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Four Shorthanded Goals Highlight SPASH's Dominance of USM in 10-1 Win

By Bill Berg Jr, WiPH Staff, 01/19/25, 9:45AM CST

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The #1 ranked Stevens Point Area High School (SPASH) Panthers (15-0) played host to the #5 ranked University School of Milwaukee (USM) Wildcats (11-3) on Saturday at K.B. Willett Ice Arena in Stevens Point in a Top Six clash and our Wisconsin Prep Hockey Game of the Week. The last time these teams played SPASH skated to a 5-2 victory. Unfortunately for the visiting Wildcats, this time the Panthers were on a mission and dismantled the visitors to the tune of a 10-1 victory that was in running time at the mid-point of the game.

SPASH wouldn't get on the board until nearly 9 minutes into the game, when Grady Miller took the puck around behind the University School net up to the hashmarks where he cut back and went the other way, before getting back to the net he hit a wide-open Grant Molski in front. Molski fired it past Brady Farrow for the 1-0 lead.

Back-to-back penalties on SPASH looked like the momentum would shift in University School's favor but 40 seconds into the second USM power play, SPASH made a clearing attempt that was partially stopped by the USM defense, and Jackson Schroeder jumped on the loose puck for a breakaway goal and 2-0 lead.

SPASH would add another shorthanded goal just 30 seconds later during the same power play. USM went D-to-D on the blueline, but there was a little bobble receiving the pass, and Beckett Carroll jumped all over it and headed up the ice on a two-on-one with Jackson Spees. Carroll hit Spees in the center and Spees put it in for a 3-0 lead.

With time waning in the first period, SPASH would extend the lead to four. Jerome Poirier picked up the puck on the SPASH blue line, raced down the ice, danced around his defenseman, and beat the goalie with backhand-to-forehand move.

"I feel the difference between our last meeting and tonight is that we took advantage of our scoring opportunities and capitalized on creating turnovers and having a relentless forecheck," said SPASH coach Matt Pohlkamp.

"Credit is very much due to the SPASH team who from the drop of the puck came out with an extremely high compete level, attention to detail, and are an extremely well coached group of talented players," said USM coach Corbin McGuire. "Our team was really never able to get structure to our play and were chasing the pace of play all game."

SPASH would extend the lead to five at 4:38 of the second period. On an offensive zone faceoff, Molski pushed the puck forward and tied up his man while Maksim Salienko gathered the puck and hit Carter Drexler in front for a quick goal.

SPASH put the game into running time when Schroeder came into the zone with speed at the nine-minute mark of the second period. USM goalie Bekcett Newman stopped the initial shot, but Schroeder corralled his rebound and went around the net to the far hashmarks, where he turned and fed Carsen Somers. Somers went behind the net and hit Schroeder in front for a quick redirect and a 6-0 lead.

Just more than a minute later SPASH would score their third shorthanded goal of the night. Drexler would partially block a USM shot from the point. The puck deflected to Tyler Bialis who hit the now streaking Drexler behind the USM defense and he scored on the breakaway.

SPASH would add another shorthanded goal two minutes later to make it 8-0. Spees would get the puck in the SPASH zone and chip it off the glass to the neutral zone where Schroeder would do the same to go around the USM defense and get another shorthanded breakaway goal to make it 8-0.

"Our PK executed to the standard that we are expecting from our players," Pohlkamp said. "I am really happy for the guys and that they are being rewarded for their hard work and for buying into the team process."

Schroeder extended the lead to nine at the 6:36 mark of the third period. He corralled the puck between he hashmarks and faceoff dot in the offensive zone, beat one defenseman and netted his fourth goal of the night.

Four minutes later he added his first assist when he picked off a USM defenseman's pass and hit Miller in the slot to make it 9-0.

University School got their first and only goal of the game 11 seconds later. After a dump in, Austin Jarmuz collected the puck behind the net and hit Henry Bechthold in the right faceoff circle. Bechthold slid the puck across the front and Liam Fetherston knocked it in to make it 10-1.

"We have to use tonight’s performance and result as an opportunity to reset our focus and hold ourselves accountable to make sure the level/standard we have for our team is consistent," McGuire said. "Overall our team has strung together both strong and not so strong performances/results and we have to use these games as a way to get better for when the playoffs start next month."

Brady Farrow and Beckett Newman combined for 24 saves in the loss for University School, their fourth loss of the season. Zachary Burdick stopped 15 of 16 shots for the Panthers who improve to 16-0.

"We have put a lot of attention towards being a fast and aggressive team," Pohlkamp said. "I would say this is contributing to our success and the edge that we are playing with this season."

"Overall it was a great performance by a dominant, well coached SPASH team and hopefully we use it as an opportunity to improve," McGuire said

University School will face Kenosha on Tuesday and then head up to the Historic Eagle River Sports Arena on Friday and Saturday for the annual Pines Classic. SPASH will face conference rival Wausau West on Thursday, and #2 ranked Brookfield on Friday.

Game Notes:

SPASH's Jackson Schroeder is at 217 career points, just three behind the SPASH school record of 220, set by Kade Smigaj who graduated in 2023.

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