By Jim den Hollander
Editor/Publisher
Saukhockey.info
The South-Central 14U Girls Wisconsin Elite Hockey League (WEHL) team rallied back from a pair of opening weekend defeats against the West squad with back-to-back shutouts against the South-East WEHL squad at Lake Delton Ice Arena Sunday (Sept. 12)
Goaltenders Alexa Moore, from Tomah (TNT/Blue Devils) kicked out 20 shots in the first encounter, a 3-0 win for South-Central and Lily Rosenthal from Sun Prairie (Madison Mavericks Jr. Wis. Stars) turned aside another 10 in the second game, won by the locals 1-0.
In the opener, South-Central scored once in each period, beginning with Tahni Barger a DeForest native that played with both the Sauk Monkeys and Sauk Flyers along with Wildcat Youth Hockey. Barger drained a long range shot from just inside the blue line 20-seconds from the end of the opening period. Olivia Dull from Waunakee had a set up on the goal by Barger.
Barger is one of three Sauk County blue liners on the team – joined by Reedsburg’s Paige Othmer (Badger Lightning, RWD, Blue Devils AAA) and Sarah Hash, a Middleton native that played with both the Sauk Prairie Flyers and Sauk Monkeys as well as the Wisconsin Jr. Stars. Also on the team is Baraboo’s Reese Olson (Badger Lightning, Blue Devils AAA).
Other home team goals came from Anna Phillips from Black River Falls and Carolina Cutrano, also Waunakee (Mavericks).
Teams played through a pair of 15-minute frames settling nothing, although the South-Central team held an edge in both shots and control of the contest.
Ironically, the only goal of the contest came with South-Central shorthanded as Dull put one in under the cross bar, spoiling an otherwise brilliant effort from Elizabeth Bowers of Cedarburg (Ozaukee Youth Hockey) who stopped all but one of the 46 shots she faced, often two or more at a time.
Head Coach Jared O’Neill was pleased with the effort of his team (see video interview below) as the team evened its Before Season record at 2-2.
Sauk Hockey 