A heavy underclassmen roster leads Breck girls' hockey team to the state tournament

A nearly perfect regular season record for the Breck Mustangs this girls hockey season (25-1-1) earned them the No. 2 seed in Class A of the girls state hockey tournament starting on Wednesday.

Two things cemented their section championship against Westonka/Southwest Christian last week. An unstoppable offense, which included sophomore forward Mackenna Schlieman's 3rd period goal, put the Mustangs up 3-0. Then, their goaltender stopped everything. Clara Milinkovich, only a freshman, got the shutout.

"It's unreal, and all the work we've put into it has finally paid off, and I wouldn't want to do it with anyone else," said Milinkovich.

"Two years in a row we lost in the semi-finals [of sections], but now knowing that we're actually in the state tournament is amazing and we're just so excited and ready to go," said Schlieman. 

This young team of 13 underclassmen is proving they are a dominant force. Schlieman, who has been a lead scorer for the team since eighth grade, made a change to her game this season that raised the success of the entire roster.

"She tripled her assists from last year, and so we really challenged her to hone in on playing a full 200-foot game and the IQ piece of it. It's just fun to watch them put all the pieces together," said Michaela Boyle, associate head coach of the Breck girls' hockey team.

It's something that excites head coach Tricia Luoma, who is leading this squad to the state tournament for the first time in her five years at the helm.

"They're just so dialed in and so committed that it's just so fun to come to the rink every day," said Luoma.

As these first-timers prepare for the pressure of playing under the Grand Casino Arena rooftop, Luoma is a guiding light for this moment as a former three-time Olympian who took home three medals with Team USA women's hockey between 1998 and 2006.

"Just because it's a different venue, it's the same 200-by-85-foot rink you've played games on or practiced on since you were 4 or 5. It's just another game," said Luoma.

With youthful longevity on their side, the Mustangs hope this is the beginning of many more trips to St. Paul in the postseason.

"We're such a good program now and deserve the respect," said Schlieman.