Gritty work, stalwart goalie to key Burnsville girls' hockey

Looking out from between the pipes, Burnsville junior goalie Lauren Bench has a unique perspective on her team.

Just a handful of practices into the 2014-15 season, Bench already can tell this season's squad will be far different than the one that made a state tournament appearance last season.

Gone are the team's top scorers — a talented trio of seniors who combined for 80 goals and 164 points on the team's first line. Gone, too, is the reassurance that the Blaze have enough offensive firepower to stick with any team they face.

That's just fine by Bench.

"I like that pressure, knowing there's a lot on my shoulders," she said. "I think we'll still score plenty of goals, though."

Burnsville, which opened its season Saturday at Rosemount, is hoping for a repeat of some of last season's success. But as coach Tracy Cassano put it, the Blaze will have to go about it in a much different way.

"It's a different group and a different year, but the kids know the expectations and they know the commitment and hard work it takes to get to that point," she said.

"It's a pretty unique situation to have," Cassano said. "We talk about kids being able to buy into that idea of family and closeness as a team, and just being able to model that on and off the ice with your own family, that's something the kids can see. Our team isn't like a family; it actually is a family."

That closeness, Cassano hopes, will bring an added element to the team. Players will need to be "gritty and hardworking" to succeed in the same ways they have in the past, she said.

The team's top returning forwards — seniors Maddie Dockry, Tay Burke and Megan Mazanec — combined for a total of five goals last season.

That may be because of a lack of opportunity rather than talent, Cassano explained, as Burnsvillle was senior-heavy up front.

"Last year there was a lot of girls with just pure talent," Dockry said. "This year, we're more of a hardworking team, and we'll really have to work for everything."

Burnsville was ousted in the quarterfinals of the Class 2A state tournament last season. Bench will need to carry the load if the team hopes to improve upon that finish.

"We want to defend our section title and make a run in state; that's always the goal," she said. "We have a lot of chemistry and a lot of fun together. We're going to have to do it in a little bit different way, but we're really coming together."