The Aberdeen Cougars were determined to celebrate senior night with a girls’ hockey victory Saturday night.

The Cougars, who had split two previous meetings against the Brookings Rangers, turned in a major defensive effort on the way to a 3-0 win at the Odde Ice Center.

“That was our whole goal, defensive effort, and that’s what I rewarded the girls for,” said Aberdeen coach Rob Weinmeister, “the girls that were stepping up and blocking shots, the girls that were backchecking hard, all those little things that make a difference.”

The Cougars received the only goal they would need just over a minute into the second period when Addyson Keller took advantage of a loose puck and promptly put in the back of the net.

“It was just like a very unlucky bounce for Brookings,” Keller said. “It popped out perfectly and I just placed it right on her glove side.”

Keller said she knew the angle was there when she let it fly.

“I didn’t see the net, but I knew it was there,” Keller said, “so I just placed it where I knew the net was.”

When asked about the significance about the opening goal, Keller responded, “It was important, especially for our seniors. It’s their senior night, you’ve got to go out with a bang.”

Those seniors are Morgan Jones, Kailyn Poppen, and Alli Stoltenburg, and each plays a key role for the Cougars.

“I appreciate everything each one of them brings, because they’re all a little unique, but they bring something to the makeup of the team, and the fiber … the heart of the team,” Weinmeister said. “They will definitely be missed.”

Jones, who has just one more home game remaining in her career, said she definitely thinks about her time on the ice drawing to a close.

“I’m just trying to make the most of each game, each shift, just trying to put it all out there,” Jones said.

For her, that means putting the pressure on opposing players and forcing them into errors.

“Just try and get on the puck right away, force them to make a decision. The more aggressive you are on the puck, the more likely they are to make a bad decision, so that makes my shift easier,” Jones said. “It makes it easier for everyone else out there.”

While Jones has been a part of a Cougars program that has had its share of success through the years, that is not what she will remember the most.

“Honestly, most of the memory’s off ice,” Jones said. “A lot of us are just really close and I like the bond that we have, constantly cracking jokes with each other and good ol’ banter. It’s like we’re just a tight-knit family.”

Alyssa Roehrich scored Aberdeen’s last two goals in the win, one on an assist from Poppen and the other on an assist from Stoltenburg.

The Cougars were quicker to the puck on this occasion which helped lead to a 26-10 margin on shots on goal.

“One of those things being quicker to the puck is win your shift, win the 50-50 pucks and we did that tonight,” Weinmeister said. “It’s just a matter of burying them sometimes. We’ve got to work on that still. We’ve got to work on that.”

The Cougars, 12-6-1 on the season, play at Mitchell on Saturday.

Weinmeister would like to see his team’s defense continue to rise to the challenge the remainder of the season.

“Coming down the stretch, we’re really focusing on defense, because I know that the girls can play offense,” Weinmeister said. “I know that they can create opportunities, so it’s the defense side now that we have to tighten up, and hopefully down the stretch we can do that and end the year on a good note.”

Brookings Rangers 0 0 0 – 0

Aberdeen Cougars 0 2 1 – 3

First Period: no scoring.

Second Period: 1, AC, Addyson Keller (Rachel Siefken), 15:54; 2, AC, Alyssa Roerich (Kailyn Poppen), 6:32.

Third Period: 3, AC, Roehrich (Alli Stoltenburg), 6:43.

Shots on Goal: Brookings Rangers 10; Aberdeen Cougars 26.

Saves: Brookings Rangers, Rorii Quam (23 saves); Aberdeen Cougars, Chloe Vikander (10 saves).