Alone at the top
Pete Watson/News Republic
Baraboo's Amara Miescke, right, celebrates with teammate Riply Klemm after scoring a first period goal against Sun Prairie during Tuesday's Badger Conference game at Pierce Park.
By Brandon Storlie/Capital Newspapers
BARABOO – It showed from the moment she took the ice. It was there in every save, and it was certainly clear when the final horn sounded:
Tuesday night meant a little more to Ayla Jacobsen.
The Baraboo senior goaltender stopped 32 of the 33 shots she faced, leading the Badger Thunder to a 3-1 over the Sun Prairie co-op at Pierce Park Pavilion.
"I don’t even know how to describe how huge that was," Jacobsen said of the win.
By completing the season sweep of the Cougars, the Thunder (10-8-1 overall, 8-1 in conference) gave itself a 1-game cushion atop the Badger Conference standings with just one conference contest remaining.
What made the night extra special for Jacobsen, however, occurred during the first intermission, when Baraboo celebrated its first annual Military Appreciation Night.
"It’s just huge," said Jacobsen who recently enlisted in the Marines and will pursue a military career after graduation. "I won it for everybody, all the soldiers, everybody that’s going into (the military). It just feels awesome."
With her team up 2-0 late in the second period on goals from Amara Miescke and Kelsey Jensen, Jacobsen’s emotion showed. Facing a point-blank shot from her right side, the senior assistant captain snapped her glove shut and raised it above her head in triumph.
"That just made it more special," Baraboo head coach Jim Cabaj said of Jacoben’s effort on Military Appreciation Night. " She’s a senior. This could be our last home game. As a senior and as one joining the military, she had a lot of support here tonight."
A shorthanded goal from Baraboo junior Hannah Schreiber gave the Thunder a three-goal lead just over three minutes into the final period. Senior forward Lindsay Carlson got the Cougars on the board midway through the final frame, but by then, it was too late.
"We couldn’t put pucks in the net," Sun Prairie co-op head coach Mike Johnson said. "That’s going to happen when you get up against a hot goaltender and a team that’s playing well."
Cabaj did not hesitate when describing what the win meant to his team, who had lost four of their last five games:
"I would say it was the biggest win of the year," he said. "We played pretty well, and it seemed like whenever we made a mistake, our goaltender really bailed us out."