Eagles rout Beavers 6-1

The Sauk Prairie Eagles varsity hockey team scored twice in each period and limited the visiting Beaver Dam Golden Beavers to a single second period marker in a 6-1 win at Sauk Prairie Area Recreation Center (SPARC) on Tuesday (December 15).

The high-powered Eagles pounded 62 shots at the Beavers’ goal while sophomore Kaden Stracke kicked out 22 of 23 in goal for the Eagles.

Junior Nick Mast scored the first goal unassisted for the Eagles and senior Caeben Schomber added another later with an assist for junior Erik Peterson.

The Beavers pulled one back 6:35 into the second period but junior Hakon Peterson restored the two-goal margin 14 seconds later with an unassisted tally and junior Micah Hanson added a fourth for the Eagles from Schomber late in the period.

Hanson and Hakon Peterson both fired their second of the game in the final period, Mast and freshman Thor Peterson picking up assists.

The win boosted the Eagles’ overall record to 2-0 and they will look to stay perfect when they entertain the Oregon Panthers on Friday (Dec. 18).

Thunderbirds smother Blackhawks’ offense in 6-2 win

After dropping its first three games of the season, the Baraboo/Portage Thunderbirds discovered a taste for winning, following up its first victory with a 6-2 decision against the Viroqua Blackhawks at Pierce Park Pavilion on Tuesday (Dec. 15).

Thunderbirds shut down the Blackhawks through the final two periods, turning a close 2-2 decision into a lopsided decision with two unanswered goals in each frame. On its way, the Thunderbirds smothered the Hawks, who collected seven shots in the first period to just seven more the rest of the way, while peppering the Viroqua keeper with 31 of its 38 shots in the contest.

Oliver Scanlan opened the scoring for the Thunderbirds in the eighth minute, from Gabe Fitzwilliams and Carson Zick. After the Hawks tied the score, Scanlan notched another, this time a shorthanded effort from Courtney Dunnett.

Viroqua rallied to tie it again late in the period but that was the team’s final goal in this one, Andrew Schaetzl collecting the win in goal.

Fitzwilliams’s fired the game winning marker on a powerplay in the opening minute of the second period with assists for Zick and Luna Larson and that stood up until late in the frame when Peyton Sloan connected with help from Zick and Kyle Poole.

Larson and Campbell Koseor scored the third period goals, Larson on a powerplay and assists for Fitzwilliams, Scanlan and Zick.

The win boosted the T-Birds to 3-2 on the season and set up its first meeting of the season two nights later with the RWD Cheavers at RACA in Reedsburg.

Tough run at Dells Cup for Peewee ‘B’ Cheavers

The RWD Peewee ‘B’ Cheavers found the going busy but tough on the Dec. 11-13 weekend, dropping two and tying their final game at the Lake Delton Ice Arena’s Dells Cup tournament.

Also thrown in on Saturday was an additional 3-1defeat at Reedsburg Area Community Arena (RACA) against the Dodgeville Ice Wolves.

In the tournament, the Cheavers fail to register a goal in the first two games, falling 4-0 on Friday night against the Green Bay Gamblers Peewees and 3-0 against the Southeastern Hockey Association of Wisconsin (SHAW) Hockey Club Saturday afternoon.

In the finale against Waunakee, the Cheavers scored the first two goals, but need a last-minute goal as well to salvage a 5-5 draw with the Waunakee Wildcats.

Dells Cup

The Wildcats scored the lone goal of the opening period with what turned out to be the game winning tally early in the first period of the final game of the night at the Lake Delton Ice Arena on the Friday.

Two more in the second period, including a powerplay goal in the final minute widened the margin and the Wildcats clinched it with one more in the final frame.

The Cheavers found themselves back on the ice in Reedsburg early Saturday, then returned to the tournament, engaging in a close match with SHAW that was still scoreless entering the final period.

Shaw notched an even strength goal to take the lead, a shorthanded goal a couple minutes later to pad it and finally, a powerplay goal in the final minute to put it away.

