Front Row: (L-R) Milica McMillen & Prentice Basten (Breck), Paige Hailey (Red Wing), Sara Carlson (Hutchinson), Amanda Arbogast (Eveleth-Gilbert);  Back Row:  Kayla Gardner, Layla Marvin, Karley Sylvester, Shelby Amsley-Benzie (Warroad), Abbie Wisneskie, Sam LaShomb and Katie Felton (South St. Paul).

Breck 6, Eveleth-Gilbert 4 - Feb. 26, 2011:

The Mustangs beat Eveleth-Gilbert 6-4 to win the State Tourney Third Place Trophy this morning.  Breck had juggled their lines in the early going with seniors Kayla Mork and Caroline Griffith joining junior Carly Schaeder for the opening face-off. 

Schaeder and Griffith were still together on the ice when they set-up Milica McMillen for her 20^th goal of the season.  The Mustangs were totally controlling the puck when junior Prentice Basten scored to make the score  2-0 and the shots on goal 9-0.  But then Breck started taking penalties and giving away power play opportunities.  After Breck skated off the first part of a 5-on-3 power play for Eveleth, the Golden Bears scored a power play goal to narrow the score to 2-1.  Prentice Basten added her second goal of the day and her fifth of the tournament on a Breck power play as the period ended with the score 3-1 and shots on goal now even at 11-11.

Kayla Mork created excitement for the Mustangs with a shorthanded goal to give Breck a 4-1 lead at 14:34 of the second period.  But the excitement was short lived, as Eveleth came back fast scoring three times in 73 seconds to tie the game at 4-4.  The Golden Bears scored twice in the second period’s final minute, the second goal with 4 seconds left was scored just six seconds after a Mustang penalty.  Nine seconds into the final period, Breck took another penalty and the Golden Bears scored twenty four seconds later for the 4-4 tie.   

Semi-finals: South St. Paul 1, Breck 0 - Feb 25,2011

The Mustangs lost 1-0 to South St. Paul on a third period power play goal in the State Tourney this afternoon.  Breck moves onto the Third Place game at 9:00 AM tomorrow at the Xcel Energy Center.

The Mustangs were bottled up in the early going as the Packer 1-2-2 fore check kept the play in the Mustang zone much more than expected.  The first period ended with South St. Paul leading on shots on goal by a 13-4 advantage. 

Quarter-finals: Breck 12, New Ulm 1 – Feb. 23, 2011

The Mustangs out skated, out hustled and out played the Bears in a thrilling 5-1 victory over the #2-ranked Bears on Thursday evening.  The Bears got on the board first with a long range shot from just inside the blue line by Abby Lund.  But Breck’s top line had been buzzing the net and it was just a matter of time before senior Kayla Mork scored off a pass from Carly Schaeder to tie the score at 1-1.  Breck had a 12-9 shot advantage in the period.

It is Déjà vu as the Minnesota State High School League’s Class A state tourney bracket has the exact same four upper bracket teams in identical positions as the 2010 tournament.  Breck plays New Ulm (11 AM Wednesday) and South St. Paul plays Hutchinson (1 PM) with the two winners meeting in the semi-finals.  Warroad is the overall #1 seed and the Warriors face Alexandria (6 PM) in the opening round with Eveleth-Gilbert facing Red Wing in the (8 PM) final opening round matchup. he Breck Girls Hockey web site has been updated to include the 28 games so far in the 2010-2011 season, http://www.breckgirlshockey.com/.  With her next goal, Milica McMillen will move into a 2^nd place tie in Breck goal scoring at 108 goals with Susannah Brokl and she is just 3 goals behind Ellen Swiontkowski’s 110.  Hopefully, she can become the Mustangs’ all-time goal scorer on her way to leading Breck to their first Minnesota Class A State Girls Hockey Championship.

