The girls hockey season is getting a late start. Tryouts are on Nov. 30, and the girls have been practicing, working out and preparing for the season. Due to COVID-19, changes are set in place to achieve distance in the stands and keep players safe so the season can continue. 

Seven seniors on the team last year have spots to be filled. New seniors and players will step up to present a strong leadership role to benefit the team.

“Obviously it’s always always hard to replace senior leadership. Five of them were our captains so there are some people to be filled. But I’m confident that the younger players will be stepping up this season and feel confident in their leadership role,” head coach Mira Jalosuo said.

Before school, the girls have been attending morning workouts a few times a week. They have been preparing and getting stronger to benefit the team.

“We do three workouts a week at 5am at the PAC, we skate five days a week and we’re playing like a club team for the varsity returners, and we do three games a week on the weekdays,” junior Sydney Scheel said.

Recently the locker room has been remodeled and made to fit only the varsity players, and the JV and varsity girls no longer share a locker room. Furthermore, this benefits both JV and the varsity team in some way. 

“It’s beneficial for both for varsity and JV, because that’s gonna give more time for them to mentally prepare that there is no internal traffic from the locker room between the periods and between the games,” Jalosuo said.

Captains have responsibilities and a strong leadership role on the team. They work hard for their team to form a bond with the younger players.

 “As a captain, I feel like my role is to make sure everybody feels included, and everybody has their mindset on the same goals so we’re all on the same page as a team,” senior Morgan Wholers said.

Due to COVID-19 students will no longer be able to attend games. With that, players are allowed two tickets for their family members. 

Jalosuo explains the new “Minnesota high school league rule, two parents, per player.”

 Jalosuo joined as head coach last year and has improved the team’s competitive skills. She has worked hard to create a skillful team.

Scheel thinks she benefits the team a lot and she has changed the way the girls practice which has made big improvements in the team.

“I didn’t imagine a senior year to be like this, due to Corona our season has been delayed and we haven’t been able to have our coaches at our practices so far, but I feel like when we get our season going, it’ll be even better because we persevered through a lot,” Wohlers said.