Edina's Taylor Williamson tried to score on Hill-Murray goalie Leah Patrick in the second period.
Taylor Williamson will find a place for the engraved Ms. Hockey trophy she received Sunday somewhere in her Edina home.
And she will make sure younger brother Hunter doesn’t swipe her other parting gift, a personalized No. 7 Wild jersey, to wear for pond hockey.
But material things could not match the memories she made while leading the Hornets to third at the Class 2A state tournament. Her teammates, plus family and friends, shared in Williamson’s success at Sunday’s banquet at the St. Paul RiverCentre.
“Getting to play an extra week with some of my best friends is something I won’t forget,” Williamson said. “The entire year, my focus was on getting to state. But Ms. Hockey is an incredible honor.”
Williamson, a center and team captain, tallied 40 goals and 20 assists in 27 games. She scored in overtime of the Section 2 title game to send Edina to state. She was recognized Sunday before an audience featuring four past Ms. Hockey recipients, including Edina coach Laura Slominski.
“I couldn’t be more proud of her,” Slominski said. “Her growth as a player and a person has been tremendous. She will be the first to say it’s only an individual award because of the team. She wouldn’t have got it without the supporting cast she had.”
Williamson was selected from a group of five finalists chosen by Let’s Play Hockey magazine. The others were Grace Bizal of Hopkins, Dana Rasmussen of Dodge County, Sophia Shaver of Wayzata and Paige Voigt of Cretin-Derham Hall.
Frances Marshall of Thief River Falls won Senior Goalie of the Year after backstopping the Prowlers to their first Class 1A state title ever.
Three consecutive days of state tournament games gave Williamson little time for banquet preparations. She got her dress Saturday night and wrote her speech, just in case, Sunday morning.
Slominski lauded Williamson as a determined, dedicated player who inspired teammates with the intensity she brought to practices and games.
Williamson signed with the Gophers, where her father, Dean, played for three seasons and her grandfather, Murray, was an All-America wing.
“I’m so excited, so blessed,” Williamson said. “I couldn’t have done it with my teammates and family.”