Underdog Cougars punch ticket to state

The Cap City Cougars have saved their best for last. An up-and-down regular season left them as the No. 5 seed in Sectional 4 for the 2024 Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) girls hockey state tournament. That never seemed to matter to them, though. They’ve beaten all challengers as the underdog, eventually becoming the best the sectional had to offer.

The run started back on Thursday, Feb. 15 with a win over No. 4 seed Baraboo. Things got serious in the following round as Cap City scored a 2-1 overtime win over top-seeded Rock County on Tuesday, Feb. 20. This led the Cougars to the Sectional 4 final, up against No. 2 seed Madison Metro at Janesville Ice Arena on Saturday, Feb. 24.

This was yet another matchup of two Badger Conference opponents, and the Lynx had the Cougars’ number in the regular season. Madison Metro won the first matchup 3-1 and the second 9-1. But, Rock County had also beaten Cap City twice in the regular season. The Cougars proved that they were a different animal when it came to the postseason.

It was another overtime challenge as regulation ended in a tie at one goal each. The same remained through the first overtime period. About two and a half minutes into double overtime, Cap City broke through. Sophomore forward Paige Nowinski (Waunakee) got open, faked out the defenders, and buried the game-winning goal to send the Cougars to the promised land.

“I’m incredibly proud of this group,” Cap City head coach Brenna Weber said. “We had our ups and down through the regular season, but the team has really come together. They’re working hard and have gotten us to this spot. It’s a great feeling. We really had to work for this. We believed in ourselves.”

The familiarity between these two teams showed in the tightness of the game throughout. Neither team scored in the first period, despite 17 shots on goal from Madison Metro. While Cap City was held to only eight in the opening period, their persistence would pay dividends in the second.

Just a few minutes into the second period, the Cougars broke though. Nowinski and sophomore forward Lilly Wagner (Waunakee) got the puck to the stick of junior forward Olivia Dull (Waunakee). She put on a few moves before firing into the back of the net, giving her Cougars a 1-0 lead which lasted through the end of the period.

The Metro Lynx were reluctant to let their season slip away so easily. They saw their opportunity early in the third period, as Cap City was whistled for a hooking penalty. They almost immediately took advantage of the power play opportunity, scoring 11 seconds in to knot the game at one goal each.

While it was a stellar play from Madison Metro, it was the last goal that Cap City freshman goaltender Sofia Martinelli would tolerate. For the remainder of regulation as well as both overtimes, she was unbeatable. She made big save after big save, tallying a grand total of 47 for the game. The Lynx never again found the back of the net as she stood on her head.

“It’s definitely a stressful situation,” Martinelli said of making saves in a double overtime game with state on the line. “You just have to stay calm and stay in front of the puck. Things get even more stressful if you let one in. I knew I had to be there for my team and keep playing hard.”

Martinelli, combined with her defense, was able to shut Madison Metro down for the remainder of regulation. This came despite another power play opportunity just one minute after the Lynx scored their equalizer. The Cougars were able to avoid letting the situation spiral and forced overtime.

The first overtime period looked more like basketball than hockey. Both teams sprinted up and down the ice as quality offensive looks came nearly every time. Martinelli, as well as Madison sophomore goalie Addy Buzzell, stood tall. The first eight minutes of overtime passed without a goal, forcing a second.

It was only fitting that the same three Cougars who had helped out in Cap City’s goal way back in the second period also contributed to the game winner. Instead of scoring it, Dull started the run by making a steal near center ice. She quickly got a pass up to Wagner, who immediately dumped it off to Nowinski, who was charging up the ice.

At first, the opportunity looked lost. With a defender on either side, Nowinski fanned on her first shot, leaving the puck vulnerable. Undeterred by this, she quickly recollected the puck and struck it pure on the second attempt. The shot glanced off Buzzell’s right side and into the back of the net, confirming Cap City’s spot as Sectional 4 champions.

“In my mind, as soon as I got the pass from Lilly (Wagner), I just told myself to shoot it immediately,” Nowinski said. “No matter what happens, I’m getting a shot on goal. I knew what I had to do in that moment.”

The Cougars poured on to the ice, mobbing Nowinski behind the Madison Metro goal to celebrate the continuation of their season. Despite their seeding, despite the odds, despite the opponents before them, the Cougars were champions.

This is Cap City’s first appearance at state since the 2019 season. The Cougars were mainstays there in the 2010s, earning bids in 2011, 2017, 2018, and 2019. They have only won once there, 2018, and lost in the state title game.

Now, the Cougars will compete in the 2024 girls hockey state tournament semifinals, hosted at Bob Suter’s Capitol Ice Arena in Middleton on Thursday, Feb. 29. The Cougars received the No. 4 seed of the four teams there. They’ll be up against the top-seeded Central Wisconsin Storm, which won Sectional 1. For Nowinski and the rest of her Cougars, they’re ready for the challenge. They’ve been underdogs before, and that hasn’t stopped them yet.

“We’ve heard people that doubt us,” Nowinski said. “They said we wouldn’t make it far. All of our wins so far have been unexpected. We expect it.”

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CAP CITY 2, MADISON METRO 1 (2OT)

Goals- Cap City: Olivia Dull, Paige Nowinski. Madison Metro: Emma Stebbeds.

Assists- Cap City: Lilly Wagner (2), Nowinski, Dull. Madison Metro: Sophie Wilde.

Goaltending- Cap City: Sofia Martinelli, 47 saves on 48 shots (98%). Madison Metro: Addy Buzzell, 24 saves on 26 shots (92%).