2022-23 All Sauk Hockey varsity team

By Jim den Hollander
Editor/Publisher
Saukhockey.info
Following is a much belated look back on the 2022-23 varsity hockey season with my second all-Sauk County team.
This was a crazy season for this writer – absent for big parts of the campaign and unable to travel for some as well. But there were still some memorable moments and there is still not much better than sipping arena coffee on the glass with a game on the other side.
I don’t feel like as much of an authority or expert as I did last season, but I wanted to finally get this list up to honor some of the top players in the area (and state). As usual, putting this together gave me some great memories and early anticipation for the 2023-24 season which promises to be exciting as well.

All Saukhockey.info teams

First Line

Forwards:

Luke Mast (left) looks for a way past RWD defender Carsen Brandt during their game at SPARC last season night. Mast became the second player in team history to reach the 200-point plateau and Brandt was a defensive leader for RWD. **(Photo Courtesy Jessica Othmer)**

Luke Mast (Sauk Prairie Eagles) — Despite losing a solid core of players on both offense and defense to graduation at the end of the 2021-22 season, the Eagles enjoyed an improvement, climbing to the runners up spot in the Badger West Conference and becoming the first and so far only team to win a Badger Conference game against the Madison Edgewood Crusaders.

Mast was expected to take the reins for the Eagles and he couldn’t have done a beter job, scoring 33 goals and adding 45 assists for 78 points, ranking him among the top scorers in the state. Not bad for a forward that missed a pair of early contests with what turned out to be a not nearly as bad as expected wrist injury.

The Eagles collected 123 goals on the season which means Mast played a part in 70 percent of his team’s offense. This came as no surprise to anyone opaying attention to local hockey. Mast hs been a key part of the team since he collected 13 goals and 26 points as a freshman.

In his four seasons with the Eagles, Mast collected 86 goals and 206 regular season points becoming just the second player in team history to cross the 200-point plateau.

Kayla Capener (Photo Courtesy Jessica Othmer)

Kayla Capener – (Badger Lightning) — Nothing like leaving on top.
Capener and her senior teammates pitched in and delivered the Badger Lightning to levels not even thought of in previous seasons in 2022-23 and she moves on to the softball season as the Lightning’s all time leading scorer, her 19 goals and 29 assists for 48 points finishing off a 58 goal, 150 point career.
That includes the 2020-21 season that saw the Lightning compete in just 17 games during the COVID craziness. In that season, Capener, Bella Bowden and Mallory Ruland combined for an all-sophomore line forced into leadership roles on a Lightning team that consisted of 10 skaters and two goaltenders.
This past season, Capener notched 19 goals along with 29 assists for 48 points. In the assist column, she was third best in the state, just two helpers behind state leader Eileen Carey. Her 48 point was the fifth best total in the state.
Along with the rest of the now full Badger lineup including a group of hard nosed seniors that paid little attention to history dictating they were supposed to lose to certain teams, Capener helped the team to its first .500 season and first playoff victory in a decade or more.

Caden Brandt **(Photo Courtesy Jessica Othmer)**

Caden Brandt (Reedsburg/Wisconsin Dells/Mauston) — Much like Mast, Brandt is a soft-spoken forward that has been among the offensive leaders on the Cheavers since his sophomore season.
Brandt does his talking on the ice, and he can play in any situation as he possesses all the tools, a great skater equally comfortable in a tight checking or wide-open contest. His great vision and perfect passing make his teammates better when Brandt is on the ice with them.
Also, like Mast, Brandt endured a bit of an injury scare early in the season. He appeared in 20 of the team’s 24 games but that was enough for him to collect 20 goals and 37 points to lead the team in scoring.
In his career, Brandt notched 78 regular season goals and 128 points, the second highest total in the RWD team’s history behind only Dylan Brown (note – The RWD team was formed in 2010-11 – Reedsburg/Baraboo, Reedsburg and Wisconsin Dells statisics are not available).

Defense:
Carsen Brandt (Reedsburg/Wisconsin Dells/Mauston) — Caden’s twin brother has been a key part of his team’s blue line corps.
Brandt relied on both speed and strength to limit opposition opportunities and he is equally as effective in the offensive zone, particularly on a powerplay.
Expected to miss almost all of his junior year due to shoulder surgery, Brandt instead decided to push the surgery to the end of the hockey season and played through the pain becoming a key player on the blue line.
As a senior Brandt was everywhere, playing a big role on both offense and defense. He contributed three goals and 13 points and despite playing a physical game when needed he sat just 14 minutes in penalties over the season.

Karsyn Banta (Sauk Prairie Eagles) — Banta was the leading scorer among defenders on the Sauk Prairie Eagles, the junior putting up three goals and collecting 13 points on an Eagles team that suddenly got young on the blue line.
Despite losing some of the best defensemen in the conference, the Eagles continued to battle the Badger West’s front runners due in part to an experienced pair in goal, but also the defense corps stepping up in a big way. With the graduation of Mast along with senior goaltenders Brooks McInerney and Kaden Stracke, Banta will be counted on even more in his senior season.

Burke Schweda routinely faced 50+ shots in goal for the Baraboo/Portage Thunderbirds and kicked out more than 90 per cent of those chances. **(Photo Courtesy Jessica Othmer)**

Goaltender:
Burke Schweda (Baraboo/Portage Thunderbirds) — The writer is really going to chicken out in the goaltending category which was strong for all four Sauk County teams.
In fact, this is the only goaltending decision made. At first glance Schweda may seem an odd choice but primary reason for him standing out is his resilience. Schweda went to the crease 23 times in 2022/23 and he won just four games. But he routinely faced 50-plus shots per game with a season total of 1,295. He still sported a .909 Save Percentage and and the score played no part in his effort. Down by four or more goals he still stood tall in the crease and challenged shooters.
Schweda likely deserves most of the credit for the four wins and coming in as a junior this season, he will likely carry the load once again for the Thunderbirds.

Second Line

Forwards:
John Scott(Reedsburg/Wisconsin Dells/Mauston) — In the past two seasons, Scott transformed into maybe one of the most complete players in the conference. He may not seem as flashy as some of the others but spend a game or a period watching him and his true value comes through.
Scott lives for the battles at the top of the crease and while his 19 goals and 34 points were good enough for second on his team, there is no stat that measures his value when it comes to clearing the lanes and battling for loose pucks. Its a live by the sword, die by the sword type of game which saw him take 50-plus penalty minutes including three majors, but its a trade off most teams would happily take. He scored three goals on powerplay and added two others while the Cheavers were shorthanded.

Colin Harrington (Sauk Prairie Eagles) — Harrington has one more year to play and will be counted on heavily by the Eagles in his senior year. Playing on a line with Mast as a junior, Harrington racked up 21 goals and 43 points helping the Eagles outscore opponents 112-45. Of the team’s 112 goals, 78 came from Mast-Harrington and Landon Froese. Harrington led the team with four shorthanded goals and the top line proved almost equal to even strength when killing as the trio combined on eight shorties.
Harrington boasted solid speed and strength and he must have known his value as a penalty killer, sitting just 10 minutes himself in 22 games.

