Lightning start hot on ice

The Lakeshore Lightning girls’ high school hockey co-op is looking to improve on its best season in program history.

Last year’s squad that finished 16-9-1 was among the youngest in the state, with 70% of its roster consisting of freshman and sophomores, and they all return.

Captain, Eastern Shores Conference honorable mention and Team Wisconsin goalie Elizabeth Bowers leads the squad, along with ESC honorable mention and all-state defenseman Chloe Katsma.

Junior MacKenzie Cook and sophomore Kate Dykema joined the team after playing AAA hockey in past years, along with several talented freshmen who could see considerable varsity playing time. 

“We should have the top defense in the state, the top goalie in the state and potentially the highest-scoring offensive line in the state,” coach Dan Wade said, “but we also have tremendous depth at every position.”

The team lost Port Washington senior Aaliyah Lathrop, who finished seventh all-time in the program’s scoring list, to graduation. She scored 10 goals and had 11 assists and was named to the ESC second team.

The Lightning this season is off to a 4-0 start.

They won, 4-0, at the Stoughton Icebergs on Nov. 21.

“We play a fast, attacking style of defense, and we make it very difficult for teams to enter our defense zone,” Wade said after his team outshot the Icebergs 67-4 with Bowers recording the shutout.  

Junior captain Olivia Dykema assisted on two of the goals, and all of the other goals and assists were provided by underclassmen with sophomore Kennedit Bystol scoring twice.

“We were one of the youngest teams in the State last year, and although we are a year older, we still have more than half of the team as freshmen and sophomores,” Wade said.

The Lightning won, 2-1, at the Central Wisconsin Storm/DC Everest in Wausau on Nov. 25.

The Storm, with the most state titles and state appearances all time, were coming off of taking first and second in the last two state finals.

“We knew this would be a physical, defensive struggle between two of the top teams in the state, and our girls were ready,”  Wade said.

Taking advantage of an early power play opportunity, the Lightning netted the first goal of the game with less than a minute remaining in the first period thanks to a goal by Katsma with an assist to Dykema.

The score remained 1-0 until a minute into the third period that saw the Storm tie it 1-1 on a deflected shot into the net. At the 10:53 mark of the third period, Bystol took advantage of a turnover in the Storm defensive end and deked the goalie to stretch the score back to 2-1.

Both teams took multiple penalties late in the period, and the Lightning were able to kill off a penalty late and withstand the Storm’s last-minute effort with their goalie pulled for an extra attacker to hang on for the win.

In a Turkey Trot tournament at Arrowhead, the Lightning beat Janesville, 2-1, in the opener.

After giving up a goal just 13 seconds into the game, the Lightning held the Bluebirds to 10 shots the rest of the game, and came back to win 2-1 scoring on two consecutive power plays in the end period.

Freshman Natalie Donovan tied the game at the midpoint of the second period with her first high school goal assisted by defenseman Sydney Bertolino. Kennedi Bystol followed that up 39 seconds later, assisted by Olivia Dykema and Bertolino to take the lead 2-1.

Later that day, the Lightning beat the Icebergs again, 4-0.

The Lightning were led by Grafton senior Goalie Alani Walls, who recorded her first shutout and win of the season,

Freshman Ava Ingebrigtson scored her first high school goal on an assist from Bystol to open the scoring at 6:43 of the first period. Natalie Donovan scored late in the second period, assisted by her sister Rachel Donovan, before Bystol took over the game. The leading scorer in the state scored two goals in the third period with assists by linemates Dykema and Cheyenne Mojica for the game’s final scores.

The Lightning kicked off conference play against defending champion Bay Area at the Ozaukee Ice Center in Mequon last Thursday, and played the Fox Cities Ice Stars in Neenah last Saturday.