MSHSL History Capsule: Krissy Wendell

It’s Girls Hockey week as the Minnesota State High School League’s State Tournament begins a four-day run in St. Paul. Before the state tournament’s venue became the coveted destination in downtown St. Paul, the event was played for two seasons at the State Fairgrounds Coliseum in Falcon Heights. During the 1998-99 and 1999-2000 seasons, one player dominated in a way that might never been seen again.

All you needed to hear was her first name and the accolades would flow. One-named references are typically reserved for superstars, and in this case, Krissy fit the description.

While Park Center’s Krissy Wendell played just two years of girls hockey in Minnesota, it was an era of dominance in the game that likely will not be duplicated. She set national scoring records that still stand and might never be surpassed. She compiled a national-scoring record of 314 points. As a junior, she scored 109 goals, and a season later, topped that with 110 in leading the Pirates to the state championship.  

Wendell also played high school hockey during a span when Eagan’s Natalie Darwitz was also an unstoppable force. They would go on to play together with the University of Minnesota and the U.S. Women’s National Team where championships, medals were earned, and international fame achieved. They remain lifelong friends.

“I’ll be surprised if you see another player as dominant as Krissy, especially at the high school level,” Darwitz said. “Her being on the ice blew the coverage of girls hockey off the map and got other little girls involved.”

As a youth, there were no opportunities for Wendell to play organized girls' hockey, so she played with the boys. In 1994, the Minnesota State High School League became the first state association in the country to sponsor girls' hockey as an activity. Wendell chose to continue playing on the boys’ side until her junior year at Park Center.

“For me, it wasn’t necessarily about wins, losses, awards or accolades,” Wendell said. “It was all about fun, down at the rink, in the backyard, always having a smile on my face.”

Wendell was the first girl's hockey player to be inducted into the Minnesota State High School League’s Hall of Fame in 2017. Darwitz followed in the next induction class in 2019.