Three goals were all it took to keep Team Minnesota out of the playoff round in Edmonton.

Opening losses against the Connecticut Jr. Rangers (1-0) and Toronto Pro Hockey Ontario (3-1) weighed heavily enough to offset the tear Team MN went on in the final three games, which included a 4-1 win over Team Manitoba and back-to-back 5-0 shutouts of the Illinois Selects and NorthStar Elite.

The Team MN girls can take heart in the fact that they competed in Pool B, which included six-win teams in Team Alberta and the Boston Junior Bruins, plus four-win squad BC Jr. Lady Canucks. Pool A’s top teams, CJR and Pro Hockey Ontario, each finished with three wins.  

Raya Mathiason led Team MN in scoring with one goal and four assists, while Hannah Rychley, Maya Dutton, and Lindsey Lorenson all tallied four points. 

CJR edged Team Alberta 1-0 in overtime in the championship game. Tessa Macchione scored the game-winner just under four minutes into the extra session, her fourth goal of the tournament.  

It’s official. 

The 2012 Team Minnesota Girls can’t be stopped. 

Less than a month after taking home the top prize at the North American Female Elite Showcase in Blaine, the 2012’s rolled to five straight victories in Las Vegas, topping Western Selects 5-0 in the Queens of Vegas championship game. 

After a dramatic overtime loss against the Manitoba All-Stars last Tuesday in their first game of the event, Team MN fell again the following day against the Boston Junior Bruins National Elite squad by a score of 5-2.

Facing an 0-2 start in the desert, Team MN cruised to 6-1 wins over the Connecticut Jr. Rangers and the Western Selects in games three and four. A 2-1 overtime win over the Illinois Selects placed Team MN in the semifinals, where it met a familiar foe in the ultra-talented Minnesota Machine. Against the gals in orange, a second-period tally by Elaina Nolander followed a goal in the first period by Addison Preston to set up the finale against Western Selects. 

Unlike the tourney’s opening game, there were no dramatic scenes to play out in the finals. Adriana Stevens scored twice, and single goals came from Sydney Christian, Elle Hardwick, and Willow Harens in the 5-0 win over Western Selects. 

Brynli Bunder, Zoe Neurer, and Addison Preston were named First-Team All-Stars, with Preston finishing tied for fourth in goals with seven for the week. 

Western Selects forward Talia Hovesepian led the girls in both goals (14) and points (18). 

Team Minnesota’s run through Anaheim came to a heartbreaking loss on Sunday morning, as Gabriella Poulin scored with 5:27 left in regulation to give the Boston Junior Bruins the win and a spot in the OC Freezeout championship. 

Prior to Sunday, Team MN cruised through pool play and quarterfinals with a spotless 5-0 record, outscoring the opposition by a combined score of 30-12. 

Team MN’s Vivian Vogel, Addie Jensen, and Teagan Nelson ranked second, third, and fourth in overall tournament scoring. Vogel netted 14 goals in six games, while Jensen tallied seven goals and 13 points, followed by Nelsen’s four goals and nine points. 

Vogel, Jensen, and Mihaila McField were named to the All-Tournament Team. 

Ally Hebert of the Connecticut Jr. Rangers led all skaters with 15 goals and 19 points as CJR fell 4-3 to the Junior Bruins in Sunday afternoon’s title game. Coincidentally, Gabriella Poulin also scored the game-winner in the third period of the championship.