STOUGHTON — The Cheesemakers picked up a second conference win of the season, knocking off Stoughton 6-3 Feb. 5. 

It is the first time in program history Monroe has won two conference games in a season.

“The boys played very hard tonight,” said Monroe boys co-op coach Barry Einbeck. 

The Cheesemakers opened the scoring just 36 seconds into the game when Cooper Dreyfus scored off a pass from Luke Kuberski to take a 1-0 lead.

“The boys came ready to play,” Einbeck said.

Stoughton (6-16, 4-8 Badger South) tied the game three minutes later, but Monroe (8-12, 2-7) scored back-to-back goals before the first intermission. Payton Stauffacher lit the lamp off a pass from Colton O’Connor with less than 11 minutes to play in the first, and then Kuberski assisted Jared Dillon on Monroe’s third goal with 6:38 to play before the break.

In the second, a pair of power play goals pushed Monroe to a 5-1 advantage. First, Stauffacher scored off a pass from Dreyfus, and then almost four minutes later O’Connor gave the Cheesemakers a four-goal advantage with Stauffacher and Dreyfus assisting.

Stoughton got one goal back with nine seconds left in the second period, and made it 5-3 with 8:28 to play in the game, but Dreyfus snuffed out the comeback bid with an empty-netter with 1:11 left to play.

Heath Bear was spectacular in net, saving 45 shots for Monroe. The Cheesemakers finished with 41 shots on net.

Monroe’s next scheduled game was to be played Feb. 7, but was cancelled due to inclement weather. The Cheesemakers close out the regular season with three games in four days before opening up the postseason against Greendale at home Feb. 12.