Pioneer Press player of the year: Meghan Lorence of Irondale

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Pioneer Press girls hockey player of the year: Meghan Lorence of Irondale
By Tim Leighton
tleighton@pioneerpress.com
Updated: 02/22/2011 11:34:24 PM CST

In preparation for the postseason, the Irondale girls hockey team played South St. Paul at historic Wakota Arena in South St. Paul. The Knights, who finished the 2010-11 season with a 17-9-1 record, marveled at the championship banners hanging from the rafters and the retired jersey of South St. Paul legend Phil Housley.

Later, about 20 men drinking coffee and watching the scrimmage did some marveling of their own. They were impressed with the Knights, especially senior standout Meghan Lorence, a University of Minnesota recruit.

"Having Meghan on our team has opened up so many opportunities for our team,'' Knights coach Tom Rodefeld said. "I don't know that South St. Paul would have scrimmaged us if it weren't for Meghan. What a thrill for our program to go to another hockey community that gets it. She is a big reason we are even on the hockey map.''

Lorence's commitment to building Irondale's hockey program never wavered in her six varsity seasons, leading to her selection as the Pioneer Press girls hockey player of the year.

'MEGHAN'S DAYCARE'

A running joke on Irondale's girls hockey team is that Lorence is the mother hen of 14 players who are freshmen or younger, including two seventh-graders. With so many youngsters, Lorence decided it was her time to give back.

"I was so wide-eyed as a seventh-grader," she said. "I remember my first game. I scored the only goal. But what I really remember is how those older girls took me under their wings and

showed me the ropes that first season. They made me feel welcome."
Lorence helped start a "Little Sisters" program within the team that pairs an upperclassman with a younger player.

"Those ideas and programs only work if the players believe in it," Irondale coach Tom Rodefeld said. "Meghan believes in it. At a scrimmage against South St. Paul, her little sister (seventh-grader Maddie Hentges), scored a goal, and Meghan was so excited. She screamed, 'That's my sister!' Meghan

is genuine. Her passion for this program and this community has never been questioned.
"Meghan had already established herself, so this season could have been a lost year. Instead, she cemented her legacy in the community by focusing on building this program. These young girls have learned from her and want to be like her."

OLD-SCHOOL HOCKEY

On Christmas Eve, Lorence played outdoor hockey with her mentor, Winny Brodt Brown, the first Ms. Hockey winner in 1996. Lorence credits much of her success to Brown.

"We had to shovel the rink; it was so much fun," Lorence said. "I love to play outside, maybe not in negative 20 degrees, but I try to play outside as much as possible. I think kids are missing out if they don't play outdoors. It's such a special thing, a special feeling."

Rodefeld said signs of Lorence being a throwback player are visible when you visit her home in Mounds View.

"When we grew up, you went to a hockey player's house and there are holes in the garage doors, the driveway is full of streaks from pucks being hit and you look under the pine trees and you find five pucks in the spring," he said with a laugh. "Then you look in the garage and find 10 sticks worn to the nubs. That's Meghan's house.

"It wasn't mom and dad pushing her out the door or driving her to the rink. It was Meghan getting outside with any ounce of free time she had. Playing this game, practicing this game is something she absolutely loves."

TOOLS OF THE TRADE

Brain: "I don't think about how many goals and assists I'm going to get each game. I really try to focus in before a game and figure out what I'm going to do to help my team win."

Eyes: "I see plays develop and am pretty good at being able to read things on the ice. I'm also able to see and find teammates in the thick of a defense. Seeing the rink and being proactive from there is something I strive to do always."

Mouth: "I get my teammates focused and motivated in the locker room. If I see a player doing something wrong, I'll go up to them and talk privately about it. I'm not a screamer."

Arms, hands, wrists: "I'm left-handed. I need good, strong hands and long arms to get around defenders. I don't really lift weights to get strong. I do mostly body-weight exercises to build my strength."

Legs and feet: "I feel like I'm pretty strong on my feet. I'm fast and able to get around the rink pretty well, even in the tightest of spots. I'd like to think I'm an all-around player, someone who can go end-to-end pretty quickly, but also someone that isn't afraid to go into the corners and do the dirty work."

HOME-SCHOOLED SUCCESS

Lorence, who lives in the Irondale school district, has been home-schooled by her mother, Jodi, since the first grade. Her schooling follows the curriculum of Irondale. She has no regrets about not attending classes at Irondale.

"I'm still socializing with all of my Irondale friends and teammates," she said. "I'm still pretty plugged in to the Irondale scene."

Studying at home has allowed Lorence to become focused and disciplined. She says she has a drive to succeed that keeps her on task.

Also at the Lorence home is a day care run by her mother.

"I do a lot of my studying and classwork during their naptime," Lorence said with a smile.

Other perks of schooling at home include wearing pajamas to class and working really hard during the early part of the week to take Fridays off.

"I don't slack off," she said. "I work hard and get all of my work done like I'm supposed to."

She plans to graduate with her class in June.

LOOKING AHEAD

Lorence played with the U.S. national Under-18 team last year, winning a silver medal at the world junior championships in Chicago.

"Playing with that team is something I'll never forget," she said. "Playing for a team like that is something that motivates me to keep excelling. It was the time of my life, two weeks in Chicago playing for the United States. Putting on that jersey for the first time was very powerful. Getting selected to that team was a dream come true. It's nice to know that I'm on the national team's radar."

Putting on an "M" jersey figures to be just as powerful when she skates off to the University of Minnesota.

"My heart has always been set on the Gophers," she said.

THEY SAID IT

THE MEGHAN LORENCE FILE

Age: 18

Resides: Mounds View

School: Home schooled, but plays for district school, Irondale

Family: Parents, Dan and Jodi; siblings, Amy (24), Chad (22)

Favorite subjects: Reading, math

Grade-point average: 3.25

College choice: Minnesota

College major: Undecided

Hobbies: Games, friends and family, fast-pitch softball

1

No. 1 all-time hockey scorer at Irondale

2

State tournament appearances

43

Goals this season

86

Points in her junior season (50 goals, 36 assists)

142

Career assists

219

Career goals

361

Career points