December 2022

TOWN OF MIDDLETON–A proposed expansion of Bob Suter’s Capitol Ice Arena received a lukewarm reception at a town board meeting this week.

The property on Pleasant View Road, north of Evergreen Road, is owned by the town of Middleton but is within the city of Middleton, according to Town Chair Cynthia Richson.

The arena owners want to add a third indoor rink onto the existing 62,000-square-foot facility saying there’s not enough ice available for youth hockey programs.

“There’s a need in the Madison area as the (Alliant Energy Center) and the (University of Wisconsin) Shell will not be selling ice time in the future,” Don Goodweiler, treasurer of the Capitol Ice Arena.

Suter’s Capitol Ice Arena already hosts 53 hockey teams, its 1,043 skaters, of which nearly 32 percent are from the town, and 13 youth hockey programs, Goodweiler said.

They were hoping for much different outcomes.

But Middleton’s hockey team learned one thing last week — they can play with anyone and everyone.

The Cardinals dropped a 3-2, double overtime game to Verona on Dec. 13. The Wildcats have won six straight Big Eight Conference titles.

And Middleton fell to visiting Madison Edgewood, 5-4, last Saturday. The Crusaders were a WIAA Division 1 state qualifier in 2022.

The Cardinals fell to 6-2 overall and are 3-1 in the Big Eight.

“Last week didn’t go the way that we wanted it to, but I thought there were some good takeaways and developmental opportunities as we go forward,” Middleton coach Dan Truehl said. “Verona and Edgewood have been the teams to beat in our conference and sectional for quite some time, so any time you get a chance to play them, you have to relish the opportunity. We’re close, but we’ve got to find a way to get over the hump when playing this caliber of teams.”

MIDWEST–A major winter storm has been predicted and is expected to slow travel ahead of the Christmas holiday.

“Our winter storm criteria is typically six-inches of snow falling in a 12 hour period,” explained Tim Halbach, National Weather Service Milwaukee Warning Coordination Meteorologist.

Halbach added that a winter storm can be marked by smaller amounts of snow with high winds, causing a low visabilities.

Although it is hard to predict exactly how much snow will fall, the current prediction between the night of Dec. 21 and Dec. 23 is 8-12 inches. Winds are expected to kick up on late Thursday into Friday, with gusts up to 50 mph.

It was quick.

It was explosive.

And it was painful — for Janesville Parker.

Middleton’s boys basketball team smacked host Parker with a 26-3 run over an 8 ½-minute stretch late in the first half last Saturday. That burst gave the Cardinals a 40-13 lead at the break and they went on to a relatively easy 68-46 win.

Middleton improved to 4-0 overall and 4-0 in the Big Eight Conference.

“We have the ability to score in a variety of ways,” Middleton coach Kevin Bavery said. “Transition, getting to the rim in the half court, post play, and the 3-point shot.

“The key to any successful team is stringing together defensive stops. This was probably our best stretch of that combination so far in this early season. One of my assistants said 'Defense always travels', and that's so true. It was the key for us in a place that's always tough to play in.”