Passolt is one of the state's top juniors, having recently committed to play at Bemidji State. She also was a member of the Chanhassen girls' tennis team, which featured Class 2A singles champion Hayley Haakenstad.
Quick Q&A: Lydia Passolt, Chaska/Chanhassen hockey
Q: You have a locally well-known anchorman (Jeff Passolt) who is your uncle. Does he ever get recognized because of you?
A: Oh, of course [laughs]. But he doesn't brag about it. He was a hockey player and hockey runs in our family.
Q: Do you play hockey year-round?
A: Yes. In the offseason, I play for the Minnesota Ice Cats. It's cool that a lot the players on that team are going to Bemidji State, too, like Paige Beebe [Blaine] and Tina Kampa [Maple Grove] and Lindsey Featherstone [Hill-Murray] and Kiki Radke [Hastings].
Q: Why Bemidji State?
A: The coaches were great, the rink was amazing and I thought the campus was beautiful. And I liked their nursing program, which I'm thinking about going into in college.
Q: You had back-to-back four goal-games already this season. Have you ever done that before?
A: No. I couldn't have done it without my linemates, Sofia Poinar and Mollie Wise. We have great chemistry together. They set me up and I set them up.
Q: Have you looked back on it and thought, 'Wow, two four-goal games?' "
A: I don't like to brag about hockey, but it might be something I brag about when I get older.
JIM PAULSEN
about the writer
The last time the Vikings played Indianapolis, they made NFL history. The Minnesota Star Tribune spoke to 19 Vikings players and coaches this week about all that went into their 2022 rally from a 33-0 halftime deficit.