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St. Mary's Springs junior Connor Blanck tries to weave through Fond du Lac defenders during Saturday's game at Blue Line Family Ice Center

Springs Edges Fond du Lac

By Mike Hockett FDL Action Reporter Media, 12/22/13, 11:00AM CST

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Win gives Ledgers an 8-7-2 lead in the all-time series

Through the first seven games of the season, the St. Mary’s Springs hockey team was powered by big offensive numbers from juniors Anthony Grebe and Connor Black. The duo entered Saturday’s intracity game against seventh-ranked Fond du Lac having scored 25 and 21 points this season, respectively.

Both were held scoreless against the Cardinals, but the Ledgers’ depth got the job done in a 2-1 victory at Blue Line Family Ice Center.

After falling behind Fond du Lac 1-0, Springs’ Mark Austin and Brady Sarauer scored the tying and go-ahead goals in the second and third periods to send the Ledgers to their sixth straight victory following an 0-2 start, moving them to 6-2 overall and 3-1 in the Badgerland Conference. The Cardinals fell to 4-4 (2-2).

“Anthony and Connor were putting up ungodly numbers,” first-year Springs head coach Tim Ahern said. “Our second and third lines came through against Waupun (Tuesday). We’re getting more balance than we had in the first few games.”

“We showed we’re more than a one-line team,” added Ledgers senior goalie Andrew Rhiel. Rhiel made 30 saves for Springs — which received honorable mention in the latest wisconsinprephockey.com state rankings.

The Ledgers’ go-ahead goal with 11 minutes and 37 seconds left to play was perfectly executed. In Fond du Lac’s zone, Springs senior Zach McLaughlin fired a shot off the backboard that came out right to sophomore Brady Sarauer, who poked it past Fondy goalie William Schober.

“It was a great play by Zach,” Sarauer said. “They weren’t expecting it. It bounced straight out to me and I was in the right place at the right time.”
“That’s a set play we run,” Ahern added. “Our backboards here are so lively, and Zach is so fast. When he chips it beyond the defenseman off the backboard, he almost always beats the defenseman to the puck. His job is to shove it right on net. Our other two forwards crash. As soon as they see him do that play, it’s all men to the net. It worked.”

Springs’ defense held stout the rest of the way, including fighting off a Cardinals’ power play in the last three minutes and stopping two shots right at the end after Fondy pulled its goalie.

The win gave the Ledgers an 8-7-2 lead in the all-time series against Fond du Lac.

“It built the way I thought it would,” Fond du Lac head coach Ryan Sarazin said about the game. “It was hard-fought, low-scoring and both teams played well.”

The Cardinals outshot the Ledgers 31-21, with the difference being a 14-4 shots-on-goal advantage in the first period. But it didn’t pay off until the end of the frame, as senior captain Michael Wilson took a pass from Ben Pertl and then fired top shelf past Rhiel’s left shoulder for a goal with one second left in the first period. He fittingly gestured a bow-and-arrow to celebrate giving Fondy a 1-0 lead.“That was big, but we couldn’t build off of it,” Sarazin said.

Springs outshot Fondy 11-6 in the second period, cashing in with 5:28 left in the frame when junior Mark Austin cleaned up a shot from Logan Mertens, firing it into the open left side of the net to tie the game at 1-1. The Ledgers had a 4-on-3 advantage on the play.

Fond du Lac had a scary moment early in the third period as Wilson took a hit and stayed down on the ice for several moments. He tried getting up on his own but was unable to put weight on his right leg. He was helped off the rink by two teammates. He was able to walk it off, though, returning to the ice only a few minutes later. “Just a deep bruise with a shot to the foot,” Sarazin said of Wilson. “All hockey players get it. No major damage. We were scared for a little bit but he was able to come back.”

Sarauer scored the eventual game-winner shortly after Wilson returned, and Springs held on for the victory. “It’s big,” Ahern said of winning the rivalry game. “All these conference games are starred on the board in our locker room. These have double stars.”