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Front Row (L to R): Alexandra Wallin, Madi Lommen, Stephanie Headrick, Kate Schipper, Carly Schaeder, Leah Schwartzman, Carlie Gustafson, Megan Sweet

Megan Curry (Breck 2007) had a big night on Wednesday scoring two unassisted breakaway goals in Amherst’s 5-1 win over St. Anselm. The first goal was shorthanded and the second even strength:

Breck 2010 graduate Emily Kleidon leads the Trinity Bantams to Minnesota on Friday, January 14 and Saturday, January 15 to play Gustavus Adolphus on Friday (7 PM) in St. Peter and St. Thomas on Saturday (5 PM) in Mendota Heights.  If you haven’t seen a Women’s College Hockey game, this is the perfect time to see one of the Best teams from the East play two of the Best teams from the West.

TEAM USA won the World Championship today in the 2011 18U International Ice Hockey Federation Tournament.  Breck’s Milica McMillen was named the tournament’s top defender.  Milica scored the fifth and final goal in the 5-2 win over Canada this evening.

Milica McMillen has two goals and is plus-4 so far for Team USA in the World U18 tournament in Stockholm Sweden.  Team USA has advanced to the semifinals with a 3-0 record as the winner of their division.  Canada is also undefeated and is seeded into the other semifinal game.  USA plays the Czech Republic which won a quarterfinal game 3-1 over Germany.  Canada will play the winner of the Sweden-Finland game later today.

The Mustangs exploded for 7 first period goals on their way to a 13-1 win over the Minneapolis Novas on Saturday afternoon.  Kate Schipper had four goals and 2 assists, while Kayla Mork had three goals and an assist. Eighth-grader Megan Sweet scored her first career Breck goal to open the scoring.

The Mustangs came back from a 3-1 deficit to tie Blake 4-4 on Thursday evening.  Breck scored three straight goals in a three minute stretch of the third period to take the lead at 4-3.  During the furious third period rally at the Bear Den, Breck outshot the Bears 21-9.  Milica McMillen scored twice for Breck, tallying her 100^th and 101^st career goals.  Also scoring for Breck were senior Caroline Griffith and junior Karina Marette.

The Mustangs beat the Duluth Northern Stars 4-1 on Tuesday as Taylor Neisen made 30 saves for Breck.  Junior Milica McMillen got the Mustangs going with a breakaway shorthanded goal to tie the score at 1-1 midway through the first period. Milica’s goal was her 99^th as a Mustang and her 200^th point of her career.  Five minutes later, Prentice Basten scored her sixth goal in the past 6 games to give Breck the lead. Then senior co-captain Kayla Mork scored just thirty-four seconds later to give Breck a comfortable 3-1 lead at the first intermission. Junior Kate Schipper finished the scoring with a quick unassisted score after a third period face-off in the Duluth zone.

The Mustangs continued with their first period scoring splurge on Tuesday at Drake Arena, beating St. Paul United 5-1.  Breck scored three times on their first four shots to knock out United’s starting goaltender.  Milica’s McMillen scored her ninth goal of the season and the 98^th of her career to open the scoring.  Just 47 seconds later, Carly Schaeder scored her 11^th goal of the season assisted by Caroline Griffith and Natalie Roberts.  Then following the ensuing face-off, Caroline Griffith scored ten seconds later on assists by Schaeder and Leah Schwartzman.  Eighth-grader Leah Schwartzman scored Breck’s fourth first period goal in the final minute of the period.

The archrival Blake Bears beat the Mustangs 4-1 for their 28^th win in the teams’ 35-game series, Breck is now 5-28-2 versus Blake.  The Mustangs got off to an early 1-0 lead after junior Milica McMillen intercepted a Blake pass and took off on a breakaway.  Bears’ goaltender Chloe Billadeau made the save on Milica, but the rebound bounced out to Carly Schaeder who scored at the 4:03 mark.  Breck dominated the period controlling the puck, out shooting the Bears 16-8, but they couldn’t make it past the period’s final minute as Blake’s Hillary Crowe scored at 16:03 to tie the score 1-1.

