The University School co-op girls’ hockey team lost to the Green Bay Area co-op 3-2 in overtime in the WIAA state tournament Sectional 4 Final held at USM Friday night.

The crowd that filled the stands witnessed a dramatic hockey game with non-stop, back and forth action. USM took a 2-1 lead on first period goals by Nicole Unsworth and Caitlin McBride. The Ice Bears tied it midway through the third period and then won it in overtime. “It was like a state championship game,” said Jason Woods, USM’s head coach, describing the battle between the state’s third-ranked Wildcats and the top-ranked Ice Bears. “It’s just too bad it was a Sectional game instead of at the state tournament in Madison.”

“It was a great game between two incredibly gifted hockey teams that went at it until the very last shot.” said Woods, “We executed our game plan perfectly, and Green Bay played their usual high-level game too. Even though Kelsey Rafferty, who is their top-player, got that game winner in OT to beat us, it was a fun game to be part of.  We had to kill 13 minutes of penalties against a team with a great power play, including a five-minute major late in regulation time, and we did. That cut down on our chances, unfortunately. But we got ahead of them and held the lead into the third period until they snuck one by us to tie it.  In overtime either team can win it.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t us tonight.  It’s too bad that game had to end.”

Woods went on, “I could not be prouder of what our team accomplished in this game and during this season.  We went 21-4-2. Three of those four losses were to Green Bay.  The other was in our first game of the year, to the second-ranked Central Wisconsin Storm, which was ranked number one at the time.  Our girls are just remarkable.  They played with heart, and passion, and determination tonight, and all year long.  I am sad to see it end.  Most of these girls will be back next season. Our goal is to win it all for the four seniors who are now leaving us, Jaime Hathaway, Greta Kobylinski, Heidi Golembiewski, and Sarah Skinner. We will miss them.  They filled their roles and did a lot during their time with us to make us a great team. We will work extra hard in the off season and in 24 games next year to make it happen.”

The Ice Bears opened the game’s scoring at 1:53 of the first period.  Coming into the USM end on a two-on-one, Alexi Rafferty took the puck deep on the right side.  She slid the puck across to Megan Saari on the far side of the crease.  Saari tapped it and the puck slid cross the goal line, under Jaime Hathaway, USM’s goaltender. Miranda Dreckschmidt also had an assist on the play.

The Wildcats were undismayed by the early turn of events and rallied.  They soon tied the score.  Unsworth picked off a Green Bay clearing pass high in the Ice Bears’ end.  Like she was peeling skin away from an onion, she pulled the puck around a defender, and closed in on Lindsey Strainis, Green Bay’s goalie, from the left side.  Unsworth then lifted a backhander to the far side of the net over the goalie’s glove at 6:19.

USM took a 2-1 lead on a power play late in the first period.  As the Wildcats worked the puck around inside the Green Bay zone, it went to Hannah Koniar at the left point.  Koniar fired a high shot.  The incoming puck hit Nina Andersen and deflected down to McBride who slammed it into the net at 12:41.

The second period was scoreless but not without plenty of action as Hathaway stopped 10 shots and Strainis stopped 6 shots in the period.

The Ice Bears tied it back up at 10:01 of the third period.  In center ice, Nichole Niemi pushed the puck to Johanna Cano on the right side.  Cano skated across the USM blue line, and near the top of the circle she fired a low shot past a defender and through Hathaway’s legs to tie the score at 2-2.

The Ice Bears were given a five-minute power play with just 6:23 left in the game.  The Wildcats penalty killers and then a penalty on the Ice Bears negated the opportunity.  The score remained tied, and the game headed into overtime.

In the 4:13 of overtime, each team had several chances, but the one that mattered came when Niemi moved the puck to Courtney Wittig. Wittig passed the puck to the back door of the USM crease to Kelsey Rafferty.  Rafferty fought off a checker and one-timed a shot in to the wide side of the net, giving the Ice Bears a trip to state.

The loss ended USM’s season.  The Wildcats finished with a 21-4-2 record and with many positive memories of a great season of ice hockey.