December 10, 2018 at 1:30 p.m.
Hodag hockey picks up wins over Marshfield, Ashwaubenon
Hodag hockey picks up wins over Marshfield, Ashwaubenon
Neither win came easy for the Hodags, who improved to 4-1-0 on the season. Rhinelander fended off Marshfield after relinquishing an early 3-0 lead. Abe Laggis scored the only goal with less than seven minutes to play against Ashwaubenon and the Hodags withstood a flurry of Jaguar pressure in the final minutes.
"That's a big step for us," coach M.J. Laggis said of the back-to-back victories. "I'm trying not to focus on anything but constant improvement, saying let's get better. Let's get better. I think the locker room is going that way. I see a lot of camaraderie and team play in there. We've been pulling together really good. I'm happy with where we are at but I think, as a group, we know we have to keep working hard in the weight room and keep pulling together as a group."
Rhinelander 6, Marshfield 4
Coach Laggis said he had a bad premonition after his team scored three times in the first 6 minutes, 42 seconds Friday night to build a quick 3-0 lead on the Tigers.
"When that third goal went in and we weren't even playing that well you start thinking, 'OK, this is too easy. This isn't going to hold,'" he said.
Unfortunately for the Hodags, Marshfield proved Laggis' gut feeling right as Ryan Krueger answered at the 7:45 mark of the first, Isaac Wellens scored with 1:03 left to make it 3-2 Hodags after one period and Sawyer Schindler tied it for the Tigers just 1:48 into the second.
Rhinelander regained control in the second period, however, outshooting the Tigers 14-4. The Hodags eventually re-established the lead as well. Abe Laggis scored the go-ahead goal at the 13:57 mark of the second and Harlan Wojtusik added a power play goal with 47 seconds left in the period to give Rhinelander at 5-3 leading heading to the third.
Marshfield answered with an Evan Webster power play goal at the 9:57 mark of the third, where the score remained until the final minute when Bridger Flory sealed it with an empty-net goal for the Hodags, who were skating 4-on-6 at the time.
"He stepped across the red and he was racing the goalie into the zone because the goalie was trying to get off the ice, he saw Bridger coming out of our zone with the back and then he tried getting back," coach Laggis said. "Bridger was racing there and Bridger just drilled it top shelf. You just don't see an open netter like that very often."
Flory also recorded a goal as part of Rhinelander's flurry to open the game that saw the team score three times in a stretch of 1:21. Brandon Kolasa opened the scoring at the 5:21 mark, Flory scored 40 seconds later and Hunter Hicks added a third goal at the 6:42 mark.
Rhinelander outshot Marshfield 34-21 in the contest.
Rhinelander 1, Ashwaubenon 0
The Hodags mustered only three shots on goal in the third period Saturday, but one of them proved to be the most important shot of the game.
Abe Laggis scored from the slot with 6:54 remaining and the goal held up for the Hodags in a 1-0 win over the Jaguars, a team Rhinelander lost to in each of the last two seasons.
The Hodag's top line of Wojtusik, Conor Pequet and Abe Laggis finally sent one past Ashwaubenon goalie Parker Besaw as they cycled the puck low in the offensive zone before sending it to Laggis in the slot for a one-timer.
"Beautiful pass from Conor Pequet, first Harlan Wojtusik to Conor and then Abe finished it," coach Laggis said.
Other than the Rhinelander goal, it was all Ashwaubenon in the third period. After amassing only six shots on goal through two periods, the Jaguars put 14 on Hodag Seth Stafford in the third, including a couple of point-blank chances down the stretch that the junior netminder denied.
"I tell you what, if Seth Stafford wasn't on his A-game there in the third period the last five minutes, we don't get it done," Laggis said of Stafford's second shutout of the season. "I thought he was phenomenal tonight with a shutout. That's kind of hockey we have to have out of him to win big games."
Ashwaubenon pulled Besaw for an extra attacker for a faceoff in the Rhinelander zone with 51 seconds remaining, but was unable to generate much of a look during the 6-on-5 stint as the Hodags held on for the win.
"I'm really happy how resilient our kids were," M.J. Laggis said. "We play last night, a big battle with Marshfield, win 6-4. We burned a lot of legs, came back today and did a great job."
The Hodags controlled the first period Saturday, outshooting the Jaguars 15-2. Play evened out in the second and Rhinelander killed off a 5-on-3 power play early in the period to maintain the scoreless tie.
"We had so many chances early on," Laggis said. "It wasn't a pure one-way domination, but we were getting our chances for sure in an up-and-down game and a real physical game. It's one of those games you're real happy you're not playing tomorrow."
Up next
The Hodags take on Mosinee (3-3-0, 1-1-0-0 Great Northern) Thursday in a rematch of last season's WIAA regional semifinal game at the Rhinelander Ice Arena that the Hodags won in overtime, 5-4.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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