The Mustangs beat the St. Paul Blades 5-1 on Thursday evening.  Junior Prentice Basten scored two goals just 23 seconds apart in the first period to put the Mustangs in control, then she scored again in the third period to record the 48^th hat trick in Breck Girls Hockey history.  Karina Marette and Milica McMillen also added goals while Carly Schaeder had 3 assists.  Taylor Neisen made 18 saves for the win in goal for the Mustangs who took over first place in the Tri-Metro with the win.  Breck is now 6-0-0, with Blake in second with a 5-0-1 conference record.  The two teams will face off for first place on Saturday at Breck Arena, game time is 1 PM.   

The Mustangs beat the St. Paul Blades 4-1 on Tuesday afternoon. Junior Milica McMillen scored two goals to break the Breck Girls Hockey All-Time Scoring record with her 192^nd and 193^rd points.  The record was set at 192 points by Ellen Swiontkowski (110 g, 82 a) during the 2007-2008 season.  Milica now has totaled 96 goals and 97 assists in her five Mustang seasons.

The Mustangs lost 4-3 in a non-conference game with Hill-Murray on Saturday afternoon.  The Mustangs’ Kate Schipper scored midway through the first on an assist by Carly Schaeder to put Breck up 1-0.  Hill-Murray came back strong with Hannah Brandt scoring twice late in the period for a 2-1 Hill lead.  Hannah Brandt was a member of Team USA in the U18 World Championships with Milica McMillen and is already committed to join the University of Minnesota Women’s team with Milica in September 2012.

Breck swept the season series with Minnehaha this evening with their second 4-1 win of the year over the Saints.  Sophomore Kate Schipper scored the 48^th hat trick in Breck Girls Hockey history by scoring three goals in six minutes and 25 seconds midway through the first period.  It was Kate’s second career hat trick.  Carly Schaeder scored the other Breck goal while Karina Marette added two assists.

The Mustangs beat the Minneapolis Novas 5-1 this afternoon to stay undefeated in the Tri-Metro Conference with a 3-0 record.  Eighth-grader Claire Mancheski scored the 47^th hat trick in Breck Girls Hockey history and the seventh hat trick* for an 8^th grader.  Claire also added an assist on sophomore Kate Schipper’s first goal. Kate had two goals and added an assist, while eighth-graders Megan Sweet and Isabel Gleekel each got their first Breck career points on assists on Mancheski’s last two goals.

The Mustangs lost 6-2 to the #5-ranked AA Lakeville South Cougars on Friday evening.  Lakeville dominated the second and third periods as the Cougars outshot Breck 38-16 on the evening.  Lakeville’s Morgan Fritz-Ward had her second hat trick in her last 3 games while line mate Samantha Moore had four assists.

The Mustangs stormed back from a 1-0 deficit to beat St. Paul United 3-1 on Thursday evening.  Breck played without stars Kayla Mork (injury) and Milica McMillen (Team USA).  The Mustangs comeback was started late in the second period by the penalty killing duo of Kate Schipper and Carly Schaeder who intercepted a United pass and broke out on a 2-on-0 breakaway resulting in Schipper’s shorthanded goal to tie the game 1-1.  United was 0-for-5 on the power play and Breck’s penalty kill created more scoring chances than they gave up.

The Mustangs beat Eveleth-Gilbert 4-1 in the Schwan Cup Consolation Championship game on Wednesday evening.  Sophomore Kate Schipper scored twice for Breck, while Carly Schaeder had the game winning goal and an assist.  Junior Taylor Neisen made 22 saves in goal for the Mustangs to earn her fifth win this season.

The Mustangs beat the Silver Bay Mariners 4-3 this afternoon to advance to the Schwan Cup-Blue Division Consolation Championship game on Wednesday versus Eveleth-Gilbert (9-6-0). Junior Carly Schaeder scored two third period goals to lead Breck to victory. Carly also assisted on eighth-grader Alexandra Wallin’s first career Breck goal in the first period. Schaeder’s second goal was an empty netter which appeared to be an insurance goal at 16:41 until Silver Bay scored with four seconds left to make the final 4-3. Junior Karina Marette had a goal and an assist for the Mustangs while sophomore Kate Schipper tallied two assists. Goaltender Taylor Neisen made 19 saves for the win in nets for Breck.

