The Wildcats took an early 2 goal lead in the first period but were unable to hold that lead as the Bulldogs came on strong as the game progressed.

 

USM scored the first goal of the game while on a power play.  Senior Simon Leahy got the puck behind the Cedarburg net and passed it to Ashton Wackym.  Wackym sent it to the point to senior defenseman Zach Hafeman.  Hafeman stepped in with the puck as senior Ian Palin screened Cedarburg’s sophomore goalie Tyler Jansen. Hafeman gunned it in at 11:28 of the first period.

 

The Wildcats took a two-goal lead near at the end of the first period.  Wackym passed the puck out of the USM zone to senior James Shovers.  Shovers quickly passed it to Leahy who was heading toward the Cedarburg zone like an express train.  Leahy sped past a Bulldog defender and went in on a breakaway.  As he neared Jansen, Leahy made a fake to right then slid the puck past the sprawling goalie at 15:50.

 

The Bulldogs came out of the locker room growling and soon scored their first goal.  They got the puck into the USM end.  Matt Weikert forwarded the puck to  freshman Baxter Arndt on the right side.  Arndt crossed it to senior Brandon Thelen near the left post.  During a scramble for the pick, Thelen knocked it past USM’s senior goaltender Ben Myers to make it 2-1 at 3:17 of the second period.

 

Cedarburg tied it at 10:22.  Junior Olaf Jurenko intercepted a poor USM clear along the right boards, skated below the goal line and swung toward the net.  He pushed the pick toward the net and it slid across the line to tie the game.

 

The score stayed tied for the remainder of the second period. The Bulldogs then quickly took control of the final period, and the game.   They scored the winning goal while on the power play.  As the moved the puck around the USM end, senior Fred West passed it to senior Nick Boehlein.  Boehlein fired it.  The puck hit Myers’ pad and bounced out to the stick of senior Mitch Gall who immediately drove it in at 4:00 of the third period.

 

West picked off an errant USM pass at the Wildcats’ blue line, stepped into the zone and blazed a shot into the net to make the score 4-2 at 8:31.

 

Hard work paid off for the Bulldogs just over a minute later.  Freshman Nick Martin got the puck and passed it to West who headed into the Wildcat end.  He moved the puck to Jurenko who fired it and then smashed in his own rebound at 9:34.

 

The Wildcats were in a deep hole, but weren’t about to give up.  In the final minutes they gave it their all and put strong offensive pressure on the Bulldogs.  But the Wildcats were only able to get one goal out of their extra efforts, despite taking many shots on net.  It came at 11:02 when freshman Ryan Mezera got the puck in the Cedarburg corner and sent it to Leahy behind the net.  Leahy passed it out front to junior Kenny Servis who had slipped into the slot.  Servis one-timed a wrist shot past Jansen.

 

Jurenko scored Cedarburg’s final goal on an empty net at 16:30.  West had an assist.

 

In the game both Myers and Jansen made 36 saves.

 

The loss ended USM’s season.  The Wildcats finished with another in a string of winning records at 14-9-3.  Cedarburg is now 14-10-2.  The Bulldogs head into the Sectional final game against St. Mary’s Springs in Fond du Lac at 2:00 p.m. Saturday.