CEDARBURG 1 vs USM 7

Saturday afternoon at Beaver Dam, University School overpowered Cedarburg by a 7-1 margin to win the Sectional 8 final and head to the 2010 State High School Ice Hockey Tournament.

USM began rather sluggishly, and the first tally on the scoreboard was given to Cedarburg.  From a face off in the USM left corner, USM won the draw.  The USM defender tried a long breakout pass across the low slot.  The puck hit another USM player’s leg and ricocheted into the USM net, stunning USM goaltender senior Dan Smyczek at 0:36 of the first period.  Credit for the goal was given to Cedarburg’s sophomore center Matt Wickert who took the draw.

The Wildcats tied it up on a first period power play.  After Cedarburg iced the puck, USM junior Zach Hafeman collected it and went behind the USM net.  Senior Alex Tesensky swung behind the net to pick up the puck and headed up ice.  As he did, he spotted senior Charlie James in center ice. Tesensky lined a long bomb pass  between the two Cedarburg defensemen to James at the far blue line.  James roared in on a breakaway, faked a shot in the low slot to freeze Cedarburg’s senior goalie Lee Wickert, and then slid the puck into the low left side of the net.  Time of the tying goal: 6:28.

Less than a minute later, the Wildcats scored the winning goal on an exact replica of the same play.  On another USM power play, Tesensky once again got the puck behind the USM net from Hafeman and once again sent it past the Cedarburg defensemen to James at the far blue line. Once again James went in on breakaway.  This time he shot the puck from the low slot, but once again it went into the Cedarburg goal on the low left side at 7:17.

The momentum had turned USM’s way.  Cedarburg attempted to compensate, but the Bulldogs’ overly aggressive checking caused them to take more penalties, and their vociferous response to the additional penalties compounded their problems. 

Near the end of the first period USM had two full minutes of a five on three power play.  But the Wildcats did not capitalize on the opportunity until early in the second period after Cedarburg had killed off one of the penalties.  In the Cedarburg end, Tesensky got control of the puck at the point.  He skated down the boards and fired a low shot to the far side.  USM junior Simon Leahy reached out his stick and tipped the puck past Wickert at 0:37.

USM scored its first even strength goal at 3:46 of the second period.  Like a Pony Express rider, Tesensky carried the puck into the Cedarburg zone along the left side.  As he moved into the left circle, he crossed a pass to Leahy coming into the slot.  Leahy immediately one-timed the perfect pass past Wickert to make the score 4-1.

USM capitalized on another five on three power play for its fifth goal.  From the point Hafeman sent the puck into the left corner.  Leahy went in and won the battle for it.  He passed it out to Tesenky at the point.  Tesensky moved across to the center of blue line waiting for his teammates  to screen Wickert.  Then Tesensky blazed a low shot into the net at 14:03.

USM added another second period goal in the last minute of the period.  In the USM end sophomore Corey Roadhouse skated out to the point to defend against the Cedarburg defenseman who had the puck.  Roadhouse knocked the puck free and it skitttered to USM sophomore Kenny Servis just inside the Cedarburg blue line.  Roadouse took off, and Servis put a well-placed pass out in front of Roadhouse, sending him in on a breakaway.   Entering the low slot, Roadhouse rang his shot off the cross bar and into the net at 16:10.

USM survived a scare early in the third period when Cedarburg shooters took two shots that hit pipes on the USM net.  But both bounced away instead of into the net. 

USM then collected its wits and put the clock on running time with a goal at 3:18 of the third period.  In the Cedarburg end, James sent the puck from the point to senior Ian Crimmins along the left mid-boards.  Crimmins skated toward the net.  As he did, the puck slid away from his stick.  It slid right to Leahy who was moving into the slot.  Leahy controlled it then quickly fired it past Wickert to give the Wildcats a six-goal lead at 7-1.

In the game Wickert saved 22 of the 29 shots fired his way.  Smyczek made 24 saves and his replacement, junior Alex Langer, who came in with 5:05 left on the clock, made 6 for a total of 30 saves by the USM goaltending crew.  Tesensky had five points during the game on four assists and a goal.  Leahy had a hat trick, and Hafeman had three assists.

Cedarburg’s hopes for the state tournament are done.  The Bulldogs final record is 18-7-2.  USM’s season continues. The Wildcats go to state with a 15-7-3 record.   They will face Stoughton at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 4th at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison.