In a close game between two of the top teams in the Classic Eight Conference, the University School boys’ hockey team lost to the Waukesha Co-op 4-1 on Tuesday, December 13th at the Nagawaukee Ice Arena in Delafield.

The save totals were nearly equal.  Garrett Larsen, the Wings goalie, stopped 17 shots while the USM goaltender, Frank Fee made 20 saves.  The difference was that the Wings were able to get four other shots into the net, while USM could only manage one goal, and it came on a power play.

Riley Hill, one of USM’s captains, capsulized the game, “We played with them for most of the time.  We got in trouble when we got penalties, and they capitalized on key opportunities.”

The first period had just one second left when the Wings scored the game’s first goal.  On a power play, the Wings set up in the USM zone and systematically moved the puck around the perimeter.  From the left point, Kevin Broda passed it to Chad Larsen in the near corner.  Larsen skated out along the boards.  From the circle, he pin-pointed a pass to Ian Malcolmson at the center of the blue line.  Malcolmson’s low slap shot flew past Fee at 16:59.

Waukesha went ahead by two goals midway through the second period.  Griffin Nickerson sent a breakout pass to Malcolmson, who was skating into center ice along the left boards.  Malcolmson continued down the boards and moved into the USM end.  From the hash marks, he backhanded a pass to Larsen, who was speeding unmarked down the slot.  Larsen one-timed a shot past Fee at 9:33.

The Wildcats scored their lone goal in the dying seconds of the second period.  On a power play, they gained control of the puck in the Wings’ zone.  Tim Rooney got it along the right sideboards and passed it to Nick Epperson at the center of the blue line.  Knowing the seconds were ticking off the clock, Epperson swiftly fired a shot on net.  The rebound dropped into the crease, and USM’s Brandon McGill popped the puck past Garrett Larsen at 16:54.

The Wings gained themselves some breathing room with a power play goal at 7:30 of the third period.  From the left circle in the USM end, Trenton Tucker shot the puck at Fee, who stopped it.  The puck stayed loose in the crease as the Wings punched three shots at it.  Finally, Broda pushed it past Fee.  Chad Larsen was awarded an assist on the play.

Try as they might, the Wildcats could not score again.  They pulled Fee in the final minutes for extra shooters.  Malcolmson disrupted that plan by stealing a pass, skating through center ice, and firing a shot into the empty USM net at 15:14.

After the game Jason Woods, USM’s head coach said, “Overall, I’m not upset at this loss at all.  We have been running a gauntlet of games against big time programs, and we have been right there in every game.  We also have exams starting, which obviously is no joke at a school like USM.  With all of this on our plates, I like our compete level. We’re close, and if we keep working, we will start to roll.”

USM is 5-3 and 0-2 in the Classic Eight Conference.  The Wildcats resume play during their Christmas break when they host Sun Prairie in a non-conference game at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 29th.