February 1, 2017 at 4:18 p.m.
Northern Edge loses, then wins in blowouts
Northern Edge loses, then wins in blowouts
One night after getting blown out at home 6-0 by Waupaca, the Northern Edge came storming back with its best offensive output of the season, scoring nine times in a 9-2 rout of Medford in a non-conference game at the Simek Center.
Certainly, there is some disparity in the talent level of the two teams the Northern Edge faced. Waupaca (6-12-1) possess three of the better players in the Great Northern Conference with sisters Markie and Cadie Ash and defender Avery Simonson while Medford (1-11-0) has simply struggled to get in the win column this year, but Rhinelander/Antigo coach Kevin Sandstrom said the difference in the two nights simply boiled down to confidence.
"This is not a who we are playing issue. This is a belief in our abilities and our game (issue)," he said following Tuesday's win over Medford. "What we saw here tonight is that we know that we can make these plays. We have this ability and we went out there and executed it."
Waupaca 6, Northern Edge 0
Not much went right for the Edge in Monday night's game against the Comets as they fell behind 2-0 after one period and lost 6-0 in Antigo.
The Comets' leading scorer, Markie Ash, started the goal onslaught with a short-handed tally midway through the first and Waupaca got two gaols each from Kat Otter-Giese and Jamie Slattery in the win.
Sandstrom said he was hoping Monday night's game would serve as a nice measuring stick to gauge his team's progress since a 3-1 loss Dec. 3 at Waupaca. By almost every measure Monday night's game was a regression.
"I don't think we came close to playing to the level that we're capable of," he said "Looking at a measuring stick, we're making the same mistakes that we were making back in December and that we've made over the course of the season and they were drastically exposed here tonight. It seemed far more than usual some of the mistakes we've talked about such as confidence with the puck on you stick, the ability to get your head up, read the play and use the entire sheet of ice rather than the two feet in front of you."
Ash took advantage of a turnover in the Edge zone to put the Comets ahead 1-0 7:20 into the contest and Slattery made it 2-0 roughly three minutes later, deflecting in a shot from the point by Avery Simonson.
Things didn't get much better in the second as Otter-Giese banged home a shot in the second at the 6:04 mark. The Edge then nearly killed off a 5-on-3 power play but Slattery was able to score on a rebound 15 seconds before the Edge's second penalty was set to expire.
Waupaca made it 5-0 25 seconds before period's end as Kendell Sheldon cashed in on a turnover forced by Cadie Ash in the Edge zone. Otter-Giese put the Comets up six, and evoked the running-clock rule, with a rebound goal on the power play with 9:43 remaining.
The Comets outshot the Edge 46-11 in the game and many of Waupaca's chances came from close range, a problem that Sandstrom said his team needs to address.
"It's been a story all year long, protecting the front of our net," he said. "We call it our house, the slot area ... Your chances (to score) double just by moving that five feet into the slot and other teams have definitely exposed that on us. It's something that we have to continue to take a look at as far as how to keep them out of there."
Anna Ryder stopped 11 pucks as Waupaca posted its first shutout of the season. Shea Petersen made 40 saves in the loss for Rhinelander/Antigo.
"Pretty much the standard Shea. We've got to provide her a lot more help, hands down, especially in front of her," Sandstrom said.
Northern Edge 9, Medford 2
"It was almost like watching a completely different team," Sandstrom exclaimed after Tuesday night's game.
Kourtney Carrico had a hat trick and Payton Bunnell and Jade Forster each scored twice as the Edge defeated the Raiders 9-2 at the Simek Center.
The outcome of the game was never in doubt after the Edge scored the first three goals of the contest. They tacked on two more in the second and piled up four in the third.
After Monday night's struggles, Sandstrom said the coaching staff took a hands-off approach on Tuesday and put more control in the players' hands led by Bunnell, the team's junior captain.
"We really put it in her hands," Sandstrom said. "We talked to her individually saying that they selected you to lead, we're looking for you to lead, we're going to put it all in your hands tonight and whatever took place in that locker room definitely came through out on the ice."
Bunnell put the Edge on the board first, off an assist from Chelsea Newby, at the 6:18 mark to get the ball rolling.
"I think when she stepped up and scored the first goal of the night it really set the tone for everybody else to follow her example. We did that in full force," Sandstrom said.
Header goals are much more common in soccer, but the Northern Edge had one on Tuesday. According to Sandstrom, Carrico's first goal of the night - which came at the 8:36 mark of the first - caromed off her helmet and into the back of the net. She scored twice in the third period as well, finishing off her hat trick with only the second power play goal of the season for the Edge.
"The other two were real nice, real pretty goals," Sandstrom said. "We sprung her on a breakaway. She sized it up and beat (Lybert) 5-hole. Then we finally were able to connect on the power play. Alicia (Turunen) gained the zone, sent a nice drop pass to (Kourtney) right in the slot and she one-timed it and blew it right past the goalie."
Forster scored with 5:04 left in the first to put the Edge up 3-0. Emily Schafer answer for Medford to being the score to 3-1 after one period. Turunen and Bunnell scored in the second. Forster put the Edge up 7-1 with a goal 3:17 into the third.
Medford answered with a power play goal by Joelle Zenner at the 7:57 mark, but the Edge scored the last two, including the first career goal for Newby, a senior.
"Really cool, really special for a girl that's put in that amount of time over the last three years to walk away having scored one here tonight. Really awesome moment," Sandstrom said.
The Edge outshot Medford 25-23. Petersen made 21 saves in the win. Sandstrom also credited the return of Gwen Frederickson and Ashley Adams to the lineup with helping shore up the Edge's defense. Both missed Monday night's loss to Waupaca due to illness.
Rhinelander/Antigo and Medford meet once again Thursday night for a game that will count in the Great Northern Conference standings at the Rhinelander Ice Arena.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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