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Late Storm surge leads to win over Lynx

By Michael Trzinski, WiPH Staff, 12/09/17, 5:15PM CST

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A pair of final period goals seal the deal


After spotting the visiting Metro Lynx two goals in the first half of the first period, the Central Wisconsin Storm got its act together, scoring two to tie the game after one stanza, and put in two more scores late in the third period and held off the Lynx 4-3 Saturday afternoon at the Greenheck Fieldhouse.

The guests showed no sign of 'bus legs' after their nearly three hour trip to Central Wisconsin from the Madison area, scoring less than three minutes into the initial frame to take an early lead.

A shot from the left point by Megan Biesmann was re-directed by Viv Hacker in front of the net and sailed high past the right shoulder of Storm goalie Chloe Westberg to make it 1-0 in favor of the Lynx.

Westberg would make a nice stop a few minutes later on a breakaway by Ava Downing but her luck would run out a few seconds after that when things got a little more crowded in the slot/crease area.

After a Lynx shot bounced out in front, Ally Conybear pounced on the puck and banged home the rebound through a forest of legs to give the guests a two-goal lead with just over eight minutes left.

"The girls came ready to play today," said assistant coach Kevin Thomas. "We had a couple good bounces go our way early and we were able to put the puck in the net."

Then it was like a switch was flipped, because the balance of the period belonged to the home girls.

Although Storm coach Pete Susens might have not been saying it, his players knew what they had to do.

"We just had to start doing the things we were capable of," said Susens. "It's not complicated: d-zone coverage, making the first two passes on the breakout, and then attacking."

The Eden Gruber Show began attacking when she motored into the slot and snapped a shot that beat Lynx goalie Gwen Parker high glove to cut the lead to one. Challis Prohaska earned a helper on the play with 4:19 left.

"Eden's goal was a big goal to turn the momentum around a little bit," noted Susens. 

WiPH Game Summaries

It was Gruber again just after the clock ticked below the two-minute mark, as she stuffed a shot under the not-quite-sealed right pad of the goalie to knot the contest at two.

"With the Storm, you expect them to battle back," said Thomas. "We knew it would be a battle and we would have to fight them all day long."

Less than twenty seconds later, the Storm again made a furious foray into the Lynx d-zone, but this time Parker stifled the close-in shot of Kiley Hahner to keep the score deadlocked.

Undaunted, the home team gave it one last shot at a score with 15 seconds left in the period, but a 2-on-1 rush failed when the winger's shot went wide left.

The period ended with a 2-2 score, with Parker stopping 16 of 18, while Westberg was right behind with 10 saves on 12 shots.

"When Gwen (Parker) gets into a big game, she can play like a big-time goaltender," noted Thomas. "She had a chance to play a good team, and I think she played at the top of her game."

Although the Storm owned the middle period—they outshot the Lynx by a margin of 13-4—neither team was able to score. 

"We did a lot of good things in the period," said Susens. "We just didn't finish around the net." 

The teams went a combined 0-for-3 on the power play in the period as even the man advantage didn't help.

The Lynx had a couple of nice chances in the period, but a 2-on-1 failed when the pass to the left wing sailed wide, and even more heart-breaking, a shot from the top of the left circle by Conybear beat the goalie, only to have the puck clang off the right post and into the corner with 30 seconds left in the period.

The third period saw two Storm goals and nearly another one, but Emelia Edmondson's shot on a rebound skittered just wide to keep the score knotted at two just three minutes in.

Central Wisconsin took the lead for good on a nice backdoor play. Emma Kysely slid a pass from the right dot across to the left side, and Kenna Bailey's aim was true as Parker just missed getting to the backside. Kassidy Oliva was also given an assist on the play with 9:58 left, but she would get more later on.

"Those are the types of plays we are capable of making," said Susens.

After the Lynx was unable to convert on a power play in the middle of the period, Oliva would get a goal of her own.

The 60" tall sophomore skated down the middle to the slot, and despite being bothered by a defender, snapped a shot that went high blocker past the netminder for a 4-2 lead. The 'all alone goal' came with 3:17 to go.

But before you could award the Storm the victory, the Lynx had one more answer.

After a Storm player went to the box with 1:29 left, Thomas summoned Parker off the ice for the extra attacker. But before that sixth skater could even join the fray, Conybear fired a shot that deflected off a Storm defender and past Westberg to cut the lead to 4-3.

"We were having a hard time breaking the puck out, but when push came to shove, we were able to get down there and get a goal," said Thomas.

Unfortunately for the Lynx, that was the score on the board when the clock reached 0:00 and the horn sounded.

Westberg stopped three of four in the period for a game total of 17, while Parker was a wee bit busier on the other end, keeping 11 of 13 out of the net for a total of 40 in the contest.