In a game marred by injury, the #2 Wausau West Warriors pulled out a last second 6-5 victory over the #3 New Richmond Tigers Tuesday night in their division one section one semi-final at Marathon Park in Wausau in a high-paced, back-and-forth battle of two of the state's best teams.

The two teams felt it out for the first period, playing fast and even for the first several minutes until the 7:11 mark when Cooper Depuydt hit Owen Pergolski all alone on the back door of the New Richmond net for the 1-0 lead.

The play continued evenly for the next several minutes until a collision with six minutes left in the period left Depuydt down on the ice for a minute before he made his way back to the bench. To say that the Warriors were in free fall for the next four minutes without Depuydt would be an understatement. 

When Depuydt went down, shots were even at 13 a piece, by the time he came back onto the ice four minutes later New Richmond had put nine shots on the board to zero for West, and Max Kretovics had tied the game on a feed from Brody Jackson.

Depuydt returned to play with about two minutes left in the period and things evened back out for the remainder of the first. Warrior goalie Julian Scalcucci stopped 22 of 23 shots in the first period, and Tiger goalie Drake Bowman stopped 12 of 13.

The Tigers retook the lead on the opening faceoff of the second period. Steven Chapman and Canton Langeness weaved into the Warrior zone and Bjorn Bahneman finished off the play to take a 2-1 lead just eight seconds into the frame.

That lit a fire under the Warriors who dominated the next few minutes of play, but it would be the Tigers who got on the board next. On a set faceoff play in their own defensive zone, Gage Fox won the draw back to defenseman Reegan Saverine. Saverine fired the puck hard around the boards to a streaking Chapman, who corralled it around center ice. Chapman didn't get cleanly around hits defenseman, but he got around enough to turn toward the net and beat Scalcucci to take a 3-1 lead.

The Warriors, despite now trailing 3-1 continued to dominate the second period and at the 13:50 mark Chase Crass pulled the Warriors within one on a feed from Pergolski and Depuydt.

Things took a turn with 18 seconds left in the second period. With the Warriors on the power play Depuydt had the puck in the corner, and was venturing to the far corner. Bahneman came in for a check on Depuydt against the boards, and Depuydt ducked under the check and Bahneman went hard into the boards. 

Bahneman was on the ice for several minutes when the referees sent both teams to the locker rooms. The trainers, and eventually paramedics, tended to Bahneman, and after 25 minutes he was taken off the ice on a spine board and taken away in an ambulance. Bahneman suffered a clean break of the humerus bone a few inches above the elbow.

"To lose one of our best players in that fashion is heartbreaking. I feel for Bjorn who ended his senior year that way and I feel for our team," said Tigers coach John Larson. "especially our seniors who had to see one of their teammates go down. We have a very tight knit 9 player senior group. Bjorn has been a huge part of our success, especially the past three years. Words can't express how bad I feel for him."

The Zamboni came out to clean the ice, and then the teams played the last 18 seconds of the second period before moving straight into the third.

Scalcucci stopped six of eight shots for the Warriors in the second period, while Bowman stopped 17 of 18 for the Tigers.

The injury didn't slow down the Tigers, who continued to battle through the third period. Two minutes in, they went back to a two goal lead on a shot by Fox, assisted by Zaylin Sweet to make it 4-2.

"I was proud of how we continued to fight and battle," said coach Larson.

Just a minute later Crass scored his second for the Warriors, on another feed from Depuydt to bring the Warriors back within one at 4-3.

A Warrior powerplay at 6:50 of the third saw Hendrix Damrow take a cross-ice pass from Depuydt and score to tie the game. The second assist went to Scalcucci on the play.

New Richmond would retake the lead on a power play goal by Brody Jackson at the 9:33 mark with an assist to Max Kretovics.

Crass would tally a hat trick, and a power play goal, to bring the game back to even, again assisted by Depuydt, and Tyler Wendell.

The game was tied for the next four minutes, and it looked like the Warriors would be headed to their second straight overtime game, but with 38 seconds left Depuydt put one in on a feed from Crass, to give the Warriors the 6-5 lead, which is where it would end.

For the game Scalcucci stopped 37 of 42 shots for the Warriors in the win. Bowman stopped 39 of 45 in the loss for the Tigers.

Wausau West had two power play goals in five tries, and the Tigers had one power play goal in four tries.

"A few things didn't go our way in the third, but that is hockey," said coach Larson. "I give credit to Coach Brandt. He is a fantastic coach and a guy I have a lot of respect for. They are well coached and his kids battled hard. It was a good hockey game and it's unfortunate someone had to lose that game."

The Warriors advance to the sectional final against Eau Claire Memorial who they have played twice already this season. The Warriors opened the season with at 3-2 overtime loss to the Old Abes, and followed it up with a 3-0 win over the Old Abes on Jan. 10th. The sectional final will be Friday at 7pm in Chippewa Falls.