Wildcat Hockey Team Falls to Janesville in Overtime

In the second round of the Joe Raymond Memorial Hockey Classic at Nagawaukee Ice Arena in Delafield Wednesday afternoon, the Janesville co-op came from behind and eventually scored an overtime goal to defeat the 6-5.

All afternoon the action was continuous, back and forth. USM took the lead early in the game. USM's Ryan Revolinski collected a loose puck in the left corner of the Bluebirds' zone. He wheeled out front and passed the puck in front of the net to Justin Brandt. Brandt immediately shot it at the pads of Janesville's goalie Michael MacDougall. The rebound came back to Brandt, and he pushed it between MacDougall's legs for the goal at 1:59 of the first period.

The goal gave the Wildcats a false sense of superiority and they played a sloppy, inattentive game, especially defensively, for much of the remainder of the game.  They also committed 28 minutes of slovenly penalties to add to their problems.

"It was embarrassing," growled USM's head coach Cal Roadhouse at the end of his team's debacle.

The Bluebirds took full advantage of USM's inability to do the little things right. Janesville tied the game minutes later on a power play. Drew Mussey grabbed the puck away from a USM penalty killer in the right corner of the USM zone. He lashed a pass to Tanner Woodman, who was waiting like he was all alone at a bus stop in the far circle. Before USM's goaltender Bryan Botcher could get across the crease, Woodman whipped the puck into the net at 6:34.

The Wildcats went back ahead late in the first period. Corey Roadhouse got the puck and passed it to Ashton Wackym on the mid-boards in the Janesville end.  Wackym skated toward the slot and the passed the puck to defenseman Joey Judge on the right side of the blue line. Judge stepped in and gunned a low shot on net.  Roadhouse had gone to the net, and he tipped the shot in at 15:32.

The Wildcats increased their lead early in the second period. During a face off in the Janesville right circle, Wackym drew the puck toward the slot to Kenny Servis.  Servis attempted a shot but he was blocked, so he slid it into the high slot to Roadhouse. Roadhouse fired it past MacDougall at 3:16.

The Bluebirds flew right back into contention with a goal just over five minutes later. In the USM end, Dan Eddie sent the puck to Connor Perkins unchecked near the side of the net.  Perkins took a shot. The puck popped into the air, and Woodman, who was also unchecked in front, batted it into the net at 8:27.

The game stayed close for the rest of the second period and neither team added a goal.  The third period then witnessed an explosion of scores that eventually sent the game into overtime.

The Wildcats went ahead 4-2 on a power play at the start of the third period.  Wackym passed the puck from Janesville's right side-boards to Nathan Burke at the point.  Burke moved along the blue line to its center and fired the puck through a screen in front of MacDougall for the goal just 28 seconds into the period.

Once again the Wildcats let down their guard, and once again the Bluebirds took advantage of USM's lapses.  Janesville scored two goals in the next minute to tie the score.  The first of the two came on a power play. As he did on the Bluebirds first power play goal, Mussey got the puck on the right side and lined a cross pass to Connor Perkins standing unnoticed in the left circle. Perkins pushed the puck into the opening on that side of the net at 1:23.

Janesville tied it just 33 seconds later.  Cycling the puck in the right corner, Brett Lessner passed it to Clay Simonson.  Simonson spotted Keaton Eichman racing unchecked toward the left post and blazed a pass to him. Eichman blasted it in.

The Bluebirds took their first lead on a shorthanded goal midway through the third period.  During a USM power play, Simonson beat a pinching defenseman to the puck in the Janesville end and fired it down the ice.  Mussey raced past the USM players to get the loose puck in the USM right corner.  He moved out and passed it across the slot to Bradan Perkins, who had also out skated the Wildcat back checkers.  Perkins gunned the puck into the goal at 8:58.

USM evened the score with a power play goal at 12:10.  During a face off on the left side of center ice, Wackym moved the puck to the left to Judge who skated straight at the Janesville goal.  He took a backhand shot that hit MacDougall.  The puck slid out to Roadhouse, who was hustling toward the net from the right, and Roadhouse snapped it in to make the score 5-5.

The game moved into overtime.  The Wildcats had a chance to win it with a power play, but just as the power play ended, it was the Bluebirds who capitalized due their hustle.  Addie came out to the point and took the puck from the USM player there.  Addie took off and skated into the USM zone on a two on one.  He snapped a shot at Botcher. The puck hit the goaltender and dribbled down in the crease.  Bradan Perkins rushed to the net and pushed it across the goal line for the game winner at 4:29.

In the game MacDougall made 25 saves and Botcher made 30 saves.

Janesville is now 7-4.  USM is 6-5.  The Wildcats play Mount Carmel from Illinois in the tournament's consolation game at 6:00 p.m. Thursday at Nagawaukee.