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The University School boys’ hockey team defeated Marquette 5-1 in a Classic Eight Conference game Friday night at Eble Park Ice Arena in Brookfield.

The convincing win gave the Wildcats the conference championship.  With two games to play in conference action, the Wildcats have a 5-0-1 record.  Marquette remained in second place with a 4-3 conference mark.

The official scorer had the shot totals in the game equal at 18 apiece, but the Wildcats made good on five of their shots. Five different players scored for USM: seniors Tommy Ferrara, Jerzey Judge and Billy Miller, junior Nick Epperson, and freshman Andrew Malek.  Senior Craig Lundeen scored Marquette’s lone goal.

The net minders had similar sounding names. Senior Mac Schmidt, USM’s goaltender, stopped 17 of the Hilltoppers’ attempts, while sophomore Zach Schmidt made 13 saves for Marquette.

USM’s coach, Jason Woods commented on the win, “It was a great game by these guys; I’m super proud of this group of kids.  We keep finding a way.  We lose a key player to injury in a 1 - 1 game; next man up, let's go.  I want to say congrats to these seniors. They really led the way.  Classic Eight Conference champions: well deserved and well earned.”

Marquette started the evening’s scoring before a crowd that packed the stands and corners at Eble.  The home team’s supporters cheered when Grant Kent chased down a loose puck behind the USM net and flipped it into the slot.  The Hilltoppers’ Lundeen was unguarded there, and he swiftly rifled a shot past USM's Schmidt at 6:46 of the first period.

 The Wildcats tied the score at 11:44 on a power play goal.  Epperson got a loose puck off the side boards in the Marquette end.  He passed it across the slot to Logan Geisness who fired it on net.  Miller was parked there like a truck, and he plugged in the rebound.

USM took command of the game with three goals in the second period.

The Wildcats scored what would prove to be the game winner during another power play. As the Wildcats moved the puck around the Hilltoppers’ end, it went to Levi Geisness in the right corner off a point shot by Judge.  Levi Geisness passed it to his brother Logan who sent it back to Judge.  Judge shot.  Th rebound came into the slot.  Logan Geisness leaped for it and knocked it to Ferrara in the left circle.  Ferrara fired.  Ferrara scored at 6:32.

Judge put the Wildcats further ahead at 9:31.  On a breakout play from the USM end, Logan Geisness sent a pass to Epperson in center ice.  He crossed in front of Geisness and centered it back as Geisness headed into the Marquette slot.  Geisness fired a shot that clanged a goal pipe and trickled out front.  Judge rushed to the loose puck and knocked it in.

Epperson scored an unassisted, shorthanded goal less than a minute later.  During the face off at the start of the Marquette power play, the puck skipped out of the circle into center ice.  Epperson flew like a vulture after tasty-looking prey.  He outraced the defenders for the puck, and got it.  Nearing the net as he fended one off an opponent, he flicked his shot in at 10:12 of the second period.

Malek tallied USM’s final goal at 1:13 of the third period when he picked off a Marquette breakout pass in the high slot and immediately fired it on net and in for an unassisted goal.

USM is 14-4-2. The Wildcats play Cedarburg in a non-conference game at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 30th at the Ozaukee Ice Center in Cedarburg.