For Talla Hansen and her Wazyata Blue teammates, St. Patrick’s Day was anything but lucky. 

The Trojans fell to Osseo-Maple Grove in the quarterfinals of the Minnesota Hockey 15A State Tournament by a heartbreaking 2-1 score, ending Wayzata Blue’s attempt at summiting the state’s 15A mountaintop. In classic Wayzata style, the Trojans marched to the consolation crown, thumping Alexandria 5-1 and Prior Lake 6-1 over the next two days. The Trojans finished the 2022-2023 season with a record of 37-7-2. 

Less than two weeks after the state tournament, Hansen found herself where she wanted to be all along - in the winner’s circle, posing with her Minnesota Walleye 14U Tier I teammates after a triumphant six-win run through USA Hockey’s National Tournament. True to form, Hansen led the national champion Walleye with four goals and seven points in the half-dozen contests, including the game-winning goal in overtime of the national semifinals.