One shot made all the difference.  Junior Anika Einbeck’s first period shot produced the only goal in a great goaltending dual in the Sectional 4 Semifinal girls’ hockey game won by Rock County Fury 1-0 over the University School co-op on Tuesday, February 25th at the Janesville Ice Arena.

The scoring was minimal, but the astounding goaltending of the Fury’s sophomore Olivia Cronin and the Wildcats’ sophomore Sami Stommel made the game a tense and exciting one.  Cronin made 31 saves in shutting out the Wildcats.  Stommel made 27 saves, allowing just one shot by the Fury to get by her.

Einbeck fired that one game-winning shot early the first period.  She scooped up a loose puck just inside the Fury’s blue line and made a dash toward the Wildcats’ end.  She swept past one defender in center ice, then skated down the slot.  As Wildcat defensemen neared her, she sizzled a shot past Stommel.  She scored the difference maker at 4:49.

The remainder of the game was action-packed, and play moved up and down the ice at a pace you’d expect in a playoff encounter.  It was tight-checking but clean. The Fury, the Sectional’s number 1 seed, killed off the two penalties they received, while the 4th seeded Wildcats killed the one penalty called on them.  So, the two teams went at it with full strength and effort throughout the contest.

The Wildcats have had trouble scoring all season, and their troubles arose like ghosts to spook them at the worst possible time.  Cronin constantly frustrated the Wildcat shooters. As the game moved into the third period, the Wildcats fired everything they could at her, but Cronin stopped each attempt.  The Fury held on and moved on.  The Wildcats went home.

The loss ended the Wildcats’ season.  They finished it with a record of 8-14-4.

The Fury advance into the Sectional 4 Final.  At 7:30 p.m. on Friday, February 28th at the Blue Line Center in Fond du Lac, they play the Fond du Lac Warbirds for a chance to go to Madison.