The University School co-op girls’ hockey team defeated Waupaca 9-0 in the WIAA state tournament Regional Final held at USM Friday evening.

Caitlin McBride and Nicole Unsworth each scored a hat trick to lead USM in the game. Rose Revolinski, Rachel Hoge, and Nina Andersen scored USM’s other three goals against Cassie Rasmussen, Waupaca’s goalie, who made 39 saves. The Wildcats’ goaltender, Jaime Hathaway stopped all 7 shots taken on her to record a shutout for USM.

Jason Woods, USM’s head coach, said, “It was a good win tonight.  Waupaca has improved since we last faced them, and they showed us some new things. I thought we adjusted to changing situations well against them. I also thought our defense played particularly well. Their efforts at practice are paying off. We will now focus our full attention on beating Appleton Tuesday night.”

The Wildcats scored the game’s first goal just 1:12 into the first period.  McBride passed the puck to Hoge who spotted Unsworth moving through center ice.  Hoge passed the puck to Unsworth, who skated with it down the left side, rounded a defender near the bottom of the Waupaca circle, and headed toward the crease.  Moving in, she put the puck past Rassmussen for the goal.

Unsworth scored the Wildcats’ second goal as well.  McBride got the puck in center ice and sped across the Waupaca blue line.  From the high slot she fired on net.  The puck rebounded to Unsworth who had joined the rush. Unsworth gunned it right into the Waupaca net at 6:29 of the first period.

The Wildcats made it 3-0 late in the first period.  From the Waupaca blue line, defenseman Rachel Lowe sent the puck into the far corner.  Andersen collected it, moved toward the net to draw a defenseman’s attention, then passed the puck into the high slot to Revolinski.  Revolinski unleashed a hard wrist shot that went high into the Waupaca net at 12:33.

USM tallied one more first period goal.  McBride got the puck deep in the Waupaca zone and skated out toward the slot.  She passed the puck to Hoge at the far point.  Hoge stepped and whipped a wrist shot through a screen and into the net at 15:20.

The Wildcats scored again at 3:11 of the second period.  McBride collected a loose puck in the Waupaca slot and blazed a quick shot past Rasmussen to make the score 5-0.

Andersen put the clock on running time when she one-timed a shot from the slot off a pass by Revolinski at 6:34 of the second period.

The Wildcats scored again at 10:54 of the second period. From the point, defenseman Greta Kobylinski moved the puck into the corner to Unsworth. Unsworth passed the puck out front to McBride who snapped it past Rassmussen to make the score 7-0.

USM tallied its eighth goal late in the second period. From the left point, Hoge passed the puck across the blue line to Kobylinski. Like she was diagramming a proof of the Pythagorean Theorem, Kobylinski lined a diagonal pass into McBride in the far circle. McBride sent it into the net at 14:02.

The Wildcats scored one goal in the third period.  It came while USM was killing a penalty.  Revolinski captured a loose puck in the USM end and skated toward center ice.  She forwarded a pass to Unsworth along the right boards.  Unsworth skated into the Waupaca end. From the top of the circle she blasted a hard slap shot into the far upper corner of the Waupaca net at 2:50.

USM is now 20-3-2. The Wildcats play Appleton United in the Sectional 4 Semi-final of the WIAA state tournament on Tuesday, February 25th at 5:00 p.m. at USM.