The University School Co-op girls’ hockey team defeated the Waupaca Area Co-op 11-0 in the University School Girls Hockey Classic Tournament at USM Friday.

It was Friday the 13th, but the date didn’t portend misfortune for the Wildcats. For the fourth straight game they have scored ten or more goals and allowed only one during the span.

Once again the Wildcats’ goal-scoring maestro was freshman Nicole Unsworth. Unsworth had her second straight game with five goals and three assists. Junior Rose Revolinski also scored two goals. Single goals were added by senior Greta Kobylinski; junior Liza Sisk; sophomores Caitlin McBride and Hannah Koniar; and freshman Sydney Fritz, who tallied her first-ever varsity goal for USM.

After the game Fritz said, “It feels so good to score a goal.  I couldn’t have done it without Rachel Hoge, who passed the puck to me.  It was a great moment for me. I love being a member of this team.  We are really bonding together.”

USM’s coach Jason Woods commented, “Waupaca played hard. They had some nice shots tonight. Jaime Hathaway, our goalie, came through and stopped them all tonight.  She is one of the best goalies in the state. Even though we have been scoring lots of goals so far, we need to keep working on our defense. We will need solid goaltending from Jaime and Heidi Golembiewski as we go deeper into the season.”

It took the Wildcats awhile to get the USM scoring machine fueled and fired.  Once it got going, however, there was no way to apply the brakes.

The Wildcats didn’t score their first goal until 7:32 of the first period, but then scored three in just over a minute. As the line of junior Nina Andersen, Unsworth, and Revolinski cycled the puck around the Waupaca goal, the puck went to Unsworth who fired it toward the net.  It went off the backboards, and Revolinski scooped it up.  She skated out front and fired the puck past Waupaca’s goalie Cassie Rasmussen.

The Wildcats then took off and scored quickly scored two more goals. Forechecking deep in the Waupaca zone, McBride got the puck and passed it out to Sisk in the slot.  Sisk passed it to Koniar at the blue line. The defenseman blasted a shot into the net at 7:55.

It was soon 3-0.  Once again Unsworth, Revolinski, and Andersen swirled around the Waupaca goal like piranhas with teeth that bite.  Andersen bumped the puck to Unsworth, who sent it to Revolinski in the low slot.  Revolinski tapped a low shot into the net at 8:56.

Unsworth scored the Wildcats’ next goal unassisted.  She got the puck and skated toward the Waupaca net.  She pulled the puck around a defender and lifted a shot into the net at 9:11.

The Wildcats scored again 25 seconds later.  Unsworth got the puck and sent it to Kobylinski at the point.  Kobylinski sent a low wrist shot past Rasmussen to give USM a five-goal lead.

Just 45 seconds into the second period the Wildcats made it 6-0.  Andersen sent the puck behind the Waupaca net.  A defender grabbed it, but like a pickpocket pro, Unsworth stole it, whirled out front, and backhanded a shot high into the net to put the clock on running time.

 The Wildcats soon scored again.  Off the center ice-face off they moved the puck into the Waupaca zone.  As they passed it around, it went to junior defenseman Katie Lamoreaux at the blue line.  Lamoreaux passed it to Sisk in the high slot who fired a low shot in.  The rebound came to McBride who immediately directed it back into the net at 1:04.

USM scored again at 3:00.  Revolinski got the puck and sent it to Unsworth, racing like a catamaran in the America’s Cup through center ice.  Unsworth moved in on a breakaway.  From the right circle she threaded her shot into the upper corner between Rassmussen’s shoulder and the near post.

USM’s next goal was a beauty of team play.  Freshman defenseman Delaney Weiss intercepted a pass in the USM end and sped off. She deftly pulled the puck around one defender, and as she skated it into the Waupaca zone, she put a head fake on another defender and pulled it around her. Weiss looked at the net and instantaneously realized that McBride, who was zooming in to join her, had a better shot.  She dished it to McBride who quickly crossed it to Unsworth who was rushing toward the far post.  Unsworth one-timed it for the goal at 9:08. The assist was Weiss’s first point as a Wildcat.

In the third period, Woods moved his defensemen into forward positions. As a result, three of them demonstrated how skillful passing leads to a goal. Kobylinski forechecked hard in the Waupaca corner and came away with the puck.  She sent it out front to freshman Rachel Hoge.  Hoge sent an amazing behind-the back pass right onto the stick of Fritz who was perfectly positioned near the far post. Fritz blazed a low shot inside that post at 3:52.

The Wildcats scored their last goal while playing shorthanded at 10:07.  Penalty-killing in the USM zone, Andersen rushed to beat a Waupaca defenseman to a loose puck.  Andersen got it and chipped it out the zone to Unsworth.  Unsworth flew into the Waupaca zone and closed in on the goal.  She deked Rassmussen, and like she was tucking a baby into bed for a good night’s rest, she finished the Wildcats' good night by slipping the puck under the goalie’s pads.

USM is now 5-1-1.  The Wildcats have won games in the first two rounds of the tournament and are poised to win the tournament trophy.  To prove they deserve it, they must defeat the Stoughton Icebergs in a game at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, December 14th at USM.