SPORTS

Road-heavy schedule tests Central Wisconsin Storm

Tim Johnson
USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
University School of Milwaukee and the Central Wisconsin Storm met in a WIAA girl hockey state semifinal last March. The teams meet again Friday, part of a long road stretch for the Storm.

WAUSAU – The Central Wisconsin Storm have seemingly spent as much time on a bus as the ice in January.

The girls hockey co-op program will end a stretch of six road games in 15 days this weekend and last played on home ice on Dec. 13. The quirky schedule has taken the Storm to the Twin Cities suburbs as well as western and southeastern Wisconsin. The Storm returned from a game in Hayward at 11:30 p.m. this past Monday and were on the road again at 1 p.m. Tuesday for a matchup in Madison.

But the top-ranked Storm have thrived, despite the schedule.

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Central Wisconsin (15-3) has won four straight games by the combined score of 25-3, and the Storm’s three losses this year have all come against Minnesota schools. The Storm faces University School of Milwaukee on Friday, and then Bay Area on Saturday in Green Bay before finally playing a home game at Greenheck Fieldhouse on Feb. 5.

“Because of cancellations (due to inclement weather), we had to reschedule some (games). The game (Tuesday) in Madison was a makeup game and the only date we could get that would work,” Storm coach Pete Susens said. “But It has been a lot of bus time and has given us a chance to grow together as a team, because we definitely have been spending a lot of time together."

“We’ve been playing good competition, I think every team we’re playing in this stretch is in the Top 10 in the state,” Susens said. “It has pushed us both mentally and physically and hopefully make us better down the stretch."

The weekend matchups with USM and Bay Area are the second time this week the Storm has played on back-to-back days and is a run of five games in eight days for the program overall. The schedule is one that has tested the depth of the Storm, which has 24 players on the roster.

“We do have depth and have made it through games this season when we have had players sick or hurt and unable to play,” Susens said. “But we have modified our practices (this week) with not a lot of conditioning to try and keep (the player’s) legs fresh.”

University School, which the Storm beat in late November in Mosinee,  is ranked eighth in the state by wisconsinprephockey.net, and Bay Area is fifth.  Since last Friday, the Storm has beat three straight teams that are ranked — No. 3 Hayward/Spooner (2-1), No. 4 Eau Claire-Altoona (7-1)  and the Metro Lynx (7-1)

Bay Area was the No. 2 team in the state in last week’s poll but dropped three spots after before losing two of their last three games. The Ice Bears (15-2-2) did not allow a goal until their seventh game of the season and have shut out 11 opponents overall this winter.

“They are one of the best in the state, defensively,” Susens said. “They return most of their defensive corps from last year and they have all-state defenseman in Morgan Zirbel and Mia Dunning. Then they have a veteran goalie (Ana Holzbach) who has been sharp all year long. It’s definitely going to be a test for us.”

Tim Johnson: 715-845-0731, or timothy.johnson@gannettwisconsin.com; on Twitter@timmyjo11