March 24, 2017 at 1:18 p.m.
Team review: RHinelander/Antigo girls' hockey
Northern Edge struggled to score in 2016-17
Team review: RHinelander/Antigo girls' hockey
The team was unable to replace the production of Katie Detert and Lindsey Steger, who graduated after the 2015-16 season as Nos. 1 and 3 on the Northern Edge all-time scoring list. The team was hampered by injuries during the season and went without a game for 30 days due to the pertussis outbreak that swept through Rhinelander in late December.
"I don't know if the overall record showed where we would have been, but we had several things happen this season that would have given us a reason to quit, given us a reason to perform at a lesser level - whether is was the whooping cough break or we suffered several concussions this season," Northern Edge head coach Kevin Sandstrom said earlier this month during the team's banquet in Antigo. "Just the overall lack of games won there were a lot of reasons we could have used to perform at a lesser level and we didn't do that."
Here are five things to know about the Northern Edge's season.
Month-long break
The Edge lost 8-1 to Point-Rapids/Marshfield Dec. 13 at the Rhinelander Ice Arena and, due to its practice schedule, was not eligible to play a game following the pertussis break until Jan. 10. That game, against Waupaca, was canceled due to inclement weather, but the team was able to quickly schedule a replacement game Jan. 12 against the Red Panthers, ending a stretch of 30 days without a contest.
"Definitely happy to be back on the ice, especially after Tuesday's cancellation," Sandstrom said following a 6-1 loss to the Red Panthers Jan. 12 in Wisconsin Rapids.
Solid Shea
Statistically, goalie Shea Petersen's numbers were the lowest of her four-year career but she may have had her best season in goal for the Northern Edge.
Petersen finished with a 4.56 goals against average and a .890 save precentage, but her workload was also the largest in her high school career, facing more than 41 shots per game. Petersen earned second-team all-Great Northern Conference honors behind Lakeland/Tomahawk's Erin Sparks.
"Through four years she's been an exceptional player for the Northern Edge," Sandstrom said at the banquet. "Year in and year out she's answered the call ... When it comes to our season as a whole, I don't know where we would have been without her in net. She really capped off an exceptional career."
Scoring struggles
Prior to the season scoring figured to be at a premium for the Edge, following the graduation of both Detert and Steger.
That assumption played itself out this season as the team scored only 29 goals in 19 games. Junior Kourtney Carrico led the way scoring nine of those goals, followed by freshmen Alicia Turunen and Jade Forster with five each.
The team was shutout 10 times during the season, including in each of their final nine losses. In fact, the Edge scored only four goals in their 15 losses this season.
Mauling Medford
That means, of course, the team scored 25 goals in its four victories, three of which came against Great Northern Conference foe Medford.
The Edge played progressively better in the three games against the Raiders, defeating Medford 6-4 Jan. 24 at the Simek Center, 9-2 a week later in Medford and 7-1 Feb. 2 at the Rhinelander Ice Arena. In the final contest the Edge outshot the Raiders 45-9.
"That was a big talking point at the end, that we didn't allow 10 shots on goal," Sandstrom said following the Feb. 2 game. "I think for the first time all year we did what a lot of teams have done for us as far as shots on net. I think that came from a full team effort. We had shots coming from everywhere and they blocked a lot of shots, but we dominated play, I think, from start of finish."
What's next
The Edge will be looking for a new goaltender with Petersen's graduation. The team also bids farewell to seniors Chelsea Newby and Sethany Sass, along with junior defender Abby Oettinger, who intends to graduate early.
Five of the team's top six scorers are set to return and, according to Sandstrom, the squad was left both hungry and disappointed following their 7-0 loss to Point-Rapids/Marshfield in the WIAA tournament.
"Watching after Point-Rapids in the playoffs and seeing a room full of girls who put their heart out there, put their effort out there and were not able to come out on top ... to have that wear on them and see their faces, they desire more," he said. "We want to see that's not just a desire in that moment. That that's a desire to start today, start tomorrow, and move forward as a hockey player."
In the short-term numbers appear to be OK for the co-op, but at the team's banquet Sandstrom warned lean times are ahead if no inroads are made in getting more girls out for the sport.
"There's seven juniors who are going to be seniors next year," he said. "We lost four seniors this year. From my understanding, we're going to bring in four between Rhinelander and Antigo. It's nice that the numbers won't decrease. After that, it's seven (departing) and zero (incoming). We're losing seven seniors (after) next year with nobody incoming. That's a huge difference."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
Comments:
You must login to comment.