Avalanche Lose Close Game to Milton

The Monroe Avalanche Co-op hockey team played against Milton on Tuesday, December 20th, losing by just one goal. The final score was Milton 3, Monroe 2.
Coach Josh Smith commented, “We played a really close game today and things were looking good, but in the end penalties killed us. When you spend that much time in the box it’s hard to win. We know what we need to do and will start addressing it tomorrow at practice.”
Milton scored one goal in the first and second periods before the Avalanche’s Jared Cline, assisted by Tyler Johnson and Charlie Harris, hit the back of the net late in the second. Monroe kept the momentum going into the third period when Riley Jones, assisted by Colton O’Connor, scored, tying the game up, 2-2. Late in the third, Milton scored their third goal to win the game.
Goalie Heath Bear had 43 saves during the game.
On December 22nd, the Avalanche hosted Sauk Prairie in a non-conference match up at SLICE. Monroe lost, 1-8.
“Tonight we played one of the best first periods of the season. We moved the puck well and pressured Sauk very well,” said Coach Smith. “We took the lead and held it until the very end of the first period. Then everything fell apart. We stopped being the first to the puck and we stopped skating hard. That alone is the reason we lost this game. Sauk played well and it would have been a hard-fought close game, but we beat ourselves tonight.”
Colton O’Connor, assisted by Riley Jones and Payton Stauffacher, scored the Avalanche’s only goal in the first period, on a Power Play.
Heath Bear and Daniel Guilliams shared Goalie duties, with Bear racking up 28 saves; Guilliams had eight saves.
For the game against Greendale on December 23rd, at Wilson Park, the Avalanche “started off really slow and not focused tonight,” said Coach Smith. The Avalanche lost the game, the final score was Greendale 8, Monroe 1.
“Once we got to the second period,” said Smith, “we started skating to the puck more and it helped things a lot.”
Jake Ritschard, assisted by Riley Jones and Tyler Johnson, scored the lone goal for the Avalanche on a Power Play.
Goalie Heath Bear recorded 32 saves during the game.
“We’ve a week now to get healthy and take a much needed break,” concluded Smith. The team will play against Milton at Mandt Community Ice Arena on January 2nd at 8:00 p.m., and host Monona Grove at SLICE on Saturday, January 7th; the puck drops at 7:00 p.m.