Photo by Arnie Hamel

Hill-Murray junior forward Chloe Boreen leads the Pioneers on a quest to return to the state tournament.

Boreen Machine

Chloe Boreen and the Hill-Murray Pioneers have their eyes on a state title

There is a long history of success in the Hill-Murray High School girls’ hockey program, with two state championships in the last eight years and many more state appearances in the last 25. With the Pioneers’ success last season coming to a halt with a loss in the section finals, they are making a push, once again, for a deep run and a state tournament appearance in 2023.

The Pioneers currently sit at No. 5 in Class 2A with a 4-1-0 record, putting them in a tie for first in the Metro East Conference as of Dec. 3. Their only loss thus far came by way of 2A No. 4-ranked Edina, 3-1 on Dec. 1.

Although the team’s goal is to win every game, winning isn’t everything, according to coach Shawn Reid.

“Of course you want to win, of course you want to go to state and of course you want to win state,” Reid said. “What's more important to me is that we proceed throughout the season with our core values.”

Some of the ideals he stresses to his team are intentionality and positively representing Hill-Murray girls’ hockey inside and outside of the classroom. These values and the team’s history of success are a few of the reasons why Reid decided to make the switch from Blake to Hill-Murray last season.

Reid coached at the Blake School for eight years, capturing four state championships in a five year period between 2013-2017. However, two years ago, Reid felt that “it was just time for a change” and moved to Hill-Murray as both a coach and a college counselor.

“I had Hill-Murray kind of circled as a possibility for many years, and things just kind of fell into place,” Reid said. “To be able to coach in this program, I feel very fortunate.”

Boreen has 49 goals in the past two seasons with Hill-Murray.  Photo by Arnie Hamel

Junior forward Chloe Boreen called Reid “a really good coach” and said he made the transition from her previous coaching staff into his coaching staff easy.

When Reid moved schools, he also brought two assistant coaches from Blake with him in Alex Ward and Kendall Wagner. Ward and Reid have coached together at three different schools over the past 11 years.

“I have an awesome coaching staff,” Reid said. “We do a lot of laughing; it's a really fun environment.”

Reid doesn’t believe in padding the schedule, as the Pioneers take on multiple top-10 teams in both 1A and 2A this year. Reid knows this tough schedule will result in losses for his team, but it will prepare them for the postseason.

In addition to having a great coaching staff, the Pioneers also have multiple star players who contribute to their success. Boreen is one of these stars.

She has led the Pioneers in scoring over the last

Chloe Boreen

two seasons, netting 19 goals in 2020-21 and 30 last season. Early this season, she leads the team in assists (four) and points (seven).

Beyond her ability to get pucks deep, Reid commended Boreen for her coachability and hard-working attitude.

“I've never had to question her about her work ethic on or off the ice,” Reid said.

Boreen credits her father and her older sister for getting her interested in hockey. Her father, Chad, was a goalie for the Minnesota Gophers in 1987-88, and her sister, Abby, is a current Gopher fifth-year forward. Abby is currently third in scoring with nine goals this season.

As a player, Boreen described herself as a playmaker and goal scorer.

“I can make good plays and set my teammates up, but I can also finish plays,” Boreen said.

When she’s not scoring, she typically sets up her linemates, senior forwards Jess Dochniak and Shae Stinnett, for scoring opportunities. The three started playing on the same line halfway through last season, helping the three mesh even better this season.

“I'd say that we flow really well because we know who each other are,” Boreen said.

Dochniak has one goal so far with two assists, and Stinnett is tied with Boreen for the team-lead in goals with three of her own.

The youthful Pioneers have just three seniors on this year's team.  Liz Westerhaus Photography

Beyond having solid forwards, the Pioneers have key players on the defensive end of the ice, too, in goaltender Grace Zhan and defender Ellah Hause.

“She's an awesome person, and she's a great goalie,” Boreen said of Zhan. “She's really, really hard to score on.”

Zhan, a Division I hockey commit to Dartmouth College, has blocked 99 of 103 shots this season, earning three shutouts.

Reid said Zhan will be a “fantastic collegiate goalie” in the future.

As for Hause, Reid called her “a true warrior,” and Boreen called her “a great captain” who works extremely hard.

Hause was named to the Star Tribune’s Minnesota girls’ hockey preseason Dream Team this year for her defensive skills. She also will be representing Team USA in January at the U-18 World Championships in Sweden.

Hause is also committed to play Division I hockey at St. Thomas next fall.

With just three seniors and a handful of juniors on the team, the Pioneers have a younger squad this year with a diverse set of talents.

“I've never had to question her about her work ethic on or off the ice,” head coach Shawn Reid said about Boreen.  Photo by Arnie Hamel

Being one of the upperclassmen on the team, Boreen is a leader and a role model to underclassmen, helping them grow their game and feel welcome on the team. This attitude contributes to her team’s camaraderie.

“We're a pretty close team,” Boreen said. “We like to have fun and hang out with each other.”

From lake outings to volunteering together Boreen said these events contribute to her team’s gametime cohesion because her teammates “always have each other for support” if they need it.

Reid is proud of his team’s hot start this season, and believes the younger players will continue to grow and contribute more throughout their careers.

“If I don't screw up, we should have a pretty good future,” Reid said with a laugh.

Cam Kauffman can be reached at kauf8536@stthomas.edu.