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Wisconsin Selects win Central Districts

By Dan Bauer, Contributor, 03/18/23, 1:00PM CDT

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The Wisconsin Selects U19 girls team opened Central District play at Seven Bridges Ice Arena in Woodridge, Illinois March 10 with a 1-0 win over the Omaha Lady Lancers. Eileen Carey slipped an unassisted goal past their netminder late in the first period for the game’s only score. The Selects outshot the Omaha 40-15. In their second game, the Selects edged the St. Louis Cyclones 3-2 in overtime. Jaden Hammes opened the scoring early in the second period on a hard wrist shot from the top of the circle. The Cyclones tied the game late in the period and took the lead early in the third period. With 6:10 remaining in the game, Eileen Carey evened the score with a shot through traffic that eluded the netminder. Mallory Schmidt & Anna Faulkner earned assists on the play. The teams headed to overtime. With a little over a minute remaining in the five-minute overtime, Addy Milota ripped a high wrist shot into the upper corner of the net for the game winner. Kennedy Gruhlke was credited with the assist. Shots were 42-9 in favor of the Selects.

The Selects advanced to what would be a championship showdown with the host Chicago Bruins, the #10 ranked team in the country. The Bruins had also won their two games- 7-1 over the Cyclones & 5-2 over the Lady Lancers. With the wins, the Selects & the Bruins had advanced to the USA National tournament. The Sunday game would determine the Central District champion & a higher seed in the national tournament.

On the opening shift, the line of Addy Milota, Zowie Hunter and Jaden Hammes won the draw & attacked the Bruins’ zone. Hunter picked up the rebound of Hammes’ shot & backhanded the puck past the Bruins’ netminder for a 1-0 lead. Midway through the period, Ella Spies carried the puck into the Bruins zone and wristed a shot into the upper corner of the net for the second goal. 2-0 Selects after one period. On the opening shift of period two, Milota took a pass from Hammes and carried the puck into the Bruins zone & found the far corner of the net from forty feet out to increase the lead to 3-0.

The Bruins switched goalies, but the Selects continued their scoring with goals by Hunter (assist to Milota) and Ava Rode (assist to Abigail Dhein). The Bruins got their lone tally late in the second period. 5-1 Selects after two.

In the third period, Spies got her second goal & Ashley Slupe closed out the scoring- assists to Milota & Hunter. Final score 7-1 as the Selects outshot the Bruins 46-22. The Selects claimed their third straight Central District championship.

For the season, the three wins improved their record to 25-1-1 and should solidify their number three national ranking.

The Wisconsin Selects roster-

Goalies- Chloe Lemke- Sr. (CW Storm) & Ella Sciborski- Sr. (Fox Cities Stars)

Defense- Ella Spies- Sr. (FDL Warbirds), Abigail Dhein- Jr. & Ava Rode-Soph. (CW Storm), Brooke Brennan- Jr. (Hayward) & Ashley Slupe- Soph. (Chippewa Falls/Menomonie

Forwards- Eileen Carey-Sr. (University School), Emma-Lyn Stephenson- Sr. (Chippewa Falls/Menomonie), Jaden Hammes, Sr. & Anna Szymanski- Sr. (Coulee Region), Anna Faulkner- Sr. (Badger City) Kennedy Gruhlke- Sr. ECA Stars); Addy Milota- Jr. (Badger City), Zowie Hunter- Jr. (Black River Falls) and Mallory Schmidt- Jr. (Northland Pines); Addie Buesgen- Soph- (Chippewa Falls/Menomonie), Gabi Heuser- Soph. (CW Storm), Addison Gruhlke- Soph- (ECA Stars) & Madeline Kelter- Fr- (CW Storm).

The coaches are Emily Bauer- head coach and Steve Kirley & Dr. Greg Slupe.

On to Anaheim!