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Weiss, Ali propel Wildcats past Beaver Dam

By Tom Geilfuss, USM Assistant Coach, 12/14/16, 10:00PM CST

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USM wins shot battle, 49-9

The University School co-op girls’ hockey team defeated Beaver Dam 10-2 in an Eastern Shores Conference game on Tuesday, December 13th at USM.

It was a cold night, but the Wildcats’ fire power was glowing.  It was a full team effort as they pummeled Beaver Dam’s junior goalie, Rebecca Avalos, with a total of 49 shots during the contest, 10 of which made it past her.  Each of USM’s three main lines scored during the lopsided affair.  Senior Delaney Weiss and sophomore Claire Ali led the Wildcats with two goals apiece.  Junior Abby Hentzen, Sophomores Isabel Schmidt, Michaela Fritz, Gaby Turer and Hannah Neudorfer, and freshman Georgia Sisk each tallied one goal for the winners.

The Wildcat defense permitted the Golden Beavers to take only 11 shots during the 51:00 minutes of hockey. Sophomore goaltender Marie Dedert started the game for the Wildcats and turned aside the only two shots the opponent forwards put on her.  She made an excellent save on a breakaway by sophomore Alyssa Helm midway through the first period.

In the second and third periods, senior Juliana Strother guarded the Wildcats’ net the way Count Dracula protects a crypt.  The Golden Beavers did light the lamp behind her on two unassisted goals by Helm, but Strother stopped the other five shots that the opponents fired her way.

After the game, Weiss, one of the Wildcats’ captains, said, “It was nice to get all our players out, but we still weren't playing at our best.”

The Beaver Dam defenders stayed close to their net, leaving the points open.  The Wildcats capitalized.  Their first two goals were scored by defensemen on shots from the blue line. They scored their first at 4:43 of the first period.  Forechecking in the Golden Beavers’ end, sophomore Karly Lamoreaux chipped the puck to Hentzen in the left corner.  Hentzen held the puck as the defenders moved close to the net, then she passed it to Weiss at the center of the line.  Weiss buzzed a shot past Avalos, giving the Wildcats a lead they would never surrender.

The Wildcats went ahead by two goals a little over three minutes later. As the Wildcats moved the puck in the Beaver Dam zone, it went to Hentzen on the left mid-boards.  She shoved it back to Schmidt at the near point.  Schmidt took a low, slow-moving shot that fooled Avalos and trickled past her at 7:58.

WiPH Game Summaries

The scored changed to 3-0 at 9:29 of the first period.   Fritz took a shot from the left point.  Avalos made the save.  The puck popped out to Rachel Hoge; she tipped it to Turer in the slot, who fired it back at Avalos.  The rebound fell near the goalie’s feet.  Neudorfer took two swipes at it.  The second was successful.

The Wildcats scored again early in the second period.  From the slot, Lexie Epperson passed the puck to Hentzen in Beaver Dam’s left corner.  Hentzen slid it to Fritz who was pinching down from the near point. Fritz pulled the puck away from the boards, skated into the corner, around behind the net, and stuffed it between the pipe and the goalie’s skates at 1:37.

Helm made the score 4-1 with her first goal.  She corralled the puck along the left boards in center ice.  As she skated in on a defender, she flicked the puck ahead, skating past the defender as she did.  She went in on goal all alone and fired the puck past Strother at 4:20.

The Wildcats responded quickly.  As they forechecked, junior Hannah Gold dove to stop the puck from leaving the Beaver Dam zone.  From her knees, she passed the puck to Lamoreaux at the left point.  Lamoreaux skated into the slot and noticed Hentzen standing near the right post like she was waiting in line to talk to Santa.  Lamoreaux passed it to her, and Hentzen fired it in at 6:23.

The Wildcats went ahead 6-1 second later.  Off the center ice face off, they moved the puck into the Beaver Dam zone.   Sisk chased down a loose puck in the right circle.  As she curled and skated backwards toward the blue line, she crossed a pass to Ali in the far circle.  With imperturbable aplomb, Ali lined her shot into the net at 6:45.

Late in the second period, the Wildcats increased their lead to six goals.  Sophomore Libby Hennelly skated to the center ice red line and dumped the puck into the Beaver Dam zone.  Sisk hustled after it, then passed it to Ali in the slot.  Ali moved it back to freshman Maggie Meissner at the right point.  Meissner took a shot.  Sisk tipped it in at 15:14.

Helm inched the Golden Beavers closer early in the following period.  She gathered up a loose puck in the Beaver Dam zone, fended off a checker, and skated through center ice.  As she crossed the Wildcats’ blue line, she fired a shot past Strother at 1:49.

The Wildcats put the clock on running time with their next goal.  Taking a face off in the USM end, junior Natalie Pogorelc pushed the puck ahead.  Like a street cleaner, Ali swept into the circle and picked up the loose puck.  Ali took off and roared through center ice splitting the defense as she did.  She skated into the Beaver Dam end, and from the right circle she wristed a shot into the net at 3:14.

A little over a minute later the Wildcats made the score 9-2.  In the Beaver Dam zone, Gold stopped a breakout pass by pinching down the left boards.  She skated the puck into the near circle then passed it to Weiss at the center of the blue line.  Weiss sizzled a low shot into the net at 4:45.

The Wildcats finished their scoring at 9:02.  Turer collected a loose puck in the left circle of the Beaver Dam zone.  She skated into the left corner, swirled out, and lifted a shot over Avalos pads for the goal.

As a result of the victory, USM is 6-3-1 and 3-1 in the Eastern Shores Conference.  The Wildcats play next in the Culvers’ Cup Tournament.  They faceoff against the St. Croix Valley co-op at 5:15 p.m. in a non-conference game on Wednesday, December 27th at Hartmeyer Ice Arena in Madison.