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Mound Westonka rolls Orono to lock up the Wright County Conference

By Heather Rule, SportsEngine, 02/03/17, 7:00AM CST

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Liz Schepers notched a hat trick in the White Hawks' 5-1 victory over the Spartans.



Mound Westonka sophomore forward Lauren Burris celebrates a late goal with sister Ellie Burris (28) in the White Hawks 5-1 victory over Orono at Orono Ice Arena. Photo by Brian W Nelson, SportsEngine


Senior captain and Ms. Hockey semifinalist Liz Schepers scored a hat trick to help Mound Westonka beat rival Orono 5-1 and capture the Wright County Conference championship on Friday night at Orono Ice Arena in Long Lake.

The White Hawks (18-6, 10-2) have won 14 of their last 16 games to end the season, including a 12-game winning streak from Dec. 8 to Jan. 24. Sophomores Emily Schepers and Lauren Burris book-ended the scoring for the White Hawks. In goal, senior Emma Polusny made 30 saves.

Beating the rival Orono for the conference title makes it 10 times better, Emily Schepers said. 

It was probably the “best all-around game as a team” this season, said Mound Westonka coach Jack Gravel. The goal has always been to “play for the last three games,” he said. 

The White Hawks aren’t used to playing on such a big rink, but they adjusted and had three lines rolling all night. Combine that with solid goaltending and a few goals from Liz Schepers, and it resulted in another win. 

Liz Schepers entered the night third in the state in goals (44) and second in points (66). The Ohio State commit finished the 2016-17 regular season with 47 goals and 69 points at the final whistle.

When a player racks up that many points, multi-goal games are the norm rather than a rarity. Liz Schepers scored in every game this season and failed notch multi-points just four times. 

 “Obviously, the play is made by everybody else on the ice,” Liz Schepers said. “They let me get open.

“I might be the one putting them in the net, but the plays you see 10, 20 seconds before the goal… that’s where our game is really good.” 

She’s also in her third season playing with her sister, Emily, who has seen first-hand how much time her sister puts into the sport – everything is hockey, hockey, hockey, she said. 

“It’s so much fun,” Emily Schepers said. “She’s so talented. I’m so grateful to be able to play with someone like her.” 

Liz Schepers knows how to find the net, regardless of the situation.

“She always finds a way to get loose,” Gravel said. “You get her 1-on-0 on the goaltender, and it’s about an automatic (goal),” Gravel said. 

Liz Schepers' ruthlessness in front of the net was illustrated by her second goal. She broke out of the defensive zone with the puck, stick-handled her way around a defender, leaving only the goaltender in her way. She made a move to fake the goalie to the ice on the blocker side before sliding the puck into the net on the other side to give the White Hawks a 3-1 lead in the second period. 

That forehand-backhand move is one she goes to a lot with confidence, Schepers said, but she also recognizes that goalies are smart and will pick up on her signature moves. That active thinking was evident in the final goal of her hat trick. 

“I just ripped it five-hole because I assumed she’s picking up on the move,” Liz Schepers said. “It’s good to switch it up every once in a while.”



Mound Westonka’s Liz Schepers (13) fires past the hip of Orono’s goalie for one of her three goals. Photo by Brian W Nelson, SportsEngine

First Report

Senior captain and Ms. Hockey semifinalist Liz Schepers scored a hat trick to help Mound Westonka beat rival Orono 5-1 and capture the Wright County Conference championship on Friday night at Orono Ice Arena in Long Lake.

The White Hawks, ranked No. 12 in Class 1A by the state coaches' poll, swept the season series against Orono (7-15-2, 5-6-1), also beating the Spartans 3-2 last month.   

Mound Westonka (18-6, 10-2) has won 14 of its last 16 games to end the season, which includes a 12-game winning streak from Dec. 8 to Jan. 24. 

Schepers entered the last night of her regular season ranked third in the state in goals (44) and second in points (66). She finished the 2016-17 regular season with 47 goals and 69 points.  

When a player racks up that many points, multi-goal games are the norm rather than a rarity. Schepers, an Ohio Stat commit, scored in every game this season, failing to notch a multi-point game just four times.

In goal for the White Hawks, senior Emma Polusny made 30 saves. Senior Madeline Carlson made 23 saves for Orono. 



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