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The Wildcat boys hockey team continued its winning way last week, dispatching three more opponents as they built their overall record to 15-4 and their conference record to 6-3, good for third place behind Benilde-St. Margaret's and Totino Grace.

Chisago Lakes 7, St. Paul Academy 3

Brett Lizotte and Andrew Habel had two goals and two assists apiece, and playmaker Cory Lushanko had four assists as the Wildcats trounced St. Paul Academy 7-3 last Tuesday, January 25 at Chisago Lakes Arena.

The Wildcats outshot the Spartans 40-14 from the game. They led 2-1 after the first period and piled on four goals in a five minute span of the second period to put the game out of reach. For the last of the four goals in the second period, Dan Sargeant took a pass from Ory Burggraff in front of the net and fired a quick backhand into the top corner for his second goal of the season.

Burggraff finished with a goal and two assists for the game. Bradee Thompson had three assists and Kyle Hagglund rounded out the scoring for the Wildcats with a goal and an assist.

Chisago Lakes 7, Irondale 1

Andrew Habel scored four goals to lead the Wildcats to a 7-1 thrashing of conference foe Irondale last Thursday, January 27 at Chisago Lakes Arena. It was Habel's third hat trick of the season. His 55 points put him in ninth place overall in the state, and his 33 assists rank him seventh in that category. And the Wildcats got some good news, bolstering their lineup with the return of Trent Montague. Montague had been out several weeks with a knee injury and returns in time to help the Wildcats put their best team on the ice as they move toward the section playoffs.

Ory Burggraff had a goal and two assists for the second game in a row. Riley Doriott was in a giving mood, picking up three assists. Dan Kimlinger and Cory Lushanko scored the other goals for the Wildcats. Lawrence Zaun had two assists, and Matt Stamos, Bradee Thompson and Trent Montague each picked up an assist. The Wildcats outshot the Knights 43-22 for the game. Wildcat goaltender Ben Bratrud played well, stopping 21 of the 22 shots he faced.

Chisago Lakes 5, Spring Lake Park 2

In an afternoon matinee performance at Fogerty Arena in Blaine, five different Wildcat players scored goals as they finished off a great week with a 5-2 win over Spring Lake Park on Saturday, January 29. Goal scorers were Ory Burggraff, Brett Lizotte, Cory Lushanko, Sean Vainovskis and Andrew Habel. Lushanko also had two assists. Six other players also had assists: Danny Kimlinger, Lizotte, Burggraff, Kyle Hagglund, Riley Doriott and Habel.

"Coming into the week," said Wildcat head coach Corey McKinnon, "we wanted to play three great games. We knew it was going to be a busy and fun week against a section opponent in St. Paul Academy, conference opponent Irondale and section and conference opponent Spring Lake Park. And the boys played well in all three games. I think the biggest highlight for the week was the real team effort our guys displayed. Everybody showed up to the rink and did their job on the ice.

"We were still a little short on defense and played just three defensemen all week. Kyle Hagglund was solid, playing very well on the penalty kill, power play and at even strength. I can't say enough about Lawrence Zaun and how much he has improved through hard work. And Dan Sargeant has shown the ability to get the puck out of danger and into a safe area of the ice," McKinnon said.

"Up front, our third line of Matt Stamos, Sean Vainovskis and Danny Kimlinger has a lot of zip and works hard every time they are out there. Getting Trent Montague back from his knee injury certainly helped. And Ben Bratrud has been playing well for us in the nets. Against Spring Lake Park, he stopped a breakaway early in the game, and that save may have been the backbreaker for the Panthers.

"Our goal now is to prepare well for the playoffs. I see us as a team that other teams aren't going to want to play. We have Jeff Sargeant and Leigh Dehmer back on defense, adding some depth there. Most importantly, our team is coming together as a hockey team in the way they approach practice and the games and they are bonding well with each other personally. If we continue to learn from our mistakes and play at a high level, we will have a lot of fun as we hit February. We'll see if we can go all the way with it."

The Wildcats play two more conference opponents this over the next several days. They host the St. Francis Fighting Saints at Chisago Lakes Arena this Saturday, February 5 at 6 p.m. They will head out to New Hope Ice Arena next Tuesday, February 8 to take on Robbinsdale Cooper at 7 p.m.

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