As the Edina hockey season launches into full swing, hopes are high for both the Edina High School Girls’ and Boys’ Hockey teams. Morale is especially high for the girls’ team, who have won state for the last two years, and are already experiencing great success.

CC Bowlby, one of the captains for Girls’ Hockey, knows that while it won’t be easy, she predicts great success going forward in the season. “I really like the team, and we’re doing really well so far. We have a pretty hard schedule but based off how we’ve been playing, I think it’ll go pretty well.”

Although there is a lot of talent on the team, Bowlby reveals that the real secret behind the team’s success is team coordination and optimism. “I think our leadership is really good, and we have a lot of positivity; we’re all really close. I think we have a lot of skill, and the depth on our team is really good, so we’re moving the puck and our ability to make plays with each other is really good,” Bowlby said.

While the season is already expected to go very well, Bowlby believes the team has even more potential than they are currently showing. “I think we can get to a whole new level. We’re a really deep team, with a lot of girls going to play college hockey. I think it will be interesting to see how good we can get.”

Although it’s too early in the Boys’ Hockey season to make any solid predictions, confidence is running high, according to captain Mason Nevers. The season “has been pretty good. We’ve only had four games to start, but we’ve put a lot of practices in lately,” Nevers said.

Much of the confidence building around the season, he explained, has to do with the returning talent: “We have a good group of guys, a lot of guys coming back and a lot of great seniors.” More than the individual skill, however, the power of the team comes from the bonds formed between players.

“We gel really well together. We’re all really good friends and stuff, so I think that really helps on and off the ice,” Nevers said.

With all of this confidence, the team is very excited to get back onto the ice and prove themselves. The only thing the Boys’ Hockey team needs, according to Nevers, is the right mindset: “We need a mentality of winning every day and being the best we can be to stay consistent,” he said.