The team that sings R. Kelly songs together, stays together. 

And in Prior Lake’s case, dominates together. 

The Lakers kicked off their evening in Chanhassen with a rendition of R. Kelly’s “I Believe,” and were resolute in that belief en route to a 15-5 win over the Storm on Thursday night.

“We’ve had that for a couple years now, as long as I’ve been (here),” senior forward Lauren Priest said about the pregame karaoke.

Currently third on the Prior Lake roster with 25 goals and 36 points, Priest recorded a hat trick and added three assists as the catalyst of the Lakers' offense against Chanhassen.

Prior Lake got off to a slow start on Thursday, which Priest said was just a matter of shaking off some early discomfort. 

“There were a couple spots where we could’ve improved a little bit, but it was kind of just feeling out the game,” Priest said.

The early bumps leveled out, and the Lakers cruised to their program-best 12th victory of the regular season. It's quite the impressive feat considering where the team stood just a few years ago.  

“Three seasons ago, we had one win, so we’ve paid our time,” Prior Lake coach Ali Minelli-Fenstermacher said, referring to the team’s 1-12 regular season record in 2012.

“I’m a proud coach that we’ve worked this hard,” Minelli-Fenstermacher said. “(We've gone) from a team that no one recognized as anything, to a team that people hopefully don’t take for granted now when we play them.”

The turnaround could be attributed in part to the assurance the Lakers feel on the field with Minelli-Fenstermacher at the helm. 

“She always tells us to be confident, and that really (translates) into the game,” Priest said. 

Minelli-Fenstermacher puts an emphasis on having well-rounded players, and it's been one of the keys to the Lakers’ confidence and subsequent success.

“Before developing the athlete, it’s about (developing) the person,” Minelli-Fenstermacher said, adding that the majority of her team is doing exceptionally well academically. 

An avid reader of literature written by and featuring strong-willed women, Minelli-Fenstermacher hopes that she can pass on the values of those women to her players during their time at Prior Lake and beyond. 

“Maya Angelou is one of my (admired authors), amongst many other women,” Minelli-Fenstermacher said. “Empowering (the players) to be strong women I think is huge for their future, and taking that (strength) into later life lessons.”

Sophomore midfielder Lexi Peer and senior forwards Aleah Fjelstad and Lauren Priest all scored three goals to lead Prior Lake to a resounding 15-5 win over Chanhassen on Thursday night in the regular season finale for both teams at Chanhassen High School. 

Senior forward Ashley Norberg notched two goals for the Lakers (12-1), ranked No. 3 in the latest coaches' poll, and Mallory Schultze, Jordan Anderson, Kelly Gleason and Sarah Pierson all recorded one goal each.

Emma Silbernagel and Lexi Walstad scored two goals apiece for the Storm (9-4), and Dylan Melby added one goal in the loss. 

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