It was supposed to end this way. 

Ranked No. 1 for nearly the entire season, replete with eight Division I commits, Edina cemented its status as the best girls high school team in the state on Saturday night. 

Senior forward Aliyah Lance netted a goal at the 2:39 mark of the third period and the Hornets managed to hold off one of the most explosive offenses in Minnesota to secure their second consecutive Class AA state title and second in program history with a 2-1 win over Centennial. 

Lance’s linemate, fellow senior Loli Fidler, fed Lance the assist for the eventual game-winner and said that it’s typical of Lance to come through in the clutch moments. 

“Every game she comes out (and) she brings something different to the ice,” Fidler said in her postgame, on-ice interview with Minnesota Prep Spotlight host Tori Holt. 

“She’s probably one of the hardest-working players on our team and she always gets the job done when we really need her.”

Lance has been an offensive catalyst throughout the postseason, recording seven goals and nine points in six games including the Section 6AA playoffs and the state tournament. The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute commit finished her senior season with 24 goals and 40 points. 

Ms. Hockey finalist and Minnesota commit Emily Oden opened the scoring for Edina (28-2-1) midway through the second period, a goal answered by one of Centennial’s Ms. Hockey finalists Gabbie Hughes. The other finalist for the award from Centennial, Anneke Linser, was held scoreless, as the Hornets committed to defense in the final period with eight blocked shots. 

In a further testament to the strength of the Edina blue line, defenders Brooke Tucker and Sophia Doll were named to the Wells Fargo Class AA All-Tournament team. 

Mackenna Stoterau finished the game with 25 saves for the second-seeded Cougars (26-4-1). 

Now an alumnus of the Edina program, Lance said that she feels more than fortunate to have shared her past three seasons with these Hornets. 

“It’s one thing to play with a great group of girls as teammates, but it’s another thing to play with your best friends.”