Landon Froese (Sauk Prairie Eagles) — This is the only Freshman that will make this team — just a policy for the writer to give credit to the upper classmen who lead the team. But it’s impossible to leave him off as he completed the team’s power trio.
The past half dozen or so seasons have been the best era in the Eagles’ history and many of the key cogs in that machine have moved on to college and beyond now. Froese is among the players that will play a big role in the next generation of the Eagles. Based on youth hockey performances in recent years, he will have some help.
Froese introduced himself to the varsity game with 24 goals and 41 points in 23 games. If he can build and improve on those totals he will leave in three years as a another who has reached great heights with the Eagles.

Defense:
Logan DeMars (Reedsburg/Wisconsin Dells/Mauston ) — A solid 200-foot player DeMars stepped up as a force at both ends of the ice for the Cheavers this past season.
DeMars led defenders on RWD with three goals and 17 points, four of his assists coming on powerplays and another with the Cheavers shorthanded. A four-year member of the varsity squad, the rugged physical defender wrapped up his career with eight goals and 33 points.
Despite not shying away from the physical part of the game, DeMars mostly kept it clean, collecting just seven minors as a senior which was less than the 22 minutes he collected as a junior.

Eryn Benson (Badger Lightning) — A pair of first years (See future prospects) stepped up in a big way for the Lightning this past season but Benson has been a primary piece on the blue line since she was a first year herself.
Her production dropped a bit in her senior season, likely due to a a more complete unit on the blue line that lessened her work load but she was still a key contributor with a couple goals and five points, wrapping up a nine-goal, 33 point four-year stint on the blue line. Benson collected a goal and assist on the powerplay but her main contribution came in her own end as she helped goaltender Alyssa Gada out keeping the front of the net clear and allowing her to see what was coming.

Goaltenders:
Alex Griebe (Reedsburg/Wisconsin Dells/Mauston); Kaden Stracke(Sauk Prairie)Alyssa Gada (Badger Lightning) — There hasn’t been a season in a while that saw all four teams with standout goaltending. There is little separation between any of them.
Stracke wrapped up a solid run for the Eagles, collecting 13 ‘dubs’ and dropping just four, then adding two more wins in the post season. Since his sophomore season, Stracke racked up 34 wins and lost just nine, posting a 2.18 Goals Against Average over his career. He kicked out 963 of 1054 shots for an overall save percentage of .914.
Stracke was the go-to man in the crease but Brooks McInerney was there all three seasons as well with numbers close to Stracke’s giving the Eagles quality and consistency no matter who was blocking the shots.
Alex Griebe, a sophomore made an awesome debut for the varsity Cheavers, playing all but 11 minutes of the team’s 26 games this past season. The young keeper gave an indication of what could be on the horizon as a freshman when he collected shutouts routinely as the team’s junior varsity tender. Following last season’s Sauk Hockey Player of the Year Cooper Oakes to the crease is likely comparable to a comedian following Jerry Seinfeld to the stage, but he did it in seamless fashion and he will be relied on heavily over the next two seasons.
Griebe collected 15 wins on the season and kept his team in some games with a 2.06 Goals Against Average.
Gada is entering her senior season coming off a remarkable season that saw her play a part in the team’s first .500 season in ages.
The team advanced at an awesome pace going back to the Covid-shortened campaign but in that season, Gada, then a freshman gave an indication of what to expect, allowing just 47 goals on 460 shots.
Depth on the blue line aided her this past season but she still faced 586 shots, kicking out 525 and helping the team to a 2.80 Goals Against Average, under three for a first time in recent memory. She also collected five shutouts on the season giving her seven total approaching what seemed an untouchable total of 11 posted by Jamie Dutton about a decade earlier. No other Lightning goaltender has posted more than two in a career since 2011.
Gada will become even more important as a senior as the Lightning continues to improve but may have to be even more defensively sound due to the departure of players that racked up a huge percentage of the team’s offense in recent seasons.

Third Line

Forwards:
Brady Baldwin(Reedsburg/Wisconsin Dells/Mauston) — Baldwin made an instant impression on RWD and has been a member of the team’s top two lines since his first game as a freshman.
Baldwin is a perfect linemate as he can play any role — playmaker, sniper, checker, defensive specialist…name it. Perhaps because of that, he has moved around a bit but has a knack for being able to create chemistry along with any player he is teamed with.
This past season he collected 12 goals and 17 points in 23 games, his best total in a 27 goal, 47 point career so far. He excels on special teams, three of his goals coming on powerplay and one a shorty. Meanwhile, he sat just 17 minutes in penalties himself.

Peyton Sloan (Baraboo/Portage Thunderbirds) — Goals were hard to come by for the Thunderbirds in 2022-23, but Sloan accounted for seven, more than a quarter of the team’s total. He scored key goals as well, collecting the game winner in two of the team’s four wins.
Head Coach Tony Bluske said the senior was valuable as a leader off the ice as well, helping keep the team motivated and on track despite the frustratioons.

Mallory Ruland (Badger Lightning) — Its impossible to question the dedication of a player that routinely traveled from Elroy to Baraboo for daily practices and Ruland was invaluable to the Lightning because of her ability to play in any situation.
Able to work on the boards on both offense and defense, Ruland kept it clean, collecting just three minor penalties in her senior season following up a penatly-free junior year and just five penalties total in 78 regular season games.
Ruland collected 15 goals and 31 points as a senior, finishing a 33-goal, 62 point four-year career. She notched three goals and six points on the powerplay and also picked up a short handed assist.

Defense:
Garret Mittelsteadt Sauk Prairie Eagles) — Mittelsteadt entered his junior season with just nine games of varsity experience but stepped up as an anchor on the blue line.
Some of the conference’s best defenders from the previous season graduated from the Eagles but if there were any questions about the blue line, they were answered in a resounding way, especially in conference games where Mittelsteadt helped the Eagles who allowed just 16 goals against in 10 conference matches.
He contributed offensively as well, scoring twice and picking up six points and he sat just three minor penalties.

Lukas Vana (Reedsburg/Wisconsin Dells/Mauston) — For a second consecutive season, the RWD team received some European help as Lukas Vana, an exchange student from Czech Republic stepped into a solid defensive role.
Vana appeared in all 24 regular season contests, collecting five goals and 20 points to rank third on the team in scoring and tops among defensemen. Vana was solid in his own end and played a part in defending Griebe and keeping shots to the outside whenever possible.
The rugged defender notched two short handed goals and collected an assist on another along with nine powerplay set ups.

Fourth Line

Forwards:
Reese Olson (Badger Lightning) — Olson stepped in for the Lightning in 2021-22 as a first year, scoring nine goals and 19 points for the Lightning, then added nine more goals and 24 points as a sophomore. A move to California (see story/interview) leaves a bit of a gap as Olson would have been counted on as a junior to build on her 43 point total.
Olson was a perfect fit on the Lightning, adding to an already aggressive squad, not shy about getting into the board battles but keeping it clean with just six minors on the season and 10 minors total.
A key on the powerplay, Olson collected a half dozen of her assists with the extra attacker this past season adding one more helper while shorthanded.

Gunnar Nachreiner (Sauk Prairie Eagles) — With so many of the team’s goals scored by the leading trio, Nachreiner, entering his junior season will be one counted on to help the team stay at a solid offensive level in the fall.
With seven goals and 11 points in his second season, Nachreiner will enter his junior year with 11 career goals and 29 points. He played a role on special teams with a powerplay goal and four set ups and he sat just eight minutes in minors himself.

