The playoffs have started and the hardest part is knowing only one team ends the season with a win.  Thursday evening the Badger Thunder traveled to Stoughton to play the Icebergs in a Regional final.  Jamie Dutton had a solid season in net for the Thunder having played 1059:08 minutes in goal and facing 841 shots with a .916 save percentage. Rachel Pawlak came in with 30 goals and 20 assists for the Badger Thunder.

The Icebergs' Kenzie Torpy came in with 1224:09 minutes.  Torpy faced 707 shots with a .935 save percentage.  Casey Marsh entered the game as the Icebergs leading scorer with 11 goals with 7 assists.

The first period found both teams moving the puck.  However, it was the Icebergs applying most of the pressure on the Badger Thunder goaltender.  The Icebergs were able to slip the puck past Dutton just prior to the buzzer sounding to end the first period.  Samantha Eyers fired the shot from the circle to Dutton's left and it managed to slide past her for the goal with the buzzer going off after the puck went past the goalline.  Casey Marsh and Samantha Kinsler assisted on the play.  Jamie Dutton had 14 saves in the period, while Kenzie Torpy had 3 saves for the Icebergs.

The second period found the Badger Thunder being able to apply a little more pressure on Torpy.  The Thunder tied the game at 15:46 of the period, when Rachel Pawlak took a quick wrist shot from approximately 2 feet above the crease for the goal.  The period finished with the game tied at 1.  Torpy had 8 saves, while Dutton had 12 saves for the Thunder.

The third period found both teams moving the puck, but no one was able to convert a goal.  The game went into an 8 minute overtime, but once again the period ended without a score.  Torpy had collected 7 saves in the third period, while Dutton had 9 saves.  The first overtime found the Badger Thunder having outshot the Icebergs 7-6, but the goaltenders were up to the task.

After the intermission to do the ice, both teams returned to start another 17 minute period knowing the next goal would send one team home and the other to the next round.  Maddy Hess scored the game winner with an assist from Samantha Kinsler on a power play at the 3:50 mark of the period.  Jamie Dutton finished the game with 44 saves, while Torpy had 26 saves.

The Icebergs advance to take on the sectional three top seeded Onalaska on Tuesday, February 24, in Onalaska.