istauffer@owatonna.com
Posted: Monday, November 15, 2010 10:36 pm
 

OWATONNA — The Owatonna girls hockey team won’t get much time to figure things out.

The defending Big Nine Conference co-champion Huskies open their season at 7 p.m. Tuesday with a home game against the other half of that co-champion — Rochester Mayo. The Spartans are also the team that ended Owatonna’s season last year with a 3-2 overtime win in the section quarterfinals.

The Spartans have won or shared the Big Nine title for the better part of a decade now, so they will pose a tough test for the squad OHS coach Tim Hunst puts on the ice.

“It’s a very important game for us to get rolling with right away,” Hunst said. “We’re definitely early on in our development as a team, but I don’t see that getting in our way. We have to show up ready to play.”

While tonight’s game will be the Huskies’ season opener, Mayo has already had its first turn on the ice, and it wasn’t a good start. The Spartans lost 3-2 to Rochester John Marshall on Thursday. The Rockets only won six games last season, while the Spartans won 15.

“That game tells me there is going to be some parity in our conference this year,” Hunst said. “If we don’t show up on any given night, there is a chance that teams that have not been a big factor could knock you right off.”

This year’s Owatonna team is led by an experienced group of seniors. Forward Cailyn McCauley, defenseman Paige Lysne and goalie Keshia Reuvers have all been at the varsity level for at least four years now.

“Those girls have been with us since they were eighth-graders,” Hunst said. “There was always that feeling that there is always next year. Not anymore. The time is now. They’re taking that pretty seriously.”

McCauley led Owatonna with 32 goals and 61 points, and Lysne had 20 points from the blue line. Reuvers won 14 games in goal and had a 2.36 goals against average.

The Huskies also have experienced seniors all over the ice, with Taylor Disher, Aimee Goodew, Katie Erwin and Genny Caswell. All four played regular minutes last season and are expected to contribute even more this season.

Junior forward Emily Cochran turned into an offensive powerhouse last season, scoring 10 goals and tallying 34 points. She will likely play on a line with McCauley, creating one of the fastest attacking pairs in the Big Nine.

“This is a talented hockey team with a lot of skill, but the problem with skill is that you try to depend on just skill and experience,” Hunst said. “We have to mix our skill and experience with a ton of hard work to come even close to our goals.”

Hunst said Owatonna’s main goals are repeating as Big Nine champs and winning the first section title since 2003. The Huskies haven’t been out of the first round in any of the last three seasons.

“It is a lofty goal, and that’s exactly why we’re going after it,” Hunst said. “We’ve had trouble getting out of the first round lately, but I believe that is more mental than physical. We have to find a way to do that. We have to fall back on that hard work and determination.”

After Mayo, Owatonna will face Champlin Park at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Four Seasons Centre in the Rebels’ season opener. Champlin Park went 14-9-3 last season. The Huskies will finish their brutal opening week at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Blake. The Bears were 20-7-1 last year.

“Out of the frying pan and into the fire,” Hunst said. “Champlin Park is a tough, hard-nosed team that we’ve never played. It’s going to be a battle. We’ve played Blake every year since I’ve been here, and we’ve never beat them. We continue to play that game because it makes us better.”