The University School ice hockey team rallied from a three-goal deficit to defeat the Brookfield Co-op team 6-4 Friday night at USM.
Brookfield jumped ahead with two goals in less than a minute in the first period. The first was scored on a power play. Junior Patrick O’Brien sent a pass to junior Brandt Rogers at the USM blue line. Rogers skated into the right circle and fired a shot inside the far post past USM’s senior goaltender Alex Langer at 11:26.
The Stars scored again at 11:59. Off a face-off in he USM end, the puck went to freshman Robbie Fosdick at the point. He passed it along the blue line to his older brother, junior Matt Fosdick, who fired a low shot that skipped off the ice and eluded Langer to make the score 2-0.
Brookfield made it 3-0 early in the second period. Robbie Fosdick sent a shot toward the USM net that O’Brien pushed at Langer’s pads from the right side. While the USM defensemen watched the puck, the rebound went out to junior Max Hoffman who was unguarded on the left. Hoffman knocked the puck into the goal at 5:32.
A goal during a 4-on-3 power play performed a Heimlich Maneuver on the sputtering USM offense. Freshman Ryan Mezera got the puck in the Brookfield zone and passed it to senior Zach Hafeman at the point. Hafeman moved it to his defensive partner junior Nathan Burke as Burke moved toward the net. Burke received the puck, lined up a shot, and blazed it over the blocker of Brookfield’s senior goalie Patrick Haumschild at 9:08 of the second period.
Late in the second period it was USM’s turn to score two goals in less than a minute. The first occurred when junior Corey Roadhouse won a battle for the puck deep in the Brookfield zone and passed it to Burke at the point. Burke lined a pass to Hafeman along the Brookfield blue line. Hafeman shot it in to senior Simon Leahy near the right post. Leahy tapped it past Haumschild at 13:02.
Just 47 seconds later USM scored again. Braking out of the USM zone, Storch forwarded a pass to Leahy. Leahy moved across the Brookfield blue line and dropped a pass to Roadhouse. Like he was plugging a small hole in the ceiling, Roadhouse quickly fired the puck into the far upper corner of the Brookfield net to tie the game.
USM went ahead 4-3 seconds into the third period. Off the opening face-off, USM got the puck into the Brookfield end. Leahy controlled it along the left boards and sent it to Roadhouse below the goal line. Roadhouse passed it out to Storch in the slot and Storch one-timed it past Haumschild at 0:12.
Brookfield tied it back up at 7:12. Using a long-bomb breakout pass from the Brookfield end, Matt Fosdick sent the puck between the USM defensemen to junior P.J. Corbett at the USM blue line. Corbett turned into the USM end on a breakaway, and from the low slot he gunned a low shot past Langer. Hoffman also had an assist on the play.
USM kept up the pressure on Brookfield and soon broke the tie. In the Brookfield end, USM senior Andrew Stewart got the puck and passed it to sophomore Milton Padway at the left point. Padway blazed a low shot toward the net. It hit the skate of a Brookfield defenseman and bounced to USM freshman Vadim Sukhanov who was charging toward the net like an uncaged bear. Sukhanov got the puck and as he passed the crease, he lifted a backhander over the prone Brookfield goalie to make his first-ever Varsity goal a game-winner at 12:17.
USM added an empty net goal 16:24 when Burke passed the puck out of the USM zone to Roadhouse near the far blue line. Roadhouse skated in a few steps and launched the puck into the net to seal the victory.
In the game Haumschild made 14 saves while Langer made 28.
Brookfield is now 2-2. The Stars visit Fond du Lac Springs on Saturday. USM improved its record to 3-4-2. The Wildcats are off for exams this week. They play their next game on Monday, December 27th in the RBC Wealth Management Tournament at the Bradley Center in beautiful downtown Milwaukee. The time of the game and the Wildcats’ tournament opponent have not yet been determined.
