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Knights off to a quick start

By Brian Meyers sports writer, 11/25/11, 7:14AM CST

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Knights off to a quick start

Knights off to a quick start

Brian Meyers
sports writer

The Irondale High School girls hockey team got its season off to a solid start last week with three road victories. The Knights dispatched Henry Sibley, Hibbing/Chisholm and Grand Rapids/Greenway with a combination of solid defense and plenty of offense.

Irondale head coach Tom Rodefeld has to be happy with his team's defense through the first three games. The Knights surrendered only four goals last week as senior goaltender Gillian McDonald and senior captains and defenders Megan Gjere and Rachel DeKanick led the defensive effort.

McDonald stopped 38 of the 42 shots she faced last week while playing every minute of all three games.

"It's this idea of keep them at zero as long as you can and take advantage," Rodefeld said following the Sibley game. "The young forwards are coming along. This is not the days of 8-7. We would love a 1-0, defensive struggle."

Offensively, sophomore forward Samantha Donovan has stepped out from the shadow of former Irondale standout Meghan Lorence, who is now a member of the University of Minnesota women's hockey team. Lorence left the Knights as the program's all-time leading scorer and it appears Donovan is ready to take a run at that record. She began the season seventh on Irondale's all-time scoring list.

Through three games, Donovan has 10 goals and 12 total points. She got the season off to a fast start by scoring all four of Irondale's goals against Henry Sibley on Nov. 15 and apparently enjoyed it so much she put up four more last Friday against Hibbing/Chisholm in Irondale's 7-0 victory.

Donovan collected four more points the next afternoon against Grand Rapids/Greenway and she scored twice and added a pair of assists.

"It's a different team, that's for sure," said Rodefeld. "The young forwards are really buying into that defense-first system that's created some of those transitions that Sam's been able to take advantage of."

Irondale will try to keep things rolling Friday, when the Knights host their third-annual Thanksgiving weekend tournament. The two-day, four-team tournament at the Super Rink in Blaine features Irondale versus Moose Lake Area at 5:30 p.m. and Mounds View against Coon Rapids at 8 p.m. on Friday.

On Saturday, Friday's losing teams battle for third place at 5:30 p.m. while the winners hit the ice in the championship game at 8 p.m.

Brian Meyers can be reached at bmeyers@lillienews.com.