White Bear Lake has been waiting for this moment, one that girls’ hockey coach Jerry Kwapick had an inkling might happen a few years ago.

That was back when his team was short on numbers and, as a result, a group of eighth-graders contributed significantly on the varsity. That group of now-juniors has turned into the backbone of the team and a defense Kwapick calls the best of his nine years in charge of the program.

That young potential has also grown into a family, one that fully believes success is waiting.

“We’ve got a lot of talented girls and our team has really bonded together,” junior forward Sydney Shearan said. “I think we can have a really successful season.”

Now that Kwapick’s vision from a few years ago has started to take shape, he has developed some new targets for the team to meet.

“One of our goals is to have one of the lowest goals-against average or the highest save percentage average,” Kwapick said.

So far, the White Bears (2-1-1) are surrendering an average of two goals a game, while junior goalie Calla Frank has posted a 94.5 save percentage through four games.

When coupled with an attack led by Shearan (three goals, eight assists), junior Jordan Gast (four goals, two assists) and senior Claudia Verkeke (four goals, one assist), Kwapick hopes that defensive prowess can help alter the norm.

“The team as a whole, we feel like we work really hard to backtrack and do all those little things in the defensive zone so we can get rewarded in the offensive zone,” Shearan said.

The Bears are looking to claim the Suburban East Conference crown and end Hill-Murray’s run of five consecutive titles in Section 4 of Class 2A.

An already experienced and steady group of defenders has been bolstered by junior Lauren MacLean, who transferred from conference foe Cretin-Derham Hall at the start of the year. MacLean has helped the Bears reach a 92 percent success rate on the penalty kill.

The defensive effort starts and ends with Frank in net, though.

“Calla Frank in net truly gives us the chance to win every game we’re in regardless of the competition,” Kwapick said. “She’s that good.”

Frank defers the credit and praises her teammates in front of her, who she says have become similar to a family. Many of them have played together since U8 hockey and have taken the precautions to make sure there aren’t any surprises on the ice. A rotating list of players host pasta feasts the night before games.

On days like Tuesday, when there was no school, the team met for breakfast. That evening White Bear Lake skated to a 6-2 victory over Park of Cottage Grove.

More or less, Frank said, the White Bears do everything together.

“It’s so important,” Frank said. “You don’t want little cliques or little gossip around the team. It hurts the team, and just being one big family is so important.”