The seniors on the Maple Grove girls' hockey team did some research to build a foundation for the Crimson's season.
The fivesome came up with an African proverb that is scrawled on their locker room's whiteboard and on their team T-shirts: "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."
"We just all decided that would be the best fit," defenseman Riley Norman said.
The players are confident the inspirational quote will help their team go far this season and make them "want to be a more cohesive team," said Tippy Hill, another defenseman.
It also helps that the Crimson has just a bit of momentum going, too. Maple Grove went 24-2-1 last season, taking the Northwest Suburban Conference crown with a 17-0-0 record. But its season ended with a loss to Wayzata in the Class 2A, Section 6 semifinals.
"We had an almost-perfect season last year, so that's hard to beat," winger Lauren Kaufman said.
The Crimson will try to improve on last season's run with a new coach, Amber Hegland. She spent the past four years as an assistant coach with Armstrong/Cooper. Before that she was Wayzata's head coach from 2000-10.
Hegland said Maple Grove is a hockey community with a lot of great kids and great tradition.