Team Finder
The Knights are sporting an 11-0 record and the Pioneer Press' No. 1 ranking in the metro after a 9-0 thumping of Totino-Grace in a North Suburban Conference game Saturday afternoon, but they are not convinced they are one of the elite teams in the state.
"We think we know where we are at in the whole scheme of things, but we aren't an elite team yet," Knights coach Tom Rodefeld said. "We aren't 100 percent sure where, but we are close."
Their play Saturday was worthy of a state power with junior all-state forward Meghan Lorence scoring four goals and assisting on two in a game Irondale dominated from the opening faceoff. Samantha Donovan chipped in two goals, and Gina McDonald had a goal and two assists. Irondale has outscored the opposition 91-18 this season.
"They're an exceptional team," Totino-Grace coach Tom Peart said. "They're the best team we've played all year, and we've had a tough schedule. We weren't prepared, and that was my fault. I didn't prepare them well enough for that club."
Irondale will see soon enough how far its program has come, playing in the Edina holiday tournament, which begins, Dec. 28. The Knights finished last out of eight teams last season in the tournament that features many of Minnesota's elite teams. Irondale opens against Grand Rapids/Greenway, which is 4-6-2 with most of its losses against state powers. Irondale lost to the Lightning in overtime in last year's quarterfinals.
Also in the tournament are host Edina, Hopkins, Hill-Murray, Maple Grove, Duluth and Lakeville South.
"It's really exciting to have played so well to this point, but we have so much more to do," said McDonald, who has given an oral commitment to play at Harvard. "Doing well in that tournament is something we're capable of, as long as we continue to play at a high level."
Said Rodefeld: "Finishing eighth last year was actually a good experience. It was our chance to play three great teams without any expectations."
And now?
"We have incredible talent, experience and depth, but we aren't going to get ahead of ourselves," he said. "When we play in those high-level tournaments, you notice that those great teams make adjustments. We used to be one-dimensional and couldn't do that. If we're going to be one of those great teams, can we make those adjustments to hang with the big teams? We will see."
Another upcoming benchmark for the Knights is a Jan. 9 game at Class AA power Roseville.
"One thing we're finding out is that when there are no expectations, we didn't have to worry," Rodefeld said. "But now, the bar is set higher."
Lorence said becoming a team to beat comes with some baggage, too.
"You can't take a day off," she said. "We still have a job to do. I can remember the days when things weren't nearly as fun, when we were getting beat pretty bad. It's nice now being a team to beat. I don't know if we've quite arrived yet. The holiday tournament will help figure that out."