Winners and still champions.

The University School co-op girls’ hockey team won the Culver’s Cup Tournament for the third year in a row by defeating the Middleton Metro Lynx 4-1 in the tournament’s championship game played Wednesday at the Madison Ice Arena in Madison.

USM outshot the Lynx 33-18 in the game, but neither team could get their scoring really rolling due to penalties. The two teams endured 12 penalties for a total of 28 minutes during the contest. Surprisingly, neither team scored on special teams play.  The Wildcats skated shorthanded for 10 minutes. They had four penalties in the second period, which included two full minutes when they were down by two players. The Lynx suffered 18 minutes of penalty time, 10 minutes of which came in the third period making it even more difficult for them to score when they were already trailing the Wildcats.

The Wildcats scored their first even strength goal early in the first period. As the Wildcats forechecked in the Metro Lynx’s zone, junior Nicole Unsworth got the puck on the left side boards, skated behind the net and back into the slot.  She shot.  The puck hit the pads of sophomore goalie Sydney McKersie and caromed to the left and back behind the net.   The Wildcats' freshman forward, Gaby Turer raced to it. Coming around the net, she passed it to Unsworth in the low right circle.  Unsworth immediately sent a backhand pass to senior Caitlin McBride on the far side of the crease. McBride knocked it in at 4:57.

The Metro Lynx tied the game in the last minute of the first period.  Skating into the Wildcats end, junior Ella Hall flipped the puck into the right corner and chased after it.  She tossed it out front to sophomore Maddie McClimon who took a shot.  The puck rebounded to senior Samantha Dingle who clubbed it past the Wildcats’ freshman goaltender, Marie Detert, at 16:26.

Despite their penalties, the Wildcats were able to score a goal in the second period.  The Wildcats got the puck into the Lynx’s zone and got started forechecking.  As they worked, McBride pulled the puck away from the end boards and skated behind the net.  She turned to avoid a defender, and, like a quarterback, she handed off the puck to Unsworth who was nearby.  Unsworth moved to left and saw Turer sliding down the slot.  The pass went to Turer’s tape. Turer’s one-timer went into the net at 8:07.

The Wildcats scored two more goals in the third period.  Unsworth got them both.  Her first was scored at 9:24.  Freshman Karly Lamoreaux got the puck in the USM zone and fed it to Unsworth.  She took off like she was on a mission.  She cruised past several defenders curled around a third and moved in on McKersie.  Nearing the crease Unsworth shoved the puck under the goalie to give USM a two-goal cushion.

Unsworth went end to end for the game’s final goal.  She knifed her way between two defenders near the USM blue line, outraced another, swept past another and then past Mckersie to tuck a backhander into the opening created by her deke at 10:35.

“It was a tough three days,” said Jake Haury, USM’s head coach.  “We were missing a couple of players and the girls got tired, but they really proved themselves.  It was nice to be able to take the cup back to Milwaukee once again.  The team deserves this.  They played hard against some top-notch competition and made it through.”

The Wildcats take an 11-1-1 overall record and a 4-0-1 record in the Eastern Shores Conference into the New Year. The Wildcats start 2016 by playing the Cap City Cougars of Sun Prairie in a non-conference game at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 2nd at the Ice Pond in Waunakee.