Red Raiders win championship of own tourney

PLYMOUTH’S KYLE KRAUS and the Sheboygan co-op hockey team is off to a 4-0 start. – Photo by Elliott Higgins

There’s another thing Bill Sunagel did not expect this early in the season.

Not only did the new coach of the Sheboygan co-op hockey team get injured the first day of practice, he has the Red Raiders off to a 5-0 start.

“Not at all,” he said. “I was hoping to be at least 3-2.”

Sheboygan hosted its annual Kyle J. Neurohr Memorial Tournament over the weekend and took first place for the first time since 2014.

The Red Raiders, who started 2-2-1 last season, outscored their three opponents by a combined score of 20-4.

“The boys are buying into a system and moving the puck,” Sunagel said. “Our goal production has been pretty much puck movement; not too many unassisted goals.

“I’m just happy the way the boys are playing and responding to the coaching staff. “I’m real happy with my assistants. They work well with the boys and the boys respond to them in a great way.”

Sheboygan defeated Brother Rice of Illinois, 10-3, in the title game Sunday.

It was a physical game – one Red Raider had to leave the ice on a stretcher but is fine – that featured six goals in the third period that were all scored by Sheboygan.

Jack Louko and Bennet Dale each had two of them, and Will Falconer and Caleb Gauthier had the other two.

“The boys responded to that injury,” Sunagel said. “They came back and just rattled off six goals in the third period.”

On Saturday, Maclane Schick made 24 saves and Jackson Schmitz and Dale scored for a 2-0 victory over Brookfield.

The Red Raiders beat Fox Cities, 8-1, on Friday as Blake Allen had two of his team’s six first-period goals.

After playing three games in three days, all the team had to worry about Monday was its team picture.

“They responded well,” Sunagel said.

“They came prior to the games and did dry-land routine, so they’re in pretty good shape.”