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Verona too much for Green Bay United

By Bill Berg, 12/29/11, 2:02PM CST

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Wildcats show speed and a relentless attack

Verona used team speed and an aggressive attack to overpower the Green Bay United Gryphons in the semi-finals of the Evergreens Holiday Tournament at Greenheck Fieldhouse Arena on Wednesday. Green Bay goaltender Will Griswold was put on the defensive early as the first few minutes were spent in the Gryphons end with the Wildcats firing pucks left and right.

Then Tarek Baker brought the puck in along the boards and fed it out into the slot to Brogan Baker who was unmolested and had time to pick a corner and fire a shot to put Verona up just 2:44 in.

It didn’t take long for Green Bay to respond on a delayed penalty to Verona, Shawn Bartolazzi fed the puck out to Hunter Routheau in the slot, where Routheau got off a one-timer that beat Wildcats goalie Travis Dahlk on the Gryphons first shot on net.

That quick start would be all the scoring for the first period, as Griswold stopped 20 shots by Verona in the first, with Dahlk having to stop 6 for the Wildcats.

The second period was more of the same with Verona out-shooting Green Bay 19 to 5. The only scoring in the period came shorthanded when Michael Stevens blocked a shot by a Gryphon defenseman at the blue line and corralled the puck behind the defenders for a clean breakaway goal.

Late in the period, Green Bay had an opportunity with 1:11 worth of 5 on 3, but stingy penalty killing by the wildcats did not allow a shot on goal during the entire penalty.

Verona scored twice early in the third period to put this game away. Zach Jones scored an unassisted goal just 42 seconds into the third. Stevens got his second goal when Charlie Parker got hold of the puck in the corner and fed it to him out front.

WiPH Game Summaries