Landon Olson (Baraboo/Portage Thunderbirds) — Olson ranked second on the team in scoring with five goals and eight points along with the seven points he notched the previous season.
Another player who tried his best to lead by example, it had to be a challenge being a mentor on a team that struggled offensively as the Thunderbirds did.

Defense:
Monte Hartmann (Baraboo/Portage Thunderbirds) — One of two senior leads on a T-Birds’ blue line, Hartmann teamed with Kyle Buelow to face an opposition barrage on a regular basis.
They did their best to limit chances against Schweda and deserve credit for their leadership by example and showing up for practice and workouts despite some tough nights at the office. Coach Bluske credited both for doing a good job of keeping things fun despite the many lopsided results.

Marc Othmer (Reedsburg/Wisconsin Dells/Mauston) — A defensive defenseman, Othmer has done a solid job of filling any role asked, including stepping up to play forward on occasion for the Cheavers.
As a senior, Othmer will likely be counted on for leadership with minute munchers Brandt and Vana both needing to be replaced. Othmer is one of those player’s who appears invisible on the game sheet but plays a big role on the ice with quiet but determined play willing to do whatever is asked.

Players of the Year

— Luke Mast/Kayla Capener — Another decision just too difficult to make. Others could likely be included in the running as well, but these two stick out because of the contribution they made to their team.
Their on ice personnas are similar as well — both relying on speed, puck handling and grit to lead the way for their respective teams. Beyond MVP’s, it’s hard to imagine their teams being close to where they were without the presence of these players.
Capener and Mast have both been key contributors and played on the team’s top line since their sophomore seasons.
Offensively both were among the best in state, Capener finishing her career as the all-time leading scorer for the Lightning while Mast ranks second on his team despite an unreal 206 points in 80 career games and an average of nearly three points a game.

Who to Watch in 2023/24

Paige Othmer/Kyran Merrell –– These two should both be on one of the lines above if not for a personal policy of heaping praise on senior class players.
The next era for the Lightning will be interesting and fun as a team that has fought its way to respectability in the state’s toughest conference with an explosive offense will likely try to climb higher by limiting opposition chances.
Othmer and Merrell did more than make their presence felt — they led by an example and while their primary role will always be offering protection to Gada, they will likely be among the team’s offensive leaders in the next three seasons as well. They were fourth and fifth in scoring this past season already and the three players in front of them will all be gone when the season faces off this fall.
By keeping them apart, Head Coach Rick Capener helped give the team depth on the blue line but if they are together, the powerplay could be deadly.
Othmer is a great powerplay quarterback patrolling from the blue line and uses her size to full advantage on the wall. Merrell might be the team’s best skater with speed an agility and her best strength is moving the puck no matter how much ice is available.
Seniors (and Olson) accounted for 54 of the team’s 73 goals this past season so the challenge will be there for several of the team’s underclass to step up, aided by the work of Gada, Other and Merrell behind them.

Thomas Sarnow (Baraboo/Portage Thunderbirds) — Not a bad first season for Sarnow who notched five goals on a Thunderbirds team that struggled mightily on the game sheet. A top player throughtout his youth career, Sarnow will be counted on for a lot on the T-Birds as a sophomore

Local teams compete at state championships

By Jim den Hollander

Editor/Publisher

Saukhockey.info

The Sauk Prairie peewee ‘A’ Flyers were one of the few teams able to celebrate the end of the season with a win as they wrapped up three seemingly easy wins to claim the Wisconsin Amateur Hockey Association (WAHA) State 3A Championship a few weeks ago.

Following is a division by division look at how things went down for all Sauk County teams that participated in Regionals and State Championship Tournaments

Squirt ‘A’

At Regionals held Feb. 4-5, the Squirt ‘A’ Division included just one game as the RWD Cheavers collected a 3-1 win against the Flyers at Sauk Prairie Area Recreation Center (SPARC).

The win advanced the Reedsburg/Wisconsin Dells/Mauston crew to the State 3A Championship as the Region 4 Representative in Rhinelander, WI.

Seeded seventh at the event, the Cheavers opened play at Rhinelander Ice Arena, playing the tournament opener against the second seeded Somerset Spartans early on March 4

A 5-1 loss in that contest sent the Cheavers to the Consolation side of the draw for an afternoon contest against the sixth seeded Oshkosh Warbirds later the same day.

A 4-3 edge in that one advanced RWD to the Consolation Championship contest but the fourth seeded Waupun Warriors spoiled Cheavers’ bid for a plaque and banner with a 5-1 win.

After defeating the Cheavers in its opener, the Spartans defeated third seeded Marshfield with an 5-4 decision in overtime and claimed the state title with a 3-1 win against number five Black River Falls Tigers.

Congratulations to the RWD Squirt ‘A’ Cheavers for a Region 4 Championship and a sixth place showing at State where they met up with both the eventual State and State Consolation Champions.

RWD’s squirt roster includes in numerical order: Jase Uminski; Talon Burton; Joel Dotts; Cole Renneberg; Thomas Bowen Jr.; Elliott Wilcox; Briar Messer; Caleb Backeberg; Bentley Meyer; Jesse Curley and Owen Meyer.

Justin Messer was the team’s Head Coach this season with help from Dustin Curley and Nate Wilcox and Angela Meyer was the team’s manager.

The RWD squirts wrapped up the season with an 18-23-1 record.

Congrats also to the Squirt ‘A’ Flyers who wrapped up a solid 18-10-2 (possibly a few games missing).

The Squirt ‘A’ Flyers includes in numerical order: Henry Zuelke; Bryce Argall; Isabelle Jolicoeur; Kelton Royster; Brayton Bahe; Luke Hager; Teresa Weiss; Mason Ramirez; Milio Donaldson; Oswald Tippery; Joshua Freeman; Cashton Suchla; Jonathon Bromley and Jayden Teague.

Michael Freeman is listed as the team’s Head Coach along with assistants Brett Suchla; John Tippery and Zake Bahe. Team Manager this season was Rachel Tippery.

Squirt ‘B’

The Squirt ‘B’ Regional Playdowns included both the Flyers and Cheavers along with the Ice Wolves out of Dodgeville and the Stoughton Vikings.

On Feb. 4 the Flyers Squirts collected a 12-0 win against the RWD Cheavers at SPARC and advanced to the Regional Championship against the Ice Wolves who edged the Vikings 6-5 in its semifinal.

Second round games were not required, top seeded Flyers gaining entry to the State Tournament in Somerset, WI while the Ice Wolves were granted the ‘host’ spot.

The Flyers drew eventual State finalist Somerset Spartans who were hosting the event on March 4, dropping a 5-3 decision and moving to the Consolation side of the draw.

Later the same day, the Flyers earned a 5-4 edge against Marshfield, moving to the Consolation Championship game, but the Waupun Warriors spoiled the run March 5 with a 3-1 edge to claim the Consolation title.

The Ice Wolves went to a shootout to capture a 5-4 edge against Marshfield in its opening game but ran into the Spartans in the second round dropping a 9-3 decision. In the third place contest, Barron/Chetek Grizzlies captured a 7-3 win against the Ice Wolves.

