Junior Michaela Fritz scored two goals to lead the University School co-op girls’ hockey team to a come-from-behind 3-1 victory over the Fox Cities Stars in an Eastern Shores Conference game on Tuesday, December 12th at USM.

After suffering a defeat on Saturday, the Wildcats were ready to add another victory to their record.  They knew they were in for a battle.  Going into Tuesday’s game, the two contenders shared the lead in the conference.

It was a clean, action-packed game.  Each team received only one penalty in the match. Fritz’s goals, which following one by junior Hannah Neudorfer, who was back in action after missing Saturday’s game with the flu, plus the stellar play of senior goaltender, Juliana Strother, were like small gifts in the Wildcats’ Christmas stockings in the second and third periods.

The Wildcats’ play in the first period made it look as though they were going to receive more coal.  But they rallied in the final two periods to gain the win. The Stars scored the only goal in the period and took a 1-0 lead into the locker room.

Fritz, who is one of USM’s captains commented on the win, “The game on Saturday was a wake-up call for everyone. We realized that we never wanted to have the same feelings of defeat. After Fox Cities scored their first goal, we were persistent and did not let that stop us. We adjusted our systems and began to dominate. Our forechecking and backchecking allowed for us to compete in this game. It was an important game for us to win, and we are all happy with the outcome.”

The Stars got the scoring started at 15:25 of the first period.  Sophomore Teagan Dickman stopped a Wildcat clearing play along the boards in center ice and slipped the puck to sophomore Madelyn Jablonski.  Jablonski sped across center ice and turned down the right boards into the Wildcats’ zone.  She centered the puck to junior Lauryn Hull who was skating down the slot.  The puck bounced away from Hull’s stick back to Jablonski.  Jablonski headed into the high slot unguarded.  She then fired a hard wrist shot through a crowd in front of Strother for the goal.

The Wildcats tied the score at 1-1 midway through the second period.  Junior Karly Lamoreaux pulled the puck away from a scrum in the Wildcats’ zone and skated out.  She flew like Santa’s sleigh down the right boards, stickhandled past a defender, and headed deep into the corner. She heard Neudorfer yell for the puck as Neudorfer jetted down the slot.  Lamoreaux put the puck on Neudorfer’s stick, and Neudorfer put it into the net behind Hattie Berndt, Fox Cities’ junior goalie, at 7:11.