December 17, 2018 at 11:09 a.m.
Rapids snaps Hodag hockey's 4-game winning streak
Rapids snaps Hodag hockey's 4-game winning streak
The Raiders had the Hodags' number again Saturday afternoon, scoring a couple of late second-period goals which proved to be the difference in a 4-1 contest at the Rhinelander Ice Arena.
The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for the Hodags (5-2-0, 2-1-0-0 Great Northern) and could prove detrimental down the road for Rhinelander's playoff resume.
"Rapids is a big seeding opponent, so they automatically just took that on us," coach M.J. Laggis said. "No. 2, it's a GNC-Wisconsin Valley (game). It would have been a great opportunity for us to beat another Valley school and we didn't do it. Very disappointing."
It wasn't for a lack of trying on the Hodags' part. The team put 40 shots on goal, but Rapids' netminder Trevin Milbauer dazzled in a 39-save effort.
"He made the saves. He made all of them," Laggis said. "We shot into him quite a bit. We did generate the rebound scoring chances, we just didn't find the puck and finish."
Rapids (3-3-0, 0-2-0 Wis. Valley) took the lead for good with a push in the second half of the second period.
Defenseman Colton Sanger sent a screened shot from the left point between Rhinelander goalie Seth Stafford's legs for what proved to be the game winner at the 8:50 mark of the second. Rapids' leading scorer, Colton Flammini, cashed in a Rhinelander defensive zone turnover and gave the Raiders a 3-1 lead at the 13:45 mark.
That's the way the game stood until Colin Brey added an empty-net goal for Rapids with 40 seconds remaining in the third period.
"We just could not get the biscuit in the basket to save our life," Laggis said. "We let them play opportunistic and