Moving is never easy, especially when its across state lines, and it’s even harder when you’re in high school. You have to try to fit in and make new friends in a town you don’t even know.
But for one junior from Colorado, settling down in Bemidji has been as easy as settling in as the Lumberjacks’ newest goaltender. Lily Lauer’s not as tall as Pikes Peak, but she has been making some Rocky Mountain-sized saves this season for Bemidji girls’ hockey.
“It’s insane,” said senior forward Megan Berg. “I don’t know if we’d be where [we’re] at without her, so it’s great to have her back there.”
“[I love knowing I’m] not the only one back there who can stop the puck or block the shot,” added junior defender Millie Knott. “It’s great!”
The Lumberjacks’ newest netminder grew up in Colorado playing club hockey with the boys.
“I enjoyed the excitement of it,” Lauer said. “It was a different game and over there, the girls’ hockey isn’t quite as big. I like the challenge. I like to be able to improve pretty fast, so playing with the boys just felt like the right place.”
But the opportunities provided by the State of Hockey proved to be a big enough draw for the junior goaltender to make the 1,000-mile move to Bemidji.
“Hockey’s pretty big here,” she said. “And then the scouting as well. All those things kind of combined, made me really want to come here. I’m super excited to be here.”
This season, Lauer has stopped shot after shot after shot. Her GAA (goals against average) is 1.00, and it’s paired with a .955 save percentage and one shutout.
“Goal robber,” she said of her mindset between the pipes. “It changes the game when you can make a big save and it changes the game when you can make the simple save as well, and the effect that it has on the team is just much more great than I think most people realize.”
As impressive as Lauer’s in-game stats are, it’s what she’s doing in practice that has her teammates and coaches talking.
“She’s a super hard worker, shows up early every practice out there trying to get better,” explained junior forward Bailey Rupp. “And even just pushing us in practice, we all want to score on her, so she’s awesome.”
“She just takes upon herself to own every situation and to compete in practice and try to win every drill,” said head coach Mike Johnson. “We play small-area games and we can’t score. We work on the power play and we can’t score. And it’s all because she is just so intense.”
That intensity has helped Lauer backstop the Jacks to a 7-0 record, their best start in program history.
“It’s been great and it’s really awesome to meet a new group of girls that have been super, super great teammates,” she added. “And it’s really crazy over here with the fans and all the general support of the community is really awesome.”
Lauer and the Lumberjacks put their undefeated streak on the line Tuesday at Crookston and then again on Friday when they host Holy Family, the 2nd-ranked team in Class AA.