Girls state hockey: Pioneers hang on to win 2A title
A stellar night in goal from Piper Tam helped carry the Hill-Murray girls hockey team to its second-straight Class 2A state girls hockey title Saturday night.
The Pioneers freshman finished with 33 saves as the tournament’s top-seed held off No. 2 seed Centennial/Spring Lake Park 4-3 in the championship game at Grand Casino Arena.
Hill-Murray defender Addy McLay (4) clears the puck against Centennial/Spring Lake Park during the first period of the Class 2A championship game of the State Girls Hockey Tournament at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026.. (Matt Blewett / Special to the Pioneer Press)
The 4-3 score matched the outcome when the two teams met in the regular-season finale on Jan. 31.
Tam had 24 saves as an eighth-grader a year ago when Hill-Murray defeated Edina 5-4 in double overtime for the state title.
This time, the Pioneers required less drama as Tam kept the Cougars off the board until a late three-goal surge in the game’s final minutes.
Hill-Murray got goals from juniors Jaycee Chatleain and Emily Pohl early in the first and second periods, then sophomore Reese Unklesbay and senior Sophie Olson scored within a span of just over two minutes in the third.
The Pioneers finished their season 26-3-1 and earned the fourth state championship in program history, becoming the first Class 2A team to repeat as champions since Edina won three in a row from 2017-19. Hill-Murray previously won back-to-back titles in 2014 and ’15.
Centennial/Spring Lake Park — in just its third state tournament appearance, and its first time advancing past the quarterfinals – finished its season 26-4-1.
Cougars junior Kaia Weiland finished with 25 saves for her team, which finally got on the board on a power-play goal from senior Lillian Renslow with 2:31 to play. Freshman Josie Kelzenberg added another less than a minute later.
The flurry continued with a second goal by Kelzenberg in the game’s final five seconds. But the rally came up just short.
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