Beale’s pair leads Thunderbirds past Red Hawks

By Jim den Hollander

Editor/Publisher

Saukhockey.info

The Baraboo/Portage Thunderbirds used a pair of first period goals from freshman Jordi Beale to vault them in front and send them on their way to their third win first home win of the season at Pierce Park Pavilion on Saturday (Jan. 14).

Thunderbirds got two more in the third to collect a 4-2 win against the Milton RedHawks in their Badger Challenge contest. They collected a win by the same score against the Red Hawks at a Stoughton tournament on New Year’s Eve.

Two more goals in the third period just over a minute apart broke a 2-2 deadlock and sent the Thunderbirds to the win.

Beale’s first goal was unassisted four minutes into the contest and the other, scoring 4:08 later was set up by senior Peyton Sloan.

Aaron Thompson, a Milton senior got the Red Hawks on the board with a little under five minutes to play in the first period and sophomore Ty Johnson tied it early in the middle period.

Sloan nailed the game winner 5:19 into the final frame with help from Beale and insurance came 79 seconds when Landon Olson scored with assists for Sloan and Dylann Carpenter.

Junior goaltender Burke Schweda collected his third win of the season with a 32-save effort and the Thunderbirds fired 41 shots against Benett Thompson at the other end of the pond.

The Thunderbirds improved their record to 3-14 on the season, but 3-5 since the Christmas Break as well.

They will head back to Badger West Conference play with a home game against the Monroe Cheesemakers on Tuesday (Jan. 17) and a test in Lake Delton against RWD on Thursday night.

Panthers roll over Thunderbirds at home

By Jim den Hollander

Editor/Publisher

Saukhockey.info

Playing at home for the first time in three weeks, the Baraboo/Portage Thunderbirds were unable to use it to their advantage, dropping a 9-0 decision to the high-flying Oregon Panthers at Pierce Park Pavilion on Thursday (Jan. 12).

Despite a 16-6 edge in shots in the opening period, the Panthers grabbed just a 1-0 lead thanks once again to the standout goaltending of junior Burke Schweda.

The guests stepped up their attack in the middle period, peppering Schweda with a 29-6 edge in shots and widening the margin to 4-0.

Another five in the third period with a 24-2 edge in chances wrapped up the goose egg for the Panthers, led by junior Andrew Jicha who scored three and set up another pair for a five-point game.

After a long stretch on the road, the Thunderbirds began a stretch of three straight at Pierce Park Pavilion, followed Saturday (Jan. 14) with a rematch against the Milton Red Hawks followed Tuesday (Jan. 17) with a Badger West Conference match against the Monroe Cheesemakers.

Thunderbirds find scoring touch and wins

By Jim den Hollander

Editor/Publisher

Saukhockey.info

It may or may not have been a Christmas gift, but the Baraboo/Portage Thunderbirds varsity hockey team returned from the Break having finally found a scoring touch and as a result, a way to break into the win column.

The Thunderbirds dropped all nine contests before the Break and for good reason, having scored just two goals in that stretch of games.

In the six games since the Break, Thunderbirds have found the mesh 14 times and as a result, broke into the win column twice.

First up was a three-game tournament at Stoughton’s Mandt Arena and while the team was able to become involved offensively, it took three tries before the first win arrived.

After dropping a tough 5-4 decision against the host Stoughton Vikings on Dec. 29, the Thunderbirds met up with the Beloit Memorial Purple Knights and fell 6-2.

On the final day of the year, Thunderbirds snapped their 11-game season opening skid with a 4-2 decision against the Milton Red Hawks beginning some early New Year’s Eve celebrations.

Following that, Thunderbirds fell 3-1 to the host Black River Falls Tigers on the road, then fell to 0-6 in Badger West Conference play with an 8-1 loss against the host Sauk Prairie Eagles at Sauk Prairie Area Recreation Center (SPARC) on Friday.

Wrapping up a tough stretch of six straight road contests (seven were scheduled but a match at the Omni against the Avalanche was postponed Dec. 22.) the Thunderbirds made the trek to Hartmeyer Arena in Madison and collected a 3-1 edge against the Madison LaFollette/East Lakers, wrapping up a solid and promising 2-4 stretch, all on the road.

Leading the offense through the stretch was junior Peyton Sloan with four goals including the team’s first game winner of the season. Freshman Wyatt Jost chipped in three assists while sophomore Dylann Carpenter and freshman Jordi Beale both scored twice. One of Beale’s goals was also a game winner.

Junior Landon Olson collected a goal and assist, freshman Nathan Gneiser and sophomore Bodie Thompson both set up a pair. Juniors Luke Schweda and Kyle Buelow both scored a goal with single assists for freshmen Wade Zemanovic and Thomas Sarnow.

There were no stats available from the game in Stoughton against Beloit Memorial.

