The Aberdeen Cougars once again have a target on their backs as they head into the State Girls’ Hockey Tournament this weekend in Sioux Falls.

After not playing in the state title game for the first time in eight years last season, the Cougars enter this year’s tourney as the top seed, fresh off a State League championship. The squad brings a 29-4 overall record into its opening round game against Watertown at 4:30 p.m. Friday.

While Aberdeen has won six of the past eight state championships and finished third last year, coach Rob Weinmeister said the squad focuses more on the little things than talking about big goals.

“I think that if you work on creating good habits,” Weinmeister said, “those good habits will take care of the other things.”

The Cougars, who lost just one league game all season, sought out stiff non-league competition in hopes of being prepared for the state tourney. That includes three wins last weekend in Minnesota.

“The games last weekend in Minnesota really helped. We are peaking,” Weinmeister said. “We’re playing a little bit more consistent.”

Aberdeen features a balanced attack from top to bottom, which keeps players fresh, wears down foes and provides for more scoring opportunities.

“Not only do we wear some teams down because of our depth, but I also think it helps us play the entire game at a faster pace,” Weinmeister said. “I always tell the girls, hey you go out and do a 30 to 40 second shift and you go as hard as you can, because you now that you’ll get a minute-minute 20 (second) rest and then you’re back out there.”

The Cougars don’t just put fresh bodies on the ice, they have the luxury rotating potent players throughout a game with no drop off in effort or production. Instead of having one go-to performer, Aberdeen has a complete squad of them.

“You look throughout the season, it’s a different line all the time. It’s a different group all the time, and across the board,” Weinmeister said. “All three lines that we run are contributing, which also provides for a matchup difficulty for the other team, because it’s like, OK, who do you put your top line out against?”

Weinmeister said this year’s team features as much quality depth as any he has coached.

“You might have a team that has one and half or two lines,” Weinmeister said, “but rarely do you have a team in South Dakota that has three solid lines like we do.”

Sioux Falls, who the Cougars split with during the season, Brookings, Rushmore and Mitchell are all among the title contenders, according to Weinmeister.

“Any of those top five seeds, you better come to play, he said.

Weinmeister said his team needs to play quality defense and then take advantage of the scoring chances when they come in order to have a successful tourney.

“We have to play good team defense. We still have a young goalie in goal (Chloe Vikander) and she’s doing a phenomenal job this year, but she’s still young. This will be her first state tournament as a goalie, so we have to play good team defense,” Weinmeister said. “And with that team defense, is a strong floor check which creates opportunities for us and then when we get those opportunities, we have to able to put the puck in the net. We seem to put a lot of shots on goalies, but sometimes we don’t always get that puck in and I want us to do that this weekend.”

While the Cougars have not always taken advantage of those numerous chances so far this season, the law of averages are definitely in their favor each time they hit the ice.

“I also am of the philosophy if you put the puck on the net, good things are going to happen,” Weinmeister said. “I do want us to have a better scoring opportunity, but if nothing else, let’s put the puck on the net and let’s see what happens.”