End of the road for hockey co-op

One thrilling week. One lopsided loss. And the end of a successful season. Sauk Prairie’s co-op hockey team — which included players from Mount Horeb, Wisconsin Heights, River Valley and Barneveld — experienced it all last week. The Eagles edged the La Crosse Aquinas/Holmen Avalanche, 4-3, in double overtime in a WIAA Division 1 regional semifinal on Feb. 18. Sauk Prairie then fell to top-seeded Madison Edgewood, 8-0, in a regional final on Feb. 20. The Eagles finished the year 12-14. Sauk Prairie, seeded eighth, escaped with a win against the ninth-seeded Avalanche when Landon Froese scored an even strength goal on an assist from Greyden Schomber in the second O.T. Sauk Prairie fell behind, 3-1, then scored the final three goals of the game. Quinn Payne gave the Eagles a 1-0 lead midway through the first period when he scored an even strength goal on an assist from Ryan Rickard. But the Avalanche answered less than 3 minutes later, then scored twice in the first 11:43 of the second period and surged to a 3-1 lead. Sauk Prairie answered in a big way, though. At 14:23 of the second period, Schomber scored on assists from Payne and Connor Grant. Then at 15:40 of the second, Kaleb Chetwood had a power play goal on an assist from Payne that tied the game, 3-3. The teams went scoreless in the third period and the first OT, then Froese had the game-winner in the second O.T. Two nights later, though, Madison Edgewood showed why it’s one of the favorites to win a state title. The Crusaders scored three goals in the first period, four more in the second and were never challenged. Sauk Prairie goalie Corbin Domka finished with 29 saves, but Edgewood outshot the Eagles, 37-16.