Last Updated on Wednesday, 10 February 2016 16:40
Section 1 features four of the top 10 Wisconsin girls’ hockey teams
By Andrew Vitalis
It’s affectionately called the “Section of Death.” True, maybe coaches and players in and around Section 1 have seen too many horror movies, but then again .... This past Monday, the girls’ hockey section seeds were posted and instantly puck fans from around the state looked at Section 1 and began to salivate with anticipation. The top four seeds are all rated in the top 10 in state, including Hayward and St. Croix Valley who were ranked Nos. 3 and 4, respectively in the latest WiPH state hockey poll. Hayward pulled the No. 1 seed in the section while the Fusion is No. 2.
From there, Eau Claire-Altoona is the third seed (currently ranked eighth in state). Hudson, the fifth-ranked team in the state is the four seed. Yes, four seed for the fifth-ranked team in the state! Greg Gamache, Hudson’s head coach, can only laugh when trying to predict what’s going to happen next.
“We literally have five teams that could go to state,” smiled Gamache, who also pointed out that Superior is seeded fifth in the section. “Just to put it into perspective, we traveled to Madison last weekend and played Metro (Madison Metro Lynx). It was our third game in a row and we stayed overnight so the girls were tired and we beat Metro 4-1. They were given the No. 1 seed in their section.”
A rough road is nothing new to the Hudson Raiders, who despite posting a 11-10-1 record overall on the season, are considered by many to be one of the teams expected to make some noise come postseason play. After rolling out of the gates with a nightmare schedule featuring five programs out of Minnesota (lost all five), the Raiders have gone 11-5-1 since opening up their Wisconsin schedule on Dec. 18.
Against their Wisconsin opponents this season, Hudson has a 9-4-1 record. Of those four losses, three came to the hands of teams who were rated in the top three in the state at the time; all were one-goal losses. As a matter of fact, the Raiders schedule has been so brutal that they have played the No. 1 team in the state four different times already this year. They lost two of the four (both by one goal), won one and tied the other. Section of Death? How about Schedule of Death?
“I just sat down with the girls after practice and talked openly with them about some stuff,” said Gamache. “I feel really good about where we’re at. We started the season 0-5, losing all of those games to Minnesota teams. We are a very young team and all of the freshmen on this squad, in their mind, they realized right away that you have to play hockey – you have to play at that level, that intensity, just to tread water against the good teams. After that we got into our Wisconsin portion of the schedule and played the No. 1 team in the state right away and tied them (Bay Area 2-2). Then, the next day we played an undefeated team in Fox Cities and beat them 5-0. That’s when the smiles started to appear on their faces and the girls started to buy into this plan. It was just a great learning experience.”
Learning is a word all teams throw into their vocabulary each and every game, but for the Raiders, it definitely rings true. With just one senior forward in Gamache’s top three lines and only two senior defensemen, the Raiders not only have been playing one of the strongest schedules in the state night in and night out, but they have been doing it with 11 sophomores and eight freshmen on their roster. When looking at their top 10 scorers, only two are seniors and an eye-popping six are sophomores.
“We feel like we can play with anyone in the state on any given night,” Gamche said. “We have one blowout loss (Eau Claire-Altoona). To this day, I can’t tell you what happened; everything just imploded, but the next day we re-grouped and played the No. 2 team in the state and lost by one goal. We met with the girls and showed them the numbers. We were on the right track; we were picking up our scoring and our goals against was dropping. That truly is the ultimate goal and what we have been shooting for all along. The girls get it. They realize it’s not about the seed or the record, it’s about the level of play we bring to the ice.”
The numbers support exactly what Gamache and his team have rallied around. Consider that since Jan. 7, the Raiders have scored 65 goals while allowing just 29. Of those 29 goals allowed, eight came in one game (loss to Eau Claire-Altoona). During a stretch in late January, Hudson allowed just two goals in three games while scoring 22. Currently winners of five of their last six games, the Raiders have scored seven or more goals three times over that period while allowing more than two goals once. You don’t need to be a mathematician to understand that Gamache and his crew have started to find their groove.
“The loss to Eau Claire was a huge wake-up call for us; we just didn’t execute, Gamache said. “It showed us that our conference and section are really tough and you can’t afford to take a night off. With that being said, the girls didn’t overreact. We reaffirmed our goals and came out the next night and lost to the No. 1 team in the state by one goal. I can’t even tell you how proud I am of this team. To do what they’ve been able to do is just amazing. I can see it if this was a veteran team, but we’re not. These girls have all jumped on board and have bought into the system and each other. Wow is all I can say”.
Don’t be surprised if the wows keep coming. The onslaught of powerhouse opponents is going to keep coming as well. Hudson finishes the season with Eau Claire-Altoona and Fond Du Lac (combined record of 32-10-2). The Raiders begin section play on Feb. 18, versus Superior in Hudson.
While Section 1 sports some of the best teams in the state, on display next week will also be one of the best players in the state in Eau Claire-Altoona forward Abigail Stow. The sniper leads the state in goals (55) and points (79) and is on pace to score almost 90 points this season. To put things into perspective, Stow has been held without a point just one time this season (an 8-0 loss to Central WI). Furthermore, while most players are happy with one goal in a game, Stow has scored three or more goals 12 times already this season including six goals (9 points total) on Feb. 4. During the 2014-15 campaign, Stow posted 39 goals and 21 assists in 24 games. In 22 games this season, Stow has already tallied 55 goals and 24 assists.
Make no mistake, the Stars have shined offensively this season, averaging almost five goals per contest. The majority of their damage has taken place since their 8-0 loss to Central Wisconsin on Dec. 14. After starting 4-3, Eau Claire-Altoona (15-7 overall) has won 11 out of their last 15 games, outscoring their opponents 78-34 during that stretch. Just as impressive has been the Stars’ ability to flex their muscle and get stronger throughout games, blowing out their opponents in the second and third periods. While they have been outscored 28-26 in the first period this season, Eau Claire-Altoona has outscored teams 82-35 in periods two and three. The Stars have two games remaining before they roll into the section playoffs as a No. 3 seed and a first-round matchup with Western Wisconsin.
Andrew Vitalis writes columns in LPH geared towards Wisconsin hockey. He can be reached at lphprep@yahoo.com.
