Puppe selected as a top 5 finalist for 2024 Ms. Hockey award

Northfield’s Ayla Puppe, a senior forward on the Raiders’ girls hockey team, has been selected as a top five finalist for the 2024 Ms. Hockey award, which is presented to the top senior girls hockey player in the state, based on their accomplishments on the ice, in the classroom and in the community.

Puppe is one of the five finalists for the award that was first presented in 1996 to Roseville’s Winny Brodt.

A senior forward for the Raiders, Puppe currently leads the state with 61 goals, 49 assists and 110 points. She helped Northfield win the Big 9 championship this season along with the Section 1AA title. Northfield (27-1-0) will now advance to the MSHSL Class AA state tournament at the Xcel Energy Center on Feb. 22-24. The #5 seeded Raiders will match up against #4 seed Edina at 8:00 p.m. on Feb. 22 in the quarterfinals.

The Ms. Hockey top five finalists were indentified based upon nominations by the players’ coaches. The five candidates and eventually the winner of the award is based upon input from college coaches across the state of Minnesota along with input from a panel of high school coaches.

The other players selected as top five finalists include Lindzi Aver (Minnetonka), Kate Kosobud (Moorhead), Ilsa Lineman (Duluth Marshall) and Josie St. Martin (Stillwater).