The Mustangs lost 3-1 to the Fargo North Spartans on Monday afternoon.  Breck now plays Silver Bay (6-4-1) in the consolation bracket at 1:30 PM on Tuesday at the Super Rink.  Silver Bay lost 5-3 to Red Wing in the Blue Division’s opening game.  

Breck played without Milica McMillen, who is playing for the USA U18 team in Sweden during the holidays.  Milica’s consecutive game streak of 126 games came to an end just 20 games short of the Breck Mustang record of 146 consecutive games by Susannah Brokl (six seasons, 1997-2003).  Recent grad Madison Styrbicki is second on the consecutive game list with 140 games over five seasons, 2004-2009.

The Mustangs snapped their six-game losing streak by beating the Minnehaha Saints 4-1 in their Tri-Metro Conference opener.  Eighth-grader Leah Schwartzman scored her first two goals for the Mustangs to get Breck out to a 2-0 lead.  Carly Schaeder and Karina Marette also scored for the Mustangs.  Breck played again without Kayla Mork (injury) and Kate Schipper (illness).

The Mustangs 2-0 lost to Proctor/Hermantown/Duluth Marshall on Friday evening. For Breck, it was the first time the Mustangs had been shutout since a 4-0 loss to Minnetonka on December 30, 2008, a team record span of 51 consecutive games with a goal.  Only two Breck teams have played an entire season without being shutout.  The 2001-2002 squad was the first to score in every game while going 6-15-3 with 55 goals in 24 games.  The 2009-2010 State Runner-Up squad was the second to accomplish the feat with 136 goals in 30 games with a record of 25-4-1.

The Mustangs lost 4-3 to the St. Croix Valley Fusion on Thursday evening.  Breck scored their first first period goal of the year when Caroline Griffith scored off a scramble in front of the net before goalie Kalli Armagost could cover to give the Mustangs a 1-0 lead. Eighth-grader Leah Schwartzman got her first career assist on Griffith’s goal.  Breck almost doubled their lead when the Mustangs had a 2-on-0 breakaway three minutes later, but the puck was shot wide and the opportunity was gone. The Fusion’s Tara Frey tied the game just before the end of the period.

The Mustangs suffered their fourth straight loss on Saturday, this time at the hands of Chaska/Chanhassen by a 3-1 score.  Breck played with several junior varsity players playing in place of injured seniors Kayla Mork and Caroline Griffith.  Breck’s lone goal was scored on a rebound by junior Kate Schipper.

Rosemount senior Allison Micheletti scored with 45 seconds left to give Rosemount a 3-2 win over the Mustangs on Thursday evening.  The Mustangs tied the score twice but never led during the game.  Carly Schaeder scored at the 11:29 mark of the second period to make it 1-1, but Rosemount’s top scorer Rachael Kelly scored her second goal of the game just 19 seconds later to put the Irish back on top. Midway through the third period, Milica McMillen scored an unassisted, shorthanded goal to tie it at 2-2 and set the stage for Micheletti’s game winner.  Rosemount outshot the Mustangs 20-6 in the third period and 46-22 for the game. 

The Mustangs lost 3-1 to the Edina Hornets on Saturday.  The Hornets outshot Breck by a 40-18 margin and took a 3-0 lead before Breck junior Karina Marette scored a power play midway through the third period.  In the Cake Eater tourney championship game, Blake and Benilde skated to a 3-3 tie forcing a shootout for the championship trophy.  The Bears came away with the trophy as Blake senior Abbie Lund scored a shootout goal and senior goalie Chloe Billadeau stopped all three Red Knight attempts.

The Mustangs lost a 3-2 OT heartbreaker to Benilde on Friday night. Just about the time the Breck faithful were thinking about who coach Vannelli would chose for the tie-breaking shoot-out, the Red Knights ended the game with a goal with just 9.4 seconds left. Freshman Ali Praus scored on a wrap around to send the Red Knights into the championship game against the Blake Bears, who beat Edina 4-3.

Breck placed five players on the Class A All-Tournament Team: Kayla Mork, Kate Schipper, Milica McMillen, Hayley Opperman and Taylor Neisen.