Last year, a parent of a player on an opposing team told his daughter to watch out for the 'Nines' on USM: Nina Andersen (#9), Nicole Unsworth (#19), and Rose Revolinski (#29).

Tenth-ranked Waupaca should have heeded that advice a little closer, as the talented trio combined for five goals and five helpers to send the Wildcats to a 7-0 win in Friday night's contest at Uihlein Ice Arena in the WiPH Girls Game of the Week.

The guests came in with a perfect 7-0 record and were facing their first real test of the 2014-15 season.

USM got on the board at 5:18 of the first with a rebound goal by Sloan Sullivan, with assists to Revolinski and Andersen.

Waupaca had two power play chances in the middle of the period but could not convert to tie the game.

With just over three minutes left in the opening stanza, Unsworth skated the puck from the neutral zone, weaved to her right and loosed a shot from the right circle that beat goalie Cassie Rasmussen low to give the 'Cats a 2-0 lead. Camille Marks earned a helper on the scoring play.

Rasmussen ended the period with 11 saves, while USM netminder Liz Ostermeyer stopped all nine shots that she faced.

USM added a number on the scoreboard less than a minute into the middle period for a 3-0 lead.

Andersen tapped in a puck that might have been crossing the line for a score at 46 seconds. When on the bench, she sheepishly admitted that she thought she stole a goal from Revolinski, but no matter: USM had a three-goal lead early in the second.

After an interference penalty on Hannah Koniar, USM's Sullivan grabbed a loose puck and went in on a 2-on-1 with Andersen. One back-door pass later, the score was 4-0, home squad, midway through the period on the short-handed goal.

Waupaca had three seconds left on their fourth power play as the period ended. Rasmussen had nine saves, while Ostermeyer steered aside a half-dozen shots for the Wildcats.

Andersen completed her 'hattie' three minutes into the final period to boost the tally to 5-0, with an assist to Unsworth.

Marks scored from the low left side on a pass from Jessica Malloy to send the game to run-time with 7:22 remaining.

Unsworth accounted for the game's final score with just over a minute left when she took a pass from Revolinski and whipped it past the Waupaca goalie to make it 7-0.

Rasmussen was quite busy in the third, stopping 14 pucks and finishing with 34 saves on a busy night. Ostermeyer made one save in the period and ended with a 16-save shutout, the second of the young season for the sophomore. 

Second-ranked USM improves to 4-1 and will play Stoughton co-op later today for the USM Tourney championship. 

Waupaca will take on Brookfield, a 7-0 loser to Stoughton, in the consolation contest.