BELOIT — The Purple Knights picked up their first Big Eight Conference win, sneaking past the Bluebirds 6-5 on Saturday, Feb. 4.

In the first period, the two teams scored in near succession, as Jake Schaffner put Janesville on the board, but Nathan Anastasi responded with a goal of his own. Max Allen then gave Beloit the 2-1 advantage with a power-play goal from Payton Whalen. With the period winding down, Ian Perkins tied the game at two with an assist from Skyler Swearingen.

The Knights went up 4-2 with two quick goals in the second period from Dylan Naugle and Jayden Piccione — one of which was on a power play. Although Perkins scored his second goal, short-handed, Allen erased it with his second power-play goal of the game.

The Bluebirds made a comeback in the third period, as Tyler Steuck led off with a short-handed goal. After a Whalen goal, Swearingen got Janesville back within one, scoring on a power play. Beloit’s defense remained strong through the final 10 minutes though, securing the win.

Whalen led the Knights with three points from one goal and two assists. Allen and Piccione chipped in two points each, as Allen had socred two goals and Piccione had one of each. Jameson Flanagan picked up the win in goal.

KENOSHA 10, MONROE 0

KENOSHA — Despite 48 shots on goal, the Cheesemakers were unable to find the back of the net in a nonconference road loss on Saturday, Feb. 4.

The Thunder scored four goals in the first two periods, followed by two in the third period. Liam VonElm-Mckenna tallied five goals on the night, including both in the third period. He also recorded one assist for six points to lead Kenosha. Zach Mitchell picked up the win in goal. 

For Monroe, Xander Obert got the start and suffered the loss. Kyle Theorin also saw some minutes in net.

METRO LYNX 3, FURY 0

BELOIT — Although Rock County suffered its second loss of the season to Metro, the team saw much improvement from its previous 6-0 loss.

“Last time we played them we lost 0-6, and they had control of the majority of the game,” Fury head coach Luke Steurer said. “This time around our girls came out playing hard all three periods and stayed in the game. We came in with a game plan we worked on for a couple days, and the team did a great job of executing it against a very tough team. It was great to see the girls battle the whole game and keep the score within reach and never give up.”

The Fury limited the Lynx’s scoring to just two periods — one goal in the first period and two in the second. Grace Bonnell had a hand in each goal, scoring once and assisting in the two others to lead Metro. In net, Addie Armstrong picked up the win.

Rock County put 12 shots on goal but were unable to get one across. Jillian Traver saw 46 shots, saving 43 of them for a .935 save percentage.

VIROQUA 4, FURY 2

VIROQUA — The Blackhawks did their damage in the third period, scoring three goals to ensure their win on Saturday, Feb. 4.

Maizy Fonseca gave the Fury a 1-0 lead after the first period with her unassisted goal, but Gabby Olson answered with a goal in the second period. The two teams entered the third and final period knotted at one goal each.

Gracie Goss gave Viroqua an edge, but Ava Kligora quickly responded to tie the game at two. The Blackhawks took the lead once again with a goal from Rhiannon Dehlin. Down by one with the game drawing to a close, the Fury pulled Traver from net to gain an extra skater. The gamble came back to bite Rock County, as Rachel Simonson secured the win with an empty-netter.

The Fury outshot the Blackhawks 37-30 but couldn’t get it done defensively. Traver saw 29 shots on goal, saving 26 of them for an .897 save percentage.