Cheavers bounce back for State Consolation

The RWD Peewee A hockey team was the lone representative from the organization to reach the State Championships and they returned home with a Consolation Championship trophy from the Sauk Prairie-based event on Sunday.

RWD qualified for the State tournament with a 7-1 win at Regionals but face one of its toughest opponents on the season in its first contest, pushed to the Consolation side with a 5-1 loss against the Tomah/Sparta Titans.

However, the locals bounced back with a pair of lopsided wins, reaching the Consolation final with an 8-2 whipping of the Amery Warriors, then collected the Consolation plaque with a 7-0 shutout against Waupun Warriors.

Cheavers 1 Titans 5

Having lost a lopsided contest to the Titans earlier this season, Head Coach Joe Uminski and his squad knew the opener would be a tough contest and that served to take a little pressure off the team.

They certainly weren’t going to just hand over a win, but they were playing as underdogs.

“We had nothing to lose,” said Uminski in an email interview. “Tomah is one of the best teams in the state. It’s basically the same team that on the Squirt A State title two years ago, plus a couple good players from Sparta.”

Uminski was proud of the effort from everyone, and it was his team in charge after a period as RJ Manley converted an Ethan Wilcox feed to put the underdogs up 1-0 heading to the second.

Despite a brilliant effort in goal from Jordan Kowalski that saw his team up 1-0 despite being outshot 12-4 in the period, the Titans eventually found a way to the mesh, scoring two unanswered second period goals and then two early in the third to grab control.

“Tomah controlled the game, so even when we were up, it was going to be hard to stay in front of them. I’m extremely proud of our effort. We gave them everything we had,” said Coach Uminski adding his team focused on blocking shots, back checking and clearing rebounds to eliminate Tomah chances. “We did those throughout the game.

Tomah outshot the locals 40-11 and Kowalski, who allowed just two more goals in the final six periods at state, rightfully earned high praise from the coach.

“He played one of his best games of the season,” said Uminski adding that is nothing new for the Cheavers’ goalie. “We had a learning moment early in the season with mental toughness and after he past that, he really took off. He grew as a goaltender and as a kid.”

Amery Warriors 2 RWD Cheavers 8

One of the best things about the peewee Cheavers is its offensive abilities and that was on full display in the final two games.

The Cheavers carried a two-goal lead out of the opening period against Amery before putting up five straight shutout periods. Two more in both the second and third periods allowed the Cheavers to skate away in this one.

Nine different Cheavers checked in on the scoresheet, led by Landen Uminski who fired three goals and added two assists. Paige Othmer fired a pair, Wilcox adding a goal and assist, and other goals scored by Payton Kowalski and Ethan Pope. Single assists went to Hailey Dietl, Wyatt Arnold, RJ Manley, and Tyler Krieski.

Cheavers 7 Waupun Warriors 0

The thrill wasn’t lessened, but the drama of the third game didn’t last long, the Cheavers carrying a 4-0 lead out of the opening period on its way to a lopsided shutout win.

This time Wilcox potted the hat trick, along with an assist and Krieski picked up two of each. Uminski set up a pair with other goals for Payton Kowalski and Elizabeth Haag.

In goal, Jordan Kowalski kicked out all 14 of the shots he faced.

The peewees returned home with a trophy and amazing memories of an experience many people don’t get to participate in.

“We get a trophy and I’ll add a photo of the team and small plaque with all their names on there” said Uminski, meaning every time these players walk in the Reedsburg Area Community Arena (RACA), they will be reminded of this accomplishment.

The RWD Peewee “A’ Cheavers returned home from the Wisconsin Amateur Hockey Association (WAHA) Peewee 3A State Championship tournament in Sauk Prairie this past weekend (March 13-14) with a Consolation Champions’ trophy. Team members (in numerical order) include: Hailey Dietl; Wyatt Arnold; Landen Uminski; Ethan Wilcox; Paige Othmer; RJ Manley; Elizabeth Haag; Payton Kowalski; Jordan Kowalski; Ethan Pope; Tyler Krieski and Olivia Renneberg. Coaches are: Joe Uminski; Nate Wilcox and Justin Pope.

“As a coach, I’ve been luck to coach four teams to state and come away with three trophies,” said Uminski. “Each one has history attached to it and the stories that with them. A lot of memories of each season.”

Any player, coach or parent who reaches the state stage, in any sport, gets a special experience. With the craziness of the 2020-21 season, it’s a great finish and for the Cheavers, there was some lemonade made from a lemon of a season. Playing out of Region four also guarantees top notch league opponents and a team well-prepared for when the big games start.

