Hockey Talk — Aug. 28 — Day off

The Ducks wrap up first week of training camp and for the first time, didn’t have to make their way to the rink for an early morning workout.

Dells Ducks

Originally, the players were scheduled to report at 5 p.m. for an all-night session at the Lake Delton Ice Arena but that was changed to Sunday so it appears the players will get a rare day off to wrap up the first week.

Among the events planned for Sunday evening is an NHL hockey video game tournament while the players take turns doing several floods of the ice surface at the Lake Delton Ice Arena.

The team will begin preparations on ice Monday and will play in anger for the first time Sept. 10-12 when they travel to Detroit for a trio of exhibition contests. The USPHL regular season will open the following weekend when the Rum River Mallards pay a visit to the Lake Delton Ice Arena.

Video footage from Sunday will be done live from the Lake Delton Ice Arena.

Happy Birthday — Jacob Cameron

Jacob Cameron played all 44 games of the 2017-18 season for the Ducks, collecting give goals and 15 points. The Oregon, Wis. native played with the Wisconsin Whalers of the NA3HL the following season in his home town but was limited to four games.

Happy 20th Birthday today Jacob

TW U-16 takes two of three on opening weekend

By Jim den Hollander

Editor/Publisher

Saukhockey.info

Team Wisconsin U16’s, including Luke Mast, a junior with the Sauk Prairie Eagles, opened its season taking two of three games on a road trip to the Chicago area Aug. 20-22.

All three games were played at the Arctic Ice Rink in Orland Park, Ill., starting with a 7-5 loss to the Florida Alliance Friday before bouncing back with a 6-4 win against Minnesota Blizzard Saturday and wrapping up Sunday with a 5-4 overtime edge against the Chicago Fury.

In the first game, TW fell behind 2-0 in the first period before rallying to tie it with two in the second. The southern squad regrouped and scored four before the end of the second period and never looked back.

Team Wisconsin goals came from Kyle Rohrer (Oregon Panthers); Mason Keller (Stevens Point Panthers); Jackson Lord (Homestead Highlanders); Carsen Gause (Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln Red Raiders) and Zachary Howard (St. Thomas Academy Cadets – Minn.) and Keller added an assist.

In the middle contest, TW carried a 3-1 margin out of the opening period and was up 6-3 heading to the third.

Reece Cordray (Verona Wildcats) scored a pair in the win, including a shorthanded tally to open the scoring. Jack McGregor (University School of Milwaukee Wildcats) and Rohrer both collected a goal and assist with other goals scored by Brenden Gruber (Notre Dame Academy Tritons) and Brady Engelkes (Middleton Cardinals).

In the third game, TW saw a 4-1 lead slip away as the Fury fired three goals in the game’s final seven minutes, but Gruber’s goal clinched it 98 seconds into the overtime segment.

Adam Timm (Rice Lake Warriors) paced TW with two goals and others were scored by Rohrer and Gause.

The U-16 squad was scheduled to head back to the Chicago area this weekend for a pair of games against the Windy City Storm at the Orbit Ice Arena in Palatine, Saturday and Sunday.

Luke Mast played a role in the weekend contest but didn’t hit the scoresheet in the first games of the before and after schedule.

Team Wisconsin U-18s off to hot start

By Jim den Hollander

Editor/Publisher

Saukhockey.info

Team Wisconsin U18’s opened its season this past weekend, sweeping three games on a Chicago area road trip winning three games in three different arenas.

Included on Team Wisconsin is Sauk Prairie Eagles senior forward Erik Peterson as well as defenseman Hakon Peterson, although Hakon did not play this past weekend.

TW started out the weekend with a 4-1-win Friday (Aug. 20) at Canlan Rink 2 in Romeoville against the Chicago Fury, then brushed the Windy City Storm aside Saturday at the Seven Bridges Rinks by a 5-2 margin. Wrapping up the weekend, TW moved by the Minnesota Blizzard 7-3 at the Arctic Ice Arena in Orland Park.

In the first game, Team Wisconsin grabbed a 4-0 lead through the first two periods with goals from Cody Menzel (Sr., Edgewood); Callan Budinger (Notre Dame Sr.); Bryce Strand (Bay Port Sr.) and Hunter Bill (Notre Dame Jr.) while Adam Prokop (Wausau West Sr.) carried a shutout into the final period and stopped 19 of 20 shots faced in goal.

Against the Storm, TW rallied back from a 2-0 first period deficit with five straight unanswered goals, three in the middle period and two more down the stretch.

Tyler Dale (Waukesha Sr.) opened the scoring with a shorthanded marker and added the game winner later in the second period. Dayne Deanovich (St. Mary’s Springs Sr.) added a goal and two assists, Josh Austin (St. Mary’s Springs Jr.) adding a goal and assist, and the other goal fired by Kade Smigaj (Stevens Point Jr.).

Bridger Fixmer (Chippewa Falls Sr.) kicked out 12 of 14 to pick up the win in goal

In the final game, Blizzard scored first 6:06 into the contest, TW tying it 50 seconds later and piling on another half dozen before surrendering the final two meaningless goals in the third.

Austin and Menzel paced the attack with two goals apiece, Smigaj adding a goal and assist with other goals for Deanovich and Peyton Platter (Eau Claire Memorial Sr.).

Fixmer and Prokop shared the work in goal, combining to handle 55 of 58 Blizzards shots.

Peterson didn’t collect a point on the weekend but played a role in the team’s season opening sweep. He and the team will be back in action with two more against the Windy City Storm, this time at the Orbit Ice Arena in Palatine, Ill.