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Ms. Hockey Finalists Announced

By LPH-Zollman, 02/20/22, 9:00AM CST

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The Top Five Finalists Revealed - Winner Announced Next Sunday

Five finalists for the coveted Ms. Hockey Award were named Friday by Let’s Play Hockey.

Claire Enright (Lakeville South), Vivian Jungels (Edina), Madison Kaiser (Holy Family), Danielle Burgen (Chisago Lakes), and Sloane Matthews (Wayzata) will vie for the top female player award to be given Sunday, Feb. 27 at the annual Ms. Hockey Banquet.

The five players emerged from a strong class of 2022 graduates that included semifinalists Emma Peschel of Benilde-St. Margaret’s, Orono’s Ilya Ryskamp, Hill-Murray’s Allie Franco, Elk River/Zimmerman’s Maddy Christian, and Rosemount’s Whitney Tuttle. All 10 semifinalists are moving on to play Division I hockey.

Enright leads all Class AA scorers with 54 goals on the season and will continue her playing career at the University of Wisconsin. Jungels, also a University of Wisconsin commit holds the Edina record for points for a defenseman. Burgen won a Gold Medal with the USA U18 squad in 2020 and is the all-time points leader in school history. She is headed to the University of Minnesota-Duluth. Kaiser is a University of Minnesota commit and has led the Fire to the No. 3 ranking in LPH’s latest coaches poll as they vie for a state berth tonight against No. 5 Minnetonka. Matthews has netted 35 goals for Wayzata and is headed to Ohio State University.

Combined the top five finalists have scored 182 goals this season  and tallied 111 assists for 293 points.

The Ms. Hockey Banquet will be held Sunday, Feb. 27 at Inwood Oaks in Oakdale. Tickets can be purchased by calling Bryan Zollman at 320-333-3279 or e-mailing him at bryan@letsplayhockey.com.

The Ms. Hockey Banquet is co-sponsored by the Minnesota Wild, Tradition Companies, the Minnesota Girls Hockey Coaches Association and Let’s Play Hockey. The keynote speaker for the banquet is Olympic Gold Medalist Karyn Bye-Dietz. The event will be emceed by Minnesota Wild correspondent and Bardown Beauties podcast co-host Jessi Pierce.

A closer look at the five finalists:

Danielle Burgen, F, Chisago Lakes

2021-22: 42G-24A-66PTS/University of Minnesota-Duluth

Danielle Burgen became the school’s all-time leader in points and assists after putting together her fourth straight 50-plus point campaign. A varsity player since her seventh grade year, the Chisago Lakes captain helped lead her team to the state tournament last year and currently has 42 goals and 66 points as the reached the section finals but lost 4-2 to South St. Paul. 
She was named to the All-State team as a sophomore and junior, and also helped lead the U.S. 18U National Team to a gold medal finish in 2020, and was a member of this year’s squad as well (tourney was cancelled due to COVID).
Burgen will continue her hockey career next season at the University of Minnesota Duluth.
Coach’s comments: "Danielle is one of the top players in the State. She gives us a chance to score and win every time she is on the ice. Teams have to game plan to try and stop her. Danielle plays with passion and compete, not only in games, but in practice. She is extremely skilled, physical, and has amazing vision and Hockey IQ. She is a 2-time U18 US National Team selected where she and her team won the Gold Medal in 2020. She is a natural leader, who leads by example and was named a Senior Captain by her peers, because she loves her team. She will stop at nothing to make sure we are successful on and off the ice.”

 

Claire Enright, F, Lakeville South

2021-22: 54G-21A-75PTS/University of Wisconsin

No Class AA player in the state has been able to find the back of the net more than Lakeville South’s Claire Enright.  She leads all AA players with 54 goals and led the Cougars to a 25-3 record. She has had eight hat tricks this season and recently eclipsed 200 points for her career  with 128 goals and 80 assists to her credit. A “complete” player who works both ends of the ice, Enright was a member of the U.S. Womens U18 National team and will continue her playing career at the University of Wisconsin. 

Coach’s Comments: "As a veteran coach, I have had the pleasure of watching every past Ms. Hockey winner play over the years. Claire Enright is among the higher echelon of all of the players who have ever received this award in the past. The single word that describes Claire is “Dynamic”. She has the ability to take over games with her speed, quickness and offensive abilities. Her skating is virtually flawless. However, her work ethic and competitiveness make her one of the best defensive players I have ever coached."

Vivian Jungels, D, Edina

2021-22: 14G-30A-44PTS/University of Wisconisn

Vivian Jungels has accomplished about all there is to accomplish on the ice. And she’s done it twice. She is a two-time state tournament winner, a two-time all-state tournament team player, and a two-time all-state selection. This year she could make it three in each category. The shifty defenseman has an astounding 173 points as a defenseman (school record for a D) and just notched her 50th career goal. Jungels will continue her playing career at the University of Wisconsin. 

Coach’s Comments: "Vivian Jungels is hands down one of the best all-around players in the State and in my opinion, she is definitely the best defenseman in the State. Vivian is the type of player that every team wishes they could have on their team. Her ability to score goals, stop any player on a 1v1, block a huge shot, make an unbelievable pass and be just a phenomenal player overall comes very natural to Vivian. Ever since Vivian was about 12 years old, she was already being sought after by colleges all around the Country - that is how special of a player she is."

 

 

Madison Kaiser, F, Holy Family Catholic

2021-22: 37G-17A-54PTS/University of Minnesota

Kaiser has been a driving force for Holy Family this season as  a top-5 team in the state heading into playoffs.  Tough and intense, Kaiser has been a leader for the Fire since she joined the program. She won a state title with Andover in 2020 and brings valuable big game experience to Holy Family. This year she has netted 37 goals to lead the team as they enter a tough section and will play Minnetonka for a chance at state. A member of the U.S. Womens U18 National team, Kaiser will be a Golden Gopher next season at the University of Minnesota. 

Coach’s Comments: "Maddie has been a leader since she set foot in our program.. Her intensity and pride that she takes on the ice whether it be in practice or a game is unmatched. Her point total could be much higher, but we run 3 lines and play one of the tougher schedules in the state and I don’t play my top players in the third of blowout games. She has been the focus of every team we play and continues to dominate the top teams."

Sloane Matthews, F, Wayzata

2021-22: 35G-19A-54PTS/Ohio State University

A 5-year letter winner for the Trojans, Sloane Matthews has been an all-conference pick in each of those five seasons. She has been an all-state honorable mention selection the past two seasons and is a two-time team captain. Matthews has also excelled on the national stage participating in the U.S. National Tournament where they finished second in 2021. She eclipsed the 100-goal mark for her career this season.

Matthews will continue her hockey career at Ohio State University. 

Coach’s Comments: "Sloane is an extremely fast and skilled player that has a natural goal scoring gift. As her coach, I know I can always rely on Sloane in big game situations, which is something that I believe makes her even more special, amongst the other top players in the state. It is so common these days to see a talented player thrive in an easy preseason game, where they have the time and space to showcase their skill. But the best players always play their best games in the high-pressure situations when they know it’s their job to lead their team to a victory. This is something Sloane has done time and time again."

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