Senior Spotlight: Kendalynn Acheson guiding Warbirds to spectacular season

Hockey is in Kendalynn Acheson’s blood. Acheson received her first pair of ice skates when she was four years old. By the time she was eight, she was playing for a U12 girls hockey team. In the meantime, her father, who played hockey and nudged his daughter into the sport, built a backyard ice rink for Acheson to practice her skills.

Not a pond, a homemade rink. That’s the kind of dedication Acheson’s parents showed her from the start of her hockey career and it’s an attitude she’s kept to this point, midway through her senior season for the Fond du Lac co-op girls hockey team.

Everything Acheson’s accomplished on the ice all goes back to one thing — hard work. “I definitely give my best effort every time,” Acheson said. “110 percent.”

Through 14 games in the 2015-16 season, Acheson leads the Warbirds in total points with 26 — 11 goals and 15 assists. From her forward position, Acheson is the catalyst for a team that’s out to a 12-1-1 start and is ranked No. 2 in the latest Wisconsin Prep Hockey/Coaches Poll.

Fond du Lac is currently averaging an impressive 5.3 goals per game and Acheson is a huge reason why. Whether it’s putting the puck in the back of the net or finding the open teammate, she’s able to do anything Warbirds coach Duane Woeschnick asks of her. “She’s a goal-scorer, but she’s also a playmaker as well,” Woeschnick said of Acheson. “If you look at her goals and assists, she’s pretty well balanced as far as both categories. She’s not just a goal-scorer, she’s not just a playmaker, she’s actually both.”

Coming into the season, Acheson knew she’d have to increase her production for the team. Last year, as the Warbirds went 13-12 and lost in the first round of the playoffs, Acheson was second on the team in scoring with 19 points. Leading scorer Brecken Overbo (26 points) graduated, leaving a void that someone needed to fill. So far this year, Acheson has been that someone.

Although not the only player who’s capable of creating offense, as Fond du Lac has eight players who have 13 points or more, Acheson has been someone the Warbirds have turned to when they need a goal. “I was looking for her stepping up, especially scoring-wise because in the past obviously we couldn’t score goals,” Woeschnick said. “This year we’re getting scoring from basically six players, plus our four defensemen as well. It’s been a great thing for me to see someone put the puck in the net and she’s done everything I’ve asked for. She’s on pace right now for a point or two a game.”

Aside from her contributions on the ice, Woeschnick also pointed to the intangibles Acheson brings to the squad. She might not be a captain on the roster, but she’s certainly a leader in the locker room. That’s just as important. “Just the leadership on and off the ice, she’s someone that’s not a captain wearing a letter on her jersey, but it means a lot to me and the coaching staff that she can kind of put that aside and still do her job on and off the ice, in the locker room,” Woeschnick said. “She’s not a captain, but she’s looked at as a captain as far as the locker room and coaching staff as well.”

Along with Acheson’s ascent and improvement from a number of other players, the Warbirds also welcomed in a few freshmen this season that have played large roles in the team’s early success. “It’s definitely helped with the incoming freshman we got this year,” Acheson said. “They’ve been huge assets to the team. The girls, we’ve skated together for a while. This year we’ve conditioned more than any other year. That’s really helped.”

Even so, Acheson herself didn’t expect this dramatic of a leap for the Warbirds this season. Sure, she hoped to take on a prominent role as a senior after contributing heavily as a junior. She definitely expected the team to be a bit more consistent with a large contingent of returners. But this? “Going off of last year, it’s definitely a surprise for me,” Acheson said. “I wanted to do well, just because it’s my senior year and my last year. But I did not expect it. I knew we had some freshmen coming up, but I didn’t think they’d be this good. It’s a shock.”

All that in mind, the Warbirds’ tremendous start won’t mean much if they don’t finish the season as strongly as they kicked it off. With how she’s playing individually and the amount of talent around her, Acheson firmly believes the team can accomplish great things come playoff time. “Stay focused, keep doing what we’re doing and obviously to make it to Madison,” Acheson said of the Warbirds’ goals. “Go to state, win state. That’s our goal.”

No argument from Coach Woeschnick. “She’s doing everything that I can ask,” he said of Acheson. “If she continues to do what she did in the first half of the season into the second half of the season, we’re going to be looking at going into the conference tournament with a better seed and hopefully we can win the conference tournament, get to state and win the state championship.”

If that does happen, it would be a storybook ending to a hockey career that’s been such a large part of Acheson’s life. Although she doesn’t plan on playing any sports when she attends UW-La Crosse in the fall, she’ll no doubt look back on the first 18 years of her life and know the kind of impact hockey made on her. “It’s always been fun for me,” she said. “If I’m having a bad day, I can go out and skate and I’ll be in a better mood.”