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Wildcats defeat Kenosha in Classic Eight tilt

By Tom Geilfuss, USM Coach, 01/04/15, 2:30PM CST

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Epperson notches hattie in 9-1 win


The University School boys’ hockey team defeated the Kenosha Thunder 9-1 in a Classic Eight Conference game in Pleasant Prairie Friday night.

After being significantly outshot in their games in Minnesota, the Wildcats returned to Wisconsin and poured shots on Kenosha’s goalie, Tommy Laken.  USM scored four quick goals early in the first period, added one late in the same period, and then two in each of the following periods to seal the victory. Nick Epperson scored three goals, Chris Keliher scored two goals, and Hayden Brown, Jerzey Judge, Billy Miller, and Ben Hrabak each scored one for the Wildcats.

USM coach Tim Quinn said, “I told the boys that if we played with the same discipline and intensity that we did on our trip to Minnesota, we’d have a big victory against Kenosha, and that’s exactly what happened.  It was really nice to see the kind of offensive explosion that we had tonight. Even though we took our lumps in the Gopher state, playing that level of competition was well worth it, and it has clearly helped us to elevate our game.”

 The Wildcats scored their first goal at 4:18 of the first period.  Peter Barney chipped the puck into center ice.  A Kenosha defenseman stopped it, but Hayden Brown swept the puck away from him.  Brown skated into the Kenosha zone, and from the slot he fired a rising shot over Laken’s glove to give the Wildcats a lead they would never surrender.

Less than a minute later the Wildcats scored again.  They got the puck into the Kenosha zone and applied forechecking pressure.  Eventually Logan Geisness got the puck on the right boards and passed it to Judge at the near point.  Judge’s slapper zoomed passed Laken at 5:16.

USM tallied its third goal just over a minute later.  Once again they got the puck into the Kenosha zone and forechecked.  The puck went into the low slot where the Wildcats had two or three chances to bury it during a scramble near the crease.  Billy Miller finally put it past Laken at 6:49. Charlie Borges was awarded an assist on the play.

The Wildcats increased their lead at 7:45. Logan Geisness threw the puck into the right corner of the Kenosha zone.  Epperson collected it, skated out, and crossed a pass to Hrabak in the low left circle.  Hrabak quickly slashed a shot into the net to give USM a 4-0 lead.

The Wildcats made it 5-0 late in the first period. Breaking out of the USM zone, Hrabak tipped the puck to Geisness who skated through center ice, fended a defender away as he turned toward the net in the right circle, and put a low shot into Laken.  Hustling to the crease, Epperson knocked the rebound in at 13:07.

The Wildcats’ sixth unanswered goal put the clock on running time at 3:55 of the second period. Hrabak got the puck and passed it to Geisness who went into the corner.  He centered it to Epperson in the slot. Epperson gunned it into the net.

Kenosha scored at 14:13 of the second period, halting the running clock for awhile.  During a scramble for the puck in front of the USM net, the Thunder had several chances, but Peyton Phillips made his chance count.  Brett DeLaat had an assist on the score.

The Wildcats quickly responded with their seventh goal.  Once again they forechecked and passed the puck around the Kenosha zone.  Hrabak got it in the left corner and passed it to Keliher at the point.  He drilled a low shot on net.  Epperson rushed in and banged in the rebound at 14:50, to put the clock back on running time.

The Wildcats had time for two more goals in the third period.  Keliher got them both.  He scored the first of them at 8:08. His defensive partner Tommy Ferrara passed the puck to him behind the USM net and took off.  Skating into center ice, he forwarded a pass to McGill inside the blue line and kept going to the net.  McGill fired the puck at the net, and the onrushing Keliher snapped in the rebound.

Keliher scored USM’s final goal at 11:00.  Ferrara chipped the puck out of the USM zone to Barney along the right boards.  Keliher once again took off for the net.  Crossing into the Kenosha zone, Barney spotted Keliher zooming down the slot like a fighter jet on a mission.  Barney passed him the puck and Keliher one-timed a shot into the net.

USM is now 6-3-1 and 1-1 in the Classic Eight Conference.  The Wildcats play Greendale in a Classic Eight Conference game at Wilson Park at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, January 3rd.

WiPH Game Summaries