But the shot that traveled almost the full length of the ice and into Springs' empty net slammed the door on the Ledgers' best season since their halcyon days of the 1980s.

 

Cedarburg came to Fond du Lac and left with a WIAA sectional championship by beating Springs, 6-3, on Saturday afternoon at the Blue Line Family Ice Center, earning the Bulldogs' first trip to State for hockey and ending Springs' season with a 21-5 record.

 

"It's been a heck of a season," Springs coach Ty Steffes said. "We knew they were good. We had to make them believe it. They started to believe it. … At the end of the season they were playing with some confidence, a little cocky, playing with a little attitude, and it was a lot of fun."

 

Two of Springs' goals were answered within 1 minute, 15 seconds, including a damaging fifth goal for Cedarburg midway through the third period.

 

In the game's best constructed goal, Tyler Grebe came down the left boards and his cross ice pass found Jacob Schultz, who skated past the goalie and tucked his backhander into the net to make it 4-3.

 

Thirty seconds later, Cedarburg had a two-goal lead again. A turnover led to a 2-on-1, and Danny Valoe simply scooped his shot top shelf.

 

"Momentum swings; we'd have one come our way and didn't capitalize on it," Steffes said. "Didn't take advantage of the things that were given us."

 

There was still 8 minutes left, but the Ledgers, who used only two lines, had little left.

 

"The guys played hard, you know," Steffes said.

 

"They were tired, they gave us everything they had, so it was tough at the end to come back when you don't have a lot left in the tank."

 

Springs had itself to blame for needing to come back, and its misery started less than 2 minutes into the game, when Springs goalie Parker Deanovich's stick save left a Cedarburg with a point-blank rebound shot from right in front of the goal.

 

Five minutes later, another rebound from the slot gave the Bulldogs a second goal.

 

"We just work our tails off, and that's what rebounds in hockey is all about, getting dirty, ugly goals," Cedarburg coach Dale West said. "Just about hard work and being in the right place at the right time."

In between, Cedarburg's goalie had his own poor showing. Instead of guiding the puck behind his net to avoid Springs' forecheck he inexplicably placed it in his own crease, and Sean Ahern pounced to score Springs' lone first-period goal.

 

The goalie torture picked up again in the second period when Deanovich was able to get his glove on a shot only for the puck to fall behind him at the waiting stick of Freddie West.

 

"He gives you 120 percent," Steffes said of his senior goalie, who made 29 saves Saturday. "I think the nerves got to him just a little bit."

 

A deflected goal made it 4-1 before Tyler Grebe slapped a shot off a Benton Deanovich pass with 24 seconds left in the second period.

 

Those two will be back next year, but eight critical players from this year's team will graduate.

 

Coach Steffes told his seniors: " 'Thanks for four years. You have a hell of a lot to be proud of this year. You did more than any hockey team's done for St. Mary Springs for 25 years so you're going to have to hang your hat on that because it ends now, unfortunately.' "