A pair of hefty losing streaks have been a sore spot on the 2023-24 Cap City Cougars’ season. Early on, the Cougars lost nine of 10 in a span from early December to early January. They kicked that with three straight wins to follow, but old habits have resumed. A busy few weeks of competition yielded some tough results as from Tuesday, Jan. 23 through Saturday, Feb. 3, the Cougars have gone winless with four losses and a tie.
When we last checked in on the Cougars, they had dropped home games against Baraboo on Tuesday, Jan. 23 and to Rock County on Thursday, Jan. 25. Since then, Cap City dropped a 9-1 home game to the Madison Metro Lynx on Friday, Jan. 26, lost a 4-1 road trip to non-conference Lakeshore on Tuesday, Jan. 30, and tied Beaver Dam at home, 2-2, on Saturday, Feb. 3.
Friday’s showdown with the Madison Metro Lynx was a rematch. The Cougars had already lost 3-1 to their rival earlier in the season, but the Metro Lynx poured things on more in the second edition. They scored three goals in each period to run away with the 9-1 victory.
Cap City’s lone score came midway through the second period with Madison already leading 4-0. Sophomore forward Lilly Wagner (Waunakee) took an assist from fellow sophomore forward Grace Allison (Waunakee) and punched in a score at even strength.
The Cougars kept things closer in the following week’s trip to Lakeshore, an eventual three-goal loss. The host Lightning took control early thanks to a hat trick from senior forward Jillian Bilsborough. She scored an even strength goal in the first period, a short handed goal in the second, and another at even strength in the third.
It wasn’t until Bilsborough had finished her scoring barrage that Cap City got on the board. About midway through the third period, both senior forward Kaitlyn Nelson (Sun Prairie East) and junior defender Olivia Dull (Waunakee) assisted on a goal punched in by sophomore forward Paige Nowinski (Waunakee). This score wasn’t enough to change the tides, though. The game remained at that score until Lakeshore slipped in an empty net goal just before the buzzer, solidifying a 4-1 win.
While the loss stung, it did mark an important return for the Cougars. Freshman goalie Sophia Martinelli (DeForest) had been out since late December with an injury. She had been an immediate impact on the varsity early in the season, and the Cougars turned to sophomore defender Jaelyn Welch (Sun Prairie West) to guard the goal in her absence. She appeared in Tuesday’s road loss to Lakeshore, making 18 saves on 20 shots as she split the playing time with Welch.
Martinelli was a full participant on Saturday, Feb. 3 as Cap City hosted Badger Conference foe Beaver Dam. The Golden Beavers had already beaten the Cougars in a tight 3-2 game earlier in the season. There would be no victor crowned in the rematch, however, as both sides played to a 2-2 tie.
After a scoreless first period, it was Cap City that struck first in the second. Dull took an assist from both Wagner and Nelson at full strength to punch in the opening goal. Beaver Dam would respond before the end of the second to send the game to the third tied, 1-1.
The Golden Beavers would double up their goal effort early in the third period, as well, to go ahead 2-1. Cap City did not let this stand for long as it only took it 14 seconds to find an equalizer. Nowinski did it herself as she buried an unassisted goal to tie the game at two goals each.
Then, silence. For the remainder of the third period and all three overtime chances, neither team could find the back of the net. It was a standout performance for Martinelli, who turned away a whopping 41 shots on goal that day. Beaver Dam junior goalie Emily Smedema deserves her flowers, as well, for 34 saves and a scoreless overtime, just like Martinelli.
The four losses and one tie leaves Cap City with a 7-15-1 record. Badger Conference play has also come to an end, where the Cougars finished with a 5-6-1 record to finish in fourth place with 11 points.
Now, only one game separates Cap City from the postseason. The Cougars will host non-conference Bay Area on Tuesday, Feb. 6. These two already met once this season, a 7-0 home win for Bay Area in early January.
The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) state tournament will then kick off on Tuesday, Feb. 13. Cap City earned the No. 5 seed in Sectional 4 and will face off against Badger Conference foe and No. 4 seeded Baraboo. They met twice in the regular season with the Cougars winning the first game 4-3 and the Badger Lightning exacting revenge in the rematch, 3-0. The game will be played at Baraboo’s Pierce Park at 7 PM.
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MADISON METRO 9, CAP CITY 1
Goals- Madison: Emma Stebbeds (3), Brita Lake (2), Annalice Dalebroux (2), Paige Brien, Leah Grudzinski. Cap City: Lilly Wagner.
Assists- Madison: Brien (3), Stebbeds, Sophie Wilde, Kate Sweeney, Lola Day, Scout Elmer, Emerson Porco, Rowan Severson. Cap City: Grace Allison.
Goaltending- Madison: Addy Buzzell, 27 saves on 28 shots (96%). Cap City: Jaelyn Welch, 24 saves on 33 shots (73%).
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LAKESHORE 4, CAP CITY 1
Goals- Lakeshore: Jillian Bilsborough (3), Sydney Bertolino. Cap City: Paige Nowinski.
Assists- Lakeshore: Cheyenne Mojica (2), Lauren Dykema (2). Cap City: Olivia Dull, Kaitlyn Nelson.
Goaltending- Lakeshore: Elizabeth Bowers, 30 saves on 31 shots (97%). Cap City: Sofia Martinelli, 18 saves on 20 shots (90%); Jaelyn Welch, 18 saves on 19 shots (95%).
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CAP CITY 2, BEAVER DAM 2
Goals- Cap City: Paige Nowinski, Olivia Dull. Beaver Dam: Emerson Damon, Addy Damon.
Assists- Cap City: Lilly Wagner, Kaitlyn Nelson. Beaver Dam: Addy Damon, Lilian Mansueto, Kamryn Albert, Meredith Modine.
Goaltending- Cap City: Sofia Martinelli, 41 saves on 43 shots (95%). Beaver Dam: Emily Smedema, 34 saves on 26 shots (94%).
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