Girls’ hockey fights for better record

Hard work pays off in conference games, tournament

Taking+the+hit%3A+Junior+Elena+Basill+gets+checked+crossing+the+blue+line+during+their+game+against+Saint+Francis.+Their+next+game+is+against+Bloomington+Jefferson.

Harrison Barden

Taking the hit: Junior Elena Basill gets checked crossing the blue line during their game against Saint Francis. Their next game is against Bloomington Jefferson.

Jackson Eilers

More than halfway through its season, the girls’ hockey team can look back with pride as they finish one of its most successful seasons in over five years.

According to junior Elena Basill, the girls’ have done better than people expected based off of the team’s past record.

“At the beginning there were a lot of younger players but we’ve become more of a team,” Basill said. “We’ve created a bond and that has improved our team play.”

At this point in the season, the girls’ have a record of 9-11-0 with a recent second place finish in a tournament in Waseca.

Coach Charlie McChesney said he believes the girls have improved throughout the season because of the hard work and positive attitudes they bring to the ice.

“Early in the season we played Holy Angels and lost 2-8 but after a recent game against them we lost 0-2,” McChesney said. “Our attitude has really improved, which has driven people to work hard.”

During their recent tournament, the hard work the girls have put in became evident with their second place finish.

“They played really well and outshot all of their opponents by at least 20 shots,” McChesney said. “In the final we lost a close game to a team we beat last year.”

As season comes to a close, the girls still have some goals they wish to accomplish before the end of the season.

Senior captain Sophia Noreen said she is happy with the record  and the second place win but hopes to improve a little bit more.

“We hope to win a few more games to get in the double digits,” Noreen said. “We haven’t won a section game in a while, and we are hoping to win one to show how much we have improved.”

McChesney also hopes to play competitively against conference teams, all of which are AA teams.

The next conference game starts at 3 p.m. Jan. 17 at the Bloomington Ice Garden against  Bloomington Jefferson.