The 2015-16 American Family Insurance ALL-USA Girls Hockey Teams were selected by USA TODAY High School Sports based on performance, level of competition and strength of schedule.
FIRST TEAM: Meet the ALL-USA First Team
SECOND TEAM: Meet the ALL-USA Second Team
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Cayla Barnes, New Hampton School (New Hampton, N.H.)
Jaime Grossman (Photo: Eden Prairie Girls Hockey)
In a state with more individual talent than any other in the country, Grossman led the Eagles (22-7-2) to the Minnesota Class 2A state championship as a true team.
Eden Prairie’s leading point scorer, junior Naomi Rogge (a Minnesota-Duluth pledge who finished the year with 22 goals and 21 assists), was not among the state’s top 100 scorers in the regular season. Instead, balance was the name of the game, as the Eagles had 11 players with at least 10 points.
The Eagles’ secret weapon may have been goaltender Alexa Dobchuk. The sophomore posted a .942 save percentage and a 1.36 goals-against average for the year, and she made the biggest save of the season on a breakaway with less than 10 seconds left in regulation against Maple Grove (Minn.) in the state final to send the game to overtime tied at 2.
In the overtime, Grossman’s coaching helped propel Eden Prairie to the promised land. Given a rare 5-on-3 OT opportunity, the Eagles won the game on a back-door play Grossman told the Eden Prairie News the team worked on all season.
It was the first state title for the fifth-year head coach, and the third in Eden Prairie’s program history.
LOOKBACK: Preseason ALL-USA Girls Hockey Teams