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Girls Hockey Takes Two of Three

By Bob Kuehl, 12/20/21, 8:00AM CST

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THE MOUND WESTONKA/SOUTHWEST CHRISTIAN GIRLS HOCKEY TEAM WON TWO OF THREE GAMES LAST WEEK WHILE FACING VERY TOUGH COMPETITION.

The Mound Westonka/Southwest Christian girls hockey team won two of three games last week while facing very tough competition.

On Tuesday night, the White Hawks suffered a 4-3 loss at Chaska/Chanhassen. The White Hawks outshot their opponent 44-18, including 21-4 in the third period, but couldn't score the equalizer. Sydney Leonard scored the first two goals for the White Hawks, and senior captain Montana Courneya also scored. Three defensive flybys helped lead to Storm Hawks goals, all being generated by Penn State bound Kaitlyn Roberts. 


#7 Sydney Leonard vs. Chaska Chan


#16 Montana Courneya vs. Chaska Chan

On Thursday night, the White Hawks returned home to face Cretin-Derham Hall, who was rated eighth in a couple of Class AA polls and entered the game 7-2-1. It was a classic back-and-forth game with both teams having great scoring chances.


#30 Ashlyn Roth vs. Cretin-Derham Hall


#22 Greer Hardacre, #9 Ellison Lundquist and #23 Gretta Pioske celebrate the game-winning goal over Cretin-Derham Hall

The White Hawks struck first when Greer Hardacre slammed home a rebound off a Sydney Leonard shot at 9:33 of the first period. Five minutes later, a miscue on the short hand cost Mound Westonka/SWC when Cretin's top player, Lily Geist, scored on a great shot from the top of the power play. The teams would go to the locker room knotted up at 1-1 after the first period with the shots being 12-8 in favor of the White Hawks.  

The second period would be even more intense than the first with the lone goal being scored by Courneya. A pass from Tori Lacomy went off Gisella Harders' stick to Courneya, who buried a wrist shot for the second game in a row. Shots were 11-10 White Hawks for the period. The White Hawks had fans screaming as three or four pucks rolled through the Raiders crease during a power play, but they couldn't score despite the many opportunities.

The intensity of the game continued to rise in the third period, as two very strong teams battled and went up and down the ice. With just under three minutes remaining, Gretta Pioske was called for kneeing. Despite protests from the MW/SWC bench, the call remained and the Raiders got a power play, which they capitalized on and tied the score with 2:28 left. 

The White Hawks, however, weren't going to denied. Sage Finck pinched down with a great forecheck and got the puck to Greer Hardacre. Hardace tried to pass out front, but the puck went to a Raider defensemen. When the defensemen tried to rush the puck, Ellie Lundquist poke checked the puck to Gretta Pioske, who deflected it on goal. Hardacre got the rebound, spun around and buried home the winning goal with 38 seconds remaining in the game. A great forechecking sequence by Camryn Hargreaves and Sydney Leonard prevented Cretin from getting out of their own zone as the clock expired.

A tired but determined group of players trekked up to Lindstrom Saturday to face 10th-ranked Chisago Lakes. The Wildcats have four Division I commits on their roster and struck first on a goal by UMD bound Dani Burgen with an assist going to another UMD bound player Danielle Brunette. Despite being down a goal at the intermission, both the White Hawks players and coaches felt confident as play was even in the period and shots favored the White Hawks by a 9-8 margin. 

The second period would see the game shift to the visitors' advantage, as they would score three times while keeping the Wildcats from scoring. Emily Wendorf started the White Hawks scoring when she rushed the puck up and threw a bad angle shot on goal that eluded the goal keeper to tie the game 1-1.

Seven minutes later, Sydney Leonard picked up a loose puck in the neutral zone and fired in a short handed goal. And with 30 seconds remaining in the period, Gretta Pioske put in a rebound to put the visitors up 3-1 and take all the momentum into the locker room.  Hargreaves and Courneya assisted on the goal. Shots for the second period favored the White Hawks by a 14-6 margin.

In the third period, Ashlee Johnson scored a goal less than three minutes into the period that broke the Wildcats back on a pass from Gisella Harder. Courneya also assisted on the goal. Five minutes later, Ellie Lundquist pounded home a Hardacre shot for a power play goal. Natalie Miner, who started the whole play with a nice rush up the right side of the ice, also got an assist.  With four minutes remaining, the WIldcats got a power play goal; but it was too little, too late as the final score was Mound Westonka/SWC 5-2 over the Wildcats. Shots for the game were 36-20.


#23 Gretta Pioske from #3 Camryn Hargreaves vs. Chisago Lakes


#24 Ashlee Johnson vs. Chisago Lakes

This week the White Hawks host undefeated New Ulm on Wednesday night before taking four days off for the holidays. It is also Alumni Night with girls hockey alumni getting in free and then playing the varsity at 9 p.m. at Thaler Arena. Come cheer on the White Hawks!