Two years ago, Holy Family Catholic girls’ lacrosse coach R.J. New watched Molly Garin, then an eighth-grader, light up her surroundings on the ice.

The athleticism she showed in hockey -- in particular the well-developed hands and stick work -- would carry over well into New’s realm, he thought, and he went about trying to get Garin to see it that way too.

“I saw Molly was a great hockey player, and I begged her to come out for lacrosse,” New said. “She came out for us as a freshman with no real experience at all, and by the end of it, I think she’s going to be a Division I prospect in lacrosse as well.”

The common thread in the flurry of emails and sales pitches New sent to Garin was the belief lacrosse would make her a better hockey player, complete with stories about Wayne Gretzky. Turns out "The Great One" was also an excellent lacrosse player.

“I sent her quotes about how lacrosse was instrumental in developing the hands of the greatest goal scorer of all time,” New said. “I worked hard to get her out here, and I’m so glad she is.”

The Fire (9-4) wrapped up their regular season schedule with a convincing 15-8 road victory at Benilde-St. Margaret’s Wednesday night, with Garin notching four goals.

While most opposing defenses focus on senior Megan Menzuber, the state leader in goals (67), Holy Family Catholic is developing another group of scorers that are driving the No. 9-ranked Fire’s run into the playoffs.

Garin (18 goals), along with sophomore Molly Kalb (29) and freshman Leigh Steiner (26) have become the balance to Menzuber's dominance.

New said the core group is the continuation of a strong crossover relationship between the hockey and lacrosse programs at Holy Family Catholic.

There are five starters on the lacrosse team that also played hockey and it’s good for all involved, New said.

“That’s kind of Holy Family’s thing,” he said. “They play hockey together in the winter, and they play lacrosse together in the spring.”

For now, the underclassmen will learn all they can from Menzuber, who will head to Marquette in the fall and join first cousin Ryan McNamara, who leads the Golden Eagles men’s lacrosse team in scoring as a junior.

Menzuber’s four goals Wednesday night showcased the myriad of ways she can score, be it with a rifle from the outside, as she did on goal No. 3, or with grit and tenacity, traits she displayed while fighting through a triple team to score her second goal.

“Megan has freakishly good hand-eye coordination, and she’s a great athlete” New said. “It’s a combination of tremendous skill.”

Menzuber was also the leading scorer last winter for the hockey team, tallying 18 goals and 34 points, three ahead of Garin (15-16-31), who was second on the team.

“I look up to (Menzuber) so much,” Garin said. “Her ability to control the (pace of the) game, and then how she can finish and score…there is a lot that I can learn from her.”

Holy Family Catholic toppled host Benilde-St. Margaret's Wednesday night in St. Louis Park, battling back after a slow start to cruise to a 15-8 victory.

The Fire (9-4), ranked No. 9 in the latest coaches' poll, got its offensive punch from sophomore Molly Garin and senior Megan Menzuber, who finished with four goals each.

Leading 5-4 at halftime, Holy Family Catholic scored four unanswered goals and 10 total in the second half to put the Red Knights away.

Five different players scored goals for Benilde-St. Margaret's (6-6), led by junior midfielder Ellie Bahr with three goals, giving her 30 on the season.

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