During the middle of the day Thursday, Red Wing senior defenseman Paige Haley was thrown off when she got a text from a teammate.

“I got a text from Kayla Oberding saying, ‘Congrats,’ and I was like, ‘For what,” Paige said. “I didn’t know.

“Then she said, ‘For getting top 10 for Ms. Hockey.”

It didn’t take long for the good news to spread.

“Then Nicole (Schammel) texted me,” Paige said. “My teammates, their support is unbelievable. We’re a family, they mean a lot to me.”

On Thursday, Let’s Play Hockey, a state-wide hockey publication, named Paige one of 10 semifinalists for the Ms. Hockey award, presented to the top senior girls high school hockey player in the state.

Along with Paige, the other semifinalists include: Laura Bowman (Minnetonka), Dani Cameranesi (Blake), Kate Flug (Roseville Area), Kayla Gardner (Warroad), Lisa Marvin (Warroad), Amy Menke (Shakopee), Sidney Morin (Minnetonka), Kate Schipper (Breck) and Megan Wolfe (Eagan).

“This is really just something I’m very humbled by and I’m very grateful for the opportunity to make that top 10 list,” Paige said. “It’s something I always thought would be pretty cool as a senior, but I never really thought about it. … It was kind of special to get the news on my senior night as well.”

Paige is the second Winger to be nominated for Ms. Hockey, joining Rose Avella, who was nominated for Ms. Hockey in 2010. Avella is currently in her junior season at Division I Princeton.

“It’s a huge honor for Paige and we’re really happy for that,” said Red Wing head coach and Paige’s father, Scott Haley. “Along with the accolades of the team, it’s been a real positive year.”

With 17 goals and 39 assists for the 22-2-0 Wingers, Paige is just one of two defensemen in the running for Ms. Hockey.

“It’s pretty hard for a ‘D’ to get on that list, so I’m happy she’s one of them,” Scott said. “She’s worked hard and it’s well deserved.”

A future Minnesota Golden Gopher, the Ms. Hockey semifinalists also gives a preview of her collegiate future. Five of the 10 semifinalists – Paige, Cameranesi, Flug, Schipper and Wolfe – are committed to the Gophers.

“It just goes to show that the State of Hockey this year has a good class ... not just a good hockey player class, but good people as well,” Paige said. “The biggest thing (Minnesota head coach Brad) Frost wants us for is not that we’re just good hockey players, but that we’re good people and we can contribute to the community.”

Being up for Ms. Hockey was a dream for Paige, but her focus will stay solely on getting Red Wing back to the state tournament for a third straight year in hopes of winning the school’s first girls state hockey title.

“I’m looking forward to (Ms. Hockey), but then again, my season’s more important,” she said. “It’s a super-cool opportunity to have.”