Red Wing's Taylor Heise Looks To Get One Last Shot At State Title

Six years ago, Red Wing girls’ hockey head coach Scott Haley had to arrange special transportation for Taylor Heise to get to hockey practice. His older daughter Paige — a senior at the time — was the one who did so for him, picking the seventh-grader up from middle school so she could attend practice with the varsity.

As Haley reflected on this memory of Heise — now in her senior year — he smiled when he also remembered that Heise would draw pictures for Paige as well.

“It was pretty adorable,” he said.

Heise was so good as a seventh grader, she was able to be on a Red Wing team that eventually went to the state tournament. That team featured six girls who went on to play college hockey, and then Heise — who is committed to the University of Minnesota.

“We usually don’t let seventh graders jump on teams that are [ranked] top three in state. We knew she was a special athlete at that stage,” Haley said.

“We usually don’t let seventh graders jump on teams that are [ranked] top three in state. We knew she was a special athlete at that stage”

In her first three seasons with the Red Wing varsity, Heise said the consecutive trips to the state tournament — and finishing third each time — has been one of her top memories.

“The biggest [memory] is going to state three years in a row, my seventh-, eighth- and ninth-grade seasons. I was included with so many great players, and I would love to play with them again,” she said.

“She played on some really great teams when she started. The neat part is she is showing the young players what it takes to win and hopefully, she can lead us back to state,” said Haley.

While Red Wing has yet to make the state tournament since Heise’s ninth-grade season, she has certainly excelled on an individual level. She has amassed over 350 career points in her Red Wing career, scoring at least 79 points in each of the last four seasons.

She was also just named a Ms. Hockey semifinalist, an honor that is not lost on her.

“It’s a cool honor,” she said. “I’m included with such great women.”

Heise was also the captain of the gold medal-winning USA U18 team at the World Championships this past January and was named the best forward in the 9-3 gold medal game victory over Sweden.

Despite all that, Heise has continued to push herself to be better year after year. “I had high expectations [for myself]. That might have hurt me in the beginning.”

Haley, however, says Heise has been able to make improvements in her game year after year for the better.

“Every year she’s been one of the best players in the state — since her sophomore year — but the most impressive about her is that when most kids are that good that young they kind of stay that way,” he said. “She has gotten a little better every single year. That’s probably the most impressive thing and [has made her] more of a consistent scorer this year.”

But for all the individual achievements that have come along, its all about the team achievements for Heise now. In her last shot at the state tournament with the Wingers, she is going all-in before moving on to the University of Minnesota next fall.

“Right now I’m just focused on Red Wing and hoping to come out with a state title. We really have to come out with some intensity [in the playoffs].”

“Right now I’m just focused on Red Wing and hoping to come out with a state title. We really have to come out with some intensity [in the playoffs]”

On what could be the factor in getting Red Wing back to the state tournament this year, Heise reflected on a trip to Duluth last year that brought the team together.

“We got to go to Duluth last year and to Bentleyville for the light show,” she said. “I think that really brought us together as a family. You will never find a more close-knit group than this one. I think that’s such a big thing for us. We are such a big family and we love each other so much and that helps us win games.”

For Heise, Haley and the rest of the Wingers, the hope is that this family can do something special before Taylor’s prolific high school career comes to an end.

“Knowing we had eight seniors helps me believe and have confidence because I’ve grown up and played [with them] since we were eight. That’s a long time for us. I love every single one of them like a sister,” Heise said of her confidence in the team heading into the section playoffs, which begin Saturday night against Austin.

Taylor Heise tries to stickhandle through a crowd Thursday night against Mankato East. Photo: Giles Ferrell

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