The University School boys’ hockey team defeated Greendale 5-1 in a Classic Eight Conference game on Tuesday, January 12th at USM.

The Wildcats pummeled the Ice Force’s goalie Konner Ondriezek with shots and were able to put five of their 33 past him.  Jerzey Judge, Christian Blomquist, Logan Geisness, Tommy Ferrara and Levi Geisness each scored a goal for USM.  Jack Schappel scored for Greendale.

The Force scored first.  While killing a penalty in the Force’s zone, Schappel came out to the point to block a shot.  After the shot went past him, Schappel floated into center ice like a small starship in a galaxy far far away from the notice of the USM players.  The puck caromed around the boards to Bailey Beierle who flipped it out of the zone toward Schappel.  Schappel raced into the corner to get the puck, swirled around the net, and came out front.  He shot the puck at Mac Schmidt, USM’s goaltender.  The rebound slid to the left and Schappel snagged it and lofted a backhander into the net for a shorthanded goal at 3:13.

The Wildcats struck back quickly, scoring a goal while still on the power play.  After the center ice face off, they got the puck into the Ice Force’s zone and began to work it around.  Eventually it went to Jake Kandel on the left boards.  Kandel skated toward the corner, and dropped the puck to Levi Geisness who switched positions with Kandel.  Geisness passed the puck to Judge at the center of the blue line.  Judge lasered a shot past the Ice Force’s goalie Konner Ondriezek at 3:47.

Neither team scored again in the first period.  The Wildcats tallied three goals in the second period to destabilize the Force and take firm control of the game.

The first of these came at 2:50. As the Ice Force began a breakout from their zone, Blomquist shoplifted the puck from a defender’s stick in the slot.  Blomquist hurried toward the net and slipped the purloined puck past Ondriezek to give the Wildcats a lead they would never surrender.  Billy Miller was awarded an assist on the play.

The Wildcats made it 3-1 a few minutes later. Andrew Malek won a corner fight for the puck in the Greendale zone and passed it to Levi Geisness in the high slot.  Geisness fired a high shot that flew over the goal and banged off the glass behind it. The puck careened to Logan Geisness in the left circle and he backhanded a shot into the net at 5:43.

USM scored again late in the second period.  During a scramble for the puck in the low slot, Ondriezek made several saves to keep the Wildcats at bay.  One of his defensemen tried to clear the puck, throwing it toward the boards. USM’s Riley Hill won a struggle for it and chipped it to Ferrara at the point. Ferrara sailed a shot skyward into the upper reaches of the net at 15:29.

Ondriezek kept making saves.  Thanks to his stellar efforts, the Wildcats were only able to score one more goal against the Force.  It came at 6:56 of the third period while the Wildcats were on a power play.  Malek skated the puck into the Greendale zone.  Nearing the right corner he turned and sent it to Logan Geisness who was hustling across the blue line.  Geisness flew in and lightsabered a shot at Ondriezek.  The rebound dropped in front of him, and Levi Geisness knocked it under the beleaguered goalie.

USM is 10-3-2 and has a slim half-game lead atop Classic Eight Conference with a 3-0-1 record.  Greendale is now 8-7 overall and 1-3 in the conference.  The Wildcats hope to continue their winning ways when they take on Appleton United, the top-ranked team in the state, in a non-conference game at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 16th at USM.