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Warbirds late rally earns tie with USM

By Tom Geilfuss, USM assistant , 12/11/19, 5:45PM CST

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Big third period results on 3-3 deadlock

The Fond du lac co-op Warbirds scored two third period goals to come from behind and tie the University School co-op girls’ hockey team 3-3 in an Eastern Shores Conference game on Tuesday, December 10th at The Blue Line Ice Center in Fond du Lac.

It was a close battle between the two conference contenders.  Both teams had 5 penalties assessed against them. The shots on net totals were nearly equal as well.  The Wildcats’ goaltender, Sami Stommel, made 20 saves in the regulation periods and overtime, while Hailee Scheier, the Warbirds’ goalie, made 23 saves.

The Wildcats scored the game’s first goal.  Off a face off in the Warbirds’ right circle, the puck went to Julia Schmitt at the near point.  She moved it in to Molly Guenther on the right mid-boards.  Guenther headed toward the net.  Seeing Zoe Nuedorfer in the slot, Guenther passed the puck to her.  Neudorfer turned and shot.  The rebound off Scheier’s pads came out to Eileen Carey who shouldered aside a checker and rapped the puck into the net at 13:44.

The Warbirds came right back and tied it less than 30 seconds later.  Ella Spies got the puck in a corner in the Warbirds end then shoveled a breakout pass to Emily Brown on the right mid-boards.  Brown forwarded the puck to Hattie Verstegen who was dashing into center ice.  Verstegen skated into the Wildcats’ end on a one-on-one.  She cut to the slot, and using the defenseman as a screen, rifled a high shot past Stommel at 14:12.

The Wildcats soon went ahead again.  As the Wildcats forechecked, Zoe Uihlein stopped a Warbirds’ clearing shot at the left point.  She sent the puck along the boards to Layne Diffley in the corner.  Diffley looked and saw Jordan Bonk skating off the left boards into open space in the circle.  Like she was mailing a well-addressed thank you card, Diffley sent the puck to Bonk.  Without hesitation, Bonk took the shot.  The puck went past Scheier at 15:55.

The Wildcats increased their lead to two while on a power play in the last minute of the second period.  They set up in the Warbirds’ end and methodically moved the puck around.  It went to Bonk on the left boards and she passed it to Guenther in the near corner.  Guenther stepped out and tried to center puck to Emily Mueller near the crease.  The puck hit a defender’s skate and caromed into the high slot.  Natalie Epperson raced in from the point and howitzered a slap shot into the net at 0:24, giving the Wildcats their first power play goal of the season.

WiPH Game Summaries

The momentum shifted quickly early in third period.  Verstegen got the puck in the Warbirds’ end.  She avoided a straight on poke check at the blue line then took off down the right side on a two-on-one.  Hustling into the Wildcats’ right circle, Verstegen blazed a shot past Stommel at 1:30.

The Warbirds made use of their momentum by scoring again a few minutes later.  Verstegen stopped a loose puck from a Wildcat clearing attempt at the right point.  She skated toward the center of the Wildcats’ zone and made a pass.  A defender picked it off, but Verstegen kept skating and, like a stealthy pickpocket, took the puck away.  She continued on into the left circle, whirled, and took a low shot.  Stommel stopped it, but the rebound slide to the side.  Cassie Stephany was there. She popped the puck inside the post at 6:23.

The Wildcats were stunned, but they became resilient and stemmed the tide.  The remainder of the game stayed scoreless, although there were some intense moments.  The Wildcats had another power play with 1:52 left in regulation, but they could not score.  In final minute of the eight-minute overtime period, the Warbirds had a power play opportunity, but they could not score.  So the game finally ended.

“This was a disappointing tie for us,” said the Wildcats’ head coach, Dan Carey, after the game was over.  “I thought we should have come out on top, but hats off to the Warbirds for not giving up.  We need to move past this, and get ready for our weekend tournament.”

Fond du Lac is now 2-2-1 and 0-2-1 in the Eastern Shores Conference.  The Warbirds face the Brookfield Glacier in another conference game at 5:00 on Friday, December 13th at The Ponds of Brookfield.

USM’s record is 1-3-2 and 1-0-1 in the Eastern Shores Conference. The Wildcats play Arrowhead in the opening round of the annual USM Girls Varsity Invitational hockey tournament at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, December 13th at USM.