Ellah Hause brings Team USA prestige to Minnesota Ms. Hockey finalists

MAPLEWOOD, Minn. — Hill-Murray senior Ellah Hause is the only defender to make the Ms. Hockey top-five finalists list in 2023.

The 17-year-old has been an instrumental part of the Pioneers' success this season, finishing the year with a 23-4-1 overall record in Class AA. Hause has spent five years on the varsity squad at Hill-Murray and isn't just an asset on the blue line, but also on offense where she netted over 100 career points.

"As a coach for more than two decades, I can enthusiastically state that Ellah is one of the best that I have had the privilege of coaching," said Hill-Murray head coach Shawn Reid on the Ms. Hockey website. "Yes, her talent is great. But more importantly, she is unconditionally dependable and sees the world beyond herself."

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Hause, a native of Forest Lake, grew up in a traditionally Minnesotan hockey family. "My mom and dad both played in high school. My older brother started off young, and when I was old enough to start I was like 'I want to go play!' " said the senior captain.

The 5-foot-6 defender joined the varsity team at Hill-Murray as just a 13-year-old. "I was the only eighth grader on the team so I was a little nervous because I didn't know anyone; new school, new team," said Hause. "A few games in they started trusting me though, they were a little hesitant at first to give an eighth grader the puck."

The very next season, the Pioneers went to state. The experience was a fun one for Hause, who was only a freshman at the time. With many friends who were seniors that year, it was a great for the Forest Lake native to see her teammates close out their careers on a high note.

Hause was always a solid defender, but she started to really show off her offensive prowess as well as she progressed through high school. Ahead of her junior season, she announced her commitment to play Division I hockey for the University of St. Thomas.

"I love the coaching staff, the location is awesome since it's super close to my house, and the campus is absolutely beautiful," said the defender on why she chose the Tommies.

Hause's future teammate Ella Boerger was also named to the Ms. Hockey finalist list. Rylee Bartz , another UST commit, made the semifinalist list, so the Tommies have a lot of talent in their upcoming freshman class.

The 17-year-old is a two-time captain for the Pioneers and was third in total points in both her junior and senior seasons.

"I'd say I'm a more vocal leader, in-between periods saying 'good job on this', or 'we need to work on that' and just trying to pump everyone up on the bench in-between shifts," said the senior captain, who enjoys being in a leadership position.

Hause also started to catch the eyes of Team USA in the offseason before her senior year. She originally participated in the Select-18's camp in the summer but didn't make it past that cut, until she got notified that she then made the roster later in the fall.

"I ended up getting a call a few months later saying that I was on the team, which was a little surprising, but I was super happy to get the call," said the Minnesota native.

Hause then got to participate on the Team USA U18 team as they competed in the world tournament in Sweden this past January. The Americans ended up winning a bronze medal, but going overseas wasn't necessarily an easy adjustment for the Hill-Murray defender to make.

"I had to get used to the time change, like a seven-hour time change, and there were only four hours of sunlight starting at like nine, so it was really different," said Hause on her experience in Ostersund, Sweden.

Even though Sweden was a new experience, Hause had many familiar faces as teammates on Team USA as there were nine Minnesota natives on the roster, and three others who compete in the state for Shattuck-St. Mary's.

The 17-year-old senior captain and her team finished up their 2022-23 season on Feb. 16 in a 4-1 loss in the Section 4AA championship game against Gentry Academy. The Pioneers had a terrific season though, with only four losses, and were a top team in Class AA.

With the season now over for Hause and her teammates, she will head to St. Thomas in the fall to start her Division I hockey career.

When she's not playing hockey, Hause competes on her school's golf team, participates in the National Honor Society, spends time at the lake, and even plays ping pong in the garage with her dad.