The SPASH Panthers again showed their dominance both in the rankings and in the Wisconsin Valley Conference with a convincing 6-0 victory over the rival Wausau West Warriors on Tuesday evening at KB Willett Arena in Stevens Point.

Both teams were unbeaten on the young season in the WVC and overall. The Panthers were a unanimous number one in the Coaches’ Poll, while the Warriors sat at number two. The game had been postponed twice by weather, but this time West was able to make the short drive south.

Not everybody was in their seat yet when the Panthers scored their first goal, just 22 seconds in. Grady Miller and Grant Molski got the puck to the net. West goalie Julian Scalcucci made the initial save and one or two more before Miller got a shot past him.

West had two power plays in the first seven minutes of the game and got some good looks, but couldn’t get anything past Point goalie Zac Burdick. The Warriors also got a good opportunity on a two on one but the saucer pass didn’t land flat, and by the time the winger was able to settle the puck and shoot, Burdick was able to get across the crease and shut down the play.

Shortly after that chance, the Panthers were moving the puck around the Warriors zone, eventually getting it to Grady Miller, who sniped the top corner from just inside the right face off dot.

West out-shot SPASH 16 to 13 in the first period, with Scalcucci stopping 11, and Burdick a perfect 16 of 16.

The teams battled back and forth during the first half of the second period, with each goalie coming up with big saves. Halfway through the period Ethon Fischer was at the top of the slot and took a perfect feed from Teddy Westrick and roofed a one-timer to put the Panthers up by three.

With three and a half minutes to go in the second, SPASH made it 4 – 0 when Beau Schroeder gathered in the puck along the left boards and walked through the faceoff circle and fired a low shot that got through the leg pads. Thirty seconds later Westrick fired a rebound from the low slot to make it 5 – 0.

The final goal came on a five on three power play. Point got the puck to the net and crashed in hard. Bodies were flying and the puck was bouncing around. Scalcucci was prone on the ice above his crease when Miller grabbed the puck and calmly circled around the pile of bodies and flipped the puck into the empty net. That was the end for Scalcucci, as he was replaced in net by Orrin Binkley, who stopped ten shots in the final 13 minutes of the game.

The teams will play at least one more time this season, with another conference game on Thursday, January 22 at Marathon Park in Wausau.