Westonka Girls Stay Unbeaten in Conference Play

Westonka High School remains unbeaten in conference play, notching victories against both Litchfield and Holy Family in recent action. 

The girls traveled to Holy Family on Jan. 5 and came away with a 5-1 victory.

Holy Family had the first good scoring chance midway through the first period when Westonka gave up a breakaway. Senior goaltender Samantha Scobee turned away the breakaway with a great leg save.  

Westonka took a 1-0 lead when Grace Holmen took a shot from the blue line that the Holy Family goalie lost in her pads, and Jess Nkhata scored her 15th goal of the season when she found the loose puck and stuffed it home.

Neither team scored in the second period, but Sam Scobee came up big once again when she stopped a 2nd breakaway—this time with a great glove save.

Holy Family took a hooking penalty in the opening minute of the third period and the Westonka power play line delivered with a goal by Kia Johnson.  

The Fire scored two minutes later to make it a 2-1 game.  

With great puck movement, the Whitehawks made it a 3-1 game when Abby Brustad found the stick of Hannah Sterne with a nifty pass. Sterne took a shot from the blue line, and Jess Nkhata found the rebound and scored her team-leading 16th goal.  

Westonka put the game away by scoring twice in the last minutes—the first a full ice shot by Nina Chase into an empty net and Michelle “Lilly” Mahoney scored with 8 seconds left in the game.

Westonka 8; Litchfield/Dassel–Cokato, 1

In a home game on Jan. 3 the Whitehawks beat LDC 8-1.

Emily Halvarson scored the first three goals of the game to record a “natural” hat trick, her team-leading third hat trick of the season.

Skating to a 2-2 tie vs. Saint Michael/Albertville

In an emotional home game on Dec. 29, where former Whitehawks player Mackenzie Geri Anderson’s number 66 jersey was retired, Westonka skated to a 2-2 tie with St Michael.  

Mackenzie Anderson passed away unexpectedly in 2011.

St Michael scored first and controlled the game for most of the opening period.

Jess Nhkata evened the score late in the period when she got her own rebound and forced the puck into the net.

The only goal scored in the second period was by St Michael.  

The Whitehawks had several good scoring chances but could not even the score until late in the third period when Jess Nhkata scored her second goal of the game.

Both teams had great scoring chances in overtime but neither could light the red lamp and the game ended with a 2-2 tie.

Next up for the Whitehawks is an away game against conference leader Orono on Jan. 10 and an away game vs. LDC on Jan. 12.

Information submitted by the Westonka Girl's Hockey Program