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Both the Aberdeen Cougars high school boys and girls hockey teams have new coaches this year, and both coaches expect challenges early on.
Coach Dana Myhre discusses puck retrieval during an Aberdeen Cougars hockey practice inside the Holum Expo Building. Aberdeen Insider photo by Robb Garofalo.
Dana Myhre assumes the role of head coach of the boys team. His season will begin with three home games beginning at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 21 against Dickinson, N.D., followed by an 8 p.m. contest against Brandon Valley on Saturday, Nov. 22 and a Sunday, Nov. 23 battle with Oahe at 3 p.m.
“We’re just focusing on what we’re doing and what we’re trying to build and not really what the teams we play this weekend may have as far as lineups go,” Myhre said. “We kind of know what (Oahe) has, but I have no idea what Dickinson is like, but we’re gonna find out.”
He’s concerned about the number of players on the roster.
“Well, we lost 15 seniors and not a lot of players have come up through bantams, so we’re not dealing with a lot of players. We’ve got a pretty short roster right now. We’ve got some talent, though, and I think we’ll be alright,” Myhre said.
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A challenge with a limited varsity roster includes finding line combinations. Myhre’s concern is balancing ice time with players who also play on the junior varsity team.
“We’re probably going to have a couple lines on varsity who are getting a lot of the workload just because the other lines will have played a full game at JV most of the time,” he said.
As he continues to seek the right combinations, Myhre feels the team’s speed should be a strength.
“We’re working on getting our guys to go to the net, and that’s been a little bit of a struggle right now, but I think speed will be one of our strengths,” he said. “We’ve got some pretty fast players, so we’re going to try and get up and down the ice and use (speed) to our advantage.”
The goaltender situation is working itself out, but Myhre said Ben Bradley as the starter and No. 2 goalie Andrew Weisenberger should provide stability.
“I think our goaltending looks pretty good. We’ll have to help (Bradley) out and block shots in front of him, but I think we’ll be OK at the goalie position,” Myhre said.
The atmosphere in the locker room has been upbeat, he said.
“It’s been encouraging for me so far,” Myhre said. “The locker room has been pretty good, better than I expected it to be. As long as we keep it that way and keep everyone with a positive attitude, that will help.”
Aberdeen Cougars girls hockey head coach Amy Munsterman-Wills starts a line drill on Monday, Nov. 17 in the Holum Expo Building. The girls squad opens its 2025-26 season on the road Saturday, Nov. 22 in Jamestown, N.D. Aberdeen Insider photo by Robb Garofalo.
Cougar girls to blend old and new faces this season
Amy Munsterman-Wills is ready for her first season at the helm of the Cougar girls squad.
As is the case for the boys, overall numbers this season for the girls are down a bit, leading to a roster that is more inexperienced than usual.
“We only had 11 girls that registered to play varsity this season, so we had to bring up several eighth-graders to plug in to create a full line roster for us,” Munsterman-Wills said. “It’s actually been pretty good, in particular for them so they can get acclimated to varsity, and they’ve stepped up, so I’m excited to see them play.”
Amy Munsterman-Wills sends the puck to the middle of the ice during an offensive zone drill during practice at the Holum Expo Building. Aberdeen Insider photo by Robb Garofalo.
Munsterman-Wills said the eighth-graders learned fairly early in practice that, “There’s just a way different pace to the varsity level.
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“They’ll have to earn their spot, but they’ve all adjusted better than I thought at the start of practice,” she said.
Munsterman-Wills will have a better idea of how the youngsters are adjusting after the Cougars open the season with a Saturday, Nov. 22 game in Jamestown, N.D., and a Sunday, Nov. 23 game at home against Oahe at 11 a.m.
“We have lines pretty much set for this weekend, not that they can’t change based on how each play together and if certain girls step their game up,” she said. “A preseason jamboree we held gave us a look at how our varsity starters were able to skate with our younger players and gave me an opportunity to see who was working well together.”
Munsterman-Wills noted the varsity girls have helped the younger players understand where they need to be on the ice.
“We have a lot of really great passers who like to get others involved, but we’re starting to stress more shots on goal just to give some of the younger girls an understanding of how to score. You never make the shot you don’t take,” she said.
Aberdeen has a veteran between the pipes as senior Chloe Vikander returns as the starting goalie.
“It’s nice to have Chloe back there,” Munsterman-Wills said. “We’re going to have to lean on her defensively because of her experience, but my goal is not to have to rely on her so much that we neglect to build up our defense and forecheck. It is awesome, though, to have her back there.”
Vikander said her job isn’t more important than that of some of the offensively skilled players who are returning.
“I think we have a good squad and a bunch of girls who can get the puck deep and score goals, so I don’t feel much pressure,” she said.
She said Munsterman-Wills has done a good job of establishing her system.
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“Coach has been really great setting the tone at practice and figuring out our systems,” Vikander said. “We know the expectations we have every season and we may not meet those, but we’re definitely a top-five team, and we’ll make another run at state.”
The Cougars have been a perennial state title contender for a decade.
“I think if everything comes together we have the opportunity to finish where we’re used to finishing,” Munsterman-Wills said. “I want us to have a high compete level. Everyone wants to win, but I have character and leadership goals set for this year. I want them to have a good work ethic, understand their role on the team and hopefully getting the girls to learn a little more about themselves and how to win as a team.”