Girls Hockey Continues to Succeed Amid COVID Challenges

The girls hockey team has been off to an impressive start this season. 

The team opened the season with a win against Princeton, then beat New Prague in a game that went to overtime. 

After adding another win against Princeton, the girls lost a difficult game to Dodge County, where they gave up five goals. The team bounced back against Mahtomedi, to start the season with four wins after five games. 

“One of the biggest expectations of our team this year is that we all try our hardest every game, practice, off-ice training, and that we continue to bring our best attitudes,” said Carmen Hoschka, senior. 

Following the strong start after five games, the team is looking to get back to winning ways after a frustrating 7-0 loss against Holy Angels, and a tie with Bloomington Jefferson. 

“We are just going to keep pushing ourselves and cheering each other on,” said Julia Amato, senior.  “Our team is known for being super loud on the ice and the bench, and our coach encourages us to keep cheering for the little things.”

While the game traditions may be the same, the players have additional obstacles to overcome this season in order to play. 

“We have to wear masks when playing,” Hoschka said. “It’s totally different than just walking around with a mask because it’s difficult to breathe while working super hard.” 

Another noticeable change is the inability to use the locker rooms. 

“Now we have to get partially dressed at home or get dressed spread around the rink. This is super different and also sad, as the locker room was a really fun place to bond and mess around as a team,” said Amato. 

Despite the changes, the team remains focused on what they can control, as everyone just wants to play. 

“We are still able to listen to music and make the most of our distance though,” Amato said. 

Looking ahead to the rest of the season, the team will be counting on Charlotte Rich, senior, and Hoschka to continue providing goals and assists. 

Rich is second on the team in points, with two goals and four assists after seven games. Hoschka has added two goals and one assist as well. 

“We are a super close team this year and are expected to play well together,” said Amato. “We have a super deep connection and have been connecting our passes and communicating nicely.” 

The team will finish the regular season on March. 13, and as of now are scheduled to have some type of postseason.