Congratulations to the Flyers on a sixth place showing at the State Tournaement. Team members include: Bryce Jacobs; Owen Olson; Carson Lohr; Logan Meyer; William Prohaska; Levi Sadek; Basil Welch; Wyatt Kieffer; Jameson Gray; Everett Meyer; Harper Caldwell; Catharine Marshall and Reid Hart.

Brandon Lohr is listed as the team’s coach along with assistants Tony Hart; Zach Wagner; Michael Kieffer and Paul Jacobs. Danielle Lohr and Natalie Hart shared the team manager duties.

The RWD Cheavers Squirt B roster included: Kaden Whitrock Pyne; Reeve Krus; Knox Ganem; Nash Walker; Tenley Van der Wilt; Brayden Lee; Darby Seep; Amaya Clark; Cooper Simonson; Corbyn Sullivan; Landyn Luke; Christian Shirek; Zander Mathis; Westly Williams; Jaxsen Folgate and Dalton Whitaker. Co-Coaches included Bryton Clark; Barry Folgate; Brad Lee and Eric Neuhauser and Megan Folgate was the team’s manager.

10U Girl’s ‘A’

The Squirt ‘B’ Regional Playdowns included both the Flyers and Cheavers along with the Ice Wolves out of Dodgeville and the Stoughton Vikings.

Monkeys guaranteed a spot in the top four with a 7-0 shutout win against the Eau Claire Mustangs in the second game of the state tournament but dropped a 4-3 heartbreaker against the Lake County Warhawks later the same day, returning the following day and wrapping up third place with a 5-1 win against the Fox River Freeze.

Congratulations to the 10U ‘A’ Monkeys on a third place showing at State and an overall record of 14-12-1 (Possibly missing some results) Team members include: Margaret Nelson; Hayley Chamberlin; Ruth Saltzberry; Callie Lohr; Brooke Schmidtke; Reagan Maier; Mya Goodman; Teresa Weiss; Giullette Melone; Grace O’Connell; Isabelle Jolicoeur; Lola Smith; Margaret Kossen and Ruby Rinabarger.

Jeromy Chamberlin was Head Coach of the Monkeys along with assistants Jed Smith; Derek Rinabarger and Shawn Nelson. Team manager was Julie Goodman.

10U Girl’s ‘B’

As the lone Region 4 representative at the Region 4 10U ‘B’ level, Monkeys earned an auto berth into the State Championship tournament played March 4-5 in Spooner.

As the eighth seed, the Monkeys knew it would take some big efforts to pick up a win on the weekend and Beaver Dam Wildfire, the top seeded team at the event collected a 12-0 win in the third game of the day in Spooner to send Monkeys to the Consolation side of the draw.

Later the same day, Fox River Freeze moved past the Monkeys with a 9-1 win and Green Bay also earned a 4-0 victory in the seventh-place game. All things considered, players may have been disappointed, but this weekend could be pointed to down the road as an experience that made the local 10U squad a better team.

10U ‘B’ Monkeys include Silvia Cassidy; Taylor Ruhland; Londyn Kleist; Maycee Bradley; Nellie Kaderaverk; Raegan Noltner; Eloise Nelson; Olive Nelson; Scarlett Breunig; Charlotte Gesicki; Gracelyn Kleist; Elizabeth Cook; Emily Ramirez and Ella Paul.

Seth Nelson was the team’s Head Coach and Aaron Kaderavek an assistant while Madeline Nelson took on managing duties.

Peewee ‘A’

Dave Jolicoeur’s peewee ‘A’ side claimed the state championship in Ashland which has already been reported on.

The team claimed its spot at the state tournament by winning the Region 4 Championship with a 6-2 edge against the RWD Cheavers Feb. 5 at SPARC. The Cheavers moved into the championship game with a 9-2 margin against the Beloit Junior Knights at McFarland the previous day.

The Flyers wrapped up a state championship season with five straight wins, including victories against Marshfield, Black River Falls and Tomahawk at the Ashland event.

Team members included: Haakon Hoeltke; Logan Harrington; Alexander Kirk; Braden Schlough; Brayton Bahe; Natalee Gesicki; Davis Lombard; Bryce Ballweg; Benjamin Freeman; Oswald Tippery, Michael Jolicoeur and Reid Knoll.

Dave Jolicoeur was the team’s Head Coach with assistants Michael Freeman; Jeffrey Harrington and Brian Schlough. Ryan Kirk was the team’s manager.

The RWD Peewee ‘A’ Cheavers also wrapped up a solid season with an overall record of 15-18-2.

Members of the Peewee ‘A’ Cheavers include: Landen Uminski; Kate Brandt; Rainier Scott; Kason Messer; Aaron Belk; Teaghan Geffert; Bryce Horkan; Evelyn Gurney; Jesse Arnold and Noah Backeberg.

Joe Uminski is the team’s Head Coach with Billy Oakes and Jeremy Backeberg also behind the bench. Team manager is Tara Uminski.

Peewee ‘B’

The Peewee ‘B’ Flyers were granted automatic inclusion in the State 3B tournament in Waupaca while the RWD Peewee ‘B’ Cheavers were granted a spot as the Region 5 Rep (There was not 3B level teams in Region 5) with a 7-2 win against Stoughton on Feb. 5 in McFarland.

The Cheavers took advantage of the opportunity and earned a 5-3 win against Oshkosh in the final game of the opening round March 11 to move to the Championship side of the draw. Earlier the Flyers suffered a 4-1 loss against Blackhawk and moved to the Consolation side of the tournament.

The Cheavers dropped a 4-1 decision to Somerset Spartans later the same day, denying them a spot in the championship game but instead returned Sunday to face Blackhawk in the third place match. Blackhawk collected th the plaque with a 4-2 doubling of the Cheavers.

The Flyers bounced back from its opening loss, taking out frustrations on the Tomahawk Hatchets 9-2 later the same day.

That pushed the Flyers into the Consolation Championship match but the Ashland peewees wrapped up that plaque with a 6-3 win.

Congratulations to the RWD Cheavers on a 4th place ranking in State. Team members include: Isaac Howe; Shirlie DeFosse; Nora Walker; Kapri Rabine; Elliot Wilcox; Aria Gada; Cole Renneberg; Jamison Haag; Harlan Folgate; Jase Uminski; Caleb Backeberg; Joseph Patton; Briar Messer and Braydan Potter.

Todd Patton and Jim Polanek are co-Coaches for the ‘B’ Cheavers and Katrina Knight is the team manager.

Congratulations to the Peewee ‘B’ Flyers who wrapped up fifth in state. Team members include: Henry Zuelke; Eli Dillon; Liam Hart; Calder Schakelman; Owen Olson; Reid Hart; William Prohaska; Mason Ramirez; Calvin Kunde; Calvin Russo; Cashton Suchla; JJ Hagen; Mason Cantwell and Jayden Teague.

Jason Teague is the team’s Head Coach with Juan Ramirez and Colin Hagen as Assistant Coaches. Manager duties this season were shared by Amanda Cantwell and Natalie Hart.

12U ‘A’ Girls

The 12U ‘A’ Monkeys earned its shot at state winning the lone Regional contest 9-0 against Sun Prairie. That advanced the Monkeys to play in the Milwaukee area in a tournament hosted by Arrowhead (Lake Country) March 11-12.

