MITCHELL — The Mitchell Marlins girls hockey team enters the new campaign with something every coach hopes for but few can claim.
Stability, depth and experience.
With 13 returning letterwinners, three senior forwards headlining the front line and a seasoned defensive corps, the Marlins believe they are positioned to elevate their game after an up-and-down season a year ago.
Mitchell finished 11-12 overall last winter season, bowing out in the state tournament consolation round, but those results don’t tell the full story. The Marlins surged late in the season, ripping off six-straight wins in the back half of the schedule and showed flashes of a team capable of pushing the upper tier of the varsity girls South Dakota Amateur Hockey Association.
That encouraging stretch, coupled with the return of nearly the entire roster after only graduating three players a season ago, has confidence running high as preparations intensify.
“Obviously, we were pretty disappointed losing two games at the state tournament, so I think that’s going to be a motivating factor for the girls this year,” said Marlin girls hockey head coach Chris Tronnes. “We’re headed in the right direction and we’re returning most of our team from last year. We’re ready to get going.”
Mitchell’s Makenna Tronnes skates around a pair of Rushmore defenders during a girls hockey game on Friday, Dec. 27, 2024 at the Mitchell Activities Center. Tronnes scored a goal on the play.
Marcus Traxler / Mitchell Republic
Mitchell’s biggest on-ice strength begins at the forward positions, where senior Makenna Tronnes will anchor the Marlins’ front line. Tronnes, a natural forward with strong vision and offensive instincts, returns as the line’s primary attacker after Reese Amick and Tristen Zimmer graduated, who were both all-state selections a season ago.
Amick was second in the state with 26 goals and third with 33 points, picking up five hat tricks last season. Zimmer was named to the all-state team at defenseman, finishing fourth on the Marlins with eight goals and 20 points in 21 games. She finished tied for eighth in the state with 12 assists.
The lone returning all-state pick, Tronnes, earned her third SDAHA all-state selection as a second-team honoree after being named to the second team in 2023 and the first team in 2024. Tronnes finished second in the state in points scored (38) and tied for the state lead with 20 assists. Tronnes also tallied 18 goals in 21 games a year ago.
Mitchell’s forward depth also grows with an important addition: Taylor Sorben, who joins the Marlins from Huron, which is without a varsity girls team this season. Sorben slots as an extra piece on the second line unit that should complement the offensive attack, alongside returning forwards Livaya Mimmack, Katie Hohn and Ryleigh Weidenbach.
The Marlins also bring back important pieces on the defensive line. Virginia Wyatt and Lyla Morrison return as dependable defenders who logged varsity time last season. Mitchell’s goaltending tandem also returns: Kaylie O’Connor and Addyson Longhenry. Both saw action last winter in the net, and both are expected to elevate their play with another year of experience.
Mitchell goaltender Kaylie O’Connor makes a save against a shot on goal during a girls hockey game on Thursday, Dec. 27, 2024 at the Mitchell Activities Center.
Marcus Traxler / Mitchell Republic
Tronnes said the returning letterwinners should give the team a boost in the early part of the season, due to the added depth and experience across all three levels.
“I think our defense will really come around for us and our defensive goaltending was something we needed to improve on from last season,” Tronnes said. “We’re trying to be more of a puck-controlled team, rather than one person taking it. We want more of a team effort this year, and it starts with all of the returners we have for it to translate into games.”
Trey Houchin is a sports reporter for the Mitchell Republic. Trey graduated from Northwest Missouri State University in 2025 with a bachelor’s degree in sports media and covers a wide variety of topics. A Missouri native, Houchin can be reached at thouchin@mitchellrepublic.com.