Schreiber leads Thunder to road win

By Dan Larson, Sauk Prairie Eagle

Before the Badger Thunder prep girls hockey season began, head coach Jim Cabaj touted Hannah Schreiber's slapshot as "wicked."

It didn't take long for the sophomore defender to put that skill on display.

Schreiber (Baraboo) delivered a slapshot from just in front of the blue line that sailed cleanly past Hartland Arrowhead goaltender Julianne Thomas to break a scoreless tie late in the first period Nov. 22, and she added a second-period goal and two third-period assists to lift the Thunder to a 6-1 win over the host Warhawks.

And even though the first goal wasn't the game-winner, it may have been just as important.

"That kind of set the tone for the rest of the game," Cabaj said in a phone interview Nov. 24. "It's great to score a goal and take some momentum into the locker room, and then it carried over into the second period."

Indeed it did. Riply Klemm (Baraboo) delivered the eventual game-winner in the seventh minute and Schreiber followed with her second goal to make it 3-0.

But it was Amanda Reimann's (River Valley) goal just over two minutes into the third period — on Schreiber's first assist — that Cabaj said was the "nail in the coffin."

Reimann took a pass from Schreiber, who cleared the puck from behind Arrowhead's goal, and broke in front of the defense before getting Thomas to lean one way and scoring on her glove-side of the net the other way.

Freshman Rachel McElhenie (Sauk Prairie) punctuated the win with the Thunder's final two goals.

As good as the Thunder were on offense, though, they were equally as good on defense.

Ayla Jacobsen (Baraboo) stopped all 20 shots on goal she faced, and Kelcie McElhenie entered with the Thunder leading 5-0 in the third to stop five of the six she faced and preserve the win.

A win that Cabaj said was as impressive as any of the 11 the Thunder collected last season.

I can't remember a game last year where we scored six," he said, adding that it was particularly impressive to do so while only allowing one goal in 26 chances. "That's a great way to start the season.