The Monkeys opened the event as the fifth seed but suffered a 4-2 loss against Superior Spartans March 11, sending them to the Consolation side of the pool.

The Monkeys bounced back with a 2-1 win later the same day against the eighth seeded Fox River Freeze, then captured the State 12U ‘A’ Consolation plaque and banner with a 3-1 win against the Black Cats ‘Black’ squad.

The Consolation crown wraps up a solid 20-6 record (some game results may be missing) and ranked fifth in state.

Team members include: Allison Herbrand; Khloe Walker; Lydia Falde; Carys Benedict; Ashlynn Ballweg; Louisa Hahn; Cassidy Annen; Claire Hansen; Huntleigh Grant; Hazel Kossen; Martha Weiss; Alyse Anthon; Ivy Hare; Kaydence Henke and Isabelle Laufenberg.

Robert Annen Sr. Is the team’s Head Coach with Jess Hansen; Graham Falde and Holly Walker as assistant coaches. Ellie Falde was the team’s manager.

12U ‘B’ Girls

The ‘B’ Monkeys also qualified for the state tournament with an automatic berth, making the trip to Appleton March 11-12.

Seeded sixth at the tournament, the Monkeys drew a tough opener, falling 7-0 to the number 3 Fox River Freeze in the second game of the event March 11. Later the same day, the Monkeys began play on the Consolation side, dropping a 3-2 heartbreaker in double overtime.

The locals dropped their final game at the state tournament as well, the seventh-place match on Sunday against Chippewa Falls.

Congratulations to the 12U ‘B’ Monkeys on wrapping up the season at the state tournament and ranked eighth overall in Wisconsin.

Team members include: Hayley Chamberlin; Carolena Weiss; Reagan Maier; Charlotte Drake; Vivienne Tomlin; Lucy Gibson; Mia Persinger; Sydnee Marks; Eliana Graham; Elle Osborn; Mackenzie Pflieger; Margaret Kossen; Bryn Hommowun; Ruby Rinabarger; Nora Thiering and Catherine Marshall.

Rebecca Hildebrandt was the team’s Head Coach with Jody Persinger; Brandon Hommowun and Matthew Drake also in place as assistant coaches. Team manager duties were shared by Jessica Mijal and Stephanie Osborn.

Bantam ‘A’

Sauk Prairie Flyers also earned a direct entry to the state championship as the lone Region 4 rep while RWD was also included as the tournament host.

Play started at Reedsburg Area Community Arena (RACA) on March 4 for the WAHA Bantam 3A title.

The host Cheavers dropped a 6-0 opening round decision to Somerset Spartans and the Flyers played the final game of the opening round, falling to the Waupun Warriors 6-3.

Both teams moved to the Consolation side of the tournament later Saturday, RWD advancing to the Consolation Championship game with a 7-0 decision against Black River Falls while the Flyers claimed the other spot with a 7-1 win against Waupaca.

A thrilling all-Sauk County Consolation Championship game went to the Cheavers with a narrow 4-3 margin. The state title went to the Tomahawk Hatchets who doubled Somerset 6-3.

Congratulations to the host and State Consolation champion RWD Cheavers with team members: Jordan Kowalski; Jenna Garbacz; Wyatt Arnold; Ethan Wilcox; Caydence Putz; Cassidy Putz; Matthew Stando; Ethan Pope; Andrew Stando; Molly Stokes; Marley Fischer; Tyler Krieski; Brian Skwara; Payton Kowalski; Olivia Renneberg; Nicholas Warneke; Aiden Knull; Dayne Wagner and Hailey Dietl.

Chris Arnold, Justin Pope and Nate Wilcox were team coaches and Nicole Stokes was the team’s manager.

Congratulations to the Bantam ‘A’ Flyers who wrapped up sixth spot in the state. Team members include: Ethan Goodman; Brody Bjorklund; Benjamin Hanko; Douglas Jolicoeur; Kash Caldwell; Cameron McInerney; Ryker Hovland; Austin Smith; Baryn MacLeish-Breunig; Caden Argall Tucker Cummings; Rylan Burch; Carl Weiss and Rowan Kauss.

Mark Schultz was the team’s Head Coach with Timothy McInerney and Kurt Caldwell as Assistant Coaches and Gregory Sarnow listed as ‘General Staff.’ Kristian Smith was the team’s manager.

14U ‘A’ Girls

The Lake City Whitecaps wrapped up its inaugural season with an auto berth to the State Championship tournament as the Region 4 Rep.

Traveling to the Milt Lunda Memorial Arena in Black River Falls, the Whitecaps opened play March 4 as the eighth seed and dropped its opener 9-2 against the top seeded and eventual state champion Fond du Lac Thunder.

A 9-1 loss against Hayward Hurricanes later the same day sent the area 14U squad to the seventh place game Sunday. A closer game saw the Whitecaps falling 2-1 to Winter Club and wrapping up its first season as the state’s number eight squad.

Roster for the 14U ‘A’ Whitecaps was unavailable on the Sauk Prairie Youth Hockey website.

14U ‘B’ Girls

The 14U ‘B’ squad also earned direct entry to the state championship tournament held March 4-5 in Beaver Dam.

Also seeded eighth, the Whitecaps found the road tough as well, pitted against the top seeded and host Beaver Dam Wildfire who sent them to the Consolation side with a 9-1 decision. The Whitecaps returned later the same day and were sent to the Seventh place contest with a tough Consolation round loss against the Western Wisconsin Stars 5-4.

On Sunday the Whitecaps wrapped up a tough weekend with a 5-3 loss to the Ozaukee Ice Dogs to finish as the state’s eighth ranked team.

Members of the 14U ‘B’ Whitecaps include Lili Peekna; Kylie Unseth; Vyvienne Tomlin; Lucy Gibson; McKenzie Teague; Olivia Zuelke; Seneca Ruyle; Mary Marck; Elle Osborn; Lauren Mankowski; Lila Shadewald; Allison Anderson; Violett Fredrickson; Allison Herbrand; Haydee Meyer and Madison Breunig.

Nathan Breunig was the team’s Head Coach with Jason Teague and Rebecca Hildebrandt as assistants. Melinda Teague was the team’s manager.

Brandt, Scott lead Cheavers past improved Avalanche

By Jim den Hollander

Editor/Publisher

Saukhockey.info

The RWD Cheavers varsity hockey team didn’t pay much attention to recent trends when it opened the 2022/23 WIAA playoffs at Reedsburg Area Community Arena (RACA) Tuesday (Feb. 14) with a 7-3 win against the Aquinas/Holmen Avalanche.

It was a battle of middle seeds in the 13-team WIAA Section 3 with the eighth seeded Cheavers hosting the number nine Avs. While the RWD squad endured and up and down season, its longest streak a pair of three straight wins.

One of those streaks started on Dec. 30 with a 7-0 win against the Avs at the Bobber’s Classic Holiday Tournament.

However, following that game, the Avs got about as hot as a team can get, picking up wins in 10 of its final 11 games.

That didn’t impress the Cheavers though as they carried a 1-0 lead out of the first period but had the game in control with a 5-1 margin heading to the third.

Leading the offense were seniors Caden Brandt with two goals and two assists and John Scott who fired a pair and set up another. Seniors Logan DeMars and Nate Stando had other goals along with junior Andrey Tougas.

