The University School boys’ hockey team soundly defeated Cedarburg 7-1 in a non-conference game on Friday, February 3rd at USM.
Firing all kinds of shots from all kinds of angles and spaces, the Wildcats out shot the Bulldogs by an overwhelming 52-8 margin in the contest. 6 different players scored for USM: senior Logan Geisness scored two goals, while freshman Blake Carey, sophomore Carson Mogush, junior Will Kennedy, and seniors Brandon McGill, and Tommy Mahoney each tallied a goal apiece. Senior James Furey scored Cedarburg’s lone goal on the night.
“Just an excellent bounce back victory for us tonight,” noted USM’s head coach, Jason Woods, after the Wildcats lost to Homestead, their other North Shore rival, in their game Tuesday. “I’m really impressed as we were able to control this one from the outset. We had contributions from the entire lineup and the guys really took pride in the defensive effort. I was so excited to see Tommy Mahoney get a goal. All this kid has done is be a team first guy and play as hard as he can when given opportunity. It was truly great to see him put himself in the right spot and finish, I am really proud of him. I’m proud of all the guys; this was a complete victory.”
It didn’t take long for the USM team to get the scoring rolling. Carey stopped a loose puck from leaving the Cedarburg zone. As he skated to ward the net he dished it to senior Nick Epperson in the right circle. Epperson sent it back as Carey neared the crease. Carey pulled it away from the Bulldog’s senior goalie, Danny Quirk, then from the side of the net lifted a backhander past the kneeling netminder just 1:01 into the game.
The Wildcats scored again less than five minutes later. Geisness tied up a Bulldog player along the right boards in center ice. Sophomore Tim Rooney pulled the puck away from scrum, skated into the Bulldog zone, and from the right circle launched a low shot at Quirk. The goalie stopped it but Mogush was heading down the slot. He swept the puck away then slammed it into an opening of the net at 5:59.
The Wildcats used a power play to score their next goal. As the Wildcats worked the puck around the Bulldog’s end, Epperson grabbed it in the right corner, skated toward the blue line and slid it to junior Kylar Fenton as Fenton moved into the right circle. Fenton passed it back to Epperson at the center of the blue line, and Epperson quickly fired a shot. McGill and Kennedy were double parked in front. As the puck came in, a defender pushed Kennedy who fell. The puck hit his stick; it bounced to McGill who tapped it past Quirk at 11:49.
A power play allowed the Bulldogs to score their only goal of the game. Sophomore TJ Storck got the puck near the top of the left circle and passed it to Furey at the middle of the blue line. Furey cautiously stickhandled to the right and into the circle. He lined a low shot toward the net. It hit a foot then wiggled like a worm across the goal line behind USM’s sophomore goaltender Gordy Leech at 13:25.
Unfazed, the Wildcats made it 4-1 just twenty seconds later. Geisness stopped a puck at the left point on the Bulldog’s blue line. He passed it to the center of the line to Fenton. Fenton skated in and from the top of the circle he blazed a pass to Mahoney who was un-marked in the high slot. Mahoney one-timed a low shot through a screen in front of Quirk for the goal at 13:45.
The Wildcats outshot the Bulldogs 25-1 in the second period, and scored on two of their attempts. The first of these came at 4:20 during a five-on-three power play. Geisness and Epperson exchanged passes from the top of one circle to the other as they patiently watched for a good shooting chance. Epperson spotted one and buzzed a low shot at the net. It hit Quirk and bounced into the crease. Kennedy was there and like he was clearing debris with a broom, he swept the puck past the beleaguered goalie at 4:20.
Geisness scored the Wildcats final two goals. His first came while the Wildcats were killing a penalty at 14:33 of the second period. He collected the puck behind the USM goal and began skating out of the zone. He avoided a checker along the right boards then cut to the center as he crossed the Cedarburg line. Using the defensemen as a screen, he blasted a low shot into the net.
Geisness scored his second goal on a power play in the opening minutes of the third period. The Wildcats moved the puck around the top of the Cedarburg zone. Geisness passed it to Fenton who passed it back. From the left point Geisness fired a high shot into the net at 1:20.
The Wildcats’ six-goal lead put the clock on running time. No further goals were scored in the game.
Cedarburg’s record fell to 4-17 with the loss. USM improved to 15-6 and 4-2 in the Classic Eight Conference. The Wildcats play Monona Grove in a non-conference game at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 4th at USM.