Minnetonka girls hockey coach Tracy Cassano celebrated her birthday Friday in the best way, with a 4-0 victory against Holy Family for the Class 2A, Section 2 championship.
The stick and gloves tossed by her victorious players were the balloons and streamers. The section championship trophy was a cake of sorts. It held no candles to blow out, but it meant wishes granted in the form of a fifth consecutive trip to the Xcel Energy Center for the state tournament.
No. 1 seed and top-ranked Minnetonka (25-2) placed second to Andover last season. On Friday, they got rolling with two goals scored 76 seconds apart from sophomore Ruby Rauk and junior Lindzi Avar. The duo put the Skippers ahead 2-0 in the second period.
Minnetonka received zero goals from its top three scorers, Ava Lindsay, Grace Sadura and Kendra Distad. But their less-heralded teammates weren't waiting on the big three to start the party.
"We pride ourselves on being deep and having the mind-set that anyone on the ice can score," Rauk said.
Each team had allowed just one goal in two previous section playoff games. No. 2 seed Holy Family senior goaltender Sedona Blair kept Minnetonka at bay through one period despite a 18-5 Skippers advantage in shots on goal.
"That was important for our team to feel a little more comfortable," said Blair, who made 37 saves total. "My teammates helped a lot, too. They kept shots wide and blocked some shots. We really battled our butts off."
Minnetonka matched the effort and intensity of the Fire (20-7-1). A year ago, the Skippers escaped with an overtime victory against Holy Family in the section final. Friday's result meant an earlier exhale.
"We have a better understanding of what it takes, the small details of the game, to win championships," Cassano said. "We played good team defense. We backchecked hard and with a purpose."
When Holy Family threatened, sophomore goalie Layla Hemp kept the door sealed. She stopped all 24 shots faced for her sixth shutout of the season. She takes a 14-0 record into the state tournament.
