Hockey team blanks Pacelli
By Greg Seubert
Wins are starting to add up for the Waupaca boys’ hockey team.
The Comets improved to 10-1-1 on the season Dec. 27 with a 9-0 win over Pacelli in a four-team holiday tournament at the Waupaca Ice and Expo Center.
Waupaca is also 5-0 in Great Northern Conference play with recent wins over Lakeland and Rhinelander. Waupaca scored five unanswered goals Dec. 22 in a 5-1 win over Lakeland at the Expo one day after handing Rhinelander a 6-1 defeat on the Hodags’ home rink.
Jack Erspamer recorded the Comets’ fifth hat trick of the season with three first-period goals.
He scored the Comets’ first three goals and Eli Bartel’s goal with 3.8 seconds remaining in the period gave Waupaca a 4-0 lead at the break.
The Comets added to their lead in the second period on goals from Bartel, Mitchell Trzebiatowski and Branden Koski before Jed Vanden Bush and Cody Rasmussen found the net in the third period.
Waupaca outshot the Cardinals 42-12 and Erspamer had two assists to go with his three goals.
“That whole line really came to play,” coach John Erspamer said. “They dominated below the blue line, which is where a lot of the goals originated from. When your strong with the puck down below, good things happen. “Jack, Davis (Levine) and Eli came ready to control the game and they did that in the first period.”
Levine and Jack Menzies added a pair of assists and Rasmussen and Brady Johnson chipped in with one each.
“I was very pleased with the effort,” Erspamer said. “It took us a couple of minutes in the game – I think it was about the 14-minute mark – before we started taking over. We got a lot of guys a lot of ice time tonight, which is big because with two games coming up, our legs will be a little more fresh.”
The Comets have two more games in the tournament. Waupaca will take on Whitefish Bay at noon Friday, Dec. 28, before wrapping up the tournament at 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 29, against West Bend.
The tournament also includes junior varsity teams from Waupaca, Green Bay United, Shawano and Whitefish Bay.
