Junior captain Shea Pekarek said staying two nights in a hotel with his teammates allowed them to grow closer.

“Going to an out-of-town tournament gives the team an opportunity to learn and become closer to all of our teammates,” Pekarek said. “Doing different activities and always being together creates a bond between everyone.”

According to head coach Colin Hohman, spending time together off the rink improves the team’s performance during games.

“A big part about any good hockey team is that the more you like and care about each other as people, the more it will show benefits on the ice,” Hohman said.

Pekarek said he feels the wins at the tournament raised the team’s spirit, and reassured them of their skills.

“I think winning those three games gave us confidence. Being locked in a whole tournament is a hard thing, but we were able to get on a little win streak and it shows us we’re right where we need to be,” Pekarek said.

The players must focus on the team as a whole in order to receive the outcomes they are looking for, Hohman said.

“I think the biggest thing is that the guys are learning that if they play the right way and make team first decisions, the good results will come,” Hohman said. “Hopefully they will connect those dots through the rest of the season.”

Hohman said the team impressed him by performing well despite the two-hour bus ride earlier that day.

“The first game went well. We played Owatonna and I think the boys did a good job of staying focused and getting a good result even after a long bus ride,” Hohman said.

Pekarek said despite the team’s success so far this season, he feels the team still can improve.

“I think this year so far the team has played mostly to our potential. During the tournament I believed we could have played better as a team but we found ways to win in the end,” Pekarek said.

Similarly to Pekarek, Hohman said he would like to see the team become consistent throughout the whole game.

“Even despite the good results that we have had lately, I would like us to become more consistent shift by shift, period by period,” Hohman said.

The next game is 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 13 at home against the North Shore Storm.