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Battle for Big Eight Title Tightens

By Delmar Scanlon, WiPH Staff, 01/09/15, 9:45AM CST

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Penalties play key role

Jack Andringa and Riley Karns pace the Spartans

The Madison Memorial Spartans entered Capitol Ice Arena trailing the Middleton Cardinals by two games in the Big Eight Conference standings.  Both teams keep pounding on the door trying to break into the WiPH Top Ten and try to make their case in the Wisconsin Prep Hockey Game of the Week.

The game took on a physical atmosphere right from the start.  Players from both teams were giving no quarter as they fought for loose pucks, contesting each other along the boards and in open ice.  Middleton's Justin Engelkes was accessed a two minute minor at 1:26 of the first period for a high stick during a skirmish along the boards.  The Spartans' Riley Karns converted a power play goal at 2:54 of the first period with Jack Andringa and Ty Pelton-Byce being credited with the assists.  The Cardinals' knotted the game at 1 on a goal by Griffin Gussell with an assist from Braxton Walby at 3:29.  Nikko Miller of Middleton was call for interference with 4:31 remaining in the period.  Madison Memorial was unable to take advantage of the opportunity.  Middleton found themselves having to kill off another penalty, when Engelkes picked up his second high-sticking penalty of the period with 2:06 remaining in the first.  The period came to an end with the game tied at 1.  Max McConnell had 13 saves for Middleton, while Ryan Kenny had 5 saves for Madison Memorial.

The second period found the Cardinals' Braxton Walby going to the sin bin at 8:38 for roughing.  Middleton kept the Spartans from capitalizing for the third time.  The Cardinals received their first power play opportunity at 10:46 of the period as the Spartans' Sam McCarthy was called for interference.  While Middleton did not convert the power play opportunity, Jake Livesy scored with an assist from Jordan Hylbert and Caey Harper just as the penalty expired at 12:46 of the period to put Middleton up 2-1.  The Cardinal's Eric Karwoski gave Madison Memorial another power play opportunity at 13:07 of the second, when he was called for elbowing.  Twenty-seven seconds into the penalty, Jack Andringa tied the game on a power play goal with Karns and Pelton-Byce assisting.  When Colin Supple of Madison Memorial was called for slashing with 31 seconds left in the period, the Cardinals went on the power play for the second time.  The period came to an end tied at 2.  Kenny collected 4 saves in the period, while McConnell had 9 saves.

The third period found both teams battling and firing shots on the opponents goaltenders.  The Spartans were able to take the lead, when Ty Pelton-Byce took control of a puck behind the Cardinals net.  Pelton-Byce fired a centering pass to Riley Karns in the high slot.  While Karns was unable to get a clean shot on the net due to the pressure applied by Middleton, the puck did get back to Jack Andringa about 3 feet inside the blue line.  Andringa fired a shot, which found a way through the bodies in front of the net and the next sight you saw was the referee signaling goal as the back of the net bulged out from the puck making impact at 12:36 of the third.  This completed the scoring and the Spartans picked up a 3-2 victory to pull within one game of the Cardinals in the Big Eight standings.  McConnell had 12 saves in the period and finished with 34.  Kenny stopped all 9 shots he faced in the third and had 18 saves for the game.

Madison Memorial and Middleton have split their conference games against each other.  The Cardinals have played 7 conference games and are 6-1-0, while the Spartans have played 8 and are 6-2-0.

WiPH Game Summaries