Brad Atol, head coach of Edina’s U14A girls’ hockey team, the Edina Green, says there’s no magic involved in being a championship team. The essentials are hard work, dedication, and, most importantly, comradery.
The Edina Green really get along well. It’s a recipe for success. The girls dominated during their 2014-15 season from mid-November to February, and won the state championship March 15 in Stillwater.
Atol says the girls always expected to do well, but the team never became too cozy with its past success. And when Edina Green tasted the sweet payoff of all their hard work, “they were elated,” Atol says. Teammates are sad the season is over. The girls will now disperse to other teams as they enter high school. But as Atol notes, “They will have memories that will last them a lifetime.”