Junior Ava Kison scored four goals and assisted on a fifth to lead the Eau Claire-Altoona Stars to a 5-0 victory over the University School co-op girls’ hockey team in the opening round of the annual Gobbler Cup Tournament at the Mosinee Recreation Center in Mosinee on Friday, November 24th.

The Stars dominated the non-conference game during which they outshot the Wildcats 40-14.  Sophomore Naomi Stow had the shutout in the net for the Stars. Sophomore Emmie Verhaagh was credited with the Stars’ other goal.

Kison scored her first goal at 11:07 of the first period. In the slot of the Wildcats’ zone, she received a pass out of the left corner from senior Abigail Stow and one-timed it past Juliana Strother, the Wildcats’ senior goaltender.

The Stars scored their second goal a few minutes later while on a power play. As the Stars worked the puck around the Wildcats’ zone, senior Brooklyn Arbs got the puck in the left circle and passed it to Stow at the near point.  Stow zoomed a pass to Kison in the far circle, and Kison whipped a shot into the Wildcats’ net at 15:05.

The Stars made it 3-0 midway through the second period while they were killing a penalty.  In the Wildcats’ zone, Kison snared a loose puck and fired it out to center ice toward Verhaagh who had raced ahead.  Verhaagh tipped the puck past a Wildcat defender and skated in on a breakaway.  From 15 feet out she gunned a shot past Strother at 7:15.

Kison increased the Stars lead with her hat trick goal at 7:15 of the third period.  She took a loose puck off the boards in the Wildcats’ end, turned and buzzed a shot into the far side of the net.

Kison finished her big day of scoring with another goal late in the third period.  She popped in a rebound off a shot by Verhaagh at 14:10 of the third period.

Senior Hannah Gold, one of USM’s captains, commented on the game, “It was a difficult game and the energy and competitiveness levels weren’t where we wanted them to be. They had skilled players that were hard to shut down; however, now we know what we need to work on.”

The Stars are now 2-0.  They will face the Central Wisconsin Storm for the championship of the Gobbler Cup Tournament at 3:00 on Saturday, November 25th at the Mosinee Recreation Center in Mosinee.

The loss dropped USM’s record to 1-1.  The Wildcats play for third place in the tournament against Hayward at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 25th at the same venue.