In a close, intense game during the opening round of the Open American Division in the Schwan Cup Tournament at the Schwan Super Rink in Blaine, Minnesota, the University School co-op girls’ hockey team lost to Marshall High School of Marshall, Minnesota 3-1 on Wednesday, December 26th.

The Wildcats played well in the non-conference game, but they had trouble scoring.  They doubled the Tigers shot total, 36-18. However, Emma Klenken, Marshall’s sophomore goalie, only allowed one of those shots to get by her.

“We played a good game tonight,” said Dan Carey, the Wildcats’ head coach.  “But they had a good goalie, and we couldn't get shots past her.”

The action went back and forth in the first period.  The Tigers finally broke the scoring deadlock late in the period.  Senior Sydney Mauch took a breakout pass from freshman Tessa Gannott and skated down the right side.  As she moved into the Wildcats’ zone, Mauch used the defenseman covering her as a screen and bulleted a shot past the Wildcats’ freshman goaltender Sami Stommel into the far upper corner of the net.  Time of the goal was 15:11 into the first period.

The Wildcats continued their onslaught in the Marshall end of the rink in the second period.  They outshot the Tigers 11-5 in the scoreless frame.

The game stayed as close as could be.  Once again the Wildcats outshot Marshall in the third period, 13-4.  Klenken continued to frustrate the Wisconsinites.  Her teammates helped by scoring a goal early in the final period.

The Tigers were on the power play and moved the puck around the Wildcats’ zone.  They began firing the puck and eventually senior Olivia Peterson took a shot from the right side.  The rebound off Stommel caromed to the left and sophomore Kaitlyn Timm clubbed the rebound into that open side of the net at 4:20.

The Wildcats closed the scoring gap at 14:20. Sophomore defenseman Zoe Uihlein stopped a Marshall breakout play on the left edge of the blue line.  Sophomore Jordan Bonk had begun to backcheck, so she grabbed the loose puck and turned toward the Marshall net.  She evaded a defenseman as she moved to the right. She took a shot that Klenken stopped.  Bonk hustled to the rebound and fired it into the net to make the score 2-1.