NEENAH — Rock County Fury opened its season with a 7-4 loss to the Fox City Stars on Saturday, Nov. 18. 

“This was a great test for us in our first game playing against a team that has a lot of depth and good players,” Rock County head coach Luke Steurer said. “We held our own and stayed right in it.”

The Stars took a 3-0 lead in the first 14 minutes of play. Two of their goals came on power plays, as Fury skaters were in the penalty box for tripping and hooking. Emma Kligora, the team’s leading scorer in 2022, slipped a goal in late in the first.

The second period was a wash, as each team scored two goals. 

With another goal from Kligora five minutes into the third period, the Fury trailed by just one. 

“It was great to see the team keep pushing the whole game and able to come back within a goal to give ourselves a chance,” Steuer said. “They never let down or stopped playing.”

Fox City put the game away, though, with two goals in the final 11 minutes.

Kligora led the Fury with four points — two goals and two assists. Macy Murphy also scored two goals. The Stars had 39 shots on goal, and goalie Jillian Traver stopped 33 of them for a .846 save percentage. Offensively, Rock County put 20 shots on goal.