Meyer-Bowen power Squirt ‘B’ Cheavers’ offense

By Jim den Hollander

Editor/Publisher

Saukhockey.info

The RWD Squirt ‘B’ Cheavers earned a split in a three-game weekend, wrapping up a 2-2 tie and a 5-3 win against the host Sparta Spartans then returned to the Coulee Region and dropping a 5-4 decision to the host Onalaska Tornado on Sunday.

Cheavers 2, 5 @ Spartans 2, 3

Something about Sparta agreed with Cheavers’ forward Owen Meyer who played a part in all seven goals scored on Saturday.

After firing both goals, unassisted in the opening contest that also saw a three-minute scoreless overtime period, Meyer notched the hat trick in the second game, setting up Thomas Bowen on the other two.

Cheavers 4 @ Tornado 5

On Sunday, the Cheavers made the trek to the Omni in Onalaska coming up just short in a one-goal defeat.

Bowen and Meyer formed a nice tandem again, Bowen scoring twice and Meyer once, both earning assists on the other’s goals.

William Fenwick counted the other RWD goal, unassisted.

Isaac Howe handled the work in goal in all three games for the Cheavers.

The weekend results pushed the team’s record to 4-12-2 on the season. They will be back in action this weekend returning to the same area for the tournament in West Salem.

Bantam T-Birds take three straight

By Jim den Hollander

Editor/Publisher

Saukhockey.info

The Baraboo T-Birds bantams hockey team has put together a three-game winning streak in the past two weekends.

After grabbing a pair of wins – 5-2 and 10-1 on Jan. 23, the Bantam T-Birds hit the road for a game at the Onalaska Omni Center on Saturday, collecting a 4-1 win against the Onalaska/Holmen Tornado.

Flames 2 @ T-Birds 5

In the first game against the Flames, Reese Olson opened the scoring the lone goal of the first period, from Nathan Gneiser and Bodie Thompson early in the period.

The game was all but settled in the middle frame as the home side increased its margin to 4-1, both teams adding one more in the third.

Jordan Beale scored the first goal of the second period, from Jordan Puzek and Gneiser increased the margin less than two minutes later with help from Olson and Colin Mattson. Another for Olson had the T-Birds up 4-0, from Beale and the Flames finally found a way to the Baraboo mesh.

The Flames added another to get within two and Thomas Sarnow wrapped it up with 26 seconds to play on a feed from Thompson.

Josiah Fanning and Brayden Goyett-Fuller split the work in goal for the T-Birds.

Flames 1 @ T-Birds 10

T-Birds grabbed control of the second game with three unanswered first period goals and by the time the third period got underway the home team owned a 7-1 margin.

Beale fired a hat trick to pace the Baraboo attack, Sarnow and Gneiser both added two goals and an assist. Thompson collected a goal and assist with other goals scored by Wade Zemanovic and Olson.

Fanning picked up the win in goal for the T-Birds.

T-Birds 4 @ Tornado 1

On Saturday, the T-Birds used another quick start, this time a 2-0 first period lead, to grab control.

Beale fired both first period goals unassisted and Sarnow collected a goal and assist in the middle period with a goal for Gneiser and another assist going to Mattson.

Goyett-Fuller picked up the win in goal, unbeaten until the opening minute of the final period when the Tornado hit for its only goal of the contest.

The streak boosts the overall record for the T-Birds to 12-8 and the local squad has won six of its past season games.

This weekend the T-Birds are scheduled to play a pair on Saturday against the Fond du Lac Thunder at Pierce Park Pavilion at 9:45 a.m. and 12:45 p.m., then wrap up a busy weekend at Sparta in a 10 a.m. contest Sunday against the host Spartans.

Flyers snatch third place away from Bantam Cheavers

By Jim den Hollander

Editor/Publisher

Saukhockey.info

The RWD Bantam Cheavers found themselves in a competitive group and discovered some familiar opponents at a Sparta tournament Jan. 16-17.

First the locals came face to face with the Oregon Panthers, a Regional rival from earlier days with the South-Central Cyclones. The Panthers brushed the locals aside 7-1 but the Cheavers bounced back with a second round 5-1 win against the Sparta Spartans to earn a berth in the third-place contest.

Sauk Prairie Flyers, a current Regional rival for the Cheavers in the final contest that saw the locals grab a 3-0 lead, but ultimately falling 5-3 and settling for fourth place in the tournament.

Oregon Panthers 7 RWD Cheavers 1

The Panthers opened a 2-0 lead and added two more in the middle frame against RWD.

By the time Bryan Mammos scored what would be his team’s only goal, the Panthers had five on the board, adding two more in the final 8:07 for the lopsided win.

Alex Griebe made 21 saves in goal for the Cheavers while the Panthers limited RWD to just a dozen shots at the opposite end.

Sparta Spartans 1 RWD Cheavers 5

In the second game, goaltenders stepped up in a big way, just one goal scored in the first two periods. That goal came from Tye Barney on a feed from Kaden Uminski as Griebe kept his crease clean with eight saves through the first two frames.

Griebe was 3:44 from a shutout when Sparta finally hit the board and by then the Cheavers had already notched five.

Barney notched the game winner with 8:55 to on a feed from RJ Manley and Uminski added some insurance with 7:13 on the clock from Ryleigh Bychinski. Manley fired the final two for the Cheavers the first on a feed from Barney and the final one a solo effort.

RWD Cheavers 3 Sauk Prairie Flyers 5

The Flyers couldn’t have started better when they returned to the rink Jan. 17 for the fourth-place contest. Barney hit the board first again, just 1:29 into the match with help from Gus DeFosse. Uminski added a solo effort 27 seconds later and the Cheavers were off and running.

Tristan Edgerton gave the local bantams a 3-0 margin with 3:02 to go in the period and the Flyers finally hit the board 33 seconds later when Brock Hill converted a pass from Audrey Hanko.

Connor Grant got the Flyers within a goal with his marker 3:49 into the second, from Hanko and Joshua Mast and Gavin Goetsch evened it up with 8:50 to go, teams wrapping up the middle frame even at 3-3.

Gunnar Nachreiner fired the game winner 2:49 into the final period from Mast and Landon Froese added some insurance with still a little more than 10-minutes to go, from Hill.

Griebe kicked out 24 shots in the contest while Corbin Domka stopped 17 including everything he saw in the final two periods.

Griebe shutout leads Bantam Cheavers past Verona

By Jim den Hollander

Editor/Publisher

Saukhockey.info

A 17-save shutout for Alex Griebe helped the RWD Bantam Cheavers wrap up a 3-0 win against the Verona Wildcats at Reedsburg Area Community Arena (RACA) on Sunday (Jan. 10).

The Cheavers collected a goal in each period, waiting until the final seconds of the frame on the first two.

Tristan Edgerton collected the game winner converting a pass from Carter Renneberg as the buzzer sounded to end the first period and Bryton Clark notched the second just 14 ticks from the end of the middle period from Tye Barney and Jason Hess.

Nick McPherson added the insurance marker early in the final period from Alec Breunig and Renneberg.

RWD outshot the Wildcats 26-17, the widest margin coming in the middle frame when the home team held a 13-3 advantage.

The win boosted the team’s overall season record to 16-5 and this weekend the team hits the road to a Sparta tournament beginning Saturday with a 10 a.m. game against the Oregon Panthers and then back at 2 p.m. against the Sparta Spartans.

Bantam Cheavers have not played either team yet this season.

Next home game for the Cheavers will be next Saturday against Onalaska.

Tristan Edgerton’s goal at the first period buzzer ended up being the game winner on Sunday