Edina Girls Hockey head coach celebrates 200 wins as they head to state tournament
EDINA, Minn. — Junior forward Whitney Horton helped secure the Hornets place in the 2024 MSHSL State Tournament with an impressive "hat trick" against the Benilde-St. Margaret's last Friday.
"I actually haven't gotten a lot of hat tricks in my high school career," said Horton.
"That was definitely my favorite section final game for sure," said Hannah Halverson, a senior forward. "Especially against Benilde, a team that we lost to, makes that win feel even better."
Halverson and Horton have been playing youth hockey for Edina their whole lives, which is a path their head coach, Sami Cowger, can relate to.
Cowger has been head coach for the Hornets for the last eight seasons, coming off her college career at Harvard and a coaching stint at University of Minnesota Duluth. Coming back to the program that raised her was always her goal. Earlier this month, Cowger had her 200th win with the team in their game against Andover.
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"It's been an incredible experience. Everything I could have dreamt of plus more," said Cowger, "It's so fun to be a part of these kids' lives and build a relationship far beyond around the rink and being their coach."
Of the eight seasons Cowger has been with the Hornets, she's taken the team to the state tournament all eight times, and taken home four championships, but she says holding onto that legacy is getting harder and harder.
"Girls hockey has grown exponentially in the last eight years, so there's a lot more teams that are competitive that you have to beat to get to the state tournament," said Cowger.
The players treat a trip to the Xcel Energy Center like any other hockey game, and play like it's their last time.
"We don't underestimate any teams, especially this time during the season," said Halverson.
"Even though we've been there many times, it's never something we take for granted. It's such a cool feeling to be there," said Horton.
Edina takes on Northfield in the Quarterfinals Thursday night at 8 p.m.