The University School boys’ hockey team defeated Appleton United 6-4 in a non-conference game on Saturday, January 21st at the Appleton Family Ice Center.
It was a close contest throughout. The teams tied each other several times during the game, and it wasn’t until midway through the final period that USM was able to put the winning shot past Gage Olson, Appleton’s goalie. During the game, Appleton outshot USM 37-29, but goaltender Frank Fee kept the Wildcats in it with 33 saves. Andrew Malek and Nick Epperson scored two goals apiece for USM, while Matthew Gruber tallied twice for Appleton.
“It was a good win for us tonight against Appleton,” said Jason Woods, USM’s head coach. “This one was an up and down the ice affair, and I was happy we could get a few more than they did. We challenged our seniors to step up after the first, and they really did. Nick Epperson, Brandon McGill, and Logan Geisness really moved the puck and scored timely goals for us. Sophomore Andrew Malek with back to back two goal games has turned himself into a real playmaker. We need to get back to playing solid Team D, but it was nice to win one like this.”
Appleton scored the game’s first goal at 11:41 of the first period. Mitchell Lund knocked the puck away from a USM defender in the Wildcats’ zone. It went to Liam Johnson in the slot. Johnson skated toward the net and rifled a wrist shot at Fee. The rebound came out to Tanner Beckman who gunned it into the USM net.
USM tied the score in the last minute of the first period. While on the power play, defenseman Casey Roepke sent a breakout pass to Robby Newton on the right boards. Newton skated along the side deep into the Appleton zone. He turned and spotted Malek roaring like a flooding river down the slot. Malek gratefully took Newton’s perfect pass then whipped a wrist shot past Olson at 16:31.
Appleton broke the tie early in the second period on a gorgeous give and go. Breaking out of the Appleton end, Gruber passed the puck to Greyson Maulick on the right boards. Maulick skated across the blue line and backhanded a pass to Eric Homan who was cutting across center ice. Homan wheeled down the right side. Crossing the USM line, he centered a pass back to Maulick, who skated in and lifted a shot past Fee’s glove at 4:52.
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Exactly one minute later the Wildcats tied the score once again. Skating toward the Appleton zone, McGill tipped a pass ahead to Epperson. Epperson saw Geisness wheeling toward the crease and sent a pass toward him. Geisness tipped the puck at Olson. The goalie stopped it as he fell. The puck dropped back to Geisness’s stick. Geisness immediately jammed it under Olson at 5:52.
The Wildcats took the next lead. After Fee stopped a breakaway and then a close-in shot by Eric Bargholtz, the team’s lined up for a faceoff in the USM end. The Wildcats won the draw then began to break the puck out of the zone. Roepke sent a short pass to Geisness as he skated toward the right boards. Geisness, in turn, moved it up the boards to Epperson. Like a cheetah after his prey, Epperson chased through center ice and headed into the Appleton zone. From the right circle he crossed a pass to McGill who one-timed a shot into the net at 10:23.
Gruber tied the score once more. He stole the puck from a defenseman just inside the USM zone, stickhandled deftly toward the net, and, from the slot, fired a wrist shot past Fee at 13:43.
The Wildcats went back into the lead at 15:12 of the second period. Kylar Fenton sent a breakout pass to Epperson who skated into the Appleton end and took a shot from the top of the right circle. The rebound careened below the goal line. Geisness raced to it then backhanded it back out to Epperson who had coasted into the low slot. Falling as he received the pass, Epperson one-timed the puck from his knees to make the score 4-3 at the end of two.
Early in the third period it became 4-4. Kieran Brosnan sent a breakout pass to Maulick on the right boards. Maulick spotted Gruber breaking across center ice and lined a pass to him. Gruber turned, outraced a defenseman, and from the right circle blasted a rising shot past Fee at 5:39.
USM went back ahead, this time for good, at 10:41. Epperson intercepted an Appleton breakout pass just inside the Appleton blue line. He skated into the high slot and fired the game winning shot past Olson.
USM went further ahead at 12:28. Christian Blomquist won the puck in the left corner of the Appleton zone, tipped it to himself in the near circle and fired. His shot went wide. Malek skated to it behind the net, spun out, and snuck a wraparound shot into the net to secure the victory for USM.
Appleton is now 10-6-1. USM is 12-4 and 3-2 in the Classic Eight Conference. The Wildcats play the Brookfield Stars in a conference game at 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 24th at the Ponds in Brookfield.
