Rochester John Marshall High School Athletics

JM/Lourdes lost to Dodge County 3-2 in a hard-fought Section One, Class AA girls hockey tournament quarterfinal game on Wednesday, bringing to close the high school careers of Renee Saltness, Brooklyn Birdseye, Sam Jones, Sarah Montrose, and Emily Bowron.

"These seniors have meant everything," she said. "A lot of us grew up together playing youth hockey together. That really contributed to our chemistry, and all of our seniors were good leaders this year."

JM/Lourdes trailed Owatonna 3-0 at one point in the second period of a Big Nine Conference showdown at Graham Arena. But the Rockets rallied in the final frame.

Freshman Ashley Koehler scored midway through the third frame to tie it at 4-all and force overtime. Less than 30 seconds into the extra session, Ally Halverson lit the lamp, giving the Rockets a thrilling, come-from-behind 5-4 victory.

Owatonna had downed the Rockets 4-1 in the previous meeting between the two teams this season.

The Trojans (10-10-3 overall) received a goal from Catie Skaja — the first of her two in the game — 17 seconds into the game. JM/Lourdes tied it on a Renee Saltness power-play goal at 12:03 of the period, but Skaja scored again three minutes later to give New Prague the lead for good.

Katie Montrose and Ally Halverson each recorded an assist on Saltness' goal.

New Prague outshot JM/Lourdes 37-20. Sophia Hyke made 34 saves in the loss for the Rockets (13-9-1).

Faribault scored the game's first goal and never trailed en route to a 5-3 Big Nine Conference girls hockey victory against Rochester John Marshall/Lourdes on Saturday at the Rochester Recreation Center.

Falcons goalie Camryn Salmonsen stole the show, stopping 50 of the 53 shots JM/Lourdes threw at her. Salmonsen was at her best in the third period, recording 25 of her 50 saves as the Rockets attempted to rally from a 4-1 deficit after two periods.

Hutchinson (12-4-0 overall), the No. 18-ranked team in Class A, received a hat trick and two assists from Alex Hantge and two goals from Emma Berthiaume.

JM/Lourdes (12-7-0) was outshot 32-29 and got one goal from Kaycee Neumann and one from Brooklyn Birdseye. Renee Saltness and Emily Bowron had one assist each.

Sophia Hyke made 26 saves in the loss for JM/Lourdes, while Hutchinson's Ellie Lenarz made 27 saves.

"Anything can happen in a crosstown game and the outcome is usually based on the swings of momentum and emotions," McCormack said. "We were pleased with how well our forecheck worked and as a result we had much more offensive zone time than in our other two games (against the Rockets) this season."

Mayo had defeated JM/Lourdes twice previously this season by a combined score of 13-7. Saturday's game was another high-scoring contest. Each team added one goal in the second period and one in the third, before Priest scored the winner in OT.

John Marshall/Lourdes dropped its first Big Nine Conference girls hockey game this season on Saturday, losing 4-1 to Owatonna.

The JM/Lourdes players felt it came down to effort.

"We simply got outworked all over the ice,” JM/Lourdes team captain Brooklyn Birdseye said. "They played with more passion and it showed."

Read the entire article in the PB or the Owatonna People's Press.

Rochester John Marshall/Lourdes had a strong second period to pull away from rival Rochester Mayo for a 7-3 girls hockey victory on Tuesday at the Rochester Recreation Center.

The game was considered a non-conference game, as the teams will play one another three times during the regular season and only two of those games may count toward the Big Nine Conference standings.

JM/Lourdes got out to a 2-0 first-period lead on goals by Ashley Koehler and Katie Montrose, but Mayo's Megan Adair scored late in the period to cut the Rockets' lead in half.

The Rockets received a third-period goal from standout forward Renee Saltness to snap a tie and earn a hard-fought 2-1 non-conference girls hockey victory against Hastings at Graham Arena.

JM/L improved to 10-4-0 overall. In its first nine victories of the season, JM/L scored at least five goals per game and averaged 6.7 goals per victory. Tuesday, birthday-girl Saltness took care of all the scoring — she had both of JM/L's goals — while Sarah Montrose, Katie Montrose and Grace Freed all had one assist each.

Sophia Hyke was strong in goal for the Rockets, stopping 17 of the 18 shots she faced.

The Rockets had eight players record at least one point as they broke open a close game in the second period and went on to a 7-0 Big Nine Conference girls hockey victory against the Panthers at Graham Arena.

JM/Lourdes controlled play for much of the game, outshooting Century 45-7. Five Rockets had multi-point games, led by senior forward Renee Saltness (three goals, two assists) and Katie Montrose (five assists)

Brooklyn Birdseye had two goals and two assists, Ally Halverson had a goal and two assists, and Sarah Montrose added two assists. Ashley Koehler also scored a goal for JM/Lourdes (7-0-0 Big Nine, 9-4-0 overall).

Sophia Hyke (five saves) and Anysia Heimer (two saves) split time in goal for the Rockets.

Rochester John Marshall/Lourdes earned its sixth consecutive Big Nine Conference victory on Tuesday, rolling to an 8-1 win against Mankato West at the Rochester Recreation Center.

JM/Lourdes was up just 3-1 after two periods, but it poured in five third-period goals to earn a comfortable victory.

Kaycee Neumann and Sarah Montrose scored two goals each for the Rockets, while Renee Saltness had a three-point game, with a goal and two assists. Greta Freed, Katie Montrose and Delaney Adams also scored for JM/L; Adams collected her first varsity goal.

Anysia Heimer recorded her third victory of the year in goal, stopping eight of the nine shots she faced.

JM/Lourdes built a 2-1 lead early in the third period on goals by Sarah Montrose and Renee Saltness. But the Jaguars tied the score with approximately eight minutes to go, then Rachel Graff cashed in on a power play to score the winner.

JM/Lourdes carried much of the play, outshooting Jefferson 27-5 through two periods and 37-16 for the game.

"I thought we were clearly the better team out there, but really struggled to shoot smart and take advantage of the chances we were given," JML coach Bob Montrose said.

"We are playing a solid team game and moving the puck well," JM/L coach Bob Montrose said. "Our girls know the past few games were against programs that are building and know our focus isn't necessarily the scoreboard but rather how we are playing and if we are making good decisions.

"I think our best hockey is still to come and we need to simply keep taking steps forward as we go."

Renee Saltness had four goals and an assist, and Katie Montrose had two goals and four assists to lead the way for JM/Lourdes (4-0-0 Big Nine, 6-3-0 overall).

JM/L outshot Albert Lea 56-5. Anysia Heimer earned her second career victory in goal for the Rockets and her first career shutout.

"Renee is very solid," Montrose said. "She goes after pucks. Sometimes I tell her to back down a little bit, because when (she goes flying in there) kids fall or lose their stick. And then there's a penalty."

Greta Freed scored her first varsity goal to lead Rochester John Marshall/Lourdes to a 5-1 Big Nine Conference girls hockey victory against Austin on Thursday at Graham Arena.

JM/Lourdes also received a strong performance in goal from Anysia Heimer, who recorded her first varsity victory.

Renee Saltness scored twice for the Rockets, while Sarah Montrose, Ashley Koehler and Freed scored once each.

Freshman Kayla Schubert, Smallbrock and Kraus, and defensemen Ashley Donovan and Barret Boyer also had the tough task of keeping JM/L's top line in check. The Rockets' top four players had accounted for 60 points entering the game, but they were shut out for the first time this season

"(Dodge County) played our top line tight; they knew they had to keep them off the board," JM/L coach Bob Montrose said. "That's the way the game is. You know when you'll be checked tightly and you have to have composure and let your skill shine through."

JM/L goalie Sophia Hyke kept the Rockets in the game with 17 saves. The Rockets had several good looks with Hyke pulled for an extra attacker in the final three minutes, but couldn't get one past Suhr.

Renee Saltness had a huge game, with three goals and two assists. Sarah Montrose added one goal and two assists.

"We are getting a strong contribution from all three lines and all of our defensemen," JM/Lourdes coach Bob Montrose said. "We need to start to see a little more finish from our second and third lines as our top line has been carrying us, but I like the effort and chances that those lines still bring."

The Rockets scored three times in the first period, twice in the second and once in the third.

JM/Lourdes and Northfield shared the conference title last year. The two were considered front runners again this season for the league crown.

The Rockets were aided by a hat trick by Ally Halverson. Renee Saltness also had a big game, with two goals and two assists. Katie Montrose and Sarah Montrose each had two assists.

Katie Montrose had a hand in all of her team's goals and four players accounted for all of Rochester John Marshall/Lourdes' points in the Rockets' 6-3 girls hockey victory at Hudson on Saturday.

Katie Montrose had two goals and four assists, Renee Saltness had a hat trick and an assist, Sarah Montrose had a goal and four assists, and Ally Halverson had one assist as JM/Lourdes improved to 2-1-0 overall.

"Those three were on fire today and were a constant threat throughout the game," JM/L coach Bob Montrose said of Saltness and the two Montrose girls. "I thought our team played a very solid game as all of the girls were playing hard and playing smart with the puck. That's great to see especially early in the season."

Saltness finished with two goals and an assist. Ally Halverson had a goal and two assists. Rockets goalie Sophia Hyke had 20 saves. Mayo got two goals from Eryn Fjelsted. Goalie Sophie Butterfass had 18 saves. Skylee Hughes added 14 saves.

JM/Lourdes got off to a great start, scoring just a minute into the game. But St. Paul United scored the final three goals of the first period and added two more in the second to pull away.

Emily Bowron and Sam Jones scored the JM/Lourdes goals. Jenna Gillund, Ashley Koehler and Cassidy Greer all had assists for the Rockets.

The Rockets will rely on a veteran-laden team as they look to build on back-to-back Big Nine Conference championship seasons. JM/L went 15-2-0 in conference play and 16-10-0 overall last season. They lost standout forward and second-leading scorer Rebecca Freiburger (52 points) to graduation — she now plays Division I hockey at Ohio State — but they return some strong offensive players both up front and on the blue line.

JM/L, which is 46-2-1 over the past three seasons in conference play, will be led by last year's leading scorer, senior forward Renee Saltness (31 goals, 55 points), who will play Division I hockey at Quinnipiac University. The Rockets also have two more 30-point producers back, in senior forward Sarah Montrose (31 points) and junior defenseman Katie Montrose (35). Coach Montrose said senior defenseman Brooklyn Birdseye, sophomore forward Ally Halverson and a newcomer, senior forward Jenna Gillund, will add some punch to the Rockets' lineup. Behind them, junior goalie Sophia Hyke posted impressive numbers last season (8-1-0, 1.35 GAA, .938 save pct.). 

Read the full article in the Post Bulletin.