A team to be proud of:
thrilling run to state ends one game short for fury
by gabby petuzzello
The Rock County Fury finished a stellar season; the team rose to #5 in the state rankings and advanced to the sectional final, but failed to qualify for state.
The team, 24 strong, includes girls from 7 communities, including Janesville, Milton, Broadhead, Albany, Monroe, Beloit, and Clinton. Craig students in the Rock County Fury include Senior Anne Runde, Senior Zoie Steig, Sophomore Sara Nerad, and Freshman Abby Humphrey. The Rock County Fury advanced to the playoffs, and the opening game commenced on Friday, February 16th. The game was held at the Janesville Ice Arena. The chill of excitement was in the area and the sound of music from the Mil- ton Pep Band blended into the background. As the #1 seed in the sectional, the Rock County Fury played the #8 seed, Badger Lightning, based in Mauston. The Fury put the game away early. They started aggressively and scored two goals in the first minute; at the end of the rst period, the Fury had a 9-0 lead. Overcome by the speed and the passing of the Fury, the Lighning left the ice at the close of the first period with shock on their faces. They managed to score one goal throughout the entire game, and their goalie had a tough night, as most of the game was played on the their side of the rink. The Fury added two goals in the second period and took an 11-1 lead to end the second period. The Fury tallied another goal in the third period, making the final score 12-1. By the end of the first period, the fans lost their excitement. The final result was clear: the Fury completely outplayed the Badger Lightning. The Fury advanced to the Sectional semi final on Feb.20th, beating Middleton 4-3 in OT. The Fury had their hands full in the first period. |
Maggy Henschler scored a goal, ending the first period down 2-1. The Middleton team, the Madison Metrolynx, played pesky defense by cutting off in the middle. The second period was no less intense. The Rock County Fury withstood several 5-3 disadvantages due to penalties, but the Metrolynx were not able to score a goal. Emotions ran high during the second period and the Fury faced another disadvantage with 5-on-3, but again they held off the Metrolynx. In fact, the Fury scored a short- handed goal with a minute left in the second period and to take a 3-1 lead into the final period. Middleton scored early in the final period to close the gap 3-2. Sloppy puck handling lead the Metrolynx into a 3-3 game. The game went into overtime, with the Fury attempting a pow- er play. The Fury scored first, winning the game. They moved onto the sectional final, where dug a de cit for themselves before making a furious comeback before losing to the eventual state runners-up, Sun Prairie, by a score of 3-2. |