On Jan. 11, girls hockey took on Minneapolis in a head-to-head match with the final score being 2-2. Between periods of this match, there was a scrimmage between youth players due to it being youth night. According to head coach Ryan St. Martin, during the game, the team played really strongly, even with a tied score.
“I think we had a lot of jump and had some strong showing in the defensive zone,” said St. Martin. “We had some good bench energy and played pretty consistently throughout the game.”
Freshman Lianna Hess said the game was fiery, but she had the ability to power through.
“I thought the game went pretty well. It was very high intensity and was a really close game,” Hess said. “I thought I did well. (I played) my hardest and made smart plays.”
Senior Camryn Witham said during the game the team could have been more swift in leaving the bench, and they could have played at a higher quality.
“We could’ve come out of the bench a bit faster,” Witham said. “We weren’t at our full capabilities this game, and we could’ve done better.”
According to Hess, the time the youth spent with the highschoolers was positive and exciting.
“I thought it was very exciting, and I thought the youth got a very good experience with high schoolers,” Hess said.
Witham said the time spent with youth is a reminder of where all hockey players began.
“I think it inspires them to keep playing hockey, and it inspires us to play a good game because it reminds us of where we once were,” Witham said.
According to St. Martin, the time spent with the players was to show the youth the team cares, and to develop a sense of community.
“(We want to) just build a relationship between the players and the youth to show them that we are here for them and show that hockey is for all age levels,” St. Martin said.
Park girls hockey is gearing up to face Armstrong Cooper at 7 p.m. on Jan. 18 at the Minnetonka Ice Arena.
