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Sports

Wildcats Lose on Late Goal

The USM Wildcats played a solid game but come up one goal short.

The USM Wildcats girls hockey team hosted the Fond du Lac Warbirds on Tuesday at University School and lost 2-1. The Wildcats are a combined team with players from University School, Whitefish Bay, Nicolet and Homestead.

The game began with steady pressure from Fond du Lac, keeping Wildcats goalie Emily Wigdale on her heels for most of the first period. At 12:42 of the first period, Warbirds junior Stacey Stobb scored the first goal of the game with assists from senior Mack Katlin and sophomore Sami Gibson.

“I honestly thought we did a nice job,” said Wildcats head coach Jason Woods. “We had better scoring chances but their goalie (Jade Van Buren) made some great saves.”

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With four minutes left in the period the Wildcats struck back off a goal by junior Megan Baily and assists from sophomore Abby Leitschuh and sophomore Sally James.

That’s the way the first period ended, 1-all.

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Fond du Lac goalie Van Buren stopped shots from close range to open the second period. Once again momentum shifted regularly and Wigdale made a huge save as a pile formed in front of the Wildcats net with 12 minutes left in the second period, which ended 1-all.

“The game was played in waves,” Woods said. “Again, Van Buren was incredible. We missed the net when we had her beat. She was solid when the puck was on the net.”

That makes for a frustrating night.

Woods says goalie Wigdale was "sick as a dog" during the game. “She left school (Monday)," he said. "If you saw her in the locker room, you’d know she was sick. Still, she never complained and played her guts out.”

The first two periods weren’t what you’d call sluggish, but they werent fluid either. “I look at the first couple periods as a feeling out process,” Woods said. “Players are just trying not to make that big mistake, the one that will cost you.”

Things heated up in the third period as both teams were geared up for the deciding goal. And that came from Fodn du Lac junior Katherine Nejedlo.

One glaring negative during the game was the lack of crisp passing by both teams.

“Pressure takes that away,” Woods said. “Pressure breaks everything down. And we were doing that to them too.”

Wigdale stoppped 30 of 32 shots on goal while Van Buren saved 26 of 27 shots.

Woods said he thinks the teams were very evenly matched and that’s why it was a good game. “We beat them 4-3 in overtime to open up the season," he said. "We’re playing the toughest schedule in the state and we’re ready to take on anybody. It’s not just about right now, it’s about being ready for the playoffs.”

Next up for the Wildcats is the Northland Pines Classic at Eagle River on Friday.  

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