Cretin-Derham Hall goalie Hannah Fritz looks back at a tipped shot by Stillwater's Alexis Huber (white). Huber's second-period goal was the game winner in the Ponies' 4-1 victory. Photo by Korey McDermott, SportsEngine
High school teams often select the last game of the regular season for their senior day, recognizing the athletes that will be graduating in the spring.
This winter the Ponies opted to use Saturday’s game against Suburban East Conference rival Cretin-Derham Hall for those festivities — their fourth-to-last game of the regular season. But on a day of recognition for seniors, it was clear that a team with only four 12th graders on the varsity roster needs to rely on younger players to contribute.
And scoring contribution is exactly what Stillwater received, as freshmen Myah Krueger and Brooke Nelson each scored in a three-goal second period for Stillwater that helped propel the Ponies to a 4-1 victory over the Raiders (10-4-1) at the St. Croix Valley Recreation Center in Stillwater.
Ponies coach Mira Jalosuo estimates her varsity roster trends toward being one of the youngest in the state, but that hasn’t stopped the Ponies, ranked No. 5 in the Class 2A coaches’ poll, from having a successful season thus far.
“That’s obviously a statement for the whole group,” Jalosuo said. “The seniors are doing a nice job leading the underclassmen in the right direction, and the underclassmen are feeling the push.”
Photo Gallery: Cretin-Derham Hall vs. Stillwater
Last year’s Ponies had seven seniors on the roster and won 21 games, advancing to the Class 2A, Section 4 title game. This year’s team has more freshmen than seniors, with six, but has stayed dominant thanks to contributions from those young players. Josie St. Martin has 30 points to lead the team, with fellow ninth-graders Addison Finn and Krueger each tallying 16 points.
“It’s very good to have the underclassmen stepping up and helping out, too,” said Lexi Huber, a senior who scored once and added an assist in Saturday’s win.
Stillwater (13-2-1) has three games remaining on the regular-season schedule and each could determine whether it will win the Suburban East title. The Ponies and Forest Lake were tied with identical 12-2-1 league records at the top of the conference standings at the end of Saturday’s slate of games, though the Ponies hold the edge as they’ve already beaten and tied the Rangers this year (the Ponies defeated Forest Lake 8-1 on Jan. 14 and the teams played to a 4-4 draw on Feb. 6).
Then the Ponies will look ahead to the section playoffs, hoping to reach the section championship as they did in 2020, when Hill-Murray won 3-1 to advance to the state tournament.
“We need to work together as a team and not individually, and we’ve just got to keep a positive attitude,” Huber said about what is important as the season turns to the section playoffs. “Hopefully we can make it to where we want to go.”
Like many teams, the Ponies are just hoping to be in good position to play postseason hockey. The section playoffs begin the week of March 16.
“Obviously, we are very grateful that we are having a season, and that the Minnesota high school league decided we are going to have a state tournament,” Jalosuo said. “So that’s very exciting, and we’re grateful for every day we get to come to the rink.”
Stillwater's Sophie Cronk searches for a loose puck Saturday against Credin-Derham Hall. Cronk stopped 24 shots in the Ponies' 4-1 defeat of the Raiders in Stillwater. Photo by Korey McDermott, SportsEngine
First Report
A slow start didn’t stop Stillwater from utilizing a second-period surge to pull away in a 4-1 defeat of Suburban East Conference rival Cretin-Derham Hall on Saturday at the St. Croix Valley Recreation Center in Stillwater.
After a scoreless first period, the Ponies, who are ranked No. 6 in the Class 2A coaches’ poll, fired 20 shots on goal and scored three times in a middle period, helping the Ponies to a 3-1 lead over the Raiders.
Stillwater’s Myah Krueger, Lexi Huber, and Brooke Nelson each scored in the offensive outburst. Countering that production was Cretin-Derham Hall’s Lexi Bonfe, who tied the game at 1-1 for the Raiders (10-4-1) less than a minute into the second period.
Sydney Schuster added a goal for Stillwater (13-2-1) early in the third period.
Raiders goaltender Hannah Fritz made 25 saves while Stillwater’s Sophie Cronk stopped 24 shots on goal.
Cretin-Derham Hall senior Lexi Bonfe netted her team's lone goal in a 4-1 loss to Suburban East Conference rival Stillwater on Saturday. Photo by Korey McDermott, SportsEngine
The MN Girls' Hockey Hub poll is for entertainment purposes only.
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