On Wednesday, Nov. 8, the undefeated Millard West Hockey team took on the Elkhorn Blue United.
Coming into the game after a dominating 4-1 Win over district rival Millard North, the Wildcats looked to improve their early hot streak. Meanwhile the newly formed Elkhorn United Blue after falling to the Lincoln East Capitals on Nov. 1, looked to improve their 1-1-0 record but would have to face one of the hottest teams in Millard West.
With the puck dropped, Millard West came out of the gate aggressively which quickly led to a cross-checking penalty from senior forward Josh Weigent only 55 seconds into the game. Elkhorn ultimately was overpowered by the Wildcat penalty killers getting no real chances.
Towards the end of the first period, Weigent would gain speed through the neutral zone while he received the pass from junior forward Nate Marrinan and took the puck down to the bottom of the far side circle where on the forehand, he snapped his shot over the glove of the Elkhorn netminder into the top right corner.
“Our forecheck on a majority of the lines was working perfectly,” Weigent said. “This was giving us a ton of scoring opportunities that we took advantage of. Our zone entry was spot on which helped us get a ton of shots off and easily get around the other team.”
In the second frame, Millard West would blow the game wide open. Just over a minute in, junior forward and captain Reece Wilson would enter the zone and move laterally across the slot where his backhand shot rang off the post, but landed flat right in front of junior defenseman Cole Grandgenett’s stick where he potted the rebound.
Around the eight-minute mark, Marrinan would add to the lead as he shielded the puck from the Elkhorn defenseman and worked his way to the high slot where he wired his shot off the back bar in and out of the net in near seconds.
Later on, with Elkhorn trying to generate even a small amount of momentum, a shot from a United forward bounced off the back glass above the net into the crease of senior netminder Seamus Bygrave. With Elkhorn forwards closing in, Bygrave would corral the bouncing puck with a diving save to get the whistle.
With the ensuing faceoff, Elkhorn would turn over the puck to West senior defenseman Easton Akins who with a burst of speed took the puck to the offensive end. Entering the zone, Akins would carry the puck down to the bottom of the lower half of the faceoff circle and rip his shot under the glove and between the pad of the United goaltender.
“We played most of the game in their zone,” Akins said. “Our forecheck was really good. I feel like our breakout was also really good so they never got the chance to shoot.”
Elkhorn would finish off the second with an elbowing penalty in the already lopsided 4-0 deficit where the United also were trailing 21-4 in shots.
In the third and final period of play, The Wildcats would add one more goal as a shot near the top of the zone from sophomore forward Blake Palmer was left unattended near the side of the net where Wilson would take the rebound and wrap it around on his backhand past the left leg pad of the netminder.
As the clock hit zeros, Bygrave picked up the six-save shutout which was already his second of the season.
“I felt the defense was really strong,” Bygrave said. “There were certainly a lack of shots, but also a plethora of blocked shots by my defensemen which is always very helpful. On top of that, the forwards backchecked hard which was effective in stopping Elkhorn. Just staying warm in the crease allowed me to be ready for those few shots I faced.”
As the season progresses, the Cats will look to extend their hot streak in the final few games in their six-game homestand since opening the year against Westside and Papillion.