Sunday morning, the Cheavers returned to play Waunakee and finally found the mesh with an unassisted tally for Dayne Wagner in the game’s second minute. Wagner also picked up an assist on the next goal, setting up Noah Mortimer halfway through the period.

The Wildcats pulled one back before the end of the frame and added two more to grab the lead in the middle period.

The Wildcats widened the lead early in the third before Mortimer notched his second and team’s third.

Wildcats added another with less than six minutes to go, but Wagner’s second with 2:30 to play, from Mason Mattson made things interesting and Wagner finished off his hat trick with another unassisted goal 26 seconds from the buzzer. (That goal is shown below).

Ice Wolves 3 @ Cheavers 1

After the late Friday game, the Cheavers hit the ice early Saturday afternoon against the Dodgeville Ice Wolves.

All four goals in this game came in the final period, Mason Mattson blanking the Ice Wolves on 19 shots through the first two periods.

The Ice Wolves found a way to the mesh early in the third and added another with 6:05 to play, but Wagner’s goal 13 seconds later had the Cheavers back to within a goal.

Samuel Larson, who fired the second Dodgeville goal, added another with 65 seconds to play in the game to secure the win.

Mattson ended up with 27 stops while the Wolves limited the Cheavers to just 17 shots.

The rough weekend dropped the Cheavers to 2-7-3 on the season and continues a winless skid dating back to the end of November.

Peewee Cheavers sweep Polar Caps, drop pair to Hawks

The RWD Peewee ‘A’ Cheavers wrapped up a split on the December 11-13 weekend, taking two from the East Madison Patriots on Saturday (Dec. 12) at Reedsburg Area Community Arena (RACA) before hitting the road Sunday and dropping two against the host Viroqua Blackhawks.

In the first meeting against the Patriots, the home team rallied with four goals in a little under six minutes to turn a 2-0 deficit into a 4-2 lead and ultimately, a 4-3 win.

The Cheavers left no doubt in the second meeting, piling up a 4-0 first period lead on its way to a 6-0 shutout win.

In the first game Sunday, the RWD squad dropped a 7-3 decision in the first game and 5-3 in the wrap up contest.

Saturday, December 12

Polar Caps 3 @ Cheavers 4

Polar Caps 0 @ Cheavers 6

The first game against Madison saw the Cheavers falling behind 2-0 in the first period and the same cushion was intact to start the third.

Landen Uminski opened the floodgates 4:15 into the final period with a powerplay goal, assisted by Elizabeth Haag.

An unassisted tally by Hailey Dietl tied the game at the 6:24 mark and Ethan Wilcox put the home team in front to stay from Tyler Krieski and Paige Othmer 44 seconds later. Uminski’s second, from Dietl padded the lead, but turned into the game winner when the Pats struck back for one more in the final period.

Jordan Kowalski kicked out 15 shots to collect the win in goal, but he saved his best for the next game, posting his sixth shutout of the season.

Dietl scored twice in the second game, Uminski adding a goal and two assists. Other goals came from Haag, Wyatt Arnold, and RJ Manley with assists for Krieski and Wilcox (2).

Sunday, December 13

Cheavers 3 @ Blackhawks 7

Cheavers 3 @ Blackhawks 5

At Viroqua, the Cheavers ran into a team with a high-powered offense that handed them back-to-back defeats for the first time this season.

‘In the first game, the Cheavers matched the Hawks through a period, trailing 3-2 entering the second with goals from Kowalski and Dietl and an assist for Krieski.

The home side added two more in the second and another pair in the third before Haag converted a pass from Manley late in the frame.

After five goals in the first period of the first period, teams failed to find the mark in the opening frame of the getaway game but made up for it with six second period tallies – unfortunately, four of them for the Blackhawks.

Manley collected an assist on a Krieski goal to open the scoring then scored the second himself a little over a minute later. Othmer also picked up an assist on the first goal.

Teams traded goals in the final period, Viroqua going up 5-2 before Uminski rounded out the scoring with a set up for Dietl.

The weekend split moved the Peewee Cheavers to 12-6 on the season.