The University School boys’ hockey team scored six straight goals to come from behind and defeat Madison Edgewood 7-4 in a non-conference game played before a nearly empty rink at USM on Friday, November 27th.

USM coach Matt Roadhouse commented on the Wildcats’ win, “Our team came out a little slow, and, as expected, it was a back-and-forth game with mistakes on both ends. After being down 3-1, the boys rallied back with some great tic-tac-toe plays and scored six in a row to help climb back ultimately for a 7-4 victory. Lots of good notes from today’s game, and we are excited to get right back at it.”

The Wildcats took an early lead, scoring their first goal of the season just 28 seconds into the game. They moved the puck into the Crusaders’ zone and forechecked. Reid Woods took the puck from an Edgewood defenseman in the right corner and wheeled up the near boards. From the top of the circle, he crossed the puck to Ethan Mann in the left circle. Mann one-timed a shot past Zach Walker, Edgewood’s goalie.

The Crusaders scored the next three goals.  Their first came on a power play late in the period.  Breaking out of the Edgewood end, JJ Wiebusch passed the puck to Cody Menzel on the sideboards. Menzel skated away. In center ice, he swung to the middle, heading like a locomotive under full steam into the USM zone. He split the D as he stickhandled down the slot. Closing in on USM’s goaltender, Michael Polston, Menzel whipped a short shot into the twine at 14:53.

Less than half a minute later, Edgewood pushed ahead. Cooper Fink stole the puck from a USM defender in center ice and dashed into the Wildcats’ zone. Nearing the net, he crossed a pass to Menzel who one-timed the puck past Polston at 15:03.

Edgewood went further ahead early in the second period on another power play goal.  Menzel captured a rebound behind the USM net and flipped the puck out front. Fink bashed it past Polston at 0:13.

The Wildcats mounted a comeback, scoring the game’s next four goals.

On the first of these, Peter Ells brought the puck under control in the left corner of the Edgewood end. He wheeled out into the high slot and fired a shot over the cross bar and into the glass behind the goal. The puck caromed to Kyler Ringgold in the right corner. Ringgold zipped the puck out front to Marcus Thundercloud. Thundercloud simply shoveled it in at 1:57.

USM tied the score once more at 9:35. Noah Eghbali chased down a loose puck on the left side of the Crusaders’ zone. He pushed the puck out front to Jack McGregor who fired it wide of the net. Skating behind the net, Eghbali picked the puck up like it was a curbside delivery, and spun out front. He whistled an acute angle shot past Walker for the first of his three goals in game.  Mann was awarded an assist on the play.

The Wildcats re-took the lead on a power play goal by Eghbali. As the Wildcats worked the puck around their opponents’ zone, McGregor got the puck at the left point. He popped it to the side boards to Garrett Cox and skated in. Cox gave it back. McGregor skated below the goal line then passed the puck out front to Eghbali in the low slot. Eghbali bullied the puck into the net at 14:17.

Christian Ford scored what would be the game winner for USM just over a minute later.  Defenseman Michael Vogel stopped a one-on-one rush just inside the USM blueline and passed the puck to Thundercloud on the left mid-boards in center ice. Thundercloud skated in to Edgewood’s zone as Ford joined him on the rush. Thundercloud passed the puck to the onrushing Ford near the crease. Ford jabbed at it. The rebound off Walker’s pads skipped below the goal line.  Ford snared it, swung back around, and shot the puck into the net, giving USM a 5-3 at 15:41.

The Wildcats took their lead into the locker room; they increased it to 7-3 in the third period.

Ethan Thombs scored USM’s 6th goal at 7:35 of the third period while the Wildcats were skating short-handed. The Wildcats dumped the puck into the Edgewood end. Forechecking aggressively, Ben Moalusi got the puck and sent it to Thombs in the high slot. Thombs cut across the slot, veered in, and backhanded a shot past Walker for the score.

Eghbali achieved his hat trick at 10:18. Taking a faceoff in Edgewood’s left circle, McGregor drew the puck to Mann at the slot-side hash marks. Mann quickly passed it back to Eghbali.  From the top of the circle, Eghbali ripped a wrist shot for the goal.

Edgewood scored once more on a goal by Fink off of passes by Wiebusch and Menzel at 11:43. But the Wildcats were in control by then, and USM won a convincing victory in the enduring rivalry of these two fine hockey teams.

In the game, Walker made 35 saves. Polston gained the victory by stopping 27 shots.

Edgewood is 0-1 and 0-0 in the Badger South Conference. The Crusaders play Fond du Lac in a non-conference game at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 28th at the Blue Line Ice Center in Fond du Lac.

Thanks to the victory, USM is 1-0 and 0-0 in the Classic Eight Conference. The Wildcats play Bay Port in a non-conference game at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 28th at USM.