Centennial/Spring Lake Park's Lauren O’Hara named 2023 Class AA Herb Brooks Award Winner

Centennial/Spring Lake Park senior forward Lauren O’Hara was selected the recipient of the Class AA Herb Brooks Award on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023 during the Minnesota State High School League’s Girls Hockey State Tournament at the Xcel Energy Center in downtown St. Paul.

The annual award is presented to a state tournament participant that strongly represents the values, characteristics and traits that defined Herb Brooks, a St. Paul native that gained international fame as a hockey coach. The award commemorates the unending influence that Brooks had on the sport of hockey, not just in Minnesota, but throughout the world.

O’Hara helped power the Cougars to a 21-8-1 record, which included the Section 5AA crown and a berth in the Class AA state tournament field.

“Lauren’s impact on her team, her teammates and youth program are some of her biggest achievements as a student at Centennial,” Cougars head coach Sean Molin said. “Her combination of on-ice abilities, character and general “likeability” have turned her into a larger-than-life figure in our local community.”

O’Hara, a Ms. Hockey Award finalist, has committed to play collegiately for the University of Minnesota.

“Lauren is another breed of toughness,” Molin said. “Recently, in our Section 5AA championship against Maple Grove, we witnessed her block four dangerous shots on our net in one shift, some of which probably left a mark. When she isn’t scoring goals, she is going all out doing everything she can to stop the other team’s top players. This is something that doesn’t show up on the scoresheet, but it is a large reason we were able to make the state tournament this season.”