Holy Family Girls Hockey Heads to the State AA Tourney

The championship game stayed close from start to finish. Holy Family scored early, and the teams traded goals throughout regulation. After three periods, the score was tied, sending the game into overtime. Neither side scored in the first extra period. Then, with less than three minutes left in the second overtime, Chloe King scored the game-winning goal to secure the section title for the Fire.

With the win, Holy Family advances to the Minnesota State High School League Class AA State Tournament as the No. 3 seed. The Fire will play their first state game on Thursday, Feb. 19, at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul.

A Team with Experience

Holy Family’s roster includes six players committed to play college hockey, showing the high level of talent on this year’s team. 

Two players — Maddy Kimbrel and Katya Sander — recently won a gold medal with the U18 Team USA World Championship team. Both Kimbrel and Sander were named semifinalists for the prestigious Ms. Hockey Award, which honors the top senior girls' hockey player in Minnesota. Kimbrel is in the running as a finalist, with the finalists to be announced on February 22. The five finalists were chosen by a panel of high school and college coaches from a list of 10 semifinalists.

Senior goaltender Kayla Swartout has also earned statewide recognition as a finalist for the Jori Jones Award. The Jori Jones Award is presented to the top senior girls’ high school hockey goaltender in the state, based on the following criteria: academics, community/extra-curricular activities, citizenship, coachability, and, of course, on-ice performance. Swartout is a University of Wisconsin commit with 59 career wins. She stopped 12 shots in the extra session to keep the Fire alive until senior Chloe King scored the game-winning goal to clinch the Section 2AA championship, sending them to the state tournament.

In addition, Kimbrel, Sander, and Swartout were named to the 2026 Strib Varsity All-Minnesota Girls Hockey Team, which recognizes the newspaper's selection of the top 25 players in the state.  Maddy Kimbrel was also named the Star Tribune Girls Hockey Player of the Year.

A Strong Season

Holy Family’s trip to the state tournament follows a successful regular season built on steady play at both ends of the ice. The Fire showed they could score consistently while also playing solid defense. In close games, they limited mistakes and relied on strong goaltending to protect leads.

Now, as the No. 3 seed in Class AA, the Fire will take the ice Thursday at Grand Casino Arena, looking to continue a season that has already included one championship win.

Holy Family enters the Minnesota State High School League Class AA State Tournament with a section title, a high seed, and a roster that has performed in big games and is hungry to win the state championship.

UPDATE: The Fire won their quarterfinal game 4-0. They now advance to the MSHLS Class 2A State Semifinals on Friday, February 20, at Grand Casino Arena!

Ticket Information:

• All tickets are digital tickets and can be purchased here. State tournament ticket links may also be found on the MSHSL website at https://www.mshsl.org/tickets. 
• Purchase tickets for MSHSL 2026 Girls Class AA Hockey Quarterfinals Session Two. Our game time is 8:00 P.M. Your ticket is also good for the 6:00 P.M. game.
• General admission ticket prices for Class AA Hockey sessions at Grand Casino Arena are: Adults, $20; Students K-12, $13; and children not yet in school, free.

Streaming Information:

• Streaming available through Neighborhood Sports Network at: https://nspn.tv/MSHSL
• Semifinals and Championship games: https://prep45.com

Picture credit: K. Richter