Warroad Girls’ Hockey Comes Home with Class A State Title for 3rd Straight Year

Back-to-back-to-back state champions – that’s what now describes Warroad girls’ hockey after their 5-2 victory over Dodge County in the Class A title game on Saturday.

It was as unlikely a run as any, given the squad graduated 10 seniors from last season’s championship roster, four of which now play NCAA Division I hockey, leaving this year’s team with only seven upperclassmen.

The Warriors entered the state tourney as the 4-seed, their lowest seeding to date, yet despite it all, they found a way to life the trophy for a third straight year.

“The last two years, it was so fun, but this year just really stood out to me just ’cause, we just, we had to work,” said senior defenseman Maddie Skogman at a presser following the game. “It took us all the whole team to work so hard, and thinking back to the section final of how close the game was and just, to pull it off is just, it’s amazing.”

“We don’t have [last year’s seniors] Tayla [Hendrickson], Kate [Johnson], and [Rylee] Bartz to do it for us. Like, we need to take it upon ourselves and step into our role and put the puck in the net ourselves,” added junior forward Kaiya Sandy. “I got to show up to play, personally, like I can’t can’t rely on anyone else to do it.”

“I think everybody in the state was writing us off for this year,” said assistant coach Layla Marvin. “We had a few bumps in the road, but we learned along the way, and I’m just really, really proud of these guys for coming together when it mattered most at the end.”

The Class A All-Tournament Team was also announced after the game, and six Warriors made the list:

• Payton Rolli – sophomore goaltender
• Jaylie French – freshman defenseman
• Vivienne Marcowka – sophomore defenseman
• Katy Comstock – junior defenseman
• Taylor Reese – sophomore forward
• Kaiya Sandy – junior forward

With these six players being juniors or younger, there’s a bright outlook for Warroad over the next few years.

It’s 357 miles and nearly six hours between Warroad and the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, and it can be tough for some to make the trek. So, many who couldn’t (and even those who did) were at the Gardens on Sunday afternoon in Warroad to welcome back the team as they arrived escorted by fire engines and the like.

It’s a celebration that now feels like a yearly tradition given the Warriors’ success, but it certainly isn’t getting old.

“It’s still, it’s the best feeling ever,” said senior forward Sophie Johnson. “I love ending a good senior season by winning, not losing, that’s awesome. And being able to get this trophy with the jersey I wore – yeah, it’s awesome.”

“This town has been amazing, added junior defenseman Katy Comstock. “The support here for our girls’ hockey especially is unreal and it’s just so blessed to have a community that supports us this much.”

“It’s incredible. They say that nobody cares about girls’ hockey like Warroad does, and when we came in, it truly just made it feel all real,” said sophomore forward Taylor Reese. “Like, truly Warroad does care the most about girls’ hockey.”

For more footage of the Warriors’ postgame press conference and interviews with players after their trip back home, watch the following videos below: