By Jake Schroer
Crow River News Sports
It is a new era for Jason Johnson and his hockey team.
For years, the North Wright County RiverHawks leaned on stars like Rachel King and Marina Chapman. King recorded 39 points, scoring 27 goals in her senior season for the RiverHawks, and Chapman was third with 21. Both graduated last year, leaving a hole that needs filling.
One thing the team has going in its favor is the return of its second leading scorer, junior forward Lindsay Finnerty (34 points, 12 goals).
“We’re looking for big things from her. Unfortunately, she’s going to be out here for the first couple weeks with a small fracture from the end of her soccer season,” Johnson said.
The RiverHawks also return a pair of key seniors; defenseman Jenny Kisch and forward/defenseman Greta Stanton, who will both captain the 2015-2016 team along with Finnerty. Stanton has a mentality she hopes to instill in the rest of the team.
“I think, just play every game like it might be your last, and work as a team,” Stanton said.
“I think we have a lot of talent, young talent which will do good,” Kisch said.
Johnson said that this group would likely admit to having no true superstars, but expectations from coaches are still high.
“We’re going to hold this group to a higher commitment level than they’ve probably ever envisioned,” Johnson said.
The RiverHawks open the season against Brainerd/Little Falls, a team within Section 8AA. Johnson said that this is not the same team they used to beat by 11 goals.
“They had a good soccer team this year and a lot of those girls are hockey players. That winning mentality carries over, and they’re gonna be a great challenge for us,” Johnson said.
A test awaits the RiverHawks, as they will face six consecutive opponents on the road after the home opener against Alexandria. Johnson embraced it, saying that road trips can bring a team closer together.
“There’s a lot to be said for how a team gets along outside of the rink, and that’s gonna force us to be together quite a bit and we’ll really get to know each other, and I think that pays dividends,” Johnson said.
Aside from traditional local rivalries with Rogers and Buffalo among others, the RiverHawks have built a section rivalry with the Roseau Rams, who travel down to play a road game against North Wright County.
“Roseau’s an opponent that has the history and tradition that it’s fun to see where you’re at as a team,” Johnson said. “They’re obviously one of the benchmarks in the state and certainly in our section.”
Johnson believes Section 8AA could be won by anyone this year, which makes the upcoming season even more fun for his team.
Johnson said that this season will be a whole new challenge, as he comes into the year not knowing what he has.
“We’re not going to change our expectation, but we’re gonna have to adapt to be a little bit more in the coaching phase and the teaching phase than we have in the past,” Johnson said.
North Wright County opens against Brainerd/Little Falls in Brainerd on Thursday.