It only took four years, eleven months, and twenty-two days, but the streak of losing to Minnetonka is over for the Wayzata girls’ hockey program.

Junior forward Maddie McCollins ripped a shot past Skippers’ goaltender Abby Manlove’s glove just 46 seconds into overtime to give the Trojans a thrilling 4-3 win at Minnetonka’s Pagel Activity Center, the Trojans' first win over the Skippers since Jan. 22, 2013.  

“I didn’t know it had been five years, but I certainly knew it had been awhile,” Trojans’ coach Jess Christopherson said after the game. 

The losing streak (which spanned nine games) was nearly extended on Saturday afternoon, as Skipper forward Kylie Melz tied the game at 3-3 with just under seven minutes to play in regulation.

On the first shift of the extra session, a Trojan skater broke in on Manlove but opted to make one more move with the puck, resulting in a lost scoring opportunity. 

“We like to stickhandle a little bit too much,” Christopherson admitted. “Maddie’s really good at coming off the wall and finding that seam,” Christopherson continued. 

“That’s what she did there and made one move to her forehand and absolutely buried that shot.”

The goal is the ninth of the season for McCollins, who leads the Trojans (11-6-1, 2-2) in total points.

“I love scoring goals, so it’s always fun to get the puck in the net,” McCollins said with a grin. “It’s always fun to have an overtime goal because the team goes wild.” 

Sophomore forward Sara Aadalen scored the first goal for the Trojans in the opening period, while sophomore Sophie Urban and junior Alexa Ocel each scored once in the second.

Lacey Martin and Chloe Lewis scored the first two goals for the Skippers (10-6-3, 1-3), who have lost three consecutive games. 

The Trojans, on the other hand, have won five of their last six games including Saturday’s triumph, a run that followed a four-game losing streak featuring tough losses to teams ranked in the Youth Hockey Hub girls’ high school Staff Rankings.

Christopherson said that playing competitively in these games against high-quality opponents only boosts the Trojans’ confidence going forward.  

“The way we play against (top-ranked) Blake, and (Hill-Murray), and even Edina the other day, just sort of getting that swagger to start acting like we belong." 

Former Ms. Hockey Award finalist University of Minnesota standout Rachel Bona is an assistant coach for Wayzata. 

Minnetonka took the ice without sophomore defender Maggie Nicholson, who has been in Russia with the Under-18 National team for the women's World Junior Championships.

Wayzata's Maddie McCollins' ninth goal of the season already equals her goal total from the 2016-2017 season.   

Maddie McCollins, Wayzata

A shot like a cannon and solid skates has enabled McCollins to lead the Trojans in scoring this season as a junior. 

Abby Manlove, Minnetonka

Despite taking the loss between the pipes, Manlove's reflexes and expert positioning helped the Skippers force overtime on Saturday. 

 Alexa Ocel, Wayzata

Another junior forward, Ocel is a powerful skater with a penchant for winning key face-offs. Ocel has scored 10 goals this season.