With 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 Winona.…
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Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log inWith 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 Winona.
How last season went
It was a roller coaster of a season for the Winhawks that ended exactly in the middle with a 12-12-1 record.
Winona got to this point with a few good and bad stretches. One of the bad stretches came with a 3-6 stretch between Jan. 9 and Feb. 1. When the regular season wrapped up a few weeks later, the team sported wins against Waconia and Red Wing.
Into the postseason, the Winhawks were the No. 8 seed in Section 1A. Things were positive to start as they soared to a 5-1 win against Austin in the play-in round. However, Winona ran into the buzzsaw that was top-seeded Dodge County in the quarterfinals.
Who’s back and who’s gone
Roman Grulkowski (31 goals, 16 assists) was the main catalyst for the Winhawks. He graduated. So too did Eric Paulson (7G, 14A), Kai Kovala (5G, 13A) and Campbell Watkins (.886 save percentage, 13 appearances).
As for returning players, two come to mind. Those two are Matt Thesing (15G, 16A) and Alex Benson (.913 SV%, 14 GP).
What to expect next season
As everyone can see, Winona has some holes to fill heading into the 2020-21 season. But there are some capable returners playing in a section that is for the taking.