Cougars drop game two versus Wisconsin

In game two of their weekend series with the Badgers, Trennis Riley (Havre, MT) got the start for the Cougars while Nicholas Manchester was in goal for Wisconsin. Wisconsin would come out hard in the first period, outshooting the Cougars 9-5 while opening the scoring midway through the period on a shorthanded goal from Carson Gunderson.

The Cougars looked to respond in the second period as Ethan Esposito (SSM, ON) would send a puck to the net a minute and a half into the frame, bouncing off a defender and finding the twine. At the six-minute mark, Nick Jameus (SSM, ON) would find defenceman Anthony Blonda (SSM, ON) in the high slot and he would make no mistake, scoring his first ACHA hockey league goal to put the Cougars up 2-1. Wisconsin would not go quietly as Justin Schneider tied things up just past the midway point of the period. Shane Mettler would restore the Wisconsin lead two minutes later on a nifty deke as he was in alone on Riley. The Badgers would add one more before the period was over as Trace Tompkins scored his first of the year on the power play.

Trailing by two as the third period started, the Cougars began to unravel taking four straight penalties to start the final frame. Shane Mettler would add his second of the game before Cade Kiehl would add a powerplay marker to ice the game. The Badgers would win the second half of the series with a final score of 7-2. Riley would make twenty-six saves in the loss.