ST. CLOUD — The St. Cloud Crush girls hockey program hasn’t been here before.
The last time any St. Cloud girls hockey team won a playoff game, it was the Icebreakers back on Feb. 10, 2018, when they beat Sartell/Sauk Rapids 2-0 in a section quarterfinal game.
The Icebreakers re-branded themselves as the Crush, along with other
and
boys and girls varsity teams, before the start of the 2021-22 season.
This season is the first time that the Crush girls hockey team finished over .500 during the regular season at 16-9-2 (St. Cloud went 12-12-2 last season). That record earned St. Cloud the No. 1 seed in the Section 6A playoffs.
St. Cloud senior Reese Ruska (21) readies to take a shot on goal in the first period against Sartell/Sauk Rapids on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, at Bernick’s Arena in Sartell.
Andy Rennecke / St. Cloud LIVE
host fourth-seeded Northern Lakes (10-11-2) for a section semifinal game at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 10, at the Municipal Athletic Complex in St. Cloud. Third-seeded
(7-16-2) travels to second-seeded Fergus Falls (11-14-0) for the other Section 6A semifinal at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
St. Cloud second-year head coach Mike Petroske said his Crush, made up of 33 players from Tech, Apollo and
know what’s at stake headed into the postseason.
“Making a state tournament would be huge for every girls hockey player in St. Cloud,” Petroske said. “But right now our biggest focus is on Northern Lakes. We need to get through this week, and then think about the state tournament. But as a group, we’ve talked about what it would do in putting St. Cloud girls hockey on the map. The girls have rallied around that notion.
“Our goal last year was just win a playoff game. We came up short (in the Class 2A playoffs) last year of that goal.”
Apollo Activities Director Karl Heine, along with Petroske, petitioned the Minnesota State High School League to move down from Class 2A to Class A this season.
That opened the opportunity for the Crush to have an easier path to state. Despite that, almost half of St. Cloud’s schedule this season has included Class 2A schools on it.
St. Cloud Crush head girls hockey coach Mike Petroske talks with officials prior to the start of his team’s game against Sartell/Sauk Rapids on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, at Bernick’s Arena in Sartell.
Andy Rennecke / St. Cloud LIVE
“I was surprised when we went down to Class A, but we’ve struggled at the Class 2A level for a long time,” Petroske said. “We don’t have as many players as the 2A schools do. Karl approached me about it and I was in agreement. I did come away surprised that the MSHSL granted it. However, I felt it was well-deserved and gave us an opportunity that we haven’t had before.
“I know the boys opted to stay at the Class 2A level, but for the girls it was a better fit.”
This is the Crush’s first winning season since the 2019-20 campaign when the Icebreakers went 15-10. St. Cloud has been led offensively by senior defenseman Reese Ruska’s 39 points (20 goals, 19 assists), freshman defenseman Reeghan Stevens’ 27 points (14-13) and senior center Liz Bell’s 26 points (11-15).
Ruska, the daughter of former Tech Activities Director Eric Ruska, broke into the lineup last season and has taken off ever since.
“Reese is pretty dynamic,” Petroske said. “We moved her back to defense this season and she’s still scoring. She’s formed a pretty dynamic duo with Reeghan. Most teams don’t know how to handle two offensive-minded defensemen like those two. They’re fast and are really quick to get back. Reese is our captain and a great leader for us. She leads through hard work and hustle. She has a high IQ and a grit factor most players don’t have. She has some sick hands and is a pretty special player.
“She’ll have the opportunity to play college hockey somewhere.”
This is Bell’s fourth season playing at the varsity level. Petroske said Bell, who is also a standout softball player for Cathedral, could also play at the next level if she wanted to.
“She’s decided to be done with sports after high school and go to a school in Florida,” Petroske said.
St. Cloud’s Jayden Layne (22), along with teammate Liz Bell (32), skate the puck up the ice in the first period against Sartell/Sauk Rapids on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, at Bernick’s Arena in Sartell.
Andy Rennecke / St. Cloud LIVE
Petroske also pointed to the improvement of sophomore center Sheridan Stockman (8 goals, 8 assists), junior wing Jayden Layne (8 goals, 7 assists) and senior wing Ella Gebhardt (3 goals, 11 assists) this season as reasons for the Crush’s ascension.
“Jayden has really come on of late and is a completely different player than she was at the beginning of the year,” he said. “She’s found her groove, along with Ella and Sheridan. That line is performing really well. They’re fun to watch and have blossomed together. They feed off each other well.”
St. Cloud is led defensively by junior goalie Jordan Bovy, who has gone 13-7-0 this season with a 94.3 save percentage and 1.74 goals-against average.
Bovy has an impressive four shutouts this year. Petroske’s philosophy of “stopping the ones she should and stopping a few maybe she shouldn’t” has paid off for Bovy.
St. Cloud Crush goalie Jordan Bovy eyes a faceoff in the first period against Sartell/Sauk Rapids on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, at Bernick’s Arena in Sartell.
Andy Rennecke / St. Cloud LIVE
“Jordan is a special talent,” Petroske said. “Her focus has been through the roof and her angles have improved a ton. She’s stopping most everything that is coming at her. She’s a big reason we are where we are right now. She’s kept us in a lot of games.”
The Crush didn’t play Northern Lakes during the regular season. Northern Lakes beat Prairie Centre 14-1 in a section play-in game on Thursday, Feb. 5. Petroske said it’s important for his team not to come out sluggish.
“We’ve been talking about putting together a complete three periods,” he said. “We can’t come out slow in the postseason. Jordan has held us in games and teams have out-shot us. We need to get after it sooner. But overall, this is a fun group of girls who love to have fun together. They don’t take themselves too seriously. They role with the punches and don’t get too up or down. Even though we’ve had some slow starts, the girls always outwork the other team in the end.
“We’re just looking to get a better balance throughout the game.”
St. Cloud sophomore wing/center Josie Longnecker (23) skates in front of Sartell/Sauk Rapids’ Sella Grams (22) in the first period on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, at Bernick’s Arena in Sartell.
Andy Rennecke / St. Cloud LIVE
Section 6A Girls Hockey Playoffs
Semifinal games on Tuesday, Feb. 10
No. 4 Northern Lakes at No. 1 St. Cloud, 7 p.m. at the Municipal Athletic Complex
No. 3 Sartell/Sauk Rapids at No. 2 Fergus Falls, 7 p.m. at Fergus Falls Arena
Championship game
Semifinal winners, 7 p.m. in Alexandria
Note: winner advances to Class A state girls hockey tournament, which begins Wednesday, Feb. 18, at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul.
St. Cloud’s Reese Ruska (21) celebrates after scoring a goal in the first period against Sartell/Sauk Rapids on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, at Bernick’s Arena in Sartell.
Andy Rennecke / St. Cloud LIVE