#2 Caps and #4 TW battled at new rink in DeForest

The Capitols U19 girls hosted TW U19 for two games at the new Legacy20 Arena in DeForest on Saturday, October 11.

The Caps entered the weekend ranked #2 and TW #4 in the Central District, according to myhockeyrankings.com.

Game one: TW won 2-1

The Caps wore dark blue jerseys and TW light-colored jerseys in game one.

It took ten minutes into the first period for the game’s first goal. TW took a 1-0 lead when Hannah Von Haden of the Bay Area Ice Bears scored with an assist from Ava Whitmore of the Central WI Storm.

Von Haden’s goal provided an emotional lift for TW. For the next several shifts TW had good opportunities. A couple minutes after Von Haden’s goal, Addison Dahl of the Bay Area Ice Bears connected with her Ice Bears teammate Faye Brunke on a stretch pass. Brunke went in on the Caps goalie but was unable to convert the opportunity into a goal.

The first period ended with TW leading 1-0.

About three minutes into the second period, it looked like TW would increase their lead when Madeline Macleod of the Brookfield Glacier put a shot on net that was destined to be a goal. However, Brooke Shoemaker kicked her leg out like Jesse Vetter to make a fantastic right pad save and deny Macleod.

For the next minute the Caps had multiple opportunities to tie the game. They had a string of shots, but TW’s goalie Elizabeth Bowers of the Lakeshore Lightning made several excellent saves to retain TW’s 1-0 lead.

Ten minutes into the second period Ava Whitmore picked up a rebound that hit the post on the Caps glove side but came out to the slot on the stick side of the Caps goalie. Whitmore converted the fortuitous rebound into a 2-0 TW lead.

The second period ended with TW up 2-0, but the Caps were outshooting TW.

In the third period the Caps controlled puck possession and zone time. Five minutes into the third period the Caps had a breakaway with a 2 on 0 but were unable to score. TW’s goalie Elizabeth Bowers was on her game and multiple Caps opportunities came up empty.

The Caps finally scored with under five minutes remaining when Brynn Holvenstot scored with an assist from Brielle Evers to make it a one goal game. The final minutes of the game the Caps pulled their goalie, and it was a frenzy around the TW net. However, TW’s Elizabeth Bowers stayed strong and did not buckle under pressure. She made 35 saves on 36 shots and was the player of the game. TW won 2-1.

“I saw a lot of shots today. I was ready for the game. I was geared up. We knew the Caps would give us a game.” Elizabeth Bowers, TW 19 goalie, Lakeshore Lightning

Game two: Caps won 5-1

In game two TW wore dark jerseys and the Caps wore white.

The Caps entered game two just like they ended game one. They controlled the puck and had more chances to score. Thirty seconds into the game a Caps forward got behind the TW D. The Caps forward had a for sure goal, but the left arm of a sprawling TW goalie Sofia Martinelli made a save reminiscent of Dominik Hasek.

Three minutes into the first period it looked like TW would be the first team on the scoreboard. The Caps had two players in the penalty box. But TW was unable to convert the two-man advantage into a goal. The game remained 0-0.

The Caps converted their opportunity into a goal shortly after TW missed theirs. Tatum Temple scored with a shot off the post with an assist from Brielle Evers.

A little over four minutes later the Caps increased their lead to 2-0 when Mia Kozak scored a top shelf goal with an assist from Madelyn Burgess.

The first period ended with the Caps leading 2-0 and having a 14-5 advantage in shots.

A little over a minute into the second period Faye Brunke of the Bay Area Ice Bears had a chance to cut the lead in half but was denied by the Caps goalie. Just seconds later Liesel Rettig of the Caps scored a one-timer with assists to Aerin Rabe and Mikayla Schindler. Rettig’s goal gave the Caps a 3-0 lead.

Seven minutes later TW finally got a bounce. Gabrielle Thomsen scored when she picked up a puck that came off the end board. Addison Dahl took a shot that came off the end board and to Gabrielle Thomsen’s stick. Thomsen got TW on the scoreboard and cut the Caps lead to 3-1.

The second period ended with the Caps up 3-1 and having a 27-11 advantage in shots.

In the third period the Caps put the game away in a span of twenty seconds. Two minutes in Brielle Evers scored with an assist from Madelyn Burgess to give the Caps a 4-1 lead. Then twenty seconds later Brielle Evers sealed the Caps’ victory. Evers scored her second goal, with an assist from Tatum Temple, to give the Caps a 5-1 lead.

The Caps won game two 5-1. The two teams split their two-game series. These teams will face each other in March at the Tier 1 Playdowns.

TW U19 is coached by Brian Poshak, Scott Mirwald, and Keith Bauman. For more information on TW, please visit www.teamwisconsin.net

Yours for hockey,

Matt Carey