Come from behind victories are tormenting and exhilarating. Just ask the University School hockey team.  The Wildcats felt the torment of falling behind the Brookfield co-op team. But the USM players then provided exhilaration for themselves by rallying in the third period to defeat the Brookfield co-op team 5-2 Friday at The Ponds in Brookfield.

The teams played equally in the first period.  Neither scored and both took nine shots on the opponents' net.

The game's momentum changed early in the second period as the Stars began to shine and the Wildcats played like they were in the shadow of a sullen storm cloud.

Brookfield took the lead early in the period. Forechecking in the USM zone, the Stars' Tommy Hasting got the puck behind the net and passed it out to Carter Jenkins in the right circle.  Jenkins fired a shot that USM's goaltender Bryan Botcher saved.  The rebound leaped to the left circle. The Stars' Drew Owen was there, and he fired the puck into the near side of the net at 1:20.

The Stars now had the momentum, and they used it to score on a power play just over three minutes later. They worked the puck around the USM zone. Eventually it went to Tommy Porkka who poked it to Max Hoffman in the right corner.  Hoffman passed it to Brandt Rogers at the center of the blue line.  Rogers waited as his teammates screened Botcher, then he gunned a shot into the upper corner of the net at 4:57.

Brookfield continued to take the play to USM, but Botcher was as firm as a mountain in denying the Stars' attempts to increase their lead.

The tides of torment began to turn late in the second period.  Brookfield took two quick interference penalties, giving USM a 5-on-3 power play.  The Wildcats took advantage.  Steven Swanson got the puck along the left boards as the Wildcats set up a play. Swanson passed it back to Nathan Burke at the left point.  Burke faked a shot and then passed the puck along the blue line to defenseman Vadim Sukhanov.  Sukhanov took two steps toward the net and then bulleted a low shot past the Stars' goalie Patrick O'Brien with 3:45 left in the period.

The score was now close, and USM showed it was no longer somnolent.  That became readily apparent just after the opening face off of the third period.  The puck went back into the USM zone.  USM's Ashton Wackym moved it to Burke who started to skate out of the zone.  Burke saw Corey Roadhouse swinging toward the right boards ahead of him and head-manned the puck.  Roadhouse skated with it into the Brookfield zone.  He went into the right corner, swerved toward the net and sent a pass toward the slot.  The puck hit a defenseman's stick and caromed past O'Brien to tie the score just 18 seconds into the period.

Momentum had clearly shifted, and it was clear that the Wildcats were wide-awake and hungry. They soon took the lead and never relinquished it.

Roadhouse scored the game-winner.  During a face off in the Stars' zone, Wackym drew the puck to Kenny Servis.  Servis sent it to Roadhouse who had moved back into the high slot.  Roadhouse lined a wrist shot into the net at 6:14.

USM then held the lead with tight defense and pressuring forechecking.  Late in the game, the Wildcats added two goals to their total to further torment Brookfield.

The first of USM's final two goals came at 13:35. In the Stars' end, Servis got the puck and passed it to Burke at the point.  Burke took a low shot that rebounded to Wackym in the slot. Wackym fired it. It rebounded to him again. This time he blasted it into the net to give USM a 4-2 lead.

The Wildcats scored another goal just 27 seconds later.  Duncan Brown gained control of the puck behind the Brookfield net and skated with it into the low left circle.  He sent a crossing pass to Swanson in the far circle and Swanson immediately sent it back across to Ben Walker who one-timed it into the net at 14:02.  The goal was like a janitor sweeping away Brookfield's final hopes, and it secured a come back victory for USM.

In the game Botcher made 27 saves and O'Brien made 19 saves.

The Brookfield co-op team is now 3-3.  USM evened its record at 4-4 with the victory.  The Wildcats have time-off for exams.  They resume play at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, December 23rd when they travel to Fond du Lac for a game against St. Marys Springs.