FAIRMONT – The Fairmont Area Cardinals girls hockey team graduated seven players and head coach John Korsmo resigned after the 2015-16 season.

As a result, the Cardinals program is getting a facelift, including new head coach and former Fairmont Area standout Ashley Olson.

“It’s great to be back with the program that kind of helped build me,” said Olson, who graduated from Fairmont in 2009. “I have played at different levels, so I know what it takes. I’m hoping to bring some of that to Fairmont and, hopefully, produce more college athletes.”

Olson attended and played hockey for the College of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph, graduating in 2013. Now teaching fourth grade at Fairmont Elementary School, Olson decided to accept her first head coaching job.

“My family’s still here, so it was a really easy decision to make,” she said.

Not only is Olson new, but assistants Eric Householder and Mitch Nowak have been added to the Cardinals’ coaching staff. With the coaching changes come a different team dynamic and expectations. Olson said the team practices two times a day, three days out of the week and once a day, two days of the week.

“The level of practice and play is going to be different. That’s kind of been the goal in entirely flipping the coaching staff is to give these girls a different experience,” Olson said.

So far, so good for the Cardinals, but with a young team – two sophomores, one freshman and three eighth-graders – Olson is looking for the seniors to step up in every aspect of the game.

“I’m really hoping they step up with their leadership and also their ability to make things happen on the ice,” she said. “It is a young team. We’re just going to do what we can with it.”

The Cardinals have four seniors in Myah Lytle, Taylor Nuss, Cori Emler and Sadie Sandersfeld, all of whom have experience in their respectice positions.

“Myah Lytle and Taylor Nuss will both be on defense for us. I’m expecting big things out of them. Cori Emler (will be) up front and Sadie in the net,” Olson said. “It really is going to fall on those older girls.”

Sandersfeld isn’t the Cardinals’ only returning goalie, however. Emily O’Connor also saw playing time in the net, and the two will be competing for the starting job.

“We’ve talked with them and it’s going to (be) game-to-game (based on) who’s showing effort, has a good attitude, practicing well. But I trust them both back there,” Olson said.

Last season, the Cardinals finished with a 15-13 record and lost to Luverne in the Section 3A championship. But with a whole new team, Olson said it’s too early to tell whether or not the team can make it back.

“It’s tough to say without seeing our competition, but I do know that these girls have worked incredibly hard,” she said. “They’re doing everything I’m asking them to do, and if they keep it up, they’ve got potential to go.”

The team’s first test will be its season home-opener against Windom Area at 7:30 p.m. tonight at Martin County Arena in Fairmont.

Olson referred to the game as an “eye-opener” for the team – coaching staff included.

“We’ll be able to have a better feel of what the line should be, where people are at position-wise, who plays well together,” she said. “Then, moving forward, we can kind of work with the systems more in practice.”