Thunderbirds can’t hold on to early lead

By Jim den Hollander

Editor/Publisher

Saukhockey.info

Baraboo/Portage Thunderbirds dropped a tough 4-2 decision to the host Brookfield Stars in the opening match of the Brookfield Quad held at the Howard G. Mullett Ice Center in Hartland on Tuesday (Dec. 29).

Up by a goal after a period and 2-0 just past the halfway mark of the middle period, the Thunderbirds still owned a 2-1 cushion heading to the third.

Momentum built for the home side though through the final period as they scored the tying goal 63 seconds in, then grabbed the lead at the 4:50 mark. Another goal with 7:35 to play boosted the margin and Brookfield went on to carry the lead to the finish line.

Unfortunately, scoring details were unavailable as this was put together and will be added later.

The other two teams involved also played to a 4-2 score, Arrowhead Warhawks doubling up on the Marquette Hilltoppers.

Thunderbirds will try to regroup in time for a game Wednesday (Dec. 30) at 5 p.m. against Marquette with the Warhawks and Stars facing off in the finale at 7 p.m.

The loss dropped the Baraboo/Portage squad to 3-5 on the season. Next up for the Thunderbirds will be a meeting with the Tomah/Sparta hockey club on Saturday (Jan. 2) at Pierce Park Pavilion.

Dietl sinks game winner for Peewee Cheavers

The RWD Peewee ‘A’ Cheavers hosted the Onalaska/Holmen Tornado and earn a split Sunday (Dec. 27) at Reedsburg Area Community Arena (RACA).

The Cheavers used a pair of unanswered third period goals to snag a 3-2 win in in the opening contest Sunday morning but the visitors turned the tables later rallying from a 2-1 deficit for a 4-3 edge with three third period goals.

In the first game, Tornado opened the scoring early and carried a 1-0 cushion into the middle period.

Wyatt Arnold pulled one back for the Peewee Cheavers, but the Tornado responded to recapture the lead heading to the third.

The lead held up until Elizabeth Haag fired the tying goal with 2:24 to play in the contest. Seven seconds later, Hailey Dietl pounced on the rebound of a shot by Arnold to put the Cheavers in front for the first and last time.

Shown below is Hailey Dietl’s game winner

Jordan Kowalski turned in a stellar effort between the pipes, helping his team to the win despite being outshot 34-29. Kowalski kicked out all but one of the 17 shots he faced in the opening period.

In the return match it was the Cheavers carrying the slim lead into the final frame as goals from Tyler Krieski and Dietl about five minutes apart had the Cheavers up 2-1 with 17-minutes to play. Assists on the goals went to RJ Manley and Paige Othmer.

Tornado hit the board with four seconds to play in the second, then tied it early in the third and scored two goals in 21 seconds to take control in the middle part of the period.

Krieski notched one more in the dying seconds but it wasn’t enough to avoid the split.

Sunday’s games boost the Cheavers’ overall record to 16-7 and the Tornado edge in the second game snapped the latest Cheavers’ winning streak at four games.

The team will keep home ice advantage with another three games coming up this weekend. The first will pit the Cheavers against Regional rival, Monroe Avalanche in a 2 p.m. test on Saturday (Jan. 2). On Sunday, the Cheavers will prepare for another big Regional match with a 9:15 a.m. game against Waunakee Wildcats before the Sauk Prairie Flyers hit the ice for a 12:30 p.m. meeting.

The Cheavers have yet to face Monroe this season but dropped a tough 8-2 decision to the Flyers at SPARC in Prairie du Sac on Nov. 28. In another previous meeting on Nov. 7, also at RACA, the locals collected a 3-0 goose egg against the Wildcats.

Stando racks up 10 points in big Peewee ‘B’ Cheavers weekend

A three-game weekend homestand saw the RWD Peewee ‘B’ Cheavers tearing into a pair of Beaver Dam/Sun Prairie Cardinals and exploding for 23 goals in three games.

