It was a good beginning. The University School boys’ hockey team started play in the Bronze Division of the Schwan Cup Tournament with a resounding victory over Rogers High School of Rogers, Minnesota on Saturday, December 29th at the Schwan Super Rink in Blaine, Minnesota. USM defeated Rogers 6-1 in the non-conference clash.
The Wildcats surely took it to the Royals. USM out shot Rogers 33-12 in the game. The closest margin was 8-5 in the first period after a long road trip for the Milwaukeeans. As they got their legs back in the remaining two periods, the USM players poured it on and captured the win.
Blake Carey and Tyler Herzberg each scored two goals to lead the Wildcat scoring parade. Carson Mogush and Alex Thundercloud also scored for the winners. Dylan Timm scored Rogers’ lone goal.
Despite their six-hour bus ride, the Wildcats were ready to go. They scored the game’s opening goal just over two minutes into the contest. In the right circle of the Royals’ zone, Herzberg lifted a defender’s stick and pulled the puck away. He passed it to Carey in the mid-slot. Carey turned and whipped a shot past Rogers’ goalie, Nathaniel Johnson at 2:03. Robby Newton was also awarded an assist on the play.
Rogers re-tied the score at 5:34. Near the center-ice red line, Mitchell Becker knocked the puck away from a USM player’s stick. It trickled to Dylan Timm near the USM blue line. Timm skated in with it then fired a shot that floated into the air and dropped behind Patrick Kelly, USM’s goaltender for the goal.
The Wildcats scored the eventual game winner a few minutes later. As the Wildcats forechecked, Herzberg got the puck in the right corner and sent it to Newton behind the net. Newton skated out the other side then passed the puck to Carey in the low slot. Carey one-timed it past Johnson at 7:26.
USM out shot Rogers 9-2 in the second period; one of those shots made it into the Royals’ net when Noah Eghbali pulled the puck away from a scrum in the Royals’ right corner and dashed behind the net. He sent it out front to Mogush, who snapped a shot into the net at 14:40.
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The Wildcats scored three more times in the third period. The first of these occurred at 3:26. Taking a face off in the USM end, Carey pushed the puck ahead. Herzberg sprinted to it and took off on a breakaway. He buried a shot from the low slot to make the score 4-1.
USM made it 5-1 just over a minute later. Battling for the puck near the Royals’ blue line, Mogush pulled the puck away from a defender and headed into the zone. He was stopped by a defenseman, so he turned and passed the puck to Peter Ells. Ells quickly passed it ahead to Thundercloud who was dashing to the net from the left side. Thundercloud caught the pass and dished a backhander into the net at 4:28.
The Wildcats concluded their scoring at 11:19 while on a power play. As the Wildcats moved the puck around the Royals’ zone, it went to Herzberg on the left side-boards. He passed it to Ethan Mann behind the net and took off for the goal. Mann returned the pass and Herzberg fired it past Johnson.
Jason Woods, USM’s head coach, commented on the win, “Good job by the guys today. You could see that the bus legs were there early, and we were just off a tick, but by the third period, we really turned it on. Now we face St. Paul Academy on Monday. I’m excited.”
Rogers is 2-4-2. The Royals play St. Paul Academy/Spring Lake Park in the second round of the Schwan Cup Tournament’s Bronze Division on Monday, December 31st at the Schwan Super Rink in Blaine, Minnesota.
USM is 7-1 and 2-0 in the Classic Eight Conference. The Wildcats play St. Paul Academy of Minnesota in a non-conference game on Monday, December 31st at the Schwan Super Rink in Blaine, Minnesota.