Caden Brandt collected four points to help his RWD Cheavers teammates roll to a 7-3 win in their WIAA playoff opener at RACA Tuesday (Feb. 14). **Photo Courtesy Jessica Othmer**

Senior Lukas Vana had a couple assists with others picked up by senior Carsen Brandt and junior Brady Baldwin.

Avs goals came from senior Ethan Meyer, freshman Owen Hoehn and sophomore Casey Keane.

The win advanced the Cheavers into the WIAA Section 3 quarter finals but they face a tough task, heading to Verona to take on the top seeded Wildcats.

Cheavers bounce back from so-so tourney showing

By Jim den Hollander

Editor/Publisher

Saukhockey.info

Unable to continue a two-year run as the champions of their own tournament, the Dells Ducks bounced back with some solid and promising performances to start the new calendar year.

The Sauk Prairie Eagles robbed them of a chance to mount a nice string, but the team is certainly rounding into shape for a solid regular season homestretch run.

Hopes of a third straight home tournament trophy ended quickly as the Kenosha Thunder edged them 2-1 on Dec. 28 in the opening round of the newly named Bobber’s Winter Classic, sending the home side to the consolation side of the draw.

The Rice Lake Warriors compounded the pain with a 3-1 win against the Cheavers the following day sending them to the seventh-place final for the first time ever.

The Cheavers took out frustrations with a 7-0 against the Avalanche made up of La Crosse area schools to avoid a winless showing at the event.

That win started some momentum for the Cheavers who returned from the Christmas Break with another goose egg – 8-0 against the visiting Waupaca Comets Jan. 3 and an impressive 2-1 edge in its return to Badger West Conference play on home ice against the Oregon Panthers.

The run ended though with a heartbreaking 5-4 loss to the host Sauk Prairie Eagles at Sauk Prairie Area Recreation Center (SPARC) on Tuesday (Jan. 10).

At the Winter Classic, the Cheavers scored the lone goal of the first period against Kenosha but couldn’t add another. The Thunder scored twice about four minutes apart in the final period. Against the Warriors it was the visitors on the board with the lone goal in both the first and second period before the Cheavers pulled one back early in the third. An empty netter with nine seconds to play clinched the win for the Warriors.

Against the Avs, the Cheavers scored once in the opening period adding two more in the second and putting it away with a four-goal final frame.

The Cheavers blitzed Waupaca with four first period markers, adding two in both the second and final periods.

The win on home ice against the Panthers was satisfying as it avenged a 3-2 overtime defeat in Oregon back on Dec. 2. A pair of first period goals was enough for the win but the Panthers gained some consolation, ending a stretch of 154:45 of shutout hockey for sophomore Alex Griebe in the second period.

Goaltender Alex Griebe, shown here against the Sauk Prairie Eagles had a stretch of more than 150 minutes of shutout hockey and Caden Brandt (#15) paced the offense with 11 points in a six-game stretch.
***Photo Courtesy Jessica Othmer***

At SPARC, the Cheavers were looking for a little more revenge having dropped its earlier home game against the Eagles 4-3 in overtime Dec. 6.

Teams were even at 2-2 after a period but the Cheavers were in control with a 4-2 cushion heading to the third. The host Eagles, still with a shot at a share of the conference title battled back in the third, scoring the game winner just 20 seconds from the final horn.

Offensively, senior Caden Brandt returned from injury and helped the Cheavers with five goals and 11 points over the six-game stretch, senior John Scott chipping in six goals and eight points. Another senior, Nate Stando enjoyed an offensive explosion, putting up five goals and seven points while senior Carsen Brandt added a goal and four helpers.

Senior Lukas Vana had four set ups, junior Andrey Tougas adding two goals and an assist and senior Logan DeMars collecting three assists. Junior Trey Lariden scored twice, junior Brady Baldwin added a goal and assist. Senior Caleb Eastman notched a goal and other assists came from sophomore Kaden Uminski and junior Iszak Elder.

Game winners came from Lariden, Scott and Stando.

In goal, despite a 3-3 record through the stretch, Griebe racked up the long shutout stretch and overall kicked out 108 of 118 shots for a save percentage of .915.

A postponed Badger Challenge game (The Cheavers will now host DeForest Norskies on Jan. 30) leaves a rare stretch of nine days without a game. Next up will be a game at the Lake Delton Ice Arena against the Baraboo/Portage Thunderbirds. The Cheavers will renew the rivalry and host a ‘Hometown Hero’ game Thursday.

Halbleib hat trick leads Crusaders past Cheavers

By Jim den Hollander
Editor/Publisher
Saukhockey.info
The Madison Edgewood Crusaders doubled the RWD Cheavers 4-2 with what might have been a knockout punch to the team’s Conference championship hopes, Tuesday (Dec. 13) at Reedsburg Area Community Arena (RACA).

After a scoreless opening period, the Crusaders held a 2-1 margin in both the second and third to wrap up the win, the final goal scored 52 seconds from the final buzzer into an empty cage.
The empty netter wrapped up a hat trick for Crusaders’ sophomore David Halbleib.
RWD goals came from seniors Lukas Vana and Logan DeMars with an assist for John Scott, continuing a six-game scoring streak for the senior and team leading scorer.
Sophomore goaltender Alex Griebe kept RWD in the contest, stopping all nine shots he faced in the opening period as the locals were outshot 9-2. Overall, the goaltender stopped 26 of 29 while sophomore Hayden Reuhl stopped 13 of 15 for the Crusaders.

The loss dropped the Cheavers to 3-4 overall and 1-3 in Badger West conference play. They will wrap up the first half of its conference schedule at RACA against the Monroe Cheesemakers.

Clary lifts Eagles to overtime win at RACA

By JIm den Hollander
Editor/Publisher
Saukhockey.info
The Sauk Prairie Eagles stayed undefeated in Badger West Conference play as Landon Clary notched an overtime game winner lifting the guests to a 4-3 win Tuesday night at Reedsburg Area Community Arena.

While the win boosted the Eagles to 3-0 in conference matches and 5-1 overall, the host RWD Cheavers fell under .500 at 2-3 and 0-2 in Conference — both league losses coming in overtime.
Both teams are looking to find their way without their top offensive threats as seniors Caden Brandt of the Cheavers and Luke Mast of the Eagles are both out with injuries. The loss of Brandt might not be as permanent though as tests after the game in Oregon found a bad sprain opposed a broken or fractured bone.

In this game, the Eagles went to work early, junior Garret Mittelsteadt connecting for the first goal of the night in the second minute, from junior Karsyn Banta and Colin Harrington. Senior Blake Howery added another for the Eagles from junior Steven Romaker just before the 10-minute mark, but RWD sophomore Kaden Uminski struck back just 35 seconds later converting a feed from freshman RJ Manley to get the Cheavers within a goal.
That held up until late in the middle period when RWD senior John Scott notched his fourth of the season, unassisted to even the score. Sophomore Gunnar Nachreiner put the Eagles in front again before the end of the period with help from Harrington and freshman Landon Froese.
Senior defenseman Lukas Vana scored the lone third period goal from junior Brady Baldwin setting the stage for the overtime frame.
Senior Landon Clary stepped up as the overtime hero for the Eagles with his unassisted goal in the sixth minute.

