To say Rachael Bona was all over the ice Thursday would be significantly understating her presence.

She skated like the wind, spun around and split through opponents and shot seemingly at will.

But most importantly, she scored.

The senior forward netted four goals for Coon Rapids in the Class 2A state quarterfinals, pacing a 6-1 victory over North Wright County.

“She’s OK,” Cardinals first-year coach Jessica Christopherson joked. “She sets the pace for our whole team. The kids really feed off her.”

Bona was the star from the start. With the River Hawks already about to go a player down for a body checking call before the game was three minutes old, Bona drew a second penalty – this one for holding – on the delay by using her speed at neutral ice.

She dazzled with her moves all game long, scoring her first goal on a nasty wrist shot from the slot 12 minutes, 39 seconds into the first period and adding the eventual game-winner for fourth-seeded Coon Rapids (24-5) less than two minutes later.

She completed her hat trick against the River Hawks (22-6-1) 7:55 into the second for a 4-1 lead, and by the time her fourth goal of the game hit at 10:16 of the third the Cardinals student section hardly noticed.

The delayed reaction was one of expectation more than elation.

“I always try and think that I’m going to have an ‘on’ game,” said Bona, who now has 92 points on the season. “But [my linemates] do all the cycling and the give-and-go. I don’t go goal line to goal line for every score. I feel bad that I take all the attention from them, but I think they’re OK with it.”

Opponents generally aren’t, but North Wright County coach Tim Hanson had nothing but praise.

“We tried changing our forecheck to try and contain her, but she was very impressive,” he said.

Rachael Bona
The Coon Rapids senior forward “sets the pace” according to coach Jessica Christopherson. Bona sure did Thursday, scoring four goals in the Cardinals’ 6-1 victory over North Wright County. 

Q Did you feel this was going to be your game right away?
A I always try and think I’m going to have an “on” game. Getting a 5-on-3 early really helped us. We were really getting shots on their goalie and figuring out what she would give us. She was giving up big rebounds shooting low, so we took from that and started shooting low the whole game. 

Q But were you looking at other parts of the net, because on some of your wrist shots …
A I’ve been cutting into the zone a lot; I’ll notice when the “D” sags in front of their goalie. That means the goalie won’t have clear vision of my shot so I try and cut to the middle and shoot through the screen. I’ve been hitting that top corner a lot lately, and I’m not going to go away from it. It’s working.

Q With an 8pm start like this, what’s it like to finally have it done and a win under your belt?
A We were all really anxious to get out there. We had a pregame skate, and that got us ready. But then we sat in the hotel for a while, went and got something to eat, then sat at the hotel again. I think everyone just wanted to get over here and get the game started. I mean, it’s great to win 6-1 in any state tournament game but I think this was a huge win for us because it boosts our confidence. It wasn’t a fluke that we got here. We deserved it.

Q Thoughts on playing [Minnetonka defenseman] Rachel Ramsey on Friday?
A I’m excited. We’re on different summer league teams, and it’s always a battle. I take it as a challenge.