Jul. 11—WARROAD, Minn. — Payton Rolli was already considering a commitment to Minnesota before she visited campus on Tuesday to meet with the coaching staff.
Both of Rolli’s parents attended the university. Growing up, she made multiple trips from her hometown of Minot to catch sporting events on campus. She’s watched Gophers women’s hockey games, more recently enthralled by one of the more electrifying players in college hockey, Abbey Murphy.
“I was kind of thinking about it, but going to the campus kind of made me want to go there even more,” the Warroad High standout goaltender said. “It’s crazy. Some of the people I met yesterday, it was just shocking to see them in person.”
Rolli verbally committed to the Gophers on Tuesday, wrapping up the recruiting process ahead of her senior season with the Warriors.
“It’s a dream,” said Rolli, who also made unofficial visits to Boston-area schools. “(My parents) were also really happy for me to go there. … I can’t wait. It’s a great school to be going to.”
The coaching staff, players and facilities made a strong impression on Rolli during her visit.
“The girls and the coaches (stood out),” Rolli said. “The coaches are great people. They’re the nicest to everyone, and the facilities are also really nice there. It’s just a great school.”
Rolli is coming off a
stellar junior campaign with the Warriors
. She finished the year with a 1.15 goals-against average, a .943 save percentage and nine shutouts. Rolli posted an overall record of 26-4.
It was a clear improvement from her already impressive sophomore season (1.57 goals-against average, .923 save percentage and four shutouts).
Rolli also has a strong track record in the postseason. She racked up 61 saves in this year’s Class A State Tournament semifinal tilt against Orono, propelling Warroad to its fourth-straight state championship appearance and its eventual runner-up finish.
In 2024, she backstopped the Warriors en route to their third-straight state title win, recording 26 saves in the championship game against Holy Angels.
With her commitment out of the way, Rolli is ready to pour her focus into her final season of prep hockey.
“I think it’s going to make my last year more great,” Rolli said. “(It’s) a little more relaxing not having to worry about that and being able to focus only on high school.”
Though last year’s stats won’t be easy to top, Rolli intends to continue her trend of year-by-year improvement while preparing for the next step in her athletic career.
“(I want) to do better than I did last year,” Rolli said. “I would say that, just getting more comfortable with my playing, working hard over the summer to make myself better.”