Get to know: Woodbury girls hockey

In preparation for Hockey Day Minnesota 2019 presented by Wells Fargo, Wild.com will highlight each of the nine teams participating in this year's festivities Jan. 19 in Bemidji. Today, we take a look at the Woodbury girls hockey team.

The town

The largest city in Washington County and a St. Paul suburb, Woodbury sits along Interstate 94. Originally named "Red Rock" honoring a sacred stone, the town was later renamed Woodbury in 1859 after another Red Rock Township in Minnesota was discovered.

The team

Not long along ago, girl's hockey in Woodbury was close to extinction, leading to the decision to create in 2016 a co-op at Woodbury High School with five other East-metro schools. The Royals are currently 3-10-4 this season.
[Hockey Day Minnesota schedule, tickets and more info]

The matchup

Kicking off the Hockey Day 2019 festivities Thursday evening at Lake Bemidji, Woodbury will square off with the host Lumberjacks, who are currently 6-11-1. On paper, Bemidji is the stronger team, but the Royals won't go down without a fight. With Allison Beix in net, the Royals with make the Lumberjacks work hard every second of the game.

Players to watch

Sophomore forward Hayley Zwakman (five goals, three assists) and senior forward Annika Johnson (four goals, four assists) lead Woodbury with eight points each. Beix has a 2.89 goals-against average and has made 184 saves in 16 games for the Royals.
Related:
- Get to know: Bemidji boys - Get to know: Minnesota State women - Get to know: Andover boys