Offseason breakdown No. 34: Fairmont

With most sports on hold and the 2020-21 season still months out, it’s time to take a look at teams from all over the State of Hockey and examine what happened this past season and what’s ahead. The next team we’re breaking down is Fairmont.

How last season went

It was a strong start to the season for the Cardinals as they won consecutive games against Morris/Benson and Minnesota River. From there, things took a turn for the worse as Fairmont went 3-19 the rest of the way. One bright spot came in the regular season finale against LaCrescent-Hokah as the Cardinals came away with win No. 5.

Fairmont went head-to-head with Willmar in a battle of Cardinals in the Section 3A play-in round. Fairmont prevailed with a 4-1 win which set up the victorious Cardinals with a date against top-seeded Hutchinson. Unfortunately for Fairmont, the run towards a section championship ended there.

Who’s back and who’s gone

Looking at the statistics, the Cardinals were mostly led by a young group. That included Eli Anderson, who is set to return after a 34-point season (14 goals, 20 assists). Other players who helped lead the way and are expected to return include Hudson Artz (10G, 7A) and Kaiden Musser (5G, 4A). In addition, Carsen Musser is poised to return in net after posting a .901 save percentage last season.

One big loss for Fairmont is Carson Kuhl. He graduates after scoring 12 goals and tallying 12 assists in his final season with the Cardinals.

What to expect next season

Like a number of teams across the state, Fairmont was one of those squads tasked with trying to succeed with an inexperienced group. That will likely change next season. If the Cardinals do improve, the next big task will be trying to compete with the likes of Hutchinson.