VERONA — Unfortunately for the Verona boys hockey team, Stevens Point’s Cole Caufield started his sophomore season the same way his tremendous freshman season went: all over the scoresheet and generally wreaking havoc on opponents.

The Panthers forward, who has orally committed to play at Ohio State starting in 2019, had a hand in all five goals — sealing his hat trick with an empty-net goal just before the final horn — as the Panthers battled past Verona 5-3 in a non-conference game at Verona Ice Arena.

“It definitely was the Cole Caufield Show,” Wildcats coach Joel Marshall said. “You can’t let the guy get five points and expect to win the game.”

Despite the loss, Marshall saw plenty of positives for Verona (1-1-0), which went 15-10-1 overall and finished second in the Big Eight Conference last season.

The Wildcats fell behind 2-0, but quickly got back into the game, thanks to a tenacious forecheck that rattled Stevens Point blue-liners into turnovers. Senior Jack Anderson, junior Jack Keryluk and senior defenseman Jeff Bishop ripped off goals in a 6-minute stretch spanning the first intermission for a 3-2 lead.

But a series of penalties in the second period forced Verona into penalty-killing mode and meant the Wildcats’ depth — “We have three, 3½ lines that I’m not afraid to put up against anybody,” Marshall said — couldn’t be as effective as hoped.

Caufield had 29 goals and 35 assists last season and was the only freshman to earn first-team honors on the Wisconsin Hockey Coaches Association All-State team. And there was no sophomore slump on Friday. Caufield pinged a shot in off the post and past Verona junior goaltender Garhett Kaegi (32 saves) midway through the second to tie it at 3.

“He’s a kid that is super knowledgeable about the game, he’s a workhorse, he’s super skilled,” Stevens Point coach Brandon Busse said of Caufield, whose father, Paul, played for the Madison Capitols in the U.S. Hockey League in the late 1980s before starring at NCAA Division III UW-Stevens Point. “You just can’t teach that.”

It remained tied until late in the third, when Stevens Point (1-0) finally converted on its sixth power play of the night. Kaegi denied Caufield’s drive from the left circle, but Miller finished off the rebound with 4:25 to go.

“It was a battle,” Busse said. “We just had to weather the storm and battle back.”