The state boys’ and girls’ hockey tournaments will have a new home starting in 2023. The games will be held at Bob Suter’s Capitol Ice Arena in Middleton after the WIAA approved a two-year deal.
Top-seeded De Pere Co-op shut out Superior/Northwestern 3-0 to win the Division 2 title. Catcher Langeness and Bjorn Bahneman scored empty-net goals for the Tigers in the title game.
De Pere Co-op
The De Pere Co-op girls hockey team is the top seed in the 2023 state tournament. The team is coached by Joe Gerarden who pulls players from the schools in the Bay Area. Gerarden has built the Ice Bears into one of the best high school teams in Wisconsin. The team’s youth doesn’t show. They have a lot of energy and chemistry. They are looking to repeat their state championship title from 2014.
The team will face No. 2 Superior/Northwestern in the semifinals. The two teams have met before this season, with Superior/Northwestern winning 3-0. In the previous game, the Spartans scored a pair of goals in the first period to take an early lead. They then added another goal in the second period to put themselves up 3-0.
Both teams are undefeated in the playoffs so the game will be a great match-up. The winner of the game will advance to the finals and play for a state championship. The state championship game will be held at Bob Suter’s Capitol Ice Arena in Middleton, Wisconsin.
This year’s Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association winter state tournaments will feature some of the best high school sports in the country. Among them is the 2023 state hockey tournament, which will be held from Feb. 2 to 4. This year, there are more than 90 sanctioned high school varsity ice hockey teams in the state.
On the boy’s side, defending champion Hudson won a sectional title and advanced to the state tournament for the 14th time in the last eight seasons. The Raiders are hoping to win their third consecutive state title and add to their collection of six titles in the past decade.
Several other teams in the boys’ brackets are also making their way to the state finals, including Mosinee, De Pere Co-op, and Bay Port. The boys’ tournament begins Thursday at the Bob Suter Capitol Ice Arena in Middleton, while the girls’ tourney kicks off on Saturday.
The state hockey tournament is a popular event in the Milwaukee area, with more than 70,000 fans expected to attend this year’s competition. The event is a highlight of the state’s hockey season, and it features the top teams from across the state.
Notre Dame
The Notre Dame boys hockey team is making its third consecutive trip to the state championship, but this year’s squad has a chance to take the title for the first time in school history. The team is undefeated and has a massive advantage in seeding. It will play Hudson, Verona, and University School in the Division 1 final. The tournament will be held at Bob Suter’s Capitol Ice Arena in Middleton. The awards ceremony will be on Friday during a vacant session of the match so that it won’t conflict with game action. The winners will receive plaques, and the finalists will be recognized on the scoreboard.
The Irish began the season with a win over Verona and continued their dominance throughout the regular season. Their top line features several MVP-type players, including Connor Crowley and Tye Battipaglia. Junior forward James Mascari and Blake Baksay join them. Senior goalie Sean McCloskey has also led the squad.
Despite losing two senior players to graduation, the Irish stayed focused and played well throughout the postseason. They won four straight games, putting them in the final against the No. 3 team in the state, a rematch of last year’s semifinal. The final was a defensive battle, but the Irish prevailed thanks to an outstanding performance by McCloskey in goal.
Notre Dame will now prepare for its title match against Hudson on Saturday. The game will be at the same venue, and it is expected to start at 10 a.m. The winner of the game will advance to the state final, which is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. The Green Knights were able to beat both Ridgefield and New Canaan in the semifinals to make it to the last.
The 2023 WIAA State Boys and Girls hockey tournaments will be held at Bob Suter’s Capitol Ice Arena in downtown Middleton. The facility was built in 1999, and a multi-million dollar renovation was completed in 2018. It is now home to the Wisconsin Capitals of the USHL and the Madison Capitols AAA hockey team.
Verona
The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association’s (WIAA) state boys’ and girls’ hockey tournaments will have a new home in 2023. Bob Suter’s Capitol Ice Arena in Middleton will host the game for the next two years, according to a WIAA press release. The 2023 state boys’ and girls’ hockey tournaments will be held March 2-4 at the arena.
The top-seeded team, Notre Dame, finished a perfect 28-0 season with an 8-2 win over Verona in the Division 1 championship game on Saturday at the Capitol Ice Arena in Middleton. Sam Kappell scored the first two goals of the game, followed by Drew Schock. Lars Brotzman put Verona on the board early in the second period, but the Wildcats could not pull within one goal for the rest of the game.
In the final period, Notre Dame pulled away with five straight goals. Bryce Dahl, Kaed McCarron, and Mason Peapenburg each scored a power-play goal, while Brett Koeppell added another goal. The Tritons outshot the Wildcats 33-15, and Lleyton Jaschke made 13 saves for the victory.
Verona will have to rebuild its team this season after graduating eight players from last year’s team, which went 23-6 and reached the Division 1 state final. However, the Wildcats’ new coach, Josh Biser, hopes to keep the program on its current path of yearly state tournament appearances.
Unlike other prep sports, ice hockey is not divided into divisions based on school enrollment, so all teams compete at the state level. This format has helped to create a highly competitive and balanced competition throughout the state. Ninety high schools field-sanctioned varsity ice hockey teams, and the sport has become an integral part of the state’s high school sports culture. In addition to the state tournament, a series of regional and sectional playoffs are held prior to the state semifinals. The state champions advance to the national tournament in Buffalo, New York.
New Richmond
The 2023 Wisconsin high school hockey state tournament crowned two boys champions and one girls champion on Saturday at Bob Suter’s Capitol Ice Arena in Middleton. Top-seeded Notre Dame finished off its perfect season with an 8-2 victory over Verona in the Division 1 championship game. The Tritons scored three goals in the first period to take control. Sam Kappell and Drew Schock each scored a plan to give the team a 3-0 lead going into the first intermission.
New Richmond dominated the opening half of the second period to break the game open. The Tigers outshot the Panthers 16-4. The Tigers also killed the final 1:25 of a power play in the first period, and Bjorn Bahneman scored on a rebound to make it 4-0. James Sherven narrowed the lead to 3-2 with a short-handed goal for the Panthers, but New Richmond responded by scoring four goals in the next eight minutes.
In the third period, the Tigers extended their lead to 10-0 with a flurry of offensive plays. Catcher Langeness and Bahneman each scored empty-net goals to cap the scoring for the Tigers, who won their first title in five State Tournament appearances. Blake Milton made 21 saves for New Richmond.
For the first time since 2011, top-ranked New Richmond reached the state championship game, defeating Big Rivers Conference rival Menomonie 10-0 in Thursday’s semifinal. The Tigers advance to Saturday’s Division 2 title game against Oregon, which beat fourth-ranked Mosinee 3-0 in the other semifinal.
The Wisconsin Prep Hockey End-of-season Awards Presentations will be held at 4 pm on Friday, March 3, at the Marriott Madison West near Capitol Ice Arena in Middleton. The ceremony will be during a vacant session so that it won’t interfere with any tournament games. The winners of the eight award categories will receive plaques. The presentations are free and open to the public.
