The Notre Dame Academy Tritons' quest for back-to-back-to-back championships at the WIAA State High School Hockey Tournament hit a roadblock on Saturday night at Bob Suters Legacy20 Arena in Middleton in the form of the Madison Edgewood Crusaders. 

The Crusaders hustled their way to a 5-2 win over the two-time defending champions and earned their first championship in their eight try.

Notre Dame opened the scoring at 3:55 of the fist period on the powerplay. The worked the puck around the zone and back to the point, where Drew Heil stepped in and fired a shot high on Edgewood goalie Hayden Reuhl. Reuhl made the stop up high but it fell to his feet and Owen Atkinson knocked it in for the early lead.

After a wild, back-and-forth period Edgewood tied the game with 1:33 left on the clock. Owen Porter picked up the puck in the corner and battled through three Triton defenders, and hit Owen Koch in the hashmarks for a one-timer goal to tie the game.

Edgewood took the lead just 2:41 into the second period when Davis Halbleib picked off a Notre Dame pass in the neutral zone and came in one-on-two against the Notre Dame defense, he toe dragged around one and fired a wrister past Anton Widas in the Notre Dame goal for the lead.

Notre Dame almost evened it with 5:13 left in the second when Collin Campbell took a long-lead pass behind the Edgewood defense and came in on Reuhl but Reuhl was up to the task and made the save on the shot to his midsection. 

They had another shot to tie it with 3:50 left in the period when an Edgewood turnover left Owen Atkinson alone to fire a clapper at Reuhl, but he turned it aside with the blocker with no damage done.

Edgewood extended the lead a minute and a half later on a great individual effort on the power play by Owen Porter. He made a spin move around a Notre Dame defenseman in the corner and walked in all alone on Widas putting in a wrister to make it 3-1 with time winding down in the second.

Edgewood would push the lead to three goals just 3:24 into the third period. Owen Porter collected the puck in the corner and raced toward the back of the net, but before he got there, he hit Owen Koch in front for his second one-timer goal of the game and a 4-1 lead.

With 3:10 left in the game, Edgewood took a holding penalty and Notre Dame called their timeout, pulling Widas for the extra attacker. 

Notre Dame would score on the power play. Drew Heil attempted a wrap-around but was stopped by Reuhl. Andrew Ostermann was there to put in the rebound and pull Notre Dame within two.

Unfortunately for he Tritons the Crusaders would answer right back just 22 seconds later when Davis Halbleib collected the puck on a faceoff and tired it in to make it 5-2.

The Tritons got a penalty shot with 1:34 left in the third period when an Edgewood defenseman covered the puck in the crease, but Drew Heil lost the handle on the penalty shot and never got the shot off and that is how the game would end.

Anton Widas stopped 24 of 29 shots in the loss for the Tritons. Hayden Reuhl stopped 24 of 26 in the win for the Crusaders.