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The Wildcat girls’ hockey team seems to be peaking at the right time.  With section playoffs starting Saturday, February 11, the Wildcats (13-10-1) have won five of their last six games.  They are scoring a lot of goals, playing good defense, and junior goalie Breanna Ritter is playing some of her best hockey.  The Wildcats are in Section 4A, the same section as Simley (ranked fourth) and South St. Paul (ranked sixth).  The Wildcats’ path to the state tournament will be difficult but, based on the way they are playing now, not impossible.
 
Chisago Lakes 9, Northern Tier 1
Freshman Ella Perreault notched her second hat trick of the season, scoring four goals as the Wildcats crushed the Northern Tier Stars 9-1 Tuesday, January 24 at Chisago Lakes Arena.  Alyson Vogelsang scored two goals and assisted on two others.  The Wildcats were efficient with their shooting, scoring goals on nine of their 28 shots on goal.  The Stars scored a goal with just over two minutes to go in the game to deny goalie Breanna Ritter a shutout.  Ritter stopped 21 of the 22 shots she faced.

Laine DeVries, Brooke Klemz, and Camryn Hinsch scored the other three goals for the Wildcats.  Naomi Eaton and Nora DeVries had two assists each.  Klemz, Kali Hanson, Seanna Ritter, and Lauren Schmidt each picked up an assist in the romp.   
 
Chisago Lakes 6, River Lakes 0
The Wildcats broke open a scoreless game with three goals in the first five minutes of the second period and went on to shut out the River Lakes Stars 6-0 Thursday, January 26 at Koronis Civic Arena in Paynesville, Minn.  The Wildcats kept up offensive pressure the entire game, outshooting the Stars 45-26.  Goalie Breanna Ritter stopped all 26 shots she faced for her third shutout of the season.  Playmaker Naomi Eaton assisted on three of the Wildcats’ six goals.

Joee Westland opened the scoring with a power play goal at 1:39 of the second period, assisted by Lexi Smothers.  Having scored four goals in the Wildcats’ previous game, Ella Perreault picked up where she left off, scoring at 3:30 to make the score 2-0.  Eaton assisted on Perreault’s goal.  Just 44 seconds later, Brooke Klemz scored the Wildcats’ third goal of the period, assisted by Lexi Smothers and Eaton.  Perreault scored again with about four minutes to go in the period, assisted by Alyson Vogelsang and Klemz.  The score stayed 4-0 until Allie Smothers scored at 15:42 of the third period, with assists going to Laine DeVries and Eaton.  And Lexi Smothers scored an unassisted goal with nine seconds remaining in the game to make the final score 6-0.
 

Chisago Lakes 3, Cloquet-Esko-Carlton 0
Going up against a Wildcat team playing its third game in four days, the Cloquet-Esko-Carlton Lumberjacks dominated puck possession for the first ten minutes of last Friday’s game at Chisago Lakes Arena.  But the Wildcats limited Cloquet’s shots, and goalie Breanna Ritter made a nice kick save, followed by a nice blocker save a minute or so later, to keep the game scoreless.  The Wildcats shook off their fatigue and Joee Westland scored from about ten feet out at 11:37 of the first period, assisted by Seanna Ritter, to put the Wildcats up 1-0.  Brooke Klemz gave the Wildcats some breathing room with a goal at 15:42 of the second period, assisted by Nora DeVries.  And Klemz essentially put the defensive game out of reach with her second goal of the game, unassisted, at 6:14 of the third period.  It was one of the cleanest games the Wildcats played this season, with just two penalties on them all game.  The Lumberjacks actually outshot the Wildcats 23-18 for the game.  Breanna Ritter stopped all 23 shots she faced to pick up her second shutout in a row and fourth overall.    
 
Hockey Hullaballoo
The Wildcats will finish out the regular season tonight with a game against the Moose Lake Rebels at Riverside Arena in Moose Lake at 7 p.m.  Next week, we will preview the Section 4A playoffs that begin Saturday, February 11.

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