Among those ill was junior defender Brooke Pioske, a Vermont commit who missed about a week of practice. Pioske hit the ice Friday without practicing the entire week.

“It’s been difficult and we’ve had to move a lot of things around,” Pioske said. “I definitely had a slower start tonight.”

That slow start came to a halt rather quickly. After getting the puck near the goal, Pioske snuck a backhand shot into the Fergus Falls (2-5, 0-2) net during the first period to give Mound Westonka (5-1, 0-0) a 1-0 lead.

“That was just one of those plays where I threw [the puck] toward the net, and then eventually got closer and put it on net,” Pioske said. “I think when we start doing that, and then get a goal, it gets in the goalie’s head and brings a lot of energy to the bench.”

The mindset of getting to the net is something preached by Kuehl and co-coach Claire Goldsmith. It’s shown early this season, and in previous seasons, including last year’s Class 1A state quarterfinals where the White Hawks registered 73 shots on goal in a 4-2 win over Mankato East/Loyola.

“We want to keep shoving it toward the net,” Kuehl said. “You look at all of our goals. None of them were pretty but they came with us putting that pressure on.”

After Pioske’s first-period tally, Mound Westonka added to its lead with goals by juniors Brittney Davis and Avery Finck. It was a night dominated by juniors, as White Hawks junior goaltender Callie Nelson contributed by stopping 20 of 21 shots.

With only one senior on the varsity roster, juniors shoulder the load that seniors typically carry on most teams. This comes a year after the White Hawks finished fourth at state behind the play of a solid senior class that graduated in spring. On Friday, those graduated seniors returned home to watch their old team’s new leadership in action.

“It’s been difficult after having the seniors we had last year,” Pioske said. “But we have a good class here. Everyone has a spot on this team and that helps us a lot.”

While Kuehl admitted the juniors are still fitting into their new roles, the results on the ice have been positive.

“I think it’s been fun to see everyone starting to fit into their roles,” Pioske said. “You’re seeing a lot of girls get opportunities that didn’t get them last year.”