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Neudorfer, McPike shine in Wildcats win

By Tom Geilfuss, USM Assistant Coach, 01/15/17, 5:00PM CST

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Dedert makes 35 save in 4-1 victory

Despite being outshot 37-13, the University School co-op girls’ hockey team defeated the Rock County Fury 4-1 in a non-conference game on Saturday, January 14th at USM.

“We are making the most of our chances,” said Jake Haury, USM’s head coach, “but I wish we were getting more chances.  We’ve been telling the girls to shoot more.  When they have, they’ve scored often.  I have to say that Megan McPike did a great job today. She figured in on most of our goals.  She really hustled today, and she shot the puck; she was an example to the whole team.  Also, Marie Dedert continues to do a great job for us in goal.  Even though other teams are outshooting us, she keeps in games all the way.”

The Wildcats scored the game’s opening goal while on a power play in the first period.  They got the puck into the Fury’s zone and moved it around.  Defenseman Michaela Fritz received the puck at the right point, skated down the boards and took a shot.  The puck hit a Rock County player and bounced back to Fritz.  She retreated to the blue line, turned, and passed it to McPike on the near mid-boards.  McPike skated through the circle, and from its lower edge, she fired a shot at McKaylie Buescher, Rock County’s goalie. The goalie had trouble handling the puck.  It trickled away.  Hannah Neudorfer was at the left post, and as the puck began to slide across the goal line she helped it in for the goal at 11:58.

McPike scored the Wildcats’ second goal at 14:14 of the first period.  In the Wildcats’ zone, Fritz blocked a shot by a Fury player.  The puck dropped to Fritz’s feet. She kicked it toward the boards.  Like she was preparing a dish of ice cream, McPike scooped up the puck and sped toward the Rock County end.  She pulled the puck away from a poke check in center ice, split the defense as she cut toward the slot, then drilled a high shot past Buescher to complete the play successfully.

Neudorfer began the Wildcats’ next goal-scoring play by passing the puck to Lexie Epperson to start a three-on-two rush out of the Wildcats’ zone.  Epperson motored down the left side.  As she crossed into the Rock County zone, Epperson took a shot. The puck hit a defenseman’s leg and caromed across the high slot to McPike.  With no hesitation, McPike blasted a shot into the net at 5:50.

WiPH Game Summaries

The Fury finally put one of their shots out of Dedert’s reach midway through the third period.  Presley Kovacevich got the puck in center ice and skated down the left boards into the corner of the Wildcats’ zone.  She centered a backhand pass to Meghan McCarthy in the near circle then continued behind the net.  Dedert stopped McCarthy’s shot. The rebound skittered to the far post.  Kovacevich had circled out front, and she poked the rebound across the goal line at 7:51.

The Wildcats scored their final goal late in the game.  Defenseman Hannah Gold stopped an on-coming Rock County player at the USM blue line.  Gold took the puck and whirled deeper into the USM end, then turned and lined a pass to Epperson at the Rock County blue line on the left boards.  Epperson skated into the zone.  From the circle, she wristed a shot at Buescher who had moved out toward her to cut the angle.  The puck bounced off of Buescher.  Neudorfer, who was racing toward the net like a fire engine on a two-alarm call, bashed the loose puck into the open portion of the goal at 14:20.

The loss dropped Rock County’s record to 9-4-1. USM is now 10-5-1 and 3-1 in the Eastern Shores Conference. The Wildcats play Fond du Lac in an important Eastern Shores Conference game at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, January 21st at the Blue Line Family Ice Center in Fond du Lac.