Sophomore Cole Caufield scored an unassisted overtime goal to give the Stevens Point Area High School boys hockey team a 3-2 victory over University School in the opening round of the Sentry Classic Hockey Tournament at the K.B. Willet Ice Arena in Stevens Point on Friday, January 6th.

Caufield scored all three of SPASH’s goals.  He completed his hat trick just 27 seconds into the overtime period to send the Panthers into the tournament’s championship game against Waupaca on Saturday.

Jason Woods, USM’s head coach, marveled at Caufield’s abilities, “Wow, this one stings a bit for sure.  Toe to toe with the number four ranked team in the state, ahead by one with just 5:30 left, and then losing in overtime. It's tough when you get beat by one person, but that's why Caufield is the top scorer and most dangerous player in the state.  All three goals: he is an impressive young player to say the least.  Still, we continue to improve. These are the games that help you grow up and get better.  Our schedule prepares us for the most important time of the year.  I love the challenge our kids get by this tough journey we are on.  I am excited for the stretch run.”

The pace in the first period of the non-conference game was fast, and the action moved from end to end quickly.  The Panthers were able to outshoot the Wildcats 11-3 in the period, with many of their shots coming during power plays.

Caufield scored on one of those first period shots when SPASH had a five-on-three advantage.  Playing on the point, Caufield sent a diagonal cross-ice pass to senior Trayton Zinda, who was moving toward the USM net.  Zinda’s one-timer went past the net. He got the puck again and moved out front and shot.  The rebound off the pads of USM’s sophomore goaltender, Frank Fee, caromed toward the left circle.  Freshman Barrett Brooks outraced a defender for the puck then passed it to the top of the circle to Caufield.  Caufield skated to the high slot and laced a wrist shot through a screen for the goal at 15:54.

The Wildcats recovered in the second period.  They outshot the Panthers 7-4 in the period and outscored their hosts 2-0.

USM tied the game early in the period.  Taking a face-off just outside the SPASH blue line, senior Logan Geisness won the draw and pushed the puck toward the boards to his classmate Brandon McGill.  McGill shoved the puck into the zone.  Geisness raced to it, spun into the right circle, and whipped a wrist shot past Phil Trzebiatowski, the Panthers’ senior goalie, at 4:46.

The Wildcats took the lead on a five-on-three power play. Junior Will Kennedy skated into the SPASH zone and tried to send a pass to senior Nick Epperson, who was buzzing toward the net like a bee after nectar.  The puck hit a defender’s stick and bounced to McGill in the high slot. McGill passed it down to Epperson just outside the crease. Epperson pulled the puck away from Trzebiatowski’s poke check then zipped it to McGill who was flying down the slot.  McGill one-timed a shot into the net at 11:50.

The Panthers worked hard to tie the score in the third period.  Trzebiatowski made four saves in the period, two of which were point-blank shots that could have changed the outcome.

The Panthers took 13 shots on Fee in the period, and one by Caufield allowed SPASH to eventually tie the game.

Caufield intercepted a USM pass deep in the Panthers’ end and methodically skated out of the zone, watching for a break as he moved through center ice.  Nearing the USM blue line, he picked up speed and cut to the right. He wheeled around a defenseman and moved through the right circle unopposed.  From the bottom edge of the circle he gunned a high shot past Fee at 11:37.

Neither team could score in the final minutes of the third period, and the game headed to overtime.

It didn’t take much of the additional eight-minutes for SPASH to win the game. The Wildcats got the puck into the Panthers’ zone and began to pass it around.  Caufield knocked it off a defenseman’s stick and took off on a breakaway.  He skated in, head faked to the left to force Fee off his feet, then tucked the puck into the empty space on the right for the game-winner.

The win gave SPASH an admirable 10-1 record while USM’s record dropped to 6-4. The Wildcats play Mosinee in the tournament’s consolation game. The non-conference contest will take place at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 7th at the K.B. Willet Ice Arena in Stevens Point.