They had this goal, Oregon boys hockey chasing a state championship

OREGON, Wis. (WMTV) – For the first time in more than 20 years, the Oregon high school boys hockey team is back in state competition.

The Panthers defeated Saint Marys Springs 1-0 in the sectional final, a team they had previously lost to in this round in the past three years.

With the win, Oregon advanced to the WIAA boys hockey tournament, where they will face No. 2 seed Mosine Thursday afternoon at 12:15 in the state semifinals at the Bob Suters Capitol Ice Arena in Middleton.

Junior goalie Nathan McAlpine said part of the reason for this team’s success is the 11 seniors who have led the way all season.

In the summer, it felt like we had a good group of captains on the ice all the time, McAlpine said. Good overall vibe for team practice and everything, so it felt like we were going to be pretty good this year.

Oregon Boys Hockey Head Coach Larry Clemens said this trip to the state tournament has been years in the making and he could see this team’s potential when they started playing in Oregon.

After three straight years of losing in the division finals, Clemens said his team used it as motivation to come back stronger this season.

“Judging from the loss, it was OK, it’s the last time we don’t,” Clemens said. During the whole summer training, they had all their skates, because this is their goal.

Senior center Jacob Cameron said the team has always had a 1-0 mentality and made it their goal to win the final game of the season. Cameron said he’s known most of his teammates his entire life, which makes the success that much sweeter.

“It’s been a really great experience just to have my brother with me and go through this experience together,” Cameron said.

Now, Cameron and the other 10 seniors hope to end their careers at Oregon with a state trophy.

“I don’t even know what to think to be honest, it would be crazy,” Cameron said. Just to see how far we’ve come with this group and what we’ve done.

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