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Raiders edge Wildcats in non-conference battle

By Tom Geilfuss, USM Assistant Coach, 01/14/17, 9:45PM CST

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Hudson outshoots USM by 44-11 margin

In a tight game between two of the state’s top girls’ hockey teams, the Hudson Raiders showed they’d traveled to Milwaukee ready to play. The Raiders defeated the University School co-op team 5-3 in a non-conference game on Friday, January 13th at USM.

Jacob Haury, the Wildcats’ coach, said, “We knew Hudson would be a challenge.  It was a close game, and I thought we played well.  We just didn’t shoot.”

The Raiders outshot the Wildcats 44-11.  The Wildcats’ goaltender, Marie Dedert, made 39 saves to keep her team in the game.  The difference in the score ended up being two empty net goals in the game’s final minute.

Greg Gamache, Hudson’s coach, commented, “That was a great hockey game. Their goalie played really well.  USM has a class act.  We always like playing them.”

The shot totals in the first period were 14-3 in favor of Hudson, but the Wildcats were the first to take one that went on the scoreboard.

The goal came late in the first period.  Lexie Epperson stopped a Raiders’ breakout attempt, and the puck slid to Megan McPike.  McPike hustled down the right side of the Hudson zone, cut across the goal line, skated toward the crease, and put a shot at the feet of Hudson’s goalie, Cassie Schultz.  McPike’s momentum carried her into the high slot.  The rebound dropped to Schultz’s feet.  The Wildcats’ Hannah Neudorfer punched at it. The rebound from her shot caromed out into the slot to McPike.  Like a sharpshooter, McPike fired the puck into the upper reaches of the net at 14:40.

It didn’t take long for Hudson to tie the score. Dani Robson won a battle for the puck along the right mid-boards in the Wildcats’ zone.  She passed the puck to the center point to Angela Heupful, who fired a shot on net.  Dedert stopped it. Mallory Thompson swept in unhindered, snagged the rebound, and lifted it past the goalie at 15:44.

The Raiders kept shooting, and outshot their hosts 11-4 in the second period.  While on a power play, they finally put one past Dedert at 12:06 of the second period.  Along the right boards in the Wildcats’ zone. Lexie Nelson sent a pass to Sydney Hendricks near the corner.  Nelson passed it out to the near point to Anna Wilgren.  Wilgren skated in, dodged a checker, and lined a shot into the upper corner of the net.

WiPH Game Summaries

The Wildcats tied it at 2-2 later in the period.  From a faceoff in the Hudson zone, a Raider defenseman chipped the puck out of the zone.  USM defenseman Hannah Gold chased after it, collecting it just inside the Wildcats’ blue line.  She turned and whipped the puck off the left boards in center ice.  McPike raced to the puck then skated with it down the left side.  As she closed in on Schultz, she saw an opening inside the near post.  Her shot found the same opening at 15:52.

The Raiders took a 3-2 lead at 12:24 of the third period.  Taking a faceoff in the left corner of the Wildcats’ end, Nelson knocked the puck toward the end boards.  She hustled after it and stripped it away from the Wildcats’ defender.  Nelson turned toward the net and zipped a pass to Hendricks who was skating unimpeded down the slot.  Hendricks quickly shot it and scored.

There was a lot of action in the game’s final minute.  The Wildcats’ pulled Dedert for an extra skater in an attempt to tie the score.  Wilgren foiled that attempt when she sent a long shot from the Hudson blue line into the empty net to make the score 4-2 at 16:34.

The Wildcats soon showed they still had life in their game.  Taking the center ice faceoff, the Wildcats’ Georgia Sisk pushed the puck to the right side.  Claire Ali grabbed it, skated down the right boards, and from the hash marks she fired a bullet.  The puck roared past Schultz into the upper corner to make the score 4-3 at 16:42.

Once again  the Wildcats’ Wildcats’ pulled Dedert for an extra skater in a now desperate attempt to tie the score.  Once again Wilgren foiled the home team’s chances with another  long shot into an empty net to record her hat trick and finally secure the win for the Raiders.

The Raiders continue their visit to the southeastern corner of Wisconsin when they take their 8-5 record to Hartrland to play Arrowhead on Saurday, January 14th.  The loss gave the Wildcats’ a 9-5-1 record.  The Wildcats also play on Saturday.  They faceoff against the the Rock County Fury of Beloit in a non-conference game at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 14th at USM.