March 12, 2014 at 2:09 p.m.
Hodags gearing up for WAHA State Peewee 3A Championships
Hodags gearing up for WAHA State Peewee 3A Championships
The teams are made up of athletes aged from fifth to seventh grade. Amery, Merrill, River Falls, Waupun, Waupaca, Baldwin and Sauk Prairie will be joining Rhinelander in the tournament.
Play will begin Saturday, and all eight teams will play three games over the course of the weekend. The championship game will take place Sunday at 2 p.m.
Joe Pequet, an assistant coach for the Rhinelander squad, said his guys have been working overtime to get ready for the big tournament.
"We've doubled up our practices in the last two weeks," he said. "The kids have been on the ice almost every day preparing for this tournament."
Hosting the tournament gives the Hodags a significant advantage. While visiting teams are certain to bring their own support, it shouldn't rival the home-ice crowd Rhinelander should have behind them throughout the tournament.
Pequet said the competition should be fierce but he's confident in his group.
"Going to state is always pretty big, especially when it's at home," he said. "Supposedly this is the best from around the state at this age group, so the competition is going to be pretty tough. The only team we know much about is Merrill. We've played them pretty tough all year. We expect to win and we expect to play well."
Preparation for the tournament has been extensive. The team has logged plenty of ice time, but Pequet said the coaches are really stressing fundamentals.
"We're working on positions, passing and teamwork," he said. "We're working on responsibility too."
To perform to their potential, Pequet said they need to get strong outings from their standout players, but more importantly, they need to play well as a complete unit.
"How do you narrow it down," he said. "They all need to perform. Abe Laggis needs to play well, but really we need everyone to play their best."
Laggis is the son of RHS boys' hockey coach M.J. Laggis.
Hosting the tournament is a huge opportunity for the Rhinelander peewee program. The kids range from grades 5-7, but soon they will be donning varsity sweaters, so the work they're putting in now will pay dividends down the road. Pequet said it's important to start kids young.
"A youth program is hugely important," he said. "It's the feeder for high school. A program is nothing without a good youth program."
Andy Hildebrand may be reached at [email protected].
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