Ice Force Lose Heartbreaker In Overtime

Hockey can be one of the most emotional sports that are played.  The many ebbs and flows of each trip up and down the ice. The pendulum of momentum swinging from one team to another. The joy and excitement of scoring a crucial goal.  The heartbreak of overtime hockey.

The Greendale Ice Force felt all of these emotions on Thursday as they rallied to send the game to overtime, only to lose just thirtyfour seconds into the period.  Kyler Schmor picked up a loose puck just outside the Ice Force goal crease and tucked the puck past Trevor Kennedy giving the Kettle Moraine/Mukwonago Lasers a 3-2 victory at the Nagawaukee Ice Arena.

"It's always frustrating when overtime doesn't go your way," said Ice Force coach John Kennedy. "We've got there twice and both times we've been on the short end of the stick."

After a scoreless first period, the Lasers dented the scoreboard first when Kyler Schmor notched his first goal of the game.  Luke Steidl's shot deflected off a skate and slid across the slot to Justin Yute.  Yute then found Schmor cruising down the slot and fed him a pass the Schmor one-timed past Kennedy.

Early in the third period the Ice Force tied the game when Brennen Fosnow ripped a shot high to the glove side of Lasers goalie Quinn Disrud.  Fosnow picked up a loose puck at the top of the left wing circle and fired slapshot through a screen and into the net.

The Lasers would retake the lead when Justin Yute scored from an extreme angle deep in the corner.  A shot from Greg Simandl deflected over to Yute, who was all alone at the bottom of the circle.  Yute's shot seemed to startle Ice Force netminder Trevor Kennedy, as he seemed to lose his angle to the net.

Trailing 2-1 late in the third, the Ice Force began to take some chances in an effort to tie the game.  Kennedy tried to ignite a couple of rushes by coming way out of his crease to play the puck, and twice nearly got caught out of his net. The first time, he was fortunate that the shot from Schmor sailed harmlessly wide of the net.  The second time, Kennedy made a spectacular save stretching back to the net to glove a shot from Yute.  Kennedy was sprawled out headlong in the air and snared the puck in his catching glove to keep the Ice Force alive.

The Ice Force then won a crucial faceoff in the Laser's zone.  Kyle Hoffman won the draw and tied up his man at the dot, leaving the puck laying there.  Mitch Hart swooped in to gather the puck, took a stride or two towards the slot and fired a wrist shot that sailed over the glove of Disrud sending the team and its fans into a frenzy. 

All the momentum had once again swung towards the Ice Force as the game headed into overtime.

However, as is so often the case in overtime, it ended abruptly. 

The Lasers dumped the puck into the Ice Force zone, and maintained possession.  A few shots towards the net were deflected out in front causing Kennedy to move side to side. He couldn't move quick enough to stop a shot from Schmor, who was left all alone to the right side of Kennedy.  Schmor's shot found its way through to the net and gave the Lasers the win just thirtyfour seconds into the overtime period.

"The kids worked hard and every time I've asked them to just give me everything they've got," said coach Kennedy.  "They battled back and I said if we stay the course good things are gonna happen.  Work hard maybe get a bounce.  We still have to take care of our own end better, but once we get it out of our own end you never know if we'll get the bounce or not.  I was trying to get our defence to just get the puck on net and get a rebound and just be ready to get the puck on your stick.  Unfortunately it did for one player on the other team."

The next game for the Ice Force varsity is not until Jan. 7, when they host Oconomowoc at the Wilson Park Ice Arena. The puck drops at 7:45 p.m.