Hockey co-op is thinking big

What a difference a year makes. The Sauk Prairie co-op hockey team returned a strong group of juniors a year ago that could find the back of the net against any opponent on its schedule. But the Eagles had graduated an all-conference goaltender and didn’t have a replacement on the roster. Levi Carr, a junior from Mount Horeb, offered to be a sacrificial lamb between the pipes, getting on-the-job training for the Eagles in making his debut on the ice. The Sauk Prairie co-op finished 14-11-1 overall and 4-5-1 in the Badger North Conference. But when Carr opted not to return this season, coach David Lohrei had an able and willing replacement eager to mark ‘her’ mark. Taking a page from the Disney ‘Mighty Ducks’ franchise — with Julie “The Cat” Gaffney playing a goaltender in the final two Mighty Ducks Trilogy films —Sauk Prairie’s co-op program will have a female goaltender this season in senior Jordan O’Connor. The Eagles open their season with a non-conference game at Stoughton on Friday at 8 p.m. “I’ve only watched parts of it,” O’Connor admitted of the ‘Mighty Ducks’ movie. “I’ve never seen the whole movie, which is ironic for me being a hockey player. But girls can play with the guys.” Although O’Connor is a new addition to Sauk Prairie’s co-op team this year — which also includes players from Mount Horeb, River Valley and Wisconsin Heights High Schools — she is a familiar face, albeit one who has patiently waited to make an impact. O’Connor, who played for the Madison Capitols’ girls’ Triple A travel team the past two seasons, is expected to provide a much-needed boost to a program that has conference championship and state tournament aspirations. “We had a situation last year where we didn’t have an experienced goaltender,” fifth-year Sauk Prairie head coach David Lohrei said. “But Levi filled in quite well for us.” Carr finished with a 3.09 goals-against-average and a .854 save percentage while earning 12 victories, including three shutouts. But O’Connor, who has played with most of the Eagles seniors since youth hockey, provides the experience in the nets that the Eagles were short on a year ago. “(Sauk Prairie) isn’t participating in a girls’ co-op, so she is eligible to play boys’ hockey,” Lohrei said. “She is an experienced goaltender, who grew up playing with this group of seniors. “She was their goalie in Bantam and Peewee. She is a good kid and a star student and has committed to play hockey at UW-River Falls. I’m expecting she will be a nice addition to our team.” O’Connor said she has waited a long time to play for Lohrei and the Eagles and embraces the challenge of making her debut in the nets. “I like playing the boys game because of the high level of play,” said O’Connor, who also played singles on the Sauk Prairie girls’ varsity tennis team last fall. “I’ve always wanted to play with them. This has been in the works for a couple of years, to play my senior season.” O’Connor said she began playing hockey with a boys’ team when she was four years old and played with the current group of seniors up until two years ago, when she joined the Madison Capitols Triple A travel team. “All through youth we played with her,” senior forward Riley Jelinek said. “She brings a lot of experience and is someone who has our backs all the time. If we make a mistake, we know she is there for us. “Most of our team hasn’t changed except for our goaltenders. That will be a strength this year.” O’Connor said she wished she would have been able to play a year ago, but it didn’t work out. “When I was a junior, we got out of the co-op with Baraboo, but I was already on the Madison team so I couldn’t play with the high school team,” she said. “I knew I would be able to play my senior season, so I’ve been looking forward to this for a couple of years now. “I’ve always played with the boys, and it’s such a high intensity atmosphere. Thinking of my hockey career, I needed the challenge of the boys game, playing at a high intensity so I could play in college.” O’Connor will be a newcomer to watch in the Badger North Conference this season, but she hasn’t been a stranger to the Eagles during the season. “I’ve been practicing with the boys team as a practice goalie ever since my freshman year,” she said. “I’ve been with them every year so I know how the team goes. “They’re just a great group of guys. They are a great group of leaders and playing with them has been fun. We’ve always bonded together as a team. It’s always been a positive experience. We are very excited for this year. It could be a big one.” The Eagles didn’t have a senior on its roster last season. But Sauk Prairie’s co-op, which will also field a JV team for the first time in Lohrei’s tenure as coach, currently has a talented nine-member senior class that is eager to add a conference championship to its legacy. “It’s such a good group of kids, who are good students and multi-sport athletes,” Lohrei said. “The urgency and finality of their careers will all come together.” Offense wasn’t a problem for the Eagles a year ago and will again be a strength of the program. Sauk Prairie’s co-op returns two of the state’s leading scorers in Jelinek and senior center Cam Desroches. Jelinek, a Badger North Conference first-team selection, scored a state-best 79 points during the regular season. He was third in assists (46), tied for seventh in goals (33) and tied for 14th with seven power-play goals. He also totaled two goals and three assists in two playoff games. Desroches, an all-league second-team pick, ranked 15th in the state in points scored (60), tied for 15th in goals (29), tied for 20th in assists (31) and tied for eighth in power-play goals (8). He added three goals and three assists in tournament play and finished the year with five hat tricks. “We’re both excited to have one last year to go out and play hockey together and have a good time,” Jelinek said. “We’ve also played lacrosse together so we go back a long way as friends.” Sophomore forward Nick Mast returns after ranking third on the team in goals (17), assists (16) and points (33) while playing on the first line with Jelinek and Desroches. Also returning are seniors Dylan Andrews (6 goals, 5 assists) and Lance Bauernhuber (8 goals, 7 assists) and sophomores Erik Peterson and Micah Hanson (2 assists). Juniors Gavin Childs, Caeben Schomber, Samuel Severson and Brodie Trollop are also vying for ice time. “For the first time in a while we will be able to roll out three lines as opposed to two,” Lohrei said. “Riley and Cam won’t have to play as much, which will be good for them.” Lohrei said freshman Luke Mast, a team Wisconsin player, is a solid right wing who could make an impact along with Landon Clary, a sophomore from River Valley. “We have a host of other kids, but some good freshmen who will provide some competition, which is healthy,” Lohrei said. On defense, the Eagles return senior Willy Hanson (2 goals, 11 assists), who earned all-league second-team honors last season. Also back are seniors August Begalske (10 goals, 6 assists) and Jay Liedtke (3 goals, 6 assists) and sophomore Hakon Peterson (1 goal, 15 assists), who earned all-conference honorable mention honors. Freshmen Brooks McInerney and Kaden Stracke will also battle for playing time between the pipes. “Reedsburg’s going to be strong,” Lohrei said of the defending league hamps. “Waunakee’s going to be strong, Baraboo and Beaver Dam will be in the mix. It will be a competitive league. “There are only 10 league games so each one is very important. Winning (the title) will be tough, but I’d be lying to you if I didn’t say it was our goal.”