Badger Thunder reloads

By Pete Watson/News Republic

Sixth-year head coach Jim Cabaj brandished a wide smile when asked to give an assessment of his 2009-10 Baraboo Badger Thunder girls hockey team.

With all-conference stopper Ayla Jacobsen returning for her senior campaign coupled with a talented roster of 21 that runs deep with experience, what coach wouldn’t resort to grinning.

"Talent wise, this is the deepest team we’ve ever had in the program," he said. "We’re just a great skating team."

Jacobsen, who stopped 93% (454-490) of the shots against her as a junior, is returning for her fourth season in goal and is the Thunder’s unofficial cornerstone.

"We build on Ayla and move out from there," Cabaj said. "Having the luxury of a great goaltender will really allow our other players to cut loose up the ice and really push the puck."

Sophomore Kelcie McElhenie saw limited action last season and is a reliable backup to Jacobsen.

"Any team would love to just one of those two," Cabaj said.

Helping defend the net and filling the lead defensemen role vacated by 2008-09 captain Johanna Wagner will be Kelsey Jensen. Junior player Hannah Schreiber (7 goals 4 assists), who might have the most fearsome slap shot in the conference according to Cabaj, will also be key.

"Those are definitely our two horses on defense," Cabaj said.

But defense contains only half of the Thunder’s skill sets. Two of their three offensive lines should make life difficult for the opposition.

Baraboo lost First Team All-Conference center forward Lacey Craker to graduation, but the Thunder shouldn’t have a problem filling the void.

Amara Mieske, Riply Klemm will join the squad’s 2008-09 points leader, Amanda Reimann (14 goals, 6 assists), on the first line. Wisconsin Heights senior transfer Kim Jaworski, who lacks high school hockey experience but boasts an impressive AAA resume with the Madison Capitols, brings added depth.

"That line will be incredibly solid," Cabaj said. "They’re all polished skaters and we expect a lot of scoring from them."

According to Cabaj there won’t be much slippage during line changes, as junior Chelsay Showers (4 goals, 7 assists), Jaworski and sophomores Hannah Juckett, Rachel McElhenie make up a strong second string.

"There’s been a lot of good competition for our second and third lines; we just have some really good skaters," Cabaj said.

With the perceived strength up front, the squad is aiming to exceed the 72 goals it scored last season.

"We really want to push our scoring further," Cabaj said. "We really expect our depth and increased pressure in the zone to generate more goals."

The key to the Thunder improving on last year’s 15-6-1 record and 7-3 finish in conference is team unity. Taking a mix of players from Baraboo, Sauk, River Valley and Portage and getting the group to coalesce into an efficient unit is job No. 1.

"To be unified team is our goal," Cabaj said. "Our main focus is that we bond on and off the ice. If we can get that to mesh with our talent and skill, we’ll be in good shape to win a conference title."

The Thunder takes on Middleton tonight in Sauk City in the first of five homes game to begin the season. After that, Baraboo’s schedule is filled with road contests, as only four of its remaining 17 dates (including one tournament) are on its home ice.

"We usually start out season real strong but kind of peak too early," Cabaj said, alluding to his team’s postseason exit in the first round last year. "We have a tough schedule in the second half of the season, and we need to find a way to peak in late February and make a statement."