CL wraps up regular season

Chisago Lakes 3, Princeton 3 (OT)
The Wildcat girls’ hockey team skated to a 3-3 overtime tie with Princeton last Thursday, January 30 at Princeton Arena. Princeton scored the only goal of the first period to take a 1-0 lead. They went up 2-0 early in the second period before the Wildcats got on the board. At the four minute mark of the period, Allison Borgstrom scored, assisted by Rheanna Duncan, to cut the Princeton lead to one. Princeton again took a two-goal lead with a score at 9:33. But the Wildcats again climbed to within one just over 30 seconds later when Amy Budde scored. Olivia Mechelke picked up the lone assist on the play. And with a couple of minutes left in the period, Rikki Waldoch scored a power play goal, assisted by Allison Borgstrom, to tie the score 3-3. Neither team scored in the third period or overtime despite a combined 29 shots.

Chisago Lakes 7, Cambridge-Isanti 3
The Wildcats scored four goals in a four minute span of the second period to turn a close game into a comfortable 7-3 win over Cambridge-Isanti on Monday, February 3 at Chisago Lakes Arena. The Wildcats accomplished two things in this game: they got a win going into section play – which will hopefully bring them some momentum – and they were able to get ice time for some players who don’t normally see a lot of it. Rikki Waldoch scored with just under a minute remaining in the first period, and goalie

Amanda Shoquist picked up an assist on the play, to put the Wildcats up 1-0. The four goal outburst started at 2:22 of the second period, and went as follows: Amanda Franklin from Allison Borgstrom and Rikki Waldoch (power play); Rheanna Duncan from Borgstrom; Amy Budde, unassisted; and Courtney Baugher, assisted by Ellie Kimlinger. The Franklin and Duncan goals were just 12 seconds apart. The Bluejackets scored two minutes after Baugher’s goal to cut the Wildcat lead to 5-1. But Duncan answered just eight seconds later, assisted by Borgstrom and Baugher, to push the lead back to five. Cambridge-Isanti scored just five seconds into the third period, but the Wildcats got that one back four minutes later when Budde scored, assisted by Franklin.

The Bluejackets outshot the Wildcats 37-29 for the game, but Shoquist stopped 35 of the 37 shots she faced to pick up the win. “Borgstrom has really picked up her game the last month,” said Wildcat head coach Jason Mahlen. For that matter, Rheanna Duncan, Amanda Shoquist and Rikki Waldoch have all stepped it up. Those four seniors are playing well, like we need them to. In any sport, you’re only usually as good as your group of seniors.” SECTION PREVIEW The fourth –seeded Wildcats will face the fifth-seeded Mahtomedi Zephyrs at 6:30 p.m. this Friday, February 7 at Roseville Arena.

If the Wildcats prevail over the Zephyrs, they will face top-seeded Achiever Academy next Tuesday, February 11 at 6 p.m. at St. Thomas Arena. The Wildcats beat Mahtomedi 2-1 earlier this season. Mahlen said “They’re a defensive style team that doesn’t score or give up a lot of goals. If we can get two or three goals on the board, it will be a good situation. We need to stay patient and not get frustrated. If we play some good hockey, we are going to give any team in our section a run for their money.”