“With all the Division one teams in the Madison area, we have some great competition,” said Coach Uminski. “One silver lining, with all the rink restrictions in Dane County, this year, teams had to come to us. We only played on the road three times. Additionally, I tried to schedule as many top teams from the area to really push these kids this year. We had a great year and were extremely successful, more successful that I thought we would be.

“This is a great group of kids who want to learn and be pushed. Add in the commitment from the parents to get their kids to all the practices and games was amazing. The families made it one of the best years I have ever had coaching. It’s tough letting go of this group, that’s for sure.

“They will always have a special place in my heart.”

Manley fires three to lift Cheavers past Wildcats

By Jim den Hollander

Editor/Publisher

Saukhockey.info

In between matches at the Dells Cup Tournament, the RWD Peewee ‘A’ Cheavers jammed in two more with a pair of games against the Waunakee ‘B’ Wildcats at Reedsburg Area Community Arena (RACA) on Saturday.

The result was a split as the Wildcats collected a 4-2 win against the Cheavers Saturday morning, just 12 hours after its tournament opener on the same ice. The Cheavers salvaged a split with a 3-2 win in another game at 12:15, giving players time to rest up for another game Saturday night in tournament action.

In the first game, both teams scored in the first period, Landen Uminski scoring for the Cheavers and Trevor Day for the Wildcats.

Wyatt Arnold had a set up on the Uminski goal and collected another assist on a second period goal for Tyler Krieski.

Wildcats scored three times in the middle period, Rylan Port collecting the game winner and insurance goals with the other added by Paige Nowinski.

Jordan Kowalski stopped 19 of 23 shots in the game for the Cheavers who outshot their guest 26-23.

RJ Manley notched all three goals for the Cheavers in the second game, including the only goal of the opening period with a pass from Arnold.

Wildcats tied it up with a goal from Port early in the second, but Manley put the Cheavers into the lead again in the seventh minute of the period and then padded the margin with 2:51 to go in the frame after taking a pass from Elizabeth Haag.

Lilly Wagner scored for the Wildcats 58 seconds later, but that was as close as they could get thanks to Kowalski who kicked out all seven shots he faced in the third on his way to a 24-save effort. The Cheavers fired 35 shots the other way, including 15 in the opening period.

The win Saturday afternoon snapped a three-game skid for the Cheavers, its longest of the season.

The weekend matches move the Cheavers to 21-11 on the season and the teams head into a well-deserved rest this weekend before heading North for a tournament in Rice Lake Jan. 23-25.

RJ Manley finished off his hat trick with 2:51 to play in the second period.

Dietl sinks game winner for Peewee Cheavers

The RWD Peewee ‘A’ Cheavers hosted the Onalaska/Holmen Tornado and earn a split Sunday (Dec. 27) at Reedsburg Area Community Arena (RACA).

The Cheavers used a pair of unanswered third period goals to snag a 3-2 win in in the opening contest Sunday morning but the visitors turned the tables later rallying from a 2-1 deficit for a 4-3 edge with three third period goals.

In the first game, Tornado opened the scoring early and carried a 1-0 cushion into the middle period.

Wyatt Arnold pulled one back for the Peewee Cheavers, but the Tornado responded to recapture the lead heading to the third.

The lead held up until Elizabeth Haag fired the tying goal with 2:24 to play in the contest. Seven seconds later, Hailey Dietl pounced on the rebound of a shot by Arnold to put the Cheavers in front for the first and last time.

Shown below is Hailey Dietl’s game winner

Jordan Kowalski turned in a stellar effort between the pipes, helping his team to the win despite being outshot 34-29. Kowalski kicked out all but one of the 17 shots he faced in the opening period.

In the return match it was the Cheavers carrying the slim lead into the final frame as goals from Tyler Krieski and Dietl about five minutes apart had the Cheavers up 2-1 with 17-minutes to play. Assists on the goals went to RJ Manley and Paige Othmer.

Tornado hit the board with four seconds to play in the second, then tied it early in the third and scored two goals in 21 seconds to take control in the middle part of the period.

Krieski notched one more in the dying seconds but it wasn’t enough to avoid the split.

Sunday’s games boost the Cheavers’ overall record to 16-7 and the Tornado edge in the second game snapped the latest Cheavers’ winning streak at four games.

The team will keep home ice advantage with another three games coming up this weekend. The first will pit the Cheavers against Regional rival, Monroe Avalanche in a 2 p.m. test on Saturday (Jan. 2). On Sunday, the Cheavers will prepare for another big Regional match with a 9:15 a.m. game against Waunakee Wildcats before the Sauk Prairie Flyers hit the ice for a 12:30 p.m. meeting.

