The University School co-op girls’ hockey team defeated the Fox Cities Stars 6-1 in an Eastern Shores Conference game played Thursday at USM.

The Wildcats scored two first period goals, one in the second period and then three in the third as they knocked the Stars from the unbeaten ranks in the conference.  Nicole Unsworth scored three goals for the Wildcats.  Sloan Sullivan scored two, and Lauren Hennelly’s one goal was the game winner.

Jason Woods, USM’s head coach, said, “It was not our best game, but we got the job done.  We did what we had to do.  We need to play every game with our best effort as we head down the stretch.”

The Wildcats began the game sluggishly; their position play was inarticulate, their passing was hapless, their effort scanty.  They gave the Stars several early opportunities, but Liz Ostermeyer, the Wildcats’ goaltender was ready, and she made the necessary saves, allowing her teammates to stay in the game.  Woods had to call an atypical first-period time out to get the Wildcats back on track.

One of the Wildcats’ captains, Liza Sisk helped the Wildcats sail from the doldrums by beginning the game’s first scoring play.  Sisk controlled the puck in the USM and sent a breakout pass to Camille Marks on the right boards.  Marks sped down the side into Fox Cities’ territory.  She wheeled behind the net.  As she came out the far side, she passed the puck to the blue line to Sullivan.  Sullivan blasted a quick shot past Morgan Talbot, the Stars’ goalie, to give the Wildcats a 1-0 lead at 3:53 of the first period.

The Wildcats increased their lead midway through the first period.  Battling for the puck in the Stars’ end, Caitlin McBride won it and passed it up the boards to Hennelly at the right point.  Hennelly fired a low shot that went across the goal line and slipped back out.  There was a scramble for the puck before the referee blew the whistle to award USM the goal.

Playing better hockey, the Wildcats went ahead 3-0 in the second period.  The line of Rose Revolinski, Nina Andersen, and Unsworth moved the puck into the Stars’ zone and began to systematically cycle it.  Andersen shot it.  During a wild scramble for the loose puck near the crease, Unsworth found a way to push it past Talbot at 5:41.

The Stars scored the game’s next goal.  Skating out of the Fox Cities’ zone, Marin Kelly pushed the puck past a USM defender.  She outraced the other defenseman for the puck, and then slid it to Brianna Ault who had joined the rush.  All alone, Ault swept toward Ostermeyer, moved left to make the goalie commit, then pulled the puck around and tapped it into the vacated portion of the goal at 15:31 of the second period.

The Stars’ late second period goal seemed to jolt the Wildcats, and they scored three unanswered goals in the final period to convince the crowd that they were witnessing some decent hockey.

The first of the third period goals was scored at 8:18.  Sullivan snared a loose puck near the USM blue line and skated into the Fox Cities’ zone.  She passed the puck to Unsworth flying down the right.  Unsworth returned the pass as Sullivan headed to the net.  Sullivan one-timed her shot into the net.

The Wildcats’ confidence was building, thus they built on their lead at 10:38.  Cycling the puck once again, the Wildcats got it to defenseman Hannah Koniar at the right point.  Koniar passed it to the center of the line to Sullivan who stepped and fired it on net.  Unsworth moved to it and snapped it in.

Unsworth recorded her hat trick less than two minutes later.  She collected the puck in center ice and headed toward the Stars’ zone.  Four players converged on her as she crossed the blue line.  To relieve pressure, Unsworth slid the puck back to Sullivan who was trailing the play.  Sullivan shot it.  The rebound came straight out into the slot.  Unsworth rushed to it, dashed past a defender, then blazed a short past Talbot at 12:10.

USM is now 12-1 and 3-0 in the Eastern Shores Conference.  In a game matching the state’s two top ranked teams, the Wildcats play the number 1 ranked Bay Area co-op in an Eastern Shores Conference game on Friday, January 9th at the Cornerstone Ice Arena in Green Bay, beginning at 6:30 pm.