For more than the obvious reasons, Christmas was significant for Payton Rolli. The hubbub and hoopla surrounding the holiday are refreshed every year. Red and green. Lights. Inflatable Santas and Nativity scenes. 

This season, Christmas Day kicked off a stretch of dominance by Rolli and her Warroad Warriors, rarely seen at any level of hockey. From Dec. 26 until the last game of the season, Rolli was victorious. She won 19 games for the Warriors, and did not allow more than two goals in a game during that span. She posted eight shutouts, and painted the goaltending masterpiece of the season in a 61-save outing in the Class A State Tournament semifinals against Orono 2-1 in overtime. 

For the season, Rolli finished with a record of 26-4, a 1.15 goals-against-average, a .943 save percentage, and nine shutouts. She had 10 games with 20 or more saves this season. In her two seasons with the Warroad varsity, Rolli has played in back-to-back state title games, winning 45 games and earning 13 shutouts. 

Should Rolli post a similar shutout total during her senior season, she could be among the top 30 Minnesota girls’ high school all-time leaders in the category.