the No. 4-2A Crimson (14-4-2).

“It’s the old bullseye story, but they’ve matured well as a team and they seem to be able to handle that,” Schafhauser said about the Pioneers holding the No. 1 ranking all season.

With only two weeks remaining until the postseason, Schafhauser is pleased with where his team is at.

Kaasa and Boreen haven’t been focusing on maintaining the team’s unbeaten record, and instead are immersed in the fun of the season's final stretch.

“It feels great inside to know we, as a team, ramped it up and persevered,” Boreen said. “I feel like this was one of our best games.”


The Pioneer's Katie Kaufman (10) had a goal and an assist in Hill-Murray's 4-1 win over the Crimson. Photo by Cheryl Myers

First Report

Hill-Murray senior Jac Kaasa scored two goals and added an assist in the Pioneers' 4-1 victory over the Crimson Saturday night at the Maple Grove Community Center.
 
The top-ranked team in the Class 2A coaches’ poll, Hill-Murray (19-0-1) outshot No. 4-2A Maple Grove 26-11 in the final two periods.
 
Kaasa put the Pioneers on the scoreboard 13 minutes into the first period when she passed the puck up to Abigail Boreen as the sophomore was cutting through the slot. Boreen then dropped the puck back to Kaasa, who wristed a shot that trickled in the net off the pads of Crimson goalkeeper Coco Francis.
 
Maple Grove (14-4-2) tied the game early in the second as Bemidji State commit Tina Kampa zipped the puck across the slot to sophomore Katie Denecke, who knocked a shot in.
 
Kaasa answered with a power-play goal on a 5-on-3 situation five minutes later to give Hill-Murray the lead.
 
Mekenzie Steffen and Katie Kaufman each scored in the final period to pad the Pioneers' lead.
 
Hill-Murray freshman Ava Bailey turned aside 15 shots while Francis finished with 29 saves.

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