MONROE — The Rock County Fury, which is made of players from 11 schools, enter the 2018-19 season with a slew of expectations.

The Fury won its first conference title and finished one win from a trip to the WIAA state tournament and returns several key players. They were also named No. 8 in the state in the preseason Wisconsin Prep Hockey Coaches rankings.

Milton’s Maggy Henschler, the team’s leader in goals and assists last season (26 G, 22 A), and two other top scorers graduated. Monroe sophomore Anika Einbeck (12 goals, 8 assists) is the top returner in points. Picking up where she left off, Einbeck scored a pair of goals in her season debut Nov. 17 in a 6-1 win over Brookfield.

Also returning for the Fury includes Albany sisters Haley and Alyssa Knauf. Haley Knauf, a junior, had 12 goals and eight assists like Einbeck, while Alyssa Knauf, a sophomore, had nine goals and eight assists in her freshman campaign.

Cammi Ganshert, a 5-7 senior defenseman from Monroe, was eighth in points last year with three goals and eight assists.

In the opening game of the 2018-19 season, Alyssa Knauf had two assists, while Haley Knauf and Ganshert each had one assist. 

Also returning for the Fury is Brodhead sophomore goalkeeper Brooke Teubert. Last season Teubert saw 33 minutes, 48 seconds of action and stopped seven of eight shots attempted, all against Badger Lightning in the first round of the WIAA playoffs.

New to the team this year is Lena-Winslow freshman Sarah Edler, a 5-5 forward, and Anna Malone, a 5-2 freshman defenseman from Orangeville.

The Fury lost to the Cap City Cougars 3-2 in the postseason, but had enjoyed a 10-1 run prior to that game. Over the course of the season, Rock County finished 19-3-2 overall, scoring opponents 4.71-1.29 per game and were successful on 19.8 percent of its power plays. 

The only losses for the Fury were on the road, including a 4-3 nonconference game against the USM Wildcats and a 3-2 loss to the Fox Cities Stars before their playoff defeat. The Fury ended last season ranked No. 5 in the state in the U.S. High School Hockey rankings and No. 4 in the MYHockey Rankings.

The Fury will divvy up its home schedule equally between Janesville, Beloit and Monroe. Games at SLICE in Monroe include Dec. 21 against Lakeshore Lightning (6:15 p.m.), Jan. 10 against Stoughton Icebergs (7 p.m.) and Jan. 26 against Onalaska (1 p.m.). Games in Janesville are played at the Janesville Ice Arena and the contests in Beloit will take place at the Edwards Ice Arena.

There are also two tournaments in which Rock County will participate. The Hartland Arrowhead Tournament is Nov. 23-24 and will include three games in less than 24 hours, and the Fox City Tournament Dec. 27-28 with another three games in 24 hours.