March 6, 2017 at 4:16 p.m.
RIA bantams take fifth in state tournament
RIA bantams take fifth in state tournament
This year, RIA returned, this time as an automatic bid as the host city.
Heading into the tournament, the Hodags wanted to prove they belonged based on talent, not just as the hosts.
Despite a first round loss to Beaver Dam/Waupun - the same team that beat them in the second round last year - RIA won its next two games to win the consolation bracket and take fifth place.
"I think getting the consolation championship - you still have to win two games - and maybe it's not against the toughest teams in the tournament, but I think the number of goals we put up in the (sic) second two games, I think those kids feel we belong in the tourney," RIA head coach Wil Losch said.
In the first round game against Beaver Dam/Waupun, RIA outshot its opponent 25-14 and held a 1-0 after one period, but penalties mounted and the Hodags dropped the contest, 5-1.
RIA bounced back later that night to beat Marshfield 4-1 for the right to play West Salem in the consolation final on Sunday.
The Hodags controlled the shots, but couldn't find the back of the net in the first period.
Yet still undeterred, RIA scored all seven of its goals in the second period - including a hat trick from Harlan Wojtusik - to come away with a 7-4 win.
"Overall we're pleased with the way they finished," Losch said. "I know they were disappointed about [Saturday's] loss and how that ended. They came back with the right attitude. Marshfield's a team we split with this year and tied and I think we had a pretty controlling game there. I didn't expect the second period we had today. I didn't think we'd outshoot them - we had 50 shots on goal after two periods. It feels nice to finish that strong."
Beaver Dam/Waupun ended up winning the tournament on Sunday, which is another proven factor that says RIA belonged in the tournament.
There is no seeding in the tournament, which would be nearly impossible to do fairly anyway, and the bracket-style tournament can pit some of the top teams in the tournament in early rounds.
Losch is pleased with the current format, however.
"Seeding would be pretty challenging," Losch said. "It looks like Beaver Dam was a pretty tough draw, they're in the championship game and won pretty big in the semifinals. I think sometimes it's just the luck of the draw. I'm not going to worry too much about how that bracket lined up."
Impact on the community
As the host city, Rhinelander was on full display for the other seven visiting teams in the tournament.
Teams filled up area hotels and restaurants over the weekend, bringing some excitement to the city.
"It's the state tournament, it's a little bigger deal, grandparents come and it really is exciting that some of these games we've had as many fans as we do for high school games," Tournament director Brett Aylesworth said. "There's a lot of people in town for it. They're staying at the hotels, they're eating at the restaurants and it's a big deal for a lot of these teams."
Rhinelander hosted the peewee state tournament last year but did not have a team in the tournament.
Not only is RIA hosting the tournament, but it was able to take home some hardware and say it was the host for the state tournament.
"It's great, especially this upper level of Bantam A," Aylesworth said. "It's great to be able to host a high-end tournament and have our team compete well. It's good to be able to compete and host at a facility like ours, especially with the upgrades we made with the new training center and remodeled locker rooms."
Nick Sabato may be reached at [email protected] or via Twitter @SabatoNick.
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