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Fondy blanks USM to advance to Eastern Shores final

By Tom Geilfuss, USM Assistant Coach, 02/02/17, 6:30PM CST

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Warbirds notch three goals in final period for decisive win


In the semi-finals of the Eastern Shores Conference Tournament, the University School co-op girls’ hockey team lost to Fond du Lac 4-0 in a game played on Wednesday, February 1st at the Blue Line Ice Center in Fond du Lac.

The Warbirds scored one goal in the first period then tallied three in the third period to take the win convincingly.  Sophomores Morgan Brown and Drew Deanovich and seniors Megan Sprinkman and Callie Tighe scored Fond du Lac’s goals.

Despite out shooting the Warbirds 31-29, the Wildcats were unable to put any shots past Rebecca Binder, the Warbirds’ senior goalie who recorded her sixth shutout of the season.

“We knew it was a big game,” said Jacob Haury, USM’s head coach.  “We just did not play well at all.  We need to put this in the past, re-group, and get ready for the playoffs.  They’re coming up soon, and we need to be ready.”

Brown scored what would be the game winner at 3:33 of the first period.  She got the puck along the right boards in center ice, skated into the USM zone and passed the puck to Tighe who was rushing down the slot with no backchecker nearby. Tighe closed in on Marie Dedert, the Wildcats’ sophomore goaltender.  Dedert stopped the puck.  Brown hustled in, pulled the puck away from the kneeling goalie, and shoveled it into an open area of the goal.

The teams played back and forth hockey for the remainder of the period and throughout the second period.  The progress of the game was marred by penalties.  Fondy had nine penalties in the contest, and the Wildcats were assessed for five.

One of those five cost the Wildcats.  It was given with no time left in the second period, permitting the Warbirds to start the third period on the power play.   It didn’t take the home team long to make use of the extra player.  Taking the center ice faceoff to start the period, Brown drew the puck back to the right to Deanovich.  Deanovich took off, skated around a defender inside the Wildcats’ blue line, and headed in on Dedert on a short breakaway.  From the lower edge of the right circle she bulleted a high shot to the far side to give the Warbirds a 2-0 lead at 0:07.

WiPH Game Summaries

The Warbirds scored again at 10:18 at the tail end of a power play.  Sprinkman got the puck on the left boards in center ice.  She skated across the Wildcats’ line and avoided a sweeping stick check that swung a defender out of the play.  Sprinkman cut to the middle, and, from the high slot, she fired the puck.  Dedert made the save. The puck popped out to Sprinkman who had followed her shot in.  She got the rebound then pushed a backhander into the net.

The Warbirds completed their rout with 1:36 left in the period on a breakaway goal by Tighe.

The win allowed the Warbirds to head into the tournament’s championship game at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 4th at Arrowhead High School in Hartland. with a record of 17-2-2 and 7-1 in the Eastern Shores Conference.  The Wildcats are 11-10-1 and 4-4 in the conference. They play for third place in the Eastern Shores Conference Tournament at 4:00p.m. on Saturday at Arrowhead.  The Wildcats will face the loser of the game between the Green Bay Bay Area Ice Bears and Appleton United that will be played on the night of Thursday, February 2nd in Green Bay.