Senior captain Stella Retrum leads Maple Grove on a quest to return to the state tournament.

Maple Grove finds its Groove

Led by explosive senior forward Stella Retrum, the Maple Grove Crimson once again have a state tournament on their minds

Off to an 8-1 start, the Maple Grove Crimson are on their way to improving on last year's state tournament appearance, where they lost a pair of 2-1 games and ended as consolation finalists.

Head coach Jim Koltes made his return to the Crimson two years ago and has set the expectations high for this talented team.

“The year before I came in, the kids felt like they kind of underachieved,” Koltes said. “There were some pretty talented kids that went on to play Division I hockey and they got beat in the section final by Centennial and I think they felt disappointed.”

From day one the team's goal was to make it to the state tournament. For Koltes it was to make sure they were pushed and felt appreciated. “We had all the pieces that we needed to get there but we really needed just to get the kids to believe.”

Koltes began coaching at Maple Grove in 1998 where he was the head coach for nine seasons. He continued coaching the girl’s softball team after stepping down from girls hockey, but found a new home at Rogers for the next two years. Koltes decided to return to Maple Grove to pick up where he left off.

“It was a great fit for us coming back like you know, we have a strong administration here at Maple Grove from AD to the Principal,” Koltes said. “I’ve been coaching here for 23 years so it was an easy transition.”

Koltes is grateful to be back at Maple Grove and cannot stress enough the amount of support they receive from the community.

“The community is so giving and they just help us out with anything that we really need. It gives us a huge advantage that other teams might have struggled with fundraising and things.”

Junior goaltender Dani Strom has allowed just four goals in eight games this season.  Photo by Mike Hueller

Currently Maple Grove has eight wins in their pocket, some by huge margins; 6-1 vs. Wayzata, 7-0 vs. Mounds View/Irondale, and 6-1 vs. Blake. And led by junior goalie Dani Strom, the team has allowed just seven goals in nine games.

The team is fairly young, consisting of eight sophomores and eighth-grade defender Maddie Elfstrand. But there are some older standouts, including six seniors, who bring leadership and experience to the team. Most notable is senior forward and leading scorer Stella Retrum, who is committed to Penn State University.

Retrum found a passion for hockey at a young age. Being the first born child, her parents started her in hockey right away. “I love the community aspect of the game. Playing with friends, laughing, making jokes. We are always having a good time,” Retrum said.

Before transferring to Maple Grove as a freshman, Retrum won a state title with Breck when she was in eighth grade. She said it was easy to find close connections in the new program.

Retrum has 23 points in nine games this season.  Photo by Mike Hueller

“The team connections that have been built over the last four years I've been here are amazing. I've made friends with girls who were two years, three years older than me and I think that's like the coolest part of high school hockey; being able to connect with people you're not normally around.”

Maple Grove’s team culture in the past years have made them a force to be reckoned with as they are continually improving results.

“We just brought in a lot of positivity. We're almost probably over-positive but we brought in just an immense amount of positivity just to build their confidence as people and out on the ice,” Koltes said.

Retrum describes the team as not being overly serious and how it feeds into their strengths.

“We don't always have the most talent, but I think our team plays for each other and knows how to work together. We're always laughing or making jokes, not only with the team but also with the coaches, which just creates an environment that you want to be around every single day.”

“I love the community aspect of the game. Playing with friends, laughing, making jokes. We are always having a good time,” -- Stella Retrum

Small goals have been a huge part of this team's success. Koltes doesn’t want them to primarily focus on winning a state title, but to focus on the little things that lead up to a win.

“We had a ton of meetings with the girls. They wanted to do lifting, so we incorporated weightlifting. They wanted to do more film, so we are doing that a couple days a week,” Koltes said.

For the team to continue their success, Koltes knows the girls need to focus on playing their roles.

“Our first line is hard to play against. Teams know that even if they try to match their top line on our third line, that our third line is gonna give them everything to shut them down,” Koltes said. “We've already got a little bit of an advantage because other teams know it's gonna be hard to play against us.”

Retrum has 71 goals and 146 points in her five-year high school career.  Photo by Mike Hueller

In addition to Retrum, Maple Grove has multiple players committed to Division I schools. Second-leading scorer Bella Shipley, a junior, has committed to Minnesota State-Mankato for the 2024-25 season. Junior goaltender Dani Strom, a Team USA U18 selection, who already has four shutouts and a .975 save percentage this season, has committed to the University of St. Thomas.

Retrum is excited to attend her ‘dream school’ at Penn State in the fall but has enjoyed taking a leadership role as a captain for her last high school season.

“It feels the same as freshman year but different in my role,” Retrum said. “I am a leader instead of someone who is just trying to find her way into a program. I love this role and being able to connect with all grades.”

The Crimson suffered their first loss of the season, 3-2 against Edina on Dec. 17, but are preparing to face Champlin Park/Coon Rapids and will try to start another winning streak, with their eyes on a return trip to the state tournament in February.