The Cardinals C2 team paid a visit Saturday (Dec. 26) for a pair of games, won by RWD 9-4 and 11-6. On Sunday, the C2 Cards put up a tougher fight, but the Cheavers found a way to way to win again, rallying in the final period for a 3-2 edge.

Teams started slow in the first game Saturday, Cardinals carrying a 1-0 cushion into the second period and it was just 2-2 heading to a crazy third period.

The Cheavers counted seven third period goal, including three in the final two minutes to make a close game seem a little more lopsided.

Andrew Stando scored the first two for the Cheavers on his way to a four goal, five-point game, Dayne Wagner and Cassidy Putz both adding two goals and an assist. Noah Mortimer set up a pair before sinking the game’s final goal with 29 seconds to play. Matthew Stando and Aiden Knull both collected assists as well.

Olivia Renneberg picked up the win in goal, stopping 22 shots.

Andrew Stando wrapped up a hat trick in the first game against Sun Prairie/Beaver Dam with this goal.

In the rematch, Cheavers went to work quicker, carrying a 3-2 lead out of the first and up 8-4 by the start of the third.

Andrew Stando wrapped up another three-goal, four-point game for an amazing nine-point day and Noah Backeberg enjoyed a huge game as well with four goals and five points. Wagner added another two goals and four points with other goals scored by Knull and Jenna Garbacz. Putz added another assist and Mason Matteson collected the win with 14 saves.

On Sunday, teams started slow again, playing through a scoreless first period and the Cardinals up 2-1 heading to the third.

Landen Uminski fired the second period goal for the Cheavers and notched the tying goal early in the third, setting the stage for Andrew Stando who ripped the game winner home with 10:25 to play. Lone assist in the game went to Garbacz on the tying goal.

The successful weekend boosted the Cheavers’ overall record to 7-8-3 and they have a shot at getting back to .500 for the first time since the season opener when they host a couple more home games this weekend. The Waunakee ‘C1’ White Wildcats will be in town Saturday and the West Madison Polar Caps will pay a visit on Sunday. Both games have a 4:45 p.m. scheduled puck drop.

Two game winners for Renneberg lead surging Squirt ‘B’ Cheavers

Clearly, the RWD Squirt ‘B’ Cheavers have discovered a love of winning.

After hitting the win column for the first time the previous weekend, the Squirt Cheavers posted three more ‘W’s this past weekend (Dec. 26-27) to carry a four-game winning streak into the New Year.

After posting a 1-0 shutout against the Sun Prairie C2 Cardinals Saturday afternoon, the Cheavers were back on the ice a couple hours late against the Madison Patriots ‘C’ squad, posting a 2-1 win. All three games were played at the Reedsburg Area Community Arena (RACA)

On Sunday, the Cheavers gave the Cardinals a chance to redeem themselves and posted a second shutout, this time by a 2-0 margin.

In the first game, Jase Uminski collected the team’s first goose egg of the season and both teams were scoreless through the first two periods. The only goal of the contest came from Rainier Scott in the final period with an assist for Briar Messer.

Rainier Scott fired the only goal in a 1-0 win Saturday

The second game saw teams even after the first two periods again, scoreless after the first and even at 1-1 heading to the third.

Messer fired the second period goal for the Cheavers, and the game winner came off the stick of Cole Renneberg. Aria Gada collected the win in goal beaten just once on 13 shots.

Gada came within seconds of a shutout the previous weekend and on Sunday, she collected the donut with a dozen saves to blank the Cards.

Renneberg fired another game winner with only goal of the first period, unassisted and Caleb Backeberg added some insurance in the middle frame with a set up for Messer.

The suddenly hot Cheavers will put its streak on the line with a pair of contests at RACA. The first will be against Regional rival, the Monroe Avalanche ‘B’ squad at 3:30 p.m. Saturday (Jan. 2) and t he other will be against Waunakee C2 Black Wildcats Sunday at 8 a.m.