Lake Conference Hockey: A Tradition of Excellence

In three years as ’s athletic director, John Soma has experienced a hockey phenomena. The Hornets boys’ program won state in 2010 and , and the girls have reached the .

In each instance, Edina hasn’t necessarily been the best team in the Lake Conference.

“The best example here is when the boys team won the state championship, Edina was third in the conference,” Soma said. “Not because we got lucky when it came to state, but because the conference is so tough.”

Edina is one of the most decorated hockey programs in the state, and it headlines a group of programs in the current Lake Conference that rivals any high school hockey alliance across the United States. Last year alone the Lake—comprised of Edina, Wayzata, Eden Prairie, Hopkins and Minnetonka—had six NHL draft picks, seven total Mr. and Ms. Hockey finalists and won both the boys and girls Class AA titles.

“I really and firmly still believe that we are fortunate enough to play in the best high school hockey conference in the country,” Hopkins coach Rolf Ulvin said. “The whole conference is really, really competitive.”

These five schools have 47 boys and 12 girls state appearances and 15 state titles. The secret is a mixture of tradition, coaching and youth hockey systems that keep the high school programs full of talent each year.

This season, the Lake has three teams in the girls’ Class AA preseason top 10.

“It’s a combination of everything,” Edina girls hockey coach Laura Slominski said. “In Edina, we’re very fortunate to have so many youth playing hockey. That alone gives us a great pool to choose from.”

Numbers don’t lie

The is the largest hockey association in North America, according to EYHA president Billy Klein. The organization has 1,250 participants this season between its boys and girls programs.

At the squirt level alone—primarily for 9- and 10-year-old boys—the EYHA has 12 teams.

“It’s very hard to put an adjective on (hockey’s importance in the community),” Klein said. “I can tell you when someone asks me about it and is not from Edina, I say it’s like growing up in Indiana and not playing basketball.”

Part of youth hockey’s strength within the city is due to the high school team’s long history of success. Klein said ’s tribute to past champions helps younger generations become excited about playing hockey in the city. The Edina boys program has 10 state championships and 33 state appearances.

“The pictures, the murals they have of the Edina championships, how the rink hasn’t changed since 1950,” Klein said. “The same nasty locker rooms it had back then. There’s something to be said about that. That plays into it.”

Coaching the talent

Along with the talent and numbers, the Lake Conference is one of the deepest in the state when it comes to coaching. In Edina, boys coach Curt Giles played for the Minnesota North Stars in the NHL, and on the girls side Slominski is a former Ms. Hockey Award winner and a standout for the University of Minnesota women’s hockey team.

Minnetonka girls coach Eric Johnson, Hopkins boys coach Rolf Ulvin and Wayzata girls coach Becky Wacker all played college hockey.

“The coaches are outstanding,” Hopkins coach Vin Paolucci said. “We’ve done it for a long time. They’ve played at high levels. I can’t see another conference having five coaches in a conference that have those credentials. It’s an honor to coach with them and against them.”

First-year Wayzata boys coach Pat O’Leary, who played for the Gophers, said Lake Conference meetings are a who’s who of talent.

“I was sitting there with Giles, Brian (Urick), Lee (Smith),” O’Leary said. “I’m sitting there looking around; it was exciting. They’re great guys, they’re so well respected.”

Each season brings its own level of unpredictability. Even a Lake team with the top regular season record could fall to a conference foe in the postseason.

These five teams give each other their best effort every night.

“Those five schools compete very well,” Soma said. “You feel fortunate to have that type of competition but almost shocked by this area of the metro that competes at this level.”