Seniors give OHS depth it needs for playoffs
OWATONNA — Few girls hockey teams have seniors on their third lines like Owatonna does, which is probably why the Huskies have 19 wins.
DEREK SULLIVAN
dsullivan@owatonna.com
Posted: Thursday, February 10, 2011 11:06 pm
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With his deepest team in years, Coach Tim Hunst conducted what could have been his last practice of the year on Thursday afternoon. No. 5 seed Rochester John Marshall/Lourdes plays No. 4 Owatonna at 7 p.m. Friday in the Section 1AA quarterfinals at the Four Seasons Centre. The winner moves on to the semifinals, and the loser packs up its equipment.
The Rockets are 0-2 against the Huskies this year, and JM failed to score in either game. Hunst still considers the Rockets (13-9-2) a threat, claiming this is the best John Marshall team the school has produced.
“This is JM’s best team,” Hunst said. “Girls hockey in southern Minnesota has grown up quite a bit. This is as strong as our section has ever been.”
One of the reasons Owatonna goes into the section playoffs confident is the Huskies’ depth. The strong play of ninth-graders Payton Noble and Abby Sawyer, along with the move of senior Paige Lysne from defense to offense, placed experienced seniors Taylor Disher and Genny Caswell on the third line with junior Alyssa Holcomb and sophomore Lauren Spatenka.
“Having depth is important,” Hunst said. “The more depth you can use, the fresher you’re going to be in the third. It’s a strength that we have and we want to make sure that we use it.”
Disher moved from center to wing this year, scoring four points at her new position.
“It was tough at first because I was so used to playing center, but I worked with it,” Disher said. “Plus, they move me around a lot. I get switched around a lot; sometimes, I play center, too.”
With three ranked teams (No. 4 Lakeville South, No. 12 Lakeville North, No. 14 Farmington) in the section, Hunst knows two lines won’t be enough.
“You can’t get through a section tournament with just two lines,” he said. “The problems you face are that the top teams in the section are running with at least three, and there’s not that much of a drop off. If you aren’t able to rest your players, you’re going to be in trouble.”
For much of the 2009-10 season, Disher centered the No. 2 line. She finished with four goals and five assists as a junior. Hunst gives the two seniors a lot of credit for excelling in their new roles.
“They’re team players,” Hunst said. “That’s why we respect all of the players here. We expect that everybody here will find a role. They have really done that. They have embraced their roles.
“Don’t get me wrong. Nobody’s happy when they’re not playing as much as they want to. They have made us stronger and that’s a credit to them.”
While the Rockets could eliminate the Huskies on Friday night, Disher said her and her teammates believe they can stop Owatonna’s four-game postseason losing streak.
“We’re confident,” Disher said. “It’s nerve-wracking because it’s our last year. I never thought this day would come. It’s exciting, but also scary at the same time.”
If Owatonna does beat the Rockets for a third straight time this winter, the Huskies will most likely face top-seed South on Tuesday in Lakeville. If they pull off an upset on Tuesday, the Huskies will most likely face another ranked team in the section final.
“It’s a gauntlet. It’s tough,” Hunst said. “It shouldn’t be easy to get to the state tournament. If you’re going to go to the state tournament, you’re going to have to beat really good teams, and that’s what’s going to happen.”
Caswell has a simple philosophy on how she and the other five seniors can keep their careers going.
“We just go out there and go hard and do the best we can,” she said.