Sophomore goaltender Burke Schweda continued his torrid pace between the pipes as well. In the five games that had statistics available the young goalie kicked out 219 of 237 shots for a dazzling .924 Save Percentage.

Thunderbirds are scheduled to play on home ice for the first time since Dec. 20 with another Badger West Conference game tonight (Thursday, Jan. 12) against the Oregon Panthers. In their previous meeting in Oregon Dec. 13, the Panthers collected an 8-0 win.

Eagles brush aside Spartans, Red Hawks

By Jim den Hollander

Editor/Publisher

Saukhockey.info

If losing a two-time state scoring champion and one of the top goaltenders among nine graduating seniors was supposed to have a detrimental effect on the Sauk Prairie Eagles varsity hockey team, someone must have forgot to tell this season’s team.

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 final week included an 8-3 win against the McFarland Spartans and a 6-0 shutout against the Milton Red Hawks, both on home ice at the Sauk Prairie Area Recreation Center (SPARC).

McFarland Spartans 3 @ Sauk Prairie Eagles 8

In the past, Eagles have jumped on teams quick, often grabbing control of games with opening shift goals.

Last Monday (January 25), the Eagles showed it can comeback if needed. A hot goaltender played a big part in the Eagles looking up at a 2-0 deficit on home ice despite outshooting its guest by a 17-3 margin.

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 Luke Mast paced the squad with a three-goal game, juniors Erik Peterson and Landon Clary adding two each and the other the first career varsity goal for freshman Samson Begalske.

Junior Hakon Peterson enjoyed a huge playmaking game, collecting five assists with juniors Nick Mast and Erik Peterson along with sophomore Ethan Tranel setting up two each. Senior Caeben Schomber also picked up a helper.

Kaden Stracke picked up the win in goal and his opposition keeper, Ray Wheaton faced 65 shots on the night.

Milton Red Hawks 0 @ Sauk Prairie Eagles 6

The finale was billed as ‘Senior Night’ and the four graduating players played their part – Brodie Trollop scored the game winning goal and set up another while Caeben Schomber, Spencer LaCour and Sam Severson each collected an assist in the contest.

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.

Hakon Peterson also scored twice with the other added by Clary. Junior Micah Hanson, Luke Mast and Erik Peterson also picked up assists.

Sophomore keepers Stracke and Brooks McInerney, split the work on a shared shutout bid and the Eagles outshot the Redbirds 43-12.

Overall 12-1

The Eagles lost just one contest this season, a brief 3-2 stumble against Beaver Dam the lone blemish on an otherwise perfect campaign. It can be called a stumble because in a previous meeting, the Eagles bounced the same Golden Beavers by a 6-1 score.

The Eagles were seeded third in the 13-team Section 3 pool and along with top two seeds – Madison Edgewood Crusaders and Verona Wildcats, the Eagles drew a bye through the opening round of the post season.

RWD Cheavers and Middleton Cardinals are playing tonight (February 2) for the right to challenge Sauk Prairie on Thursday night in the Sectional Quarterfinals.

Golden Beavers solve Eagles who climb to 10-1

By Jim den Hollander

Editor/Publisher

Saukhockey.info

The Sauk Prairie Eagles varsity hockey team wrapped up a four-games in six-days stretch with three more wins and its first defeat of the 2020-21 WIAA season.

Beginning on Saturday, Jan. 16 with a 4-0 shutout against another Sectional rival, the Aquinas/Holmen Avalanche at the Onalaska Omni, adding another goose egg against the Stoughton Vikings 11-0 two nights later at Sauk Prairie Area Recreation Center (SPARC) which pushed the team to 9-0 before the Beaver Dam Golden Beavers snatched the 10^th away from the Eagles with some solid goaltending leading the way to a 3-2 edge on Tuesday.

The Eagles got back up and took any frustrations it might have had out on the Onalaska Hilltoppers with a 6-3 win and another lopsided shot edge at SPARC on Friday night.

Sauk Prairie Eagles 4 @ Aquinas/Holmen Avalanche 0

The Eagles grabbed control of the contest in Onalaska with three goals in the second half of the second half of the opening period. Micah Hanson opened the scoring with a powerplay tally on a feed from Hakon Peterson and Luke Mast doubled the margin from Nick Mast with 4:33 to play in the frame.

Erik Peterson hit the mesh with just under two minutes to play, from Hanson, giving the guests a comfortable lead heading to the second.

Hanson collected his third point and second goal of the contest in the second period from Hakon Peterson and Luke Mast.

The third period was scoreless and Brooks McInerney picked up the shutout win in his first varsity start, with 15 saves.

Stoughton Vikings 0 @ Sauk Prairie Eagles 11

He didn’t realize it at the time of course, but Luke Mast fired the game winning marker against Stoughton 25 seconds into the contest.

The Eagles rolled to a 5-0 first period lead, adding two more in the second and piling on another four in the third for the lopsided win.

Mast ended the game with three goals and an assist while Hakon Peterson, Nick Mast and Brodie Trollop each fired two goals, Peterson adding two assists while Mast and Trollop both added one. Caeben Schomber and Sam Severson collected the other Eagles’ goals, Erik Peterson setting up a pair and single assists for Nam Ganch, Brandon Mittelstaedt and Tyler Buechner.

McInerney and Kaden Stracke shared the goose egg in goal, both collecting three saves while the Eagles peppered Max Nihles in the Stoughton crease with 51 shots.

Sauk Prairie Eagles 2 @ Beaver Dam Golden Beavers 3

Gavin Hearley brought a sudden end to a stretch of 119:30 of shutout hockey for the Eagles, scoring the lone goal of the first period for the Beavers.

Erik Peterson evened it up 6:47 into the second from Hakon Peterson, but the Golden Beavers scored the next two. Nick Mast brought the Eagles back to within one 15 seconds from the end of the second period, from Hakon Peterson and Luke Mast.

The Eagles fired 20 shots at the Beaver Dam goaltender, Kirk Davis in the middle period and couldn’t find a way past him with the equalizer with another dozen in the third on its way to a 41-shot night.

Stracke kicked out 25 of 28 in goal for the Eagles.

Onalaska/La Crosse Hilltoppers 3 @ Sauk Prairie Eagles 6

The Eagles wrapped up the busy stretch and got back on the winning track Saturday doubling the Hilltoppers.

The Eagles trailed early again, and it was Erik Peterson once again pulling them even with an assist for Luke Mast.

Hilltoppers moved in front two more times in the middle period and both times the Eagles responded to tie it up. Peterson’s second tied it 2-2 and Luke Mast evened it at 3-3. Both assisted on the other’s marker with another assist for Nick Mast.

Severson gave the Eagles its first lead of the contest 6:43 into the final period from Brodie Trollop with late game insurance added by Hakon Peterson and Luke Mast, the final one into the empty cage.

Nick Mast picked up two more assists and Luke Mast wrapped up a five-point night with another helper.

Stracke collected the win in goal with 18 saves and Sawyer Nitti faced 42 in goal for the Hilltoppers.

The Eagles boosted its record to 10-1 with the win and have three games to play beginning Monday (January 25) against McFarland Spartans, then a possible Sectional preview as they faceoff against the group’s top seed, Madison Edgewood Crusaders Tuesday, wrapping up the regular season Thursday with one more home game, against Milton Red Hawks

Peterson and Hanson pace Eagles past Red Hawks

By Jim den Hollander

Editor/Publisher

Saukhockey.info

If any rust formed during a stretch of 20 days between games, the Sauk Prairie Eagles shook it off quick in a 4-1 win against the Milton Red Hawks at Sauk Prairie Area Recreation Center (SPARC) on Thursday (Jan. 8) night.

Two goals each for juniors Micah Hansen and Erik Peterson provided the final steps on the offense, but this was a total team effort as the Eagles peppered Alex Jones, a freshman goaltender for the Red Hawks with 55 shots.

The Eagles grabbed a 2-0 first period cushion, beginning with a nice goal by Hanson from what seemed a tough angle, in close, but just inches from Jones, he managed to lift a perfect flip into the top of the goal through a small opening.

Just over three minutes later, Peterson took a perfect pass from sophomore Luke Mast and snapped a shot to the top of the net to double the Eagles’ margin. Junior Nick Mast also collected an assist on the goal.

Peterson’s second came near the halfway mark of the middle period as he slammed home a loose puck from the top of the crease. Luke Mast and senior Sam Severson collected assists.

The final Eagles’ goal came on the nicest play of the game while the Eagles squad was killing its first penalty of the contest. Nick Mast hit Hansen with a pass just outside the Eagles’ zone, sending him the final 140 feet to the Red Hawks’ goal alone where Hansen snapped home a shot over Jones’ shoulder.

Sophomore goaltender Kaden Stracke might not have been as busy as Jones, but he stopped everything he saw until Milton sophomore Colton Thorn spoiled his shutout bid 4:01 into the final frame.

In many ways the Eagles looked in mid-season form , a fast team with depth up front, they have a nose from the net, although, with the number of shots taken, Head Coach David Lohrei said the team might need to work a bit on finishing in upcoming practices.

Nick Mast’s two assists give him 11 points in four games so far this season, one point ahead of Luke Mast.

The win boosted the Eagles to 4-0 on the season and while they have had some long breaks so far, this game triggered a busy month of January with 11 more games to play in the next three weeks.

The Eagles are scheduled to make the trip to Sparta to play the Tomah/Sparta varsity team on Saturday (Jan. 9) and returns home for matches against RWD Cheavers Tuesday and Baraboo/Portage Thunderbirds on Thursday.