Wausau Pilot & Review
MIDDLETON – The Central Wisconsin Storm are state champions again!
The Storm, a co-op of players from D.C. Everest, Marathon, Merrill, Mosinee, Wausau East and Wausau West high schools, scored three times in the third period to outlast the Bay Area Ice Bears (De Pere Co-op) 4-3 in the championship game of the 2024 WIAA State Girls Hockey Tournament on Saturday afternoon at the Capitol Ice Arena.
The title is the Storm’s fifth in program history to go along with others won in 2008, 2012, 2017 and 2022.
Tristan Wicklund tied the game at 1-1 for the Storm (22-4-1) with a goal 5:11 into the second period.
Central Wisconsin opened up a two-goal lead on goals from Ava Whitmore and Wicklund in the first four minutes of the third period. After a goal from the Ice Bears (22-6), Sophie Bohlin knocked in another for the Storm with two minutes to go up make it 4-2.
Bay Area pulled its goalie and scored once with 58 seconds left with an extra attacker, but Storm goalie Claire Calmes knocked back three shot attempts in the final seconds to finish off the victory. She finished with 28 saves.
Storm 4, Ice Bears 3
Central Wisconsin 0 1 3 – 4
Bay Area 0 1 2 – 3
Second period: 1. BA, Adison Dahl (Julianne Bradford), pp., 4:04; 2. CW, Tristan Wicklund (Sophie Bohlin, Gabi Heuser), pp., 5:11.
Third period: 3. CW, Ava Whitmore, 1:26; 4. CW, Wicklund (Bohlin), 4:13; 5. BA, Faye Brunke, pp., 7:47; 6. CW, Bohlin (Taylor Freidel), 15:00; 7. BA, Hannah VonHaden, 16:02.
Saves: BA, Parker Batholomaus 15; CW, Claire Calmes 28.
Records: Central Wisconsin 22-4-1; Bay Area 22-6.
