The University School boys’ hockey team lost to Bay Port 7-6 in a non-conference game Saturday afternoon at the Cornerstone Ice Arena in Green Bay.

In the high scoring affair, the teams were tied 2-2 after a period, and the Wildcats led 6-4 after the second.  The Pirates came back and won the game with three goals in the third period.  USM had a chance to send the game to overtime, but a final shot in the last few seconds was ruled no goal by the referee. Hayden Brown, Ben Hrabak, Chris Keliher, Jake Kandel, Peter Barney, and Logan Geisness each scored a goal for USM.

USM coach Tim Quinn said, “It was an exciting game today against the number one ranked team in the state, and although we did not come out on top, scoring six goals and having a great chance to win was a major confidence booster for our team; something we need as we head into the playoffs.”

USM opened the scoring at 6:09 of the first period when Brown stole a puck from a Bay Port defenseman at the Bay Port blue line, skated in and buried a shot past Sean Angle, the Pirates’ goalie.

Bay Port tied it exactly three minutes later on a power play.  Spencer Challe took a pass to the slot from Bennett DeBouche and took a shot. The puck hit John Ostermeyer, USM’s goaltender, dropped to the ice, and slithered across the goal line.

USM went back ahead.  Ben Hrabak skated into the Pirates’ end a breakaway and fired a bullet high over Angle’s glove at 9:32.  Kandel and Geisness had assists on the goal.

Bay Port tied it at 14:44 of the first period on a goal by Logan Froberg.  Assists on the play went to Martin Suda and Brady DeBouche.

The Pirates took their first lead of the game in the opening minute of the second period. Skyler Kring forwarded the puck, sending Froberg and Suda off on a 2-on-2.  The pair made it past several defenders, then Froberg slipped the puck over to Suda who fired it in.

USM tied it at 3-3 midway through the period.  Kandel gained control of the puck in the corner of the Pirates’ zone and passed it to Keliher at the center point. Keliher blasted a shot that jetted past Angle on the glove side at 8:13.

The Pirates moved back ahead at 10:09 of the period when Connor Bagnieski snared the puck behind the USM net and quickly wrapped it around for an unassisted goal.

The score was soon tied once more on a USM power play.  Working the puck around in the Pirates zone, Geisness got it and moved it to Keliher in the circle.  He passed it out to Kandel at the center of the blue line.  Kandel gunned a shot into the net at 12:48.

USM took the next lead.  Hrabak sent it to Brown low in the Pirates’ zone.  He spotted Barney in the slot and sent it to his stick.  Barney immediately shot the puck past Angle at 13:13.

The Wildcats widened their lead late in the second period.  Kandel won a battle for the puck in the Pirates’ corner and spotted Geisness in front.  He passed to Geisness who whipped a quick shot into the net at 15:49.

Bay Port moved closer midway through the third period on a goal by Kring at 8:02.

The Pirates score their next two goals in the space of 8 seconds.  They tied it when they caught USM on a change. Austin Mikesch forwarded the puck to Bagnieski who skated in on a breakaway and buried a shot past Ostermeyer at 12:26.

The winning goal came off the ensuing center ice face off.  Suda drew it to Froberg who skated straight in and rifled a shot from the blue line into the USM net at 12:34.

With a little over a minute left the Wildcats pulled Ostermeyer.  They swarmed the Bay Port zone and had a near goal on a shot by Nick Epperson with about 13 seconds left, but it was ruled that Angle had it covered before it went across.

USM is now 13-8-2. The Wildcats play Onalaska in a non-conference game on Friday, February 13th at USM beginning at 7:00 p.m.