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USM blanks Metro Lynx in opener

By Tom Geilfuss, USM Assistant Coach, 11/19/17, 5:45PM CST

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Epperson leads Wildcats in 4-0 victory

An impressive start. The University School co-op girls’ hockey team began the 2017-2018 season by shutting out The Metro Lynx of Middleton 4-0 in a non-conference game played Saturday, November 18th at USM.

It was certainly an impressive start for the Wildcats’ head coach Dan Carey in his first game as a varsity coach.  “I’m happy for the girls.  They played hard today.  They’ve been working hard since we started practice two weeks ago. It was a good start to the season,” said Carey after his initial victory.

Juliana Strother, the Wildcats’ senior goaltender, earned the shutout. She was credited with 7 saves in the game, 5 of them during the first period, when she faced down several odd-man rushes by the Lynx, as well as a Lynx power play.

“Juliana had a great first period,” said Carey. “She held us in the game in that period.”

The first period was scoreless.  The Wildcats’ forecheck gave them 11 shots in the period, but the Metro Lynx goalie, senior Sydney McKersie, stopped them all.   McKersie ended the game with 27 saves against the Wildcats forceful attack.

The Wildcats continued their aggressive forcechecking in the second period, during which they peppered McKersie with 13 shots.  They finally broke the scoring barrier when two of those shots became goals.

The first goal came on a 5 –on-3 power play early in the second period.  The Wildcats worked the puck around in the Metro Lynx zone.  Senior Hannah Gold skated the puck into the right corner, turned, and headed up the near boards.  She whistled a pass to senior Megan McPike, who was stationed in the slot.  McPike immediately shot the puck toward the net.  As it neared the right post, junior Lexie Epperson tipped it in.  Time of the goal, 5:43.

The Wildcats scored again late in the period.  Off a face off in the Wilcats’ zone, junior Jenna Klenz got puck, skated it into center ice, then flipped it deep into the Metro Lynx zone.  She raced after it into the left corner.  Klenz avoided an opponent as she corralled the puck. She then sent a short pass up the boards to junior Claire Ali.  Ali bulls-eyed a pass to the stick of sophomore Maggie Meissner at the center point.  Meissner stepped in and gunned a low shot at McKersie’s pads.  The puck rebounded to Klenz who had moved to the low slot, and she cleanly backhanded it in at 12:22.

WiPH Game Summaries

The Wildcats increased their lead early in the third period. Backhecking, senior Abby Hentzen gained the puck in the Wildcats’ zone.  She passed it to junior Michaela Fritz on the right mid-boards.  Fritz looked up and like an eagle, she Epperson speeding away in center ice. Fritz pin-pointed a pass that sent Epperson in on a breakaway.  As she entered the Metro Lynx’s slot, Epperson rifled a wrist-shot past McKersie at 3:14.

The final goal of the game came at 8:30. Coming onto the ice during a change, Fritz collected a loose puck in center ice and dumped it into the right corner.  Like a gazelle, Epperson sped after it.  As she gained control, she saw Hentzen sliding toward the net from  the high slot.  A quick pass to Hentzen’s stick and an ensuing quick snap shot gave the Wildcats their fourth goal and assured them of the victory in their first game of the season.

USM is 1-0 and 0-0 in the Eastern Shores Conference.  The Wildcats play next in the Gobbler Cup, an annual Thanksgiving weekend tournament in Mosinee. They begin tournament play against the Eau Claire Stars in a non-conference game at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, November 24th at the Mosinee Recreation Center.