Senior Kaden Stracke collected the win in goal for the Eagles, his fourth of the season with 25 saves on 28 shots while sophomore Alex Griebe kicked out 23 shots for the Cheavers.
The Eagles have played all but one game so far this season on the road and will get a chance to face one more tough road test Thursday at LeBahn Arena in Madison when they square off with the Madison Edgewood Crusaders.
This game has added importance as the Eagles and defending conference champion Crusaders are the lone undefeated teams in conference — the Eagles at 3-0 and the Crusaders with two wins.
The Eagles will finally play in front of friendly fans on Tuesday (Dec. 13) when they host the Monroe Cheesemakers at the Sauk Prairie Area Recreation Center (SPARC) but then head on the road for another pair.
The Cheavers will look to get their own conference season on track Saturday when they travel to Pierce Park Pavilion in Baraboo for a 7 p.m. faceoff against the host Thunderbirds, then return home for a Tuesday night contest against the Crusaders and a Friday game against the Cheesemakers, taking them to the halfway mark of their Badger West Conference schedule.

Brandt fires three to lead RWD past Red Raiders in opener

By Jim den Hollander
Editor/Publisher
Saukhockey.info
Three goals from senior captain Caden Brandt and 26 stops for sophomore goaltender Alex Griebe led the RWD Cheavers to a 4-1 win at Reedsburg Arena Community Arena (RACA) in its 2022-23 WIAA season opener against the Wisconsin Rapids Red Raiders Tuesday night.

The Red Raiders are frequently among the first competitors for the Cheavers and the win Tuesday avenged a season opening loss in Wisconsin Rapids last season.

While Brandt found the mesh for three of the four RWD goals, the team showed off three solid lines and appeared to be in control for much of the contest, although shots on goal show the visitors with a 27-17 overall margin.
Czech exchange student Lukas Vana made his presence felt in his first WIAA contest. A defenseman, he showed off a strong 200-foot game and he stepped up from the blueline to collect his first varsity goal, the game winner, giving the Cheaves a 2-1 cushion in the final minute of the opening period.
Brandt notched the first of the game on a feed from twin brother Carsen Brandt 9:38 into the contest but Carter Morrison evened it up just 45 seconds later on a powerplay, unassisted.

Brandt scored the other two goals, 1:50 apart in the second period. The first had set ups from Vana and Logan DeMars and the other was a solo effort, sniped from about 30 feet out.
Griebe made the lead stand up, blocking all 16 shots in the final two periods to help the Cheavers collect the win.
Like last season, the Ducks will head to Somerset for the post-Thanksgiving weekend to compete a four-team event.
First up will be last season’s tournament champion Eau Claire North Huskies from the Big Rivers Conference on Friday with a 2 p.m. faceoff and the Cheavers will wrap it up Saturday against either Somerset Spartans from the Middle Border Conference or Antigo Red Robins from the Great Northern Confernce.
The Cheavers will follow that up with five straight Badger West Conference matches, beginning on the road in Oregon Dec. 2 against the Panthers with the next home game at RACA Dec. 6 against the Sauk Prairie Eagles.

Sauk County varsity teams rolling into season

By Jim den Hollander

Editor/Publisher

Saukhockey.info

Here we go!

The highly anticipated 2022-23 varsity High School hockey season is just days away from facing off.

For the Sauk County teams – RWD Cheavers, Baraboo/Portage Thunderbirds and Sauk Prairie Eagles in the Badger West Conference and the Badger Lightning varsity team from the Badger Conference, weeks of captain’s practices turned into actual practices in recent days with the regular season kicking off as early as Saturday.

The Lightning, looking to make a jump into the middle or upper tiers of the Badger Conference this season, will be first out of the gate, entertaining the Arrowhead Warhawks on Saturday.

In terms of personnel, this is probably the biggest Lightning team in a decade or more. Two seasons ago, the team fielded exactly two lines, hoping the COVID epidemic or any other illness or injury wouldn’t affect its team that had to have every player available.

Two seasons later, the Lightning has grown to a full 27-player roster which means junior varsity games will be included on the schedule.

After finishing last season with a 9-13 record last season, the Lightning has its eyes on .500 or better this time around and will get an interesting test out of the gate against a Warhawks team it hasn’t faced off against in a while.

First Badger Conference match will be Saturday Dec. 3 against the Icebergs at Mandt Community Center in Stoughton and first home league game will be Dec. 9 against the Rock County Fury from Janesville/Beloit.

Among the leaders for the Lightning this season is an awesome group of seniors including Kayla Capener who garnered all-state recognition last season, Bella Bowden, one of the fastest skaters around looking for a bounce back after injuries and adversity kept her out of the lineup much of last season and Mallory Ruhland, a gifted goal scorer who travels all the way from Elroy to suit up.

In goal, the Lightning has junior Alyssa Gada who has already shown herself to be one of the best keepers in the conference. With improvements all around likely limiting the shots she will face, watch for Gada to have a huge campaign.

Sauk Prairie Eagles – of the local varsity teams, the Eagles went the furthest last season, falling in Sectional semi-finals against the Madison Edgewood Crusaders in Sectional semifinals.

Several graduations affect the team both on offense and defense, but there are some key players returning as well, including Luke Mast who finished among the state leaders last season with 27 goals and 69 points. In three years on the varsity team, Mast has racked up 53 goals and 128 points.

The team has plenty of experience at the most important position as well, seniors Kaden Stracke and Brooks McInerney both veterans of the high school game in goal.

Other seniors include Cole Scallon and Landon Clary, and Head Coach David Lohrei has done an amazing job in his seasons with the team and is able to provide a game plan based on whatever strengths the team has.

The Eagles will open the regular season with a pair of road games, in Onalaska to play the Avalanche Tuesday (Nov. 22) and at Bob Suter’s Capitol Ice Arena to face Middleton on Nov. 26.

First home game will also be the team’s first Badger West Conference game, taking on the Oregon Panthers Nov. 29.

RWD Cheavers – The Cheavers look solid at all positions despite graduating a goaltender who started nearly every game for the team in all four seasons he attended RAHS.

Cooper Oakes has established every record of note for Cheavers goaltenders, but junior Alex Griebe put up some amazing numbers as a junior varsity keeper last season and Head Coach Neil Mattson is confident, he can be relied on to take the team to the next level.

The Cheavers graduated a small but amazing group of seniors last season but led by the Brandt bothers, forward Caden and defenseman Carsen, the team looks solid both up front and on the blue line.

Caden has scored 58 goals and collected 91 points through his first three campaigns and could be among the state scoring leaders this time around. Carsen showed his physical and mental toughness last year when he decided to put off shoulder surgery and played through some excruciating pain in the late season games. He enters this season healthy and ready to go.

John Scott is coming off not only his best season with the Cheavers, scoring 14 goals, but also an awesome season as a running back for WDHS football which has college scouts from two different sports knocking on his door.

Other key contributors among the seniors are hardnosed forwards Caleb Eastman, Yevgeny Dedun and Conner Putz along with defenders Nate Stando and Logan DeMars, both regulars on the blue line along with Carsen Brandt last season.

RWD will have to hit the ground running with a tough opening to the regular season, including its annual duel against the Wisconsin Rapids Red Raiders, opening the season at RACA on Tuesday, followed up by a return visit to the four-team tournament in Somerset on Friday/Saturday.

RWD will open against the Eau Claire North Huskies Friday.

Following that, the Cheavers will head into a stretch of five straight Badger West Conference contests, taking it immediately to the halfway mark of the conference season.

Baraboo/Portage Thunderbirds – Thunderbirds had its struggles last season with illness, injury and adversity playing a key part.

Positive reinforcement from Head Coach David Clark and great leadership from forwards Oliver Scanlan and Gabe Fitzwilliams and goaltender Andrew Schaetzl kept the team in a lot of games.

Clark has moved away from Baraboo, but Tony Bluske who has been with the team for several seasons and knows the players well, will be a perfect fit as the new mentor.

Like Griebe with RWD, Burke Schweda showed his potential in both junior varsity and varsity games last season, and he will give the team stability in the blue paint this year and into the future. Brother Luke Schweda, a hard working forward with a nose for the net will be among the senior leaders as well as others.

The Thunderbirds will kick off the regular season on the road, taking on Monona Grove Silver Eagles Tuesday and will play its first three games on the road, including a tough conference opener against defending champion Madison Edgewood on Nov. 28.

First home game for the Baraboo/Portage fans will be the first of three straight at home Nov. 29 against Tomah/Sparta.

‘Coop’ taking his act to the State of Hockey

By Jim den Hollander

Editor/Publisher

Saukhockey.info

For the past decade or more, the “Coop!” chants have echoed through local arenas, primarily the Reedsburg Area Community Arena (RACA).

Now the State of Hockey will become aware of the talented goaltender as he officially signed a contract with the Willmar Warhawks of the North American ‘3’ Hockey League.

After being the man to beat in goal for Polars and South-Central Cyclones teams as a youth hockey player, Cooper Oakes (‘03/Reedsburg) rewrote the RWD varsity Cheavers’ goaltending record book, playing 4,344 minutes in 89 games.

During that stretch Oakes kicked out 2,144 of 2,357 shots for a Goals Against Average of 2.50 and a Save Percentage of .910. He started his varsity career with a shutout in Wisconsin Rapids in the fall of 2018 and went on to add another 12 goose eggs over his varsity career.

Cooper Oakes signed his contract to play with the Willmar Warhawks of the NA3HL West Division Sunday, flanked by his parents, Billy and Bretta at Therapy Without Walls on Sunday afternoon. Oakes will attend the main camp in August with the regular season getting underway after Labor Day.

Oakes plans to attend a few camps, including the Dells Ducks’ session June 17-19 in Aurora, IL, but he is locked in with the Warhawks for the upcoming hockey season.

Oakes made it official, signing with parents and RWD players and coaches at Therapy Without Walls in Reedsburg Sunday (May 29) afternoon.

In an interview (see video below) at the signing, Oakes said there were several teams in the mix, but the Warhawks became the obvious choice for him.

“I talked with Coach (Connor) White on the phone several different times now. He seems like a good guy, a great coach and it just seemed like the right fit,” summed up Oakes.

Coach White said he received a tip on Oakes which he confirmed by checking out some video.

“In this case, I did receive a tip on Cooper and right away felt like there was something there that could help the WarHawks be better both on and off the ice,” said the coach. “Video had later been exchanged and reviewing that video and then speaking to Cooper himself over some phone calls. That just confirmed everything that we had been told and I believed Cooper would bring from a performance, competitive, work ethic, and character standpoint. We are very excited to see Cooper compete in late August when we will begin.”

Along with those in attendance, a special video message from NHL Hall of Fame goaltender Grant Fuhr was shown as he personally wished Oakes luck on his next venture.

The Warhawks were one of six teams in the highly competitive NA3HL West Division. This past season the team finished third in regular season play with a record of 32-14-1. Willmar is a city of a little more than 20,000 population, west of the Twin Cities, about a 5-hour drive from Reedsburg.

Crossover games with the Midwest Division could see the team visiting Milwaukee, Chippewa Falls and possibly Oregon at some point in 2022-23.

Wilcox fires two for Cheavers to claim Dairyland Classic

By Jim den Hollander

Editor/Publisher

Saukhockey.info

The RWD Peewee ‘A’ Cheavers wrapped up what it hopes is the first of two banners, claiming the championship in its Ultimate Tournaments Dairyland Classic Division over the President’s Day weekend.

The Cheavers kicked off the tournament Friday (Feb. 18) afternoon with a 4-0 win against the Waconia (MN) Wildcats at Lake Delton Ice Arena returned with an early morning 1-1 draw against a familiar opponent, the Waunakee Wildcats at Reedsburg Area Community Arena (RACA).

On Sunday morning, the Cheavers wrapped up division play and earned a spot in the championship game with a 3-1 against the Chicago Hawks also at RACA

Later Sunday, the Cheavers returned to Lake Delton to face the Waunakee crew again, claiming the banner with a 3-2 win.

RWD Cheavers 4 Waconia Wildcats 0

Two goals in the first and another pair in the second sent the Cheavers to a win in its opening contest.

Three goals came from Landen Uminski and Teaghen Geffert notched the other. Ethan Wilcox and Dayne Wagner each collected an assist and Jesse Arnold recorded his second shutout of the season in goal for the Cheavers.

RWD Cheavers 1 Waunakee Wildcats 1

A tight defensive battle against a Wildcats team the Cheavers have run into a few times this season saw teams battling to a draw.

Braxton McGuigan put the Wildcats up with the lone goal of the first period, but Uminski equalized the score in the second from Wilcox and Tyler Krieski early in the second.

From there it was the goaltenders taking charge, Arnold wrapping up with 10 saves while the Cheavers tested the Wildcats’ keeper with 25 shots.

RWD Cheavers 3 Chicago Hawks 1

The Cheavers clinched a spot in the championship game with a win Sunday morning in Reedsburg.

Wilcox fired the first goal of the game, late in the first period from Wagner and Krieski and Wagner converted a feed from Uminski early in the second with what turned into the game winner.

The Hawks pulled one back late in the middle period, but Krieski restored the two-goal margin in the final period with help from Wilcox.

Arnold stopped eight shots to pick up the win while the Cheavers peppered the Hawks’ goaltender with 27 shots.

RWD Cheavers 3 Waunakee Wildcats 2

The final brought a rematch with the Wildcats, and they engaged in another close battle Sunday afternoon.

Teams were tied in the standings, but the Wildcats got the nod as the home team based on goal differential through the preliminary contests.

That didn’t matter to the Cheavers who played even through the opening frame, opened a 2-1 edge in the second and widened the gap early in the third.

Uminski’s unassisted goal opened the scoring, and it was Wilcox with another unassisted goal in the second to put the Cheavers up 2-1.

Another Wilcox goal in the final period, from Andrew Stando widened the gap and turned into the game winner when the Wildcats pulled one back later in the period.

Arnold kicked out another dozen while the Cheavers fired 33 at the Waunakee goal.

Three wins and a tie boosted the Cheavers’ overall record to 27-16-2 and they will be looking for another tournament title attending an event in Green Bay this weekend.

That will leave one more weekend of play before the team heads to the WAHA Peewee 3A State Championship in Somerset. More information on that event will be on these pages in the days ahead.