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USM girls fly past Eagles

By Tom Geilfuss, USM Assistant Coach, 12/09/17, 8:00PM CST

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14 girls tally points in 10-0 win

In the first round of the Girls Hockey Classic Tournament at University School, The USM co-op girls’ hockey team defeated Northland Pines 10-0 on Friday, December 8th at USM.

Like it was their first fancy dress ball, the girls on the Wildcat team came ready to play.  They scored their first goal early in the game and never looked back.

As a result, it was a night of firsts for many of the Wildcats.  Jennifer DeGeorge, who herself had her first night of coaching the Wildcats’ defense, explained, “Tonight was the definition of a team win: every player contributed to our success. We had a lot of firsts: goals, varsity playing time, and double digits, which led to a lot of happy faces. It was Spirit Night, and some youth hockey girls got their first experiences with the varsity by joining the players in the locker room before and after the game. It was a fun game to be a part of.”

DeGeorge’s leadership sparkled like brilliant jewelry. The defense responded to her with panache. They allowed the Eagles to take only seven shots during the game and helped their two goaltenders, senior Juliana Strother who started and played the first two periods, and Anna Schultz, a freshman who played in her first varsity game.

The Wildcats did not take long to score their first goal.  It came during the game’s first penalty.  As the Wildcats worked the puck around the Eagles’ zone on the power play, senior Megan McPike chased down a loose puck in the right corner.  She passed the puck to the near point to senior Hannah Gold.  Gold passed it back as McPike moved into the right circle.  Like a dancer on high-heeled shoes, McPike spun and fired a low shot that beat Piper Snedden, Northland Pines junior goalie at 3:45.

McPike scored the Wildcats’ second goal while the team was short-handed.  The eaGles cleared the puck from their zone and it went to freshman defenseman, Zoe Uihlein.  She skated it toward the Northland Pines blue line and passed it to McPike there.  McPike turned and skated down the left boards.  She zoomed in on Snedden and fired a low shot inside the near post at 6:38. It was the Wildcats first short-handed goal of the season.

Several Wildcats then got their first shift of the night and made good on their opportunities.  Taking a faceoff on the right dot in center ice, senior Natalie Pogorelc won the draw and pushed the puck forward.  She raced after it and knocked it into the corner.  She chased it down and passed it to freshman Eiley Sheahan behind the net.  Sheahan immediately backhanded a pass out front where senior Carolyn Ells was waiting like a limousine was on its way.  She quickly stilettoed a shot into the net at 9:00.  It was Ells’s first varsity goal.

The same line scored the next two goals for the home team.  The first came at 14:00 while the Wildcats were on the power play.  Junior defenseman Michaela Fritz blocked a shot in front of the Wildcats’ net, held onto the puck, and skated it into the Northland Pines zone.  The forward line members all headed toward the net as Fritz waltzed down the right side.  Fritz passed it in front, and Pogorelc slammed a one-timer past Snedden, making the score 4-0.

Seconds later it was 5-0. From the ensuing face off, Fritz skated it into the Eagles’ zone and fired a shot.  The rebound careened below the goal line.  Sheahan quickstepped after it and once again backhanded a pass out front to Ells.  Ells fired a wrist shot into the net for the first two-goal game of her career.  Time of the goal, 14:15.

The Wildcats were playing like they were a special dinner party, and added two goals to their repast during the game’s second course.  The first of these came at 2:58. Gold raced after a loose puck as it skittered deep into the Northland Pines’ zone.  She got it in the left corner, turned and saw she had no one on her dance card to help her.  So, she fired an acute angle shot at the net.  It hit the goalie’s arm, dropped, and slipped between her legs across the goal line.

The Wildcats made it 7-0 at 7:23. Fighting for the puck in the Eagles’ right corner, freshman Jordan Bonk won the battle and knocked the puck behind the net to junior Karly Lamoreaux.  Lamoreaux spotted junior Hannah Neudorfer in the slot and put a pass on her stick.  Neudorfer swiftly one-timed it into the net.

The Wildcats scored again at 10:51 of the third period.  Gold stopped a Northland Pines clear on the right mid-boards, spun and passed it to Uihlein at the left point.  Uihlein forwarded it to Neudorfer in the near corner.  Neudorfer then passed it to Lamoreaux in the left circle.  Lamoreaux skated toward the net and fired a shot into it.

Soon it was 9-0.  Junior Claire Ali skated the puck into the Eagles’ end and passed it back to sophomore defenseman Merdith Kent at the right point.  Kent lined a pass to junior Jenna Klenz in the left circle.  Offered a chance to join the goal-scoring dance, Klenz stepped in and whipped a shot into the upper corner of the net at 11:06.

The Wildcats made it to double digits on the scoreboard in the game’s last minute when Kent gunned a low shot past Snedden at 16:43. It was Kent’s first goal of her varsity career. Pogorelc and Ells each had an assist on the play.

After the game Kent described the goal, saying, “I remember calling for a pass and having Coach Carey's voice of ‘all pucks on net’ in the back of my head, shooting, and hoping for the best. It was such a good feeling to score my first goal in hockey ever, especially on Spirit Night.”

Northland Pines is now 0-5-1.  The Eagles play Arrowhead in the tournament’s consolation game.  The non-conference contest commences at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 9th at USM.

USM is 6-1.  The Wildcats advanced to the tournament’s championship game.  They will play play the Brookfield Glacier in a non-conference game on Saturday, December 9th at USM.

WiPH Game Summaries