It’s hard to believe the StormHawks girls hockey team is already about halfway through the regular season. Since Dec. 1, the StormHawks have won five of eight games, with victories over Delano, Minneapolis, New Prague, Jefferson and most recently a 1–0 shutout of Sartell on Dec. 19.
Entering their Dec. 23 matchup at 6–6 overall (3–1 in the Metro West Conference), the StormHawks anticipated a close contest against the Westonka/Southwest Christian (WSC) White Hawks, who were 5–5–2 at the time. Westonka came ready to play, hitting the ice with speed and determination from the opening faceoff.
The White Hawks put 11 shots on net in the first period, four of which found the back of the net. In the second perior, Westonka added another 11 shots and three more goals. Their fast-paced skating and crisp passing proved key in creating scoring chances and sustained offensive pressure. The StormHawks worked hard to keep pace, but Westonka found the right angles and benefitted from favorable bounces.
Trailing 7–0 after two periods and being outshot 22–10, the StormHawks showed their mettle in the third. Just 20 seconds into the period, eighth grader Joey Hartle scored off a feed from sophomore Haylee Coulson to put the StormHawks on the board. The goal gave Hartle her team-leading ninth of the season. Junior Ella Miller added the StormHawks’ second goal on the power play at the 3:36 mark of the third, converting a pass from freshman Emily Blahoski to make the score 7–2 in favor of Westonka.
The StormHawks recorded 10 shots on goal in the third period and held Westonka to seven. The final shot total favored Westonka 30–20 in the 7–2 win.
“It was a game to learn from,” said Coach Lawler after the game. “We were a bit short of our full roster with illness and injury. The team really responded, though, and skated hard against a good—and fast—team. We showed what we’re made of in the third period and never gave up. Our season is going well, and we have a few things to work on, so we’ll learn from tonight and get ready for the next outing.”
Comments overheard from players speaking with family and friends outside the locker room echoed their coach’s sentiments, as the team felt they finished strong against a quality opponent and, with a few days of rest, would be ready to compete at a high level once again.
The StormHawks’ next event is the Eden Prairie Mid-Winter Meltdown. They will face Eden Prairie on Dec. 29 at 11:00 a.m. in the eight-team tournament. The StormHawks return home for games on January 8 and 10 before finishing the remainder of the regular season on the road.
