The two highly ranked U15 teams battled in Stevens Point

Team Wisconsin U15 hosted Madison Capitols U15 for a two-game series at Ice Hawks Arena in Stevens Point on Friday, October 3 and Saturday, October 4.

Former NHL All Star Joe Pavelski returned home to Stevens Point to coach his Caps U15 team against TW’s U15 team. Pavelski played three seasons for SPASH and two for TW. In 2002, while in 11th grade, Pavelski won the WIAA State Championship with SPASH and a USA Hockey National Championship with TW.

Pavelski’s Caps team entered the weekend as the #2 ranked U15 team in the Central District and 13th in the nation, and TW U15 was the #3 team in the Central District and 15th in the nation, according to myhockeyrankings.com.

Game one: Caps won 4-1

The Caps scored the first goal of the game late in the second period when Max Stauffacher, wearing jersey #21, the same number his dad wore, scored with an assist from Nate Pavelski, wearing jersey #8, the same number his dad wore. Max is the son of Luke Stauffacher, a player on Sun Prairie High School’s 1997 WIAA State Championship team and captain of the UMD Bulldogs 2004 Frozen Four team.

The second period ended with the Caps up 1-0.

The Caps increased their lead to 2-0 early in the third period when Turner Johnson scored with an assist from Mason Gabler. TW cut the lead in half a little over five minutes later when Sun Prairie’s Grant Petterson scored an unassisted goal.

The Caps answered TW’s goal two minutes later when Max Stauffacher notched his second goal of the game unassisted. Stauffacher’s goal lifted the Caps to a 3-1 lead.

In the final minutes of the game, down by two goals, TW pulled their goalie for an extra attacker. Caiven Walos sealed the Caps victory by scoring an empty net goal.

Game two: Caps won 4-3

The temperature outside felt like July when the puck dropped for the second game of the two-game Caps/TW series.

In déjà vu from the prior game, Max Stauffacher gave the Caps a 1-0 lead when he scored with an assist from Nate Pavelski late in the first period. The first period ended with the Caps up 1-0.

The second period was a scoring eruption. The teams combined for five goals. Just seconds in, Christian Connors extended the Caps lead to 2-0 when he scored with assists from Nate Pavelski and Max Stauffacher.

TW responded twenty seconds later when Beckett Ertel scored with an assist from Hudson’s Koa Lassi. Ertel’s goal cut the Caps lead and inspired the TW bench. Less than a minute later Beau Schroeder of SPASH scored to tie the game 2-2. Schroeder’s goal was assisted by Notre Dame Academy’s Tripp Wroblewski.

The Caps watched their two-goal lead vanish in a matter of seconds. There was no panic on the Caps bench. With an all-star coaching staff of Joe Pavelski, Ryan Suter, and Luke Stauffacher, the Caps U15 bench remained calm and focused.

Caiven Walos scored an unassisted goal with 10 minutes remaining in the second period to give the Caps a 3-2 lead.

Six minutes later TW’s Beckett Ertel scored using a Dennis Savard spin move with an assist from Beau Schroeder to tie the game 3-3. The second period ended 3-3.

In the third period Caiven Walos scored the game winning goal, his second in the game, to give the Caps a hard fought 4-3 win. “I got a great pass from Nate (Pavelski) and faked to my left, I fell then put it on my backhand and scored.” Caiven Walos, Caps U16 player

“They have a good team. They capitalized on their opportunities better than us. Today we were way better in effort and compete. These are two top teams in the country at this age level.” Dan Francis, Team Wisconsin U15 Coach

Team Wisconsin is coached by Dan Francis, Tarek Baker, Joey Haydock, and Bob Schroeder. For more information on TW, please visit www.teamwisconsin.net

Yours for hockey,

Matt Carey