It didn't end the way they hoped it would.
Few things that end rarely do.
But as Middleton’s hockey team stopped and reflected on the year they just completed, they had every reason to be beaming with pride.
Middleton fell to Verona, 5-0, in a WIAA Division 1 regional final last Thursday. That came on the heels of the Cardinals downing La Crosse Aquinas, 4-0, in a regional semifinal Feb. 15.
Middleton finished the year 16-8, a remarkable achievement considering the Cardinals played just three games and had fewer than 15 practices during the COVID-plagued 2021 season.
“I’m incredibly proud of this group,” Middleton coach Dan Truehl said. “In some respects, we had to start all over. The senior class was our rock and the culture that we’ve started to build is going to benefit us this offseason and in the upcoming years.