Girls Varsity Hockey’s wins raise high hopes for remainder of season

Sophomore+goalie+Catherine+Johnson+blocks+a+shot+during+a+game+against+Holy+Angels+Academy+and+Richfield+High+School+on+Dec.+3.+The+coaching+staff+is+completely+new%2C+so+I+think+that%E2%80%99s+helped+us%2C%E2%80%9D+Johnson+said.+

Lucy Li

Sophomore goalie Catherine Johnson blocks a shot during a game against Holy Angels Academy and Richfield High School on Dec. 3. “The coaching staff is completely new, so I think that’s helped us,” Johnson said.

With all new coaching staff and a younger varsity team, the Girls Hockey team has had to learn how to cope with changes. The United hockey team is a co-op between St. Paul Academy and Visitation School. Already this season they’ve won well over half of their games, including one against Breck School, one of the team’s biggest rivals. “The coaching staff is completely new, so I think that’s helped us,” sophomore goalie Catherine Johnson said, attributing the win against Breck to the new staff. “Our good players help us too,” she said “I think we all get along now.”

While the changes have benefited the team, they’ve also caused some setbacks. “We lost a lot of our good forwards from last year,” Johnson said. She also noted that adapting to the new coaches’ coaching style is one challenge. All in all, the team is looking forward to this season, especially for section games. “I think we can win [sections] this year and go to state,” Johnson said.

The team faces the St. Paul Blades on Jan. 10 at Highland Ice Arena.