By Jim den Hollander
Publisher/Editor
Saukhockey.info
Readers of Saukhockey.info. I apologize for the recent stall and don’t really have an excuse except for a sudden burnout.
This has been the third year I have started getting Saukhockey.info off the ground and I made major strides in getting it to where it is, but I have been doing it along with a fulltime and part time job already. It’s honestly a labor of love though so it usually is not a concern.
I didn’t realize it at the time, but a decision to skip the Sectional semi-final in Sauk Prairie – a rematch of the previous season’s game against Verona – ended up having a lasting affect on me. I was getting ready to make the short trip to Sauk, but I was fatigued from a long day (week) and looking at making the trip with no heat in my car.
I had been doing that for a while, but for some reason, I decided getting home and getting warm on this night seemed important. That turned into now three weeks of inactivity on SaukHockey.info, combined with an increased workload on my part time job as a coordinator for the United States Premier Hockey League.
So today, I find myself feeling bad and frustrated that I was so close to making it through the climax of the season but determined to get on track for the off season and the start of the 2021-22 campaigns. In the past when I have had to miss a few days, I would bear down and ‘catch up,’ writing stories about week old games and pretending they were being covered live, so the archives would have all the details.
This time around I am going to focus on a few things – Reviews on all four varsity teams in Sauk County as well as a preview for teams heading to the WAHA state championship tournaments in a few weeks.
Also, catching up on the WIAC and MIAC women’s hockey seasons in time for their playoffs which start shortly.
Spending a half hour talking to my best friend recently rejuvenated me and made me realize that I might need to put a priority on getting some help. I mentioned recently on the Facebook page that I was looking for someone who is a hardcore hockey fan like myself but a whiz at website work and got no response – I think the ‘hardcore hockey fan’ is where I ran into trouble and my friend pointed out to me that is not actually that important.
So, I have altered my search just a bit. Now looking for a combination website/advertising guru who might be interested in helping turn this into something bigger and possibly something lucrative at the same time. My email currently is [email protected] or I can be reached or texted at 608-393-2876.
Look for some additions to the website and Facebook page soon. There is still some time left in this season and I am already pumped about the possibilities for next season.

After a 3-0 shutout win in the opening contest, teams returned a few hours later and notched a 4-1 decision at Waupaca Expo Center.
Kash Caldwell restored the two-goal cushion early in the final period from Baryn McNeish and Argall’s second added some insurance with a little under four minutes to play.
Teske was in the roster for both games, a 5-3 loss on home ice at Ed Saugestad Rink (Augsburg Ice Arena) on Friday night, then a return match at MARS Lakeview Arena in Duluth, Minn. Saturday evening, also won by the Saints, 3-0.
Also facing off on the opening weekend: Hamline Pipers collected a 7-0 shutout win against Concordia-Wisconsin Falcons in non-conference play and a scheduled match between St. Benedict Bennies and St. Thomas Tommies was postponed on Friday.
Last year, the Auggies and Pipers met in a home-and-home series early in the season, Pipers taking the first game 6-0 before the Auggies bounced back on home ice with a 4-3 edge.
Kaylee Engel, a freshman at Northlands is a product of Reedsburg Polars and Badger Lightning hockey programs locally and is the first area player in several years to play at the college level.

That changed on Saturday, for sure the best day of the season so far for the Lightning who put together a pair of impressive wins against the visiting Medford Raiders and Northern Edge out of Rhinelander.
Teams played through a scoreless middle segment and Capener padded the lead with a third goal on a feed from junior Carson Blosenski.
Bowden’s third of the day was the game winner, 56 seconds into the second period from Begalske and Capener and Ruhland also notched a middle period goal with help from Capener.
Prior to that, the Cheavers saw a 2-1 edge turned into a narrow 3-2 defeat I Janesville on Thursday night.
a goal 75 seconds from the final buzzer.
powerplay goal about two minutes later.
Two more lopsided wins wrapped up a near perfect season for the Eagles who enter the post season with at least as much promise as a year ago.
The Eagles though, found a higher gear in the middle period, scoring three unanswered goals on 23 more shots, then blasted off with a 5-1 edge and another 25 shots down the stretch.
Junior Nick Mast enjoyed a two-goal, four-point night to wrap up the season with 30 points in 13 games, Luke Mast adding an assist for a team high 33 points on the season.
Thunderbirds wrapped up its regular season with a spirited albeit unsuccessful come from behind effort against Marshfield that showed what the team is capable of.
Bluebirds hit the scoreboard first 4:13 into the final period but Campbell Koseor evened the score 40 seconds later from Oliver Scanlan and Gabe Fitzwilliams.
After an early second period goal for the Hilltoppers, Koseor had the Thunderbirds up again, from Scanlan and Larson.
A crazy game saw teams combine for more than 100 shots on goal including 16 in a wild overtime period that ended with 2:36 to spare.
A blue-collar squad, the Thunderbirds are probably best suited for a close physical type contest, but again, the team showed it can go wide open with anyone as well.
But first, let’s wrap up the regular season.
Senior Danny Ely pulled his team even, from senior defender Connor Schyvinck and sophomore Caden Brandt near the halfway mark of the middle period and then added another, unassisted about six minutes later.
To its credit, the Cheavers regrouped and played even the rest of the way.
As the number six seed, the Cheavers will host the 11th seeded Middleton Cardinals tonight (Tuesday, February 2). It’s certainly strange seeing this team ranked this low, but this has been a crazy year and the Cardinals have only five games played on its schedule – the only win coming this past Wednesday when the team shutout Sun Prairie 3-0. Ironically, that game was also placed at Reedsburg Area Community Arena (RACA) where the Cardinals and Cheavers will lineup tonight.
The Wisconsin Amateur Hockey Association (WAHA) Region 4 playdowns begin as early is Monday (Feb. 1 ) as all teams in the region at includes everyone from Illinois border, along the interstate to the Dells/Reedsburg area and south to Dodgeville.