Why not start at the beginning, or in this case, opening night? Winona Cotter makes its return as a varsity program against Mississippi River Valley neighbor La Crescent-Hokah, which made a surprising playoff run last spring — albeit with a bit of a lucky break. The No. 10 seed in the 10-team Section 1A field last season, La Crescent-Hokah surprised No. 7 Minnesota River in a first-round game and then toppled Mankato East 3-1 in the quarterfinals. It should be noted that East was forced to suit up mostly junior varsity players because of COVID-19 protocols. The dream run for the Lancers, coached by former NHLer Eriah Hayes and led by standout forward Wyatt Farrell, the state’s top freshman goal-scorer with 22 last season, ended with a 9-2 loss to Mankato West in the section semifinals. Cotter, which fielded a varsity program in the 1970s and has been part of a co-operative with Winona in recent years, played a junior varsity schedule last season.