SHEBOYGAN - The stage is set, as the Fox Cities Stars (16-1) are set to face off against the Neenah Rockets on Tuesday for what could go down as one of the best hockey games of the season. These teams have been on a collision course since the start of the season, and it’s only fitting that the final Regular Season Conference game will decide who wins the Badgerland in 2025-26. Before getting to that point, the Stars had one more area of business to take care of as they traveled to Sheboygan to take on the Sheboygan Red Wings (8-5) for their second game in as many days.

Talk about a team that not only was motivated, but had upset on their minds as it was all Red Wings in the early portion of this one, using a three-goal second period to take a 4-2 lead. It’s been a long-time since someone has been able to handle the Stars as much as Sheboygan did in that second period, but like all good teams, the Stars found a way to battle back as they scored a pair of goals in the third to force overtime before Cale Adamovich put the game away in the extra frame to lift the Stars to a 5-4 overtime win.

Given how most of the Stars' games have gone this season, seeing them in a tightly contested game is something this team needed, as they may not only have that again on Tuesday but could very easily have a game like that come the postseason. As is the case more often than not, it was the Stars striking first, as the Adamovich boys (Cale and Blayke) set up the assist that led to the Andrew Ostermann goal just past the three-minute mark, putting the Stars on top 1-0. 

That was the theme for a large chunk of this one as Will Hollingsworth was bombarded by 33 shot attempts, which goes to show the Stars' offense continued to control the puck. Still leading by that score in the midway point of the first, it was the Red Raiders turn to put one past Elliott Reichenbacher, with Caden Decker lighting the lamp to make this a 1-1 game. Those were the only goals of the first period, but the Decker goal started what was a lengthy stretch of dominating play for Sheboygan, as that was the first of four unanswered goals for the Red Raiders.

Still tied with the five-minute mark in the second period rapidly approaching, it was Brady McAndrews putting an end to that as his unassisted goal made this a 2-1 game. Sheboygan was just getting started as Owen Conto and Decker scored just over a minute apart later in the period as the Red Raiders pushed their lead to 4-1. It was at this point in the game when the Stars' defense began to take over, as they held Sheboygan to just three shots the rest of the way, including one total shot inthe  third period and overtime combined, as they finished with 16 total shots.

The defense's effort not only allowed Reichenbacher to settle in but also gave the Stars' offense the confidence to battle back, as Preston McGinnis pulled the Stars to within 4-2 late in the second, where things would stand entering the third. Like the Red Raiders, who took over with four unanswered goals to end the first and begin the second, the McGinnis goal brought life back into the Stars' offense as it was their turn to go on a lengthy run of their own to pull the Stars back from the dead. 

Less than three minutes into the third, it was the Stars once again coming through as Xander Herron took the Quinn Murphy pass to pull the Stars within a goal at 4-3. Nearly nine minutes later, it was the other Murphy (Kellan) leading the break as he found Jake Koller on the offensive end, and he took care of the rest, and suddenly we had a 4-4 game with less than six minutes to go.

Fox Cities had a chance to win in regulation, but they were unable to find the back of the net, so overtime was needed to decide a winner in this one. With the momentum clearly on their side, the Stars didn’t waste anytime as they came out firing to begin the Overtime. The end result was a goal less than a minute in as Cale Adamovich capped off another big night on the ice with an overtime goal 56 seconds in, capping off the comeback victory for the Stars 5-4. 

The win sets up arguably the biggest game in over a decade for this Fox Cities team, as they will face off against the Neenah Rockets (14-3) for what is the Badgerland Conference title game. A win for the Stars would give them their second conference championship in program history and their first since claiming their only title in 2013.