Cats stand out at state’s Senior Hockey Tourney

• Wildcat hockey

River Falls was well represented at the Wisconsin Senior Class Hockey Tournament March 25-27 in Waupun with five Wildcats playing for the Section 1 team that was led by Wildcat coach Brooks Lockwood. Pictured at the tournament are, from left, Lockwood, Garrett Jensen, Neal Edge, Cooper Maxwell, Karl Andersen and Ben Novak. Submitted photo

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Five seniors on the Wildcat hockey team joined their coach Brooks Lockwood at the 29th annual Wisconsin Senior Class Tournament March 25-27, and made significant contributions to help the Section 1 team reach the title game.

Garrett Jensen, Neal Edge, Cooper Maxwell, Karl Andersen and Ben Novak had a familiar face on the bench for the Section 1 team, which was coached by their own high school coach Brooks Lockwood.

The Senior Class Tournament is broken up into eight teams featuring the top seniors in the state. In addition to the five Wildcats, the Section 1 team also included Ryan Dau and Spencer Korum of Hudson.

The team finished the tournament with a record of 2-1, defeating Section 5 10-1 in its opener and topping Section 3 in a shootout, 3-2, before falling to Section 8 in the title game, 7-2.

Andersen was the team’s top goal-scorer with five. He had three goals and three assists in the team’s 10-1 win over Section 5 and accounted for both goals in the 7-2 loss in the title game.

Novak added two goals and an assist in the tournament and scored the clinching goal in the team’s 3-2 shootout win, while Jensen finished with an .875 save percentage and earned the team’s first victory while splitting time in goal.

Novak and Andersen are among 54 players from the state invited to Mose Lamb Ice Arena in Tomah this weekend to try out for Team Wisconsin that will play in the second annual CCM Minnesota Hockey High School National Invitational Tournament April 14-17 in Plymouth, Minn.

The tournament will feature teams comprised of top high school players from Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Michigan and Massachusetts with scouts from several NHL teams and collegiate programs in attendance. Last year, 80 percent of Division I programs and every USHL team had scouts in attendance.

Team Wisconsin will be represented by players selected from the premier performers that competed at the 29th Senior Class Tournament.

Tags: sports, prep, wildcats, hockey