Sidney Magnuson's goaltending, relentless defense, and a red-hot power play helped Wisconsin defeat the East Coast Wizards 3-0 and win the program's first national championship.
They became the Girls Tier II 2A USA Hockey National Champions with a victory on April 7 at Mann Arena in East Lansing, Michigan, avenging their loss to the Wizards in the 2022 championship game. The victory was their fifth straight since dropping the tournament opener to the Boston Junior Eagles.
The Selects are a team of Wisconsin high school girls who play together before and after the WIAA season. Gabi Heuser of Wausau West and Abigail Ding of Mosinee are members of the team. The team's head coach is former Wausau East High School graduate and CW Storm player Emily Bauer. One of her assistants is her father, former Lumberjack and Storm coach Dan Bauer.
The game was a clash of powerhouses, with the third-place selection team facing the first-place Wizards, who were national champions in 2018 and 2022. Both teams entered the championship game with four straight elimination game wins. Wisconsin took the lead late in the first period, taking a 1-0 lead when Kayla Dogs converted a power-play rebound off the crease. Adi Milota and Zoe Hunter assisted on the power play goal, the ninth selection of the tournament.
“Getting the first goal is very important and we get a lot of momentum from that,” third-year head coach Emily Bauer said.
Bauer credited much of the power play's success to assistant coach Steve Curley.
“We watched film every morning and Coach Curley always had some NHL power play goals for the girls to learn from. I think that really paid off,” Emily Bauer said. said.
After the first period, the teams were evenly matched with nine shots.
The second period featured a tough check, with the selected team holding a slight 6-4 advantage in shots. At 5:52, Wisconsin took advantage of an opportunity in the offensive zone when Addisyn Buesgen pounced on the rebound of Kayla Dogs' point shot and fired a wrist shot over the shoulder of Lily Prendergast to make it 2-0. took the lead. Linemates Mallory Schmidt and Reece Duncan also had assists, creating sustained pressure that led to goals.
The Wizards, who erased a 2-0 lead against Alaska and won 3-2 in the semifinals on April 6, cannot afford to lose without a fight. The Wizards had 17 shots on Magnuson and six penalties marred the final period. The senior from Neillsville kept the shutout without blinking an eye. East Coast's final drive was slow, with Zowie Hunter in the penalty box and the goalie on the bench. Adi Milota clinched the victory with an empty net from the left faceoff circle in the defensive zone. A minute later, the celebration began.
Magnuson finished the tournament with 30 saves and a 4-1 record, 1.25 GAA, and 92.4 save percentage.
“She (Sydney) settled in and grew a lot for us in the third period,” Emily Bauer said.
After allowing eight points in the first three games, Wisconsin tightened up its defense and allowed just two points in the final three games.
“I'm really proud of this group and how they put the team first and sacrificed their personal goals,” Emily Bauer said. “That's why we accomplished what we did. We all helped push the piano together.”
The University of Wisconsin finished the season with a record of 24 wins, 5 losses, and 1 draw.
Shot on goal: 9-6-2 – Select 17. Wizards 9-4-17 – 30.
Select Scoring:
Kayla Dogs – Milota, Hunter (05:29 1st)
Addisyn Busgen – Duncan, Dog (05:52 2nd)
Adeline Milota – Ballweg (01:03 3rd place)
Select a goalkeeper:
S. Magnuson (30 saves)
Source: Dan Bauer
