NORTHFIELD, Minn. – With a renewed level of excitement, the St. Olaf College women's hockey team enters the 2021-22 season with a young roster that is eager to return to competition for the first time in nearly two years on Friday.

After being unable to play due to the COVID-19 pandemic last winter, the Oles will play their first competitive game since Feb. 22, 2020 – a span of 615 days – when they host UW-Stevens Point in Friday night's season opener. The long layoff has been difficult, but it has also resulted in a new level of energy at practices leading up to the opener.

"We've loved it so far," said third-year head coach Tracy Johnson. "Just the level of compete and the energy and excitement to be back out there have been great. We are a pretty young team so their willingness and eagerness to learn is so evident. I am really excited about what the practices say about how our team is going to be this year."

St. Olaf heads into the season with a roster that includes 11 first years and eight sophomores who have not experienced a college game. While a young roster presents its challenges, Johnson has noted the impact the team's returners have had on the less experienced members of the team.

"I've been impressed with all of the returners and their level of intensity coming back into it," she said. "I think having the year off last year was a reminder of how grateful we are to have this sport, and I am just excited for all of them as they set the example for our younger players. They have really made it a welcoming environment and have done a phenomenal job of making them part of the team."

Johnson thinks the welcoming environment has helped the newcomers settle in quickly as they look to make an impact in the program both on and off the ice.

"I have been so excited about their energy," Johnson said of the 11 first years. "They came in knowing that they were going to play a big role in what the future of the program will look like and they're just excited to be part of something bigger. They are here to work and have a positive impact and I really do think we will see some great things from them and that is really exciting."

As difficult as it was to not be able to compete last year, Johnson feels that the team made the most of the time they were able to have together. In addition to being able to practice, the team spent a lot of time focusing on the team's core values.

"We talked a lot about what we wanted our program to be about, be known for, and what we will hold each other accountable to," Johnson said. "That was a huge piece of what we tried to focus on last year. They've really bought into the core value of being relentless and what that looks like on the ice: blocking shots, sacrificing for the team, giving that extra effort at the end of a drill or a shift."

Without having a measuring stick competitively since February 2020 and with more than half of this year's roster not having played in a collegiate game, Johnson noted the difficulty of being able to tell where this year's team will measure up. Instead of setting expectations based on wins and losses or placement in the conference standings, the team is focusing on the smaller things that will lead to on-ice success.

"It is going to be hard to tell (how the team will stack up)," Johnson said. "I think we are obviously still the underdog but I like being underestimated. We are going to focus on the process and then the outcomes will theoretically take care of themselves. We just want to focus on what we do day in and day out to get better and be in the best position to compete."

With the season opener fast approaching, Johnson hopes the energy and enthusiasm that has been evident at practice carries over when the team returns to competing.

"It is hard to describe because it is just an energy thing, but the enthusiasm that they bring every day to be out on the ice has been great," she said. "When we are teaching, they are engaged and focused. They are asking questions, wanting to learn more. We will get done with practice and there are people staying after to work on things that maybe they didn't do so great at practice that day. It is hard to describe unless you're in it but it is energizing for us coaches."

This weekend's annual opening series against UW-Stevens Point kicks off the team's 25-game schedule that includes seven non-conference contests in addition to the 18-game Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) schedule. With two non-conference series to start the season, Johnson said there will likely be a lot of mixing of lines early on as the young team plays together for the first time.

"The beginning of the year is going to give us an opportunity to give everyone a chance and see where that goes," she said. "We are just excited to get back to competing again, to get back to some semblance of normalcy. It has been a long time and we have a tough schedule. The MIAC is one of the best leagues in the country for women's hockey and we are just ready to take on the challenge."