Girls hockey makes history
by Aidan Eno
The Rock County Fury beat the Middleton Metro Lynx Thursday, January 25, in a stunning 6-0 victory to take the conference title.
The team had yet to win a conference championship in franchise history, so as they entered with a undefeated conference record, the stage was set for a heavily anticipated game.
“We knew it was going to be a tough game, and the girls took it in their own hands to really step it up all three periods to make sure they came out with the win,” said Coach Luke Steurer.
Middleton took to the ice with a strong offensive in the first few minutes, but the team stayed strong and managed to push the puck out of their zone.
A big chance to shift the momentum came with a penalty shot roughly nine minutes into the first period for the Fury.
Maggy Henschler, of Milton High School, who leads the team in goals, managed to capitalize on this opportunity and get the ball rolling for the team.
“Any time we can get that first goal things start to fall in to place for us,” said Steurer.
By the end of the first period, the Fury was up 2-0.
Two more goals, one power play and one even-strength, came in the second period to widen the lead and put the team comfortably ahead.
The team was able to maintain its lead with a strong back checking and defensive game, and McKaylie Buescher’s shutout of twenty five shots gave Middleton no chance to come back.
“We knew it was going to be a great game, but we didn’t know we’d score that many goals,” reflected Annie Runde (12).
“I think we’re looking pretty good for the playoff standings, but we’ll find out soon if we get the first seed,” she said.
The team has had no less than eleven games in which they have scored more than five goals, but as conference championships are usually tight matches, this score came as a surprise.
“This season [the team] has set some new firsts in the programs history, and we look to continue this playing through the playoffs.
“They know where they want to be at the end of the season and have put in the work to get there.
“This is what makes the Fury successful, being able to adapt to change and focus on the game and getting better,” says Steurer.
The Fury had hoped to make history again by remaining undefeated in their conference record, but the team lost 5-3 against Sun Prairie, January 30th.
Despite this loss, the team has beat every team in their conference and sectional at least once, so the likelihood that they’ll come out with a strong playoff seed is high.
The team had yet to win a conference championship in franchise history, so as they entered with a undefeated conference record, the stage was set for a heavily anticipated game.
“We knew it was going to be a tough game, and the girls took it in their own hands to really step it up all three periods to make sure they came out with the win,” said Coach Luke Steurer.
Middleton took to the ice with a strong offensive in the first few minutes, but the team stayed strong and managed to push the puck out of their zone.
A big chance to shift the momentum came with a penalty shot roughly nine minutes into the first period for the Fury.
Maggy Henschler, of Milton High School, who leads the team in goals, managed to capitalize on this opportunity and get the ball rolling for the team.
“Any time we can get that first goal things start to fall in to place for us,” said Steurer.
By the end of the first period, the Fury was up 2-0.
Two more goals, one power play and one even-strength, came in the second period to widen the lead and put the team comfortably ahead.
The team was able to maintain its lead with a strong back checking and defensive game, and McKaylie Buescher’s shutout of twenty five shots gave Middleton no chance to come back.
“We knew it was going to be a great game, but we didn’t know we’d score that many goals,” reflected Annie Runde (12).
“I think we’re looking pretty good for the playoff standings, but we’ll find out soon if we get the first seed,” she said.
The team has had no less than eleven games in which they have scored more than five goals, but as conference championships are usually tight matches, this score came as a surprise.
“This season [the team] has set some new firsts in the programs history, and we look to continue this playing through the playoffs.
“They know where they want to be at the end of the season and have put in the work to get there.
“This is what makes the Fury successful, being able to adapt to change and focus on the game and getting better,” says Steurer.
The Fury had hoped to make history again by remaining undefeated in their conference record, but the team lost 5-3 against Sun Prairie, January 30th.
Despite this loss, the team has beat every team in their conference and sectional at least once, so the likelihood that they’ll come out with a strong playoff seed is high.