Sydney Hendricks’ natural hat trick led the Hudson Raiders to a 5-2 victory over the University School co-op girls’ hockey team in the opening round of the Girls High School Hockey Classic sponsored by Ticket King and the Milwaukee Admirals on Friday, January 4th at USM.

With Hudson already leading 2-1, Hendricks’ first goal at 11:08 of the second period was the eventual game winner.  The senior captain followed it with two power play goals in the third period to give the Raiders an unassailable lead.

After the game, Hendricks said, “It was nice to get the lead and have momentum for the rest of the game. Our power play started clicking, and we got some good scoring opportunities tonight.”

As Hendricks noted, the key to the game was Hudson’s power play.  The shot totals in the non-conference contest were nearly equal, The Raiders took 20 total shots on USM’s freshman goaltender Sami Stommel, while the Wildcats fired 23 at sophomore Amelia Halunen, who played goalie for Hudson.  But Hudson scored three power play goals in the game and that was the difference.

“I thought we played well,” said the Wildcats’ head coach, Dan Carey, “we just couldn’t score.”

Hudson, however, did score.  The Raiders’ first goal came on one of their four power play opportunities at 11:19 of the first period.  As the Raiders worked the puck along the left side of the Wildcats’ zone, it went to junior Mallory Thompson in the corner.  She passed it to senior Julia Wareham along the sideboards.  Wareham passed it back.  Thompson skated along the goal line then fired a high off-angle shot that flew into the net to give the Raiders the lead.

The Wildcats responded with a goal in the final seconds of the opening period.  With time running out, senior Jenna Klenz hustled to get a loose puck in the Wildcats’ zone.  She turned up ice and took off. She weaved her way through defenders in center ice and moved to the right boards as she entered Hudson territory.  She skated down the right side, and as she neared the goal line, she cut toward the net.  Moving in, she fired, and snuck a shot past Halunen with just 6 seconds left in the period.

Early in the second period the Raiders re-took the lead and never relinquished it for the remainder of the game. As the Raiders forechecked, Senior Dani Robson raced to a loose puck in the left corner of the Wildcats’ end.  She wheeled along the boards.  Nearing the top of the circle, she spun and fired a low shot.  Wareham tipped it and the  puck eluded Stommel at 3:48.