GERMANTOWN 1 vs USM 6

In a Sectional 8 Regional final playoff game, University School defeated the Germantown Co-op team 6-1 at University School Friday night.

The early play was close, and both teams had a couple of good chances in the opening minutes.  USM finally broke the scoring barrier at 7:41 of the first period.  While USM had six skaters in the Germantown end during a delayed penalty call on Germantown, senior Ian Crimmins moved in close and took a shot that rebounded to senior Alex Tesensky who tried to shoot it, but the puck slid to his junior line mate Simon Leahy in the low right circle.  Leahy passed the puck out to junior Zach Hafeman at the point.  Hafeman took a shot that climbed like a plane off a an aircraft carrier and flew over the blocker of Germantown’s junior goalie Trevor Collins.

Collins and his teammates stifled USM scoring chances through the remainder of the first period, and Collins turned aside 13 shots in the period.  Meanwhile USM’s senior goaltender Dan Smyczek’s stopped all five shots that the Ice Bears put on the USM net in the period.

The Wildcats scored their second goal midway through the second period.  Sophomore Corey Roadhouse got the puck along the left boards in the Germantown zone and skated around the boards, heading behind the net.  Before he went behind, he backhanded a pass out to senior Augie Fritz who was all alone in the slot.  Fritz one-timed a shot before Collins could react to make the score 2-0 at 8:34.

USM increased its lead late in the second period.  Fritz passed the puck to senior defenseman Charlie James, who skated with it from the blue line down behind the Germantown net.  As he came around the net, James zinged a pass out to sophomore Kenny Servis in the high slot.  Servis stickhandled the puck once to get Collins' attention, then roofed a shot over Collins' shoulder at 15:51.

Early in the third period Germantown inched a bit closer.  Senior Connor Wagner battled for the puck and got control of it below the USM goal line.  He flipped it into the crease.  Smyczek dove to stop it, but the puck eluded his grasp.  Germantown senior Max Brudwig was there, and he pulled the puck away from Smyczek’s reach and flipped it into the net at 1:48.

USM quickly made sure that Germantown would get no closer.  In the Germantown end junior Aaron Storch fed the puck to Hafeman at the right point.  Hafeman started to skate in with it, but he dished it to sophomore Aston Wackym skating along the right boards.  Wackym skated into the right circle and rang a shot off the far post and into the net at 3:00.

USM made it 5-1 while on a power play.  Leahy got the puck in the USM end and raced down the left boards, crossed the Germantown blue line and circled behind the net.  He headed out up the right boards.  As he neared the hash marks, Leahy lined a pass across the ice to Tesensky in the left circle. Tesensky blasted a shot that sped between the near post and the lunging Collins at 5:49.

USM concluded its scoring at 8:40.  Tesensky passed the puck to James in the USM end. James lofted a backhand pass into  center ice to Leahy, who had slipped free behind the Germantown defensemen.  Leahy took off like a bull toward a red cape.  He swept past Collins and backhanded a shot high into the net.

With 4:04 left on the clock, the Ice Bears had a great opportunity to score. They were awarded a penalty shot when a defender covered the puck in the USM crease.  Germantown senior Tony Evans skated the puck in and tried to deke Smyczek, but the goaltender stopped his shot like a cop halting traffic at an intersection.

In the game Collins stopped 30 of USM’s 36 shots.  Smyczek saved 27.

Germantown ended its season with a 10-13-2 record.  USM improved its record to 13-7-3.  The Wildcats host Arrowhead, a 4-1victor over Waupun, in a Sectional semi-final game at USM at 7:30 on Tuesday February 23rd.