It was Friday the 13th, but luck was with the University School hockey team.  After Green Bay Notre Dame unexpectedly canceled its game scheduled for Friday at USM.  Doug Coleman, USM's co-head coach, diligently searched for a replacement. As a result of his efforts, the Wildcats were lucky to arrange a game with a solid team, Providence Catholic Central of Lenox, Illinois, which entered the game with a strong 17-8-2 record against some of the top schools in the Chicago area.  Luck and hockey talent stuck with the Wildcats during the actual game as they defeated Providence Catholic Central, 5-2.

In the early moments of the first period the two teams took the measure of each other.  The pace of the game was fast, and the players went up and down the ice. The shot totals in the first period were also nearly equal, 7 for USM and 5 for Providence Catholic Central.  As the clock ticked on, however, it became increasingly apparent that the Wildcats had the upper hand in the contest. Near the end of the first period the Wildcats took their first lead.

On a power play the Wildcats moved the puck around the Celtics' zone.  A Providence Catholic Central defender got it and iced it.  USM's sophomore goaltender Bryan Botcher set the puck up behind the USM net. Senior defenseman Nathan Burke took it and began skating toward the Celtics' zone.  Burke passed it to senior Ashton Wackym who skated deep into the Celtics’ corner, curled back through the left circle, and launched a shot past Providence Catholic Central's starting goalie, Justin Salazar at 14:52.

Providence Catholic Central tied the score in the opening seconds of the second period. Providence Catholic Central senior Jack Kelly got the puck and passed it to sophomore Ben Brandau, who headed into the USM end.  Using a defenseman as a screen, Brandau fired a high shot over Botcher's shoulder into the net at 0:29.

USM quickly recovered and outshot the Celtics 12-5 during the remainder of the period.  Two of those shots made it into the Providence Catholic Central net.

The first came just seconds after Providence Catholic Central's tying goal.  Burke stepped in from the Celtics' blue line and picked off a clearing pass.  He moved closer to Salazar and lasered a low shot on net.  USM senior Corey Roadhouse rushed in to push the rebound under the prostrated goalie at 0:59.

Providence Catholic Central changed goalies, putting junior Brett Ernst between the pipes.  The Wildcats tested him and eventually increased their lead. The goal came late in the period while USM had four skaters on the ice and Providence Catholic Central had just three. From the point, Burke sent the puck to Wackym along the mid-boards.  Wackym headed toward the net, and from the circle, he blasted his shot past Ernst to make it 3-1 at 13:22.

Penalty problems plagued the Wildcats in the latter portions of the second period and the early moments of the third, but they were still able to notch the game's next two goals.  The first came at 3:14.  Sophomore defenseman Vadim Sukhanov sent a long stretch pass from deep in the USM zone to Roadhouse in center ice.  Roadhouse tapped it into the middle to senior Kenny Servis who had raced out to join the play. Servis skated across the Providence Catholic Central line, swerved toward the right boards, and as adroitly as an accomplished classroom note-passer, he dropped the puck to Roadhouse.  Roadhouse immediately one-timed it into the net.

The Wildcats scored their final goal late in the period.  Junior Ben Walker began the play by intercepting a pass and heading into the Providence Catholic Central zone on a breakaway.  Ernst stopped his shot, but the puck careened to sophomore Duncan Brown who was trailing Walker. Brown took an off-angle sot.  The rebound came out to USM junior Steven Swanson who threaded the puck through an opening for the goal at 12:51.

In the final few minutes of the game USM replaced Botcher with sophomore David Routier.  Routier stopped the first shot on him for his first-ever varsity save, but he soon surrendered the second varsity goal of his career.  It occurred while Providence Catholic Central was short-handed.  Sophomore Rick Yusa snagged a loose puck in his team's zone and raced past the over-zealous USM players on their power play.  Moving in on a breakaway, Yusa gunned his shot past Routier at 14:50 for the evening's final goal.

In the game Salazar made 9 saves while Ernst made 16 saves for the Celtics.  Botcher stopped 15 shots while tending the USM net, and Routier made 5 saves.

Providence Catholic Central is now 17-9-2.  The victory improved USM's record to 9-5.  The Wildcats put that record on the line in Fond du Lac at 4:00 p.m. Saturday in another edition of their long-standing rivalry against Fond du Lac Goodrich.