Mankato East's Annaliese Rader named 2023 Class A Herb Brooks Award Winner

Mankato East senior goalie Annaliese Rader was selected as the recipient of the Class A Herb Brooks Award on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023, 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.

Rader helped backstop the Cougars to a 21-7-0 record and a fifth-place finish in the Class A field following a 4-3 victory over Fergus Falls in the consolation final.

Her leadership has been evident the past two seasons.

“Anna is a true leader,” Cougars head coach Amber Prange said. “It’s one thing for older girls to say what or how they’re going to incorporate and shrink the divide of age in the locker room. Anna acts on those words. She includes girls by mixing up who she sits by at team functions, provides rides and responds in supportive ways when younger girls have questions. It can be intimidating for eighth- and ninth-graders to join such a highly competitive team. She has helped younger girls by encouraging them and making them feel like they belong. Anna moves on those words and coaches have witnessed her efforts.”

Rader will continue her collegiate career at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.

“Anna is a phenomenal goaltender,” Prange said. “Her path and development has set her on such a course.”