The Proctor–Hermantown Mirage didn’t have a perfect season. They had something better.
They had a season that hardened them in November, sharpened them in January and revealed them in February. And by the time it was over, they were carrying a Section 7A championship trophy and a Class 1A state consolation title back up Interstate 35.
The Mirage opened with a 4-1 loss at Warroad and dropped a 2-1 decision to Edina a week later. There’s no shame in either building. But early on, the Mirage were still finding their scoring layers and their identity in net. They found both.
By December they were controlling games. They shut out Moose Lake Area, Rock Ridge, Hibbing/Chisholm and Cloquet-Esko-Carlton. They tied Grand Rapids/Greenway and Benilde-St. Margaret’s — programs that don’t give away ice easily. They won in Roseau. They won in Blaine. They won in Thief River Falls.
They weren’t just beating teams. They were learning how to win different ways.
By January, the offense was rolling. Eleven goals against Pine City. Eight against North Shore. Five against Cloquet-Esko-Carlton. They beat Duluth twice. They blanked Gentry Academy. They shut down Superior. When they lost, it was by a goal or against elite competition.
Then the playoffs arrived, and the Mirage flipped the switch.
As the No. 4 seed in Section 7A, they stunned Rock Ridge 9-0 in the semifinal. Not edged. Not survived. Controlled. That was the moment the section recalibrated its assumptions.
They followed with a 5-1 win over North Shore in the championship to claim the section title.
At state, they lost 3-2 in overtime to Dodge County in the quarterfinals — the kind of game that can either fracture a locker room or forge one. They chose the latter.
They beat Luverne 4-0. They beat Mankato East 1-0. They left St. Paul with hardware.
This was a senior-driven team with layered scoring.
Mya Gunderson led with 37 points, 21 goals that came in waves. Grace Nichols added 36 points and ran the offense from the perimeter. Junior Avery Milbridge matched Nichols at 36 points and proved she can drive play on her own line. Sophomore Ella Kaups delivered 30. Natalie Heitzman and Aubrey Miner each produced 24. Defenseman Taylee Manion chipped in 22 from the blue line.
Seven players over 20 points.
On the back end, seniors Sarah Stauber and Ashlee Pruse gave them bite and steadiness. Rylee Kalkbrenner and Cambriia Thomas added defensive structure.
All three senior goaltenders delivered. Suri Langley finished 12-6-1 with a 1.78 goals-against average and five shutouts. Lillian Clemons posted a 1.23 GAA and a .935 save percentage in limited but high-leverage minutes. Avery Kuras was flawless in her appearances.
The Mirage will graduate 12 seniors — Gunderson, Nichols, Peighton Paulson, Stauber, Pruse, Kalkbrenner, Thomas, Mylie Chesley, Gianna Schinigoi, and all three goaltenders: Langley, Clemons and Kuras.
But here’s the part that keeps this from becoming a rebuild story.
Milbridge returns. Kaups returns. Heitzman returns. Aubrey Miner returns. Taylee Manion returns. Presley Paulson and Ashlyn Miner are back. The scoring core is intact. The next senior class will have experience playing deep into February.
The question is obvious: who owns the crease? That will define the 2026-27 Mirage more than any other storyline.