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EMU Overcome Early Navigators Lead to Win Charlie Phelps Memorial Tournament

By Bill Berg Jr, WiPH Staff, 01/12/25, 9:30AM CST

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The Wausau East-Merrill United Bluejacks (7-9) and South Central Navigators (6-8), ranked 47th and 46th in Division 1 respectively by MyHockeyRankings.com, may often be on the outside looking in, but their championship game on Saturday at the Charlie Phelps Memorial Hockey Tournament in Merrill proved both teams are capable of delivering high-energy hockey. The Bluejacks overcame an early deficit to claim a 5-3 victory and take home the tournament title.

The Navigators capitalized on early Bluejacks mistakes to take a quick 2-0 lead. Just two minutes into the game, Nicholas Rentmeister scored on a feed from Jackson Rentmeister after a turnover in the Bluejacks’ zone. Carter Brown doubled the lead shortly thereafter when Logan Meyer intercepted a breakout pass and set him up for a goal.

Despite the rough start, Bluejacks coach Nathan Pagel urged his team to remain focused. “We just basically tell them to keep their heads up,” Pagel said. “Go out there and make the next shift better than the last—be the hardest worker on the ice.”

The Bluejacks took their coach’s message to heart and turned the tide midway through the first period. Nicholas Bodner cut the deficit to 2-1 with a shot from the low slot, assisted by Zach Pagel. Just 13 seconds later, Jackson Pierce tied the game after a Kanin Jahnke and Pagel danced around the Navigator defense on the ensuing faceoff. With less than a minute remaining in the period, Pierce struck again to give the Bluejacks a 3-2 lead, with Pagel earning his third assist of the game.

The Bluejacks came out firing in the second period, unleashing an incredible 25 shots on South Central goalie Mason Bieri. Pagel extended the lead to 4-2 with a goal, but the Bluejacks were unable to capitalize further despite the constant pressure.

“We have to do a better job finishing the plays we set up,” said Coach Pagel. “We need to be more patient, let the play develop, and elevate rebounds on the goalie. Still, I was proud of the resilience our boys showed.”

Bieri’s performance was a key reason the Navigators stayed in the game. “Mason is an incredible hockey player and an even better leader,” said Navigators coach Brady DeBouche. “Whenever we have number 1 in net, we know we have a chance in any game.”

South Central clawed back early in the third period when Brendan Barrett scored on a feed from Ryker Hovland, narrowing the gap to 4-3. However, the Bluejacks responded swiftly. Just over a minute later, Eric Grunenwald restored the two-goal lead with what would be the game’s final goal, sealing the 5-3 victory.

“Their goaltender played a heck of a game, which allowed them to stay in it,” Pagel noted. “Our goalie, Connor Burton, was also outstanding. He controlled his rebounds and got whistles when we needed them.”

Coach DeBouche commended his team’s effort despite the loss. “The boys came out of the gate hot and put ourselves in a good position to start the first. Unfortunately, we made some mistakes in our defensive zone that they capitalized on. Still, I’m always proud of these guys—they leave it all out on the ice day after day.”

Mason Bieri stopped 46 of 51 shots (.902) in an impressive performance for the Navigators, while Connor Burton turned away 31 of 34 (.912) to secure the win for the Bluejacks.

The Navigators will face the Oshkosh Ice Hawks in a non-conference game on Friday, while the Bluejacks prepare for a challenging matchup on Thursday against the top-ranked SPASH Panthers.

WiPH Game Summaries