The University School co-op girls’ hockey team scored two goals in the third period to tie the Cardinals Luverne High School of Luverne, Minnesota, in the final round of the Open Division of the Herb Brooks Hockey Classic on Wednesday, January 1st at the National Sports Center in Blaine, MN.
Neither team scored in the eight-minute overtime, so it went to a tournament shootout; when it was finally over, the Wildcats lost. The official score was 2-2, but the Cardinals won the tournament contest 4-3 by outscoring the Wildcats 2-1 in the shootout.
Despite the shootout result, the Wildcats had a successful tournament, winning two games and rallying to tie the third.
Dan Carey, USM’s head coach, commented on the game and the tournament, “It was great to see the girls fight back in the third period after a couple of tough periods today. We really developed as a team during this tournament. I like the position we are in as we head into the second half of the season. Congrats to the girls on nice teamwork in the tournament.”
It was a new year, but the two goalies, both sophomores, played like old pros. Each gave up just 2 goals, and each made over 30 saves. Cheyenne Schutz, Luverne’s goalie, made a total of 35 saves in the 59 minutes of three regulation periods and one overtime. Sami Stommel, the Wildcats goaltender, made a total of 31 saves in the same time period. In the shootout, Stommel stopped 1 of Luverne’s 3 shots; Schutz stopped 2 of the 3 Wildcat attempts, thereby gaining her team the victory.
The play went back and forth all afternoon. The shot totals in the first two periods were identical, but the Cardinals made two of their shots count.
Luverne opened the scoring at 13:14 of the first period. Taking a faceoff in the right circle of the Wildcats’ zone, junior center Roz Oye drew the puck back to freshman defenseman Mallory Nelson. Nelson immediately took a low shot toward the far post, angling the puck inside the pipe.
The Cardinals made it 2-0 in the last minute of the second period. Sophomore Regan Bork started a Cardinal breakout by wiring a pass from deep in the Luverne end to freshman Kamryn Van Batavia who was dashing into center ice. Van Batavia rushed into the Wildcats’ end on a one-on-one. She slipped the puck past the defenseman, stepped around her, and dished the puck under Stommel with just 21 seconds left on the clock.
WiPH Game Summaries
WEHL 18U South East Girls at USA Hockey Nationals, March 20-24
- By Bill Berg Jr, WiPH Staff 03/20/2024, 7:45pm CDT
TW, Wisc Selects, and WEHL at Central Districts
- By Bill Berg Jr, WiPH Staff 03/16/2024, 9:45am CDT
19U Girls, 18U Boys Lead Six Team Wisconsin Teams to Central Districts
- By Bill Berg Jr, WiPH Staff 03/11/2024, 11:30am CDT
Tritons Stifle Stars to Go Back-to-Back
- By Bill Berg Jr, WiPH Staff 03/02/2024, 9:00pm CST
Storm Win Battle of Last Two State Champions
- By Bill Berg Jr, WiPH Staff 03/02/2024, 4:30pm CST
Gaertig and Two Minutes of Dominance Lead Springs to Division 2 Championship
- By Bill Berg Jr, WiPH Staff 03/02/2024, 11:45am CST
Tritons Ride Big First Period to Semi-Final Win
- By Bill Berg Jr, WiPH Staff 03/01/2024, 4:30pm CST
Stars Shine With Extra Attacker To Head to D1 Title Game
- By Bill Berg Jr, WiPH Staff 03/01/2024, 12:00pm CST
Ice Bears Get the Chance to Defend Their Title
- By Bill Berg Jr, WiPH Staff 02/29/2024, 10:30pm CST
Storm Wear Down Cap City to Earn Championship Shot
- By Bill Berg Jr, WiPH Staff 02/29/2024, 7:30pm CST
The Wildcats had been successful in the tournament’s two previous games, so they renewed on that energy in the third period of Wednesday’s encounter. They scored their first goal of the new year at 3:45 of the period. Junior Emily Mueller intercepted a Cardinals’ clearing pass just inside the Luverne blue line. Mueller skated toward the left corner. Nearing the goal line, she passed the puck across the slot to junior Zoe Neudorfer who was heading toward the far post. On the edge of the crease, Neudorfer tripped. The oncoming puck hit her skate blade and caromed past Schutz to make it 2-1.
The Wildcats then tied it while on a power play. Just outside the Wildcats’ blue line, senior defenseman Maggie Meissner gained control of the puck. She zipped a cross ice pass to junior Jordan Bonk. Bonk skated into the Luverne zone down the left boards. At the hashmarks she cut toward the middle. A defenseman tripped her. While falling, Bonk propelled the puck past Schutz at 7:41.
The game stayed tied as the tension mounted throughout the final half of the third period and increased in the overtime. It grew even more intense during the shootout.
Van Batavia began the shootout proceedings and scored. Sophomore Natalie Epperson went next and scored for the Wildcats. Bork was the Cardinals’ second shooter and she was able to score, giving the Cardinals the lead. Schutz stopped Bonk. Then Stommel stopped senior Claire Baustian. The Wildcats could tie it if they could score once more, but Schutz stopped Mueller’s deke to save the day for the Cardinals.
The Wildcats headed back to Milwaukee knowing they’d given it their best in the three days of tournament hockey.
USM is now 3-6-3 and 1-0-1. The Wildcats faceoff against Arrowhead in an Eastern Shores Conference game at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 8th at USM.
