March 16, 2015 at 2:20 p.m.
Hodag Squirts take 4th at state
Hodag Squirts take 4th at state
The Hodags went 1-2 and finished in fourth place at the tournament held Saturday and Sunday at the Lakeland Ice Arena.
Rhinelander opened the tournament with a 4-1 victory over Sauk Prairie, fell 7-2 to Lakeland in the semifinals and were then edged 2-1 on a late goal in the third-place game against Waupaca.
"All 10 boys fought hard," coach Joe Flanders said of the Hodags' performance over the weekend. "The first game we played well. The second game didn't work out for us. We played a Lakeland team that's really talented and then the third game they fought as hard as they could, we just came up a little bit short. We ran into a really hot goalie and we couldn't get the biscuit in the net, but it wasn't for a lack of effort. I'm proud of the way they skated all weekend and all year."
Rhinelander 4, Sauk Prairie 1
After a scoreless first period against Sauk Prairie, the Hodags took the advantage early in the second on a pair of goals 27 seconds apart.
Sam Schneider got the Hodags on the board at the 2:09 mark of the second period off an assist from Cal Laggis. A.J. Turek doubled the lead at the 2:36 mark thanks to a helper from Peyton Skaggs.
Sauk Prairie cut the lead to 2-1 with just over 26 seconds remaining in the second on a goal by Owen Cooney, but the Hodags got an insurance goal from Laggis at the 5:12 mark of the third and Leo Losch added an empty-netter with 41 seconds remaining.
"It was a very competitive, close game right 'til the end," said Flanders, whose team was outshot by Sauk Prairie 18-17 in the contest. "It was closer than the score indicates because we got an open-net goal at the end there. The boys started a little sluggish but we got it together and started passing, got some goals in and got into the second round."
Lakeland 7, Rhinelander 2
In Saturday afternoon's semifinal contest the Hodags ran into one of the pre-tournament favorites Lakeland.
The first three minutes of the first period and the final six minutes of the second period proved to be the difference. The Hawks scored five times in those intervals and went on to win by that margin.
Unassisted goals by Turner Richards and Gray Wagner 48 seconds apart at the 1:56 and 2:44 marks of the opening frame gave Lakeland an early lead. Sam Warner got the Hodags within a goal, scoring on the power play at the 6:50 mark, but the Hawks quickly answered with a goal by James Albee at the 7:28 mark and took a 3-1 lead to the first intermission.
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Lakeland controlled the second period, outshooting the Hodags 10-1. Late in the period the puck began to cross the goal line and goals by Cody Olson, Albee and Richards made it 6-1 after two periods.
Albee completed his hat trick 1:21 into the third. Losch scored his second goal of the tournament with 33 seconds to play.
The Hodags were outshot 24-7 in the game. Garrett Kulhanek made 17 saves.
"Lakeland's a really talented squad," Flanders said. "They have some boys that will give us something to shoot for next year and (make us) work hard this summer. We were a little outmatched in that game. We'll work on that for next year."
Waupaca 2, Rhinelander 1
Max Gusmer scored a pair of unassisted goals, including the game-winner with 2:16 to play, as the Comets skated past the Hodags Sunday in the third-place match.
Gusmer intercepted a pass at his own blue line and skated in for the decisive breakaway goal.
The Hodags outshot Waupaca 21-7 in the contest but were unable to capitalize on a number of good chances.
"We had a lot of quality shots on net and some days they just don't go in," Flanders said. "There were a number of them that we just off the post or just off the side, but that's hockey. You've got to stay at it and put the puck in the net and they did it once more than we did."
Gusmer gave the Comets the lead 1:12 into the contest, fitting the puck through a tight hole between Kulhanek's left shoulder and the goalpost. Laggis knotted the game up later in the period after Losch's directed a deflected puck onto Laggis' awaiting stick at the bottom of the left faceoff circle.
The Hodags were unable to cash in on a couple of rebounds attempts in a scoreless second period and Kulhanek stopped three breakaway chances in the third before Gusmer's winner.
Rhinelander pulled Kulhanek for an extra attacker with 1:27 remaining, but he ended up back in the cage when the Hodags took a penalty with 49.2 seconds to go. The Hodags pushed the ensuing faceoff up ice and Kulhanek retreated back to the bench with 36 seconds left, but Rhinelander was unable to create another scoring chance.
Tournament takeaways
Despite not coming away with a plaque - only the top three teams plus the consolation champion receive hardware - the Hodags played well in a number of areas.
The team passed the puck well, particularly in the games against Waupaca and Sauk Prairie, and was strong of the penalty kill, fending off 7 of 8 power play chances over the weekend.
"All year long when we pass we win and when we pass, it's pretty impressive," Flanders said. "Our penalty kill, that's a product of hustle. The guys really get at it and they take pride in it. That's good to see."
The Hodags finished the season with a 15-17 record. While a handful will graduate to Peewees next year, several will be back as second-year Squirts in the fall.
"It was an honor to coach them," Flanders said. "It's just a fun group and, at that age, they just soak it all up. They listen and are just a blast to be around. All winter long it was a pleasure coaching those guys. that's what we told them, 'just don't hang your heads and be proud of what you did.'"
Note: See more photos from the tournament in Saturday's River News.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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