The Cheavers have yet to face Monroe this season but dropped a tough 8-2 decision to the Flyers at SPARC in Prairie du Sac on Nov. 28. In another previous meeting on Nov. 7, also at RACA, the locals collected a 3-0 goose egg against the Wildcats.

Uminski’s four-goal game helps Peewee Cheavers to three win weekend

By Jim den Hollander

Editor/Publisher

Saukhockey.info

Another weekend, another three wins for the RWD Peewee ‘A’ Cheavers with a sweep on home ice Dec. 19-20.

The weekend started out with a 6-2 win against the Sun Prairie ‘B’ Cardinals early Saturday and in a rematch later the same day, the Cheavers racked up a 9-0 shutout win.

On Sunday, the locals grabbed a second shutout, this time a 5-0 decision against the Verona Wildcats. All three games were played at Reedsburg Area Community Arena (RACA).

Cardinals 2, 0 @ Cheavers 6, 9

In the first game against the Cardinals, Ethan Pope started things off, taking a feed from RJ Manley and sinking the lone goal of the first period for the Cheavers.

Tyler Krieski doubled the margin, from Pope near the halfway mark of the middle period and an unassisted goal for Manley just over a minute later had the home side up 3-0.

The Cardinals fired its first a short time later and cut the margin to a single goal early in the third, but the Cheavers responded with three in the final 10 minutes of the game.

Landen Uminski scored the first with Ethan Wilcox counting the other pair and all three were assisted by Manley.

Jordan Kowalski did a great job in goal, turning aside 31 shots to lift his team to the win, despite being outshot.

Kowalski was perfect in the second game, but his team cut the number of shots he faced by a large amount as well.

A four-goal opening period sent the Cheavers on its way and they added another pair in the middle frame before wrapping it up with three down the stretch.

Uminski paced the offensive attack, scoring four goals and adding a couple assists, Krieski adding two goals and a helper. Hailey Dietl helped with a goal and assist, the other goals scored by Elizabeth Haag and Payton Kowalski.

Manley picked up three assists and Wyatt Arnold also chipped in with one.

Wildcats 0 @ Cheavers 5

Kowalski collected his second goose egg on Dec. 20 with an 18-save shutout making Manley’s lone first period goal, from Krieski, stand up as the game winner.

Two more in the second and third padded the lead, the final two rounding out a hat trick for Manley who also collected an assist.

Second period goals came from Dietl, who later added a set up and Wilcox. Krieski, Paige Othmer and Uminski also picked up assists for the Cheavers who entered the Christmas Break with an overall record of 15-6 and ended the longest losing streak of the season at two games.

The Cheavers were scheduled to be back in action Dec. 27 with a pair of games on home ice against the Onalaska/Holmen Tornado.

Peewee Cheavers sweep Polar Caps, drop pair to Hawks

The RWD Peewee ‘A’ Cheavers wrapped up a split on the December 11-13 weekend, taking two from the East Madison Patriots on Saturday (Dec. 12) at Reedsburg Area Community Arena (RACA) before hitting the road Sunday and dropping two against the host Viroqua Blackhawks.

In the first meeting against the Patriots, the home team rallied with four goals in a little under six minutes to turn a 2-0 deficit into a 4-2 lead and ultimately, a 4-3 win.

The Cheavers left no doubt in the second meeting, piling up a 4-0 first period lead on its way to a 6-0 shutout win.

In the first game Sunday, the RWD squad dropped a 7-3 decision in the first game and 5-3 in the wrap up contest.

Saturday, December 12

Polar Caps 3 @ Cheavers 4

Polar Caps 0 @ Cheavers 6

The first game against Madison saw the Cheavers falling behind 2-0 in the first period and the same cushion was intact to start the third.

Landen Uminski opened the floodgates 4:15 into the final period with a powerplay goal, assisted by Elizabeth Haag.

An unassisted tally by Hailey Dietl tied the game at the 6:24 mark and Ethan Wilcox put the home team in front to stay from Tyler Krieski and Paige Othmer 44 seconds later. Uminski’s second, from Dietl padded the lead, but turned into the game winner when the Pats struck back for one more in the final period.

Jordan Kowalski kicked out 15 shots to collect the win in goal, but he saved his best for the next game, posting his sixth shutout of the season.

Dietl scored twice in the second game, Uminski adding a goal and two assists. Other goals came from Haag, Wyatt Arnold, and RJ Manley with assists for Krieski and Wilcox (2).

Sunday, December 13

Cheavers 3 @ Blackhawks 7

Cheavers 3 @ Blackhawks 5

At Viroqua, the Cheavers ran into a team with a high-powered offense that handed them back-to-back defeats for the first time this season.

‘In the first game, the Cheavers matched the Hawks through a period, trailing 3-2 entering the second with goals from Kowalski and Dietl and an assist for Krieski.

The home side added two more in the second and another pair in the third before Haag converted a pass from Manley late in the frame.

After five goals in the first period of the first period, teams failed to find the mark in the opening frame of the getaway game but made up for it with six second period tallies – unfortunately, four of them for the Blackhawks.

Manley collected an assist on a Krieski goal to open the scoring then scored the second himself a little over a minute later. Othmer also picked up an assist on the first goal.

Teams traded goals in the final period, Viroqua going up 5-2 before Uminski rounded out the scoring with a set up for Dietl.

The weekend split moved the Peewee Cheavers to 12-6 on the season.

Peewee A Cheavers getting hot as season rolls on

By Jim den Hollander

Editor/Publisher

Saukhockey.info

The Peewee ‘A’ Cheavers dropped its first but rallied back for three straight weekend wins.

After splitting a two-game set in Black River Falls Saturday against the host Tigers, RWD returned home and took both ends of a doubleheader against the Onalaska/Holmen Tornado peewees on Sunday at Reedsburg Area Community Arena (RACA).

Cheavers 4 @ Tigers 7

Tigers fired the lone goal through the first half of the opening period, but teams exploded for seven goals in the final nine minutes of the period, the host Tigers carrying a 5-3 lead into the middle period.

Landen Uminski, Ethan Pope and Ethan Wilcox fired the first period goals for the Cheavers with assists for Jordan Kowalski and Tyler Krieski.

The lone middle period goal came from Elizabeth Haag who pulled RWD to within a goal on a feed from Wilcox.

The Tigers took over in the third, scoring two goals a little over a minute apart late in the contest to salt away the win.

Olivia Renneberg faced 25 shots in goal for the Cheavers.

Cheavers 7 @ Tigers 3

A short time later, teams regrouped for a second contest and this time the Cheavers used a heavy third period barrage to snag a big win.

Both teams scored once in the first and again in the second, but four goals in the first half of the third gave the visitors a lead it would not relinquish.

Krieski powered the Cheavers’ offense, firing three goals and adding an assist while Uminski potted a pair. Wyatt Arnold picked up a goal and assist and the other goal came from Payton Kowalski. Wilcox had three assists with Haag also collecting a set up.

Jordan Kowalski took a turn in goal and turned aside 25 of 28 Tigers shots.

Tornado 2 @ Cheavers 10

RWD exploded for 10 goals in their first game Sunday, half of them off the stick of Uminski. Krieski collected another hat trick and the other two came from Payton Kowalski. Hailey Dietl and Haag collected three assists apiece, Wilcox helping on a pair and Jordan Kowalski also getting a set up.

Renneberg collected the win in goal.

Tornado 1 @ Cheavers 7

Everything went RWD’s way again in the second, the lone disappointment possibly being for Jordan Kowalski who collected his second win of the weekend in goal but saw his shutout bid spoiled just 19 seconds from the final buzzer.

Paige Othmer enjoyed a big day on the offense, putting up three goals and an assist while Haag scored twice along with two assists.

Renneberg skated out and collected one of the goals and Payton Kowalski notched the other.

Dietl enjoyed a huge playmaking day, turning in five assists with Uminski adding a pair.

The Peewee ‘A’ Cheavers boosted its overall record to 10-4 on the season and the locals have won six of its past seven.

That streak will be on the line Saturday when the Cheavers play host to the Madison Patriots at 9:15 a.m. and 6 p.m. at RACA on Saturday, then entertain the Viroqua Thunder in Sunday games at 10:45 a.m. and 2:45 p.m.

Peewee Cheavers take two of three on the road

RWD Peewee Cheavers wrapped up a 2-1 weekend on the road with 5-0 and 9-2 wins at Waupaca against the host Comets before wrapping up against a strong Tomah Timberwolves team on Sunday and absorbing a 9-1 defeat.

In the first game against the Comets, Landon Uminski scored the game winner in the second period, adding another later with singles for Matt Stando, Payton Kowalski and Noah Mortimer. RJ Manley collected a couple assists in the contest with others for Aiden Knull and Ethan Wilcox.

Jordan Kowalski was perfect between the pipes, grabbing the shutout.

In the second game, the Cheavers blasted out of the gate for a 5-1 first period cushion and never looked back.

Knull and Payton Kowalski both notched a pair of goals, Elizabeth Haag adding a goal and assist and other goals for Stando, Wyatt Arnold and Dayne Wagner. Manley set up a pair with another assist for Wilcox.

The peewees knew they were in tough against the Timberwolves who jumped into a 4-0 lead and built on that. The Cheavers gained some satisfaction, denying the host a shutout thanks to a goal from Wilcox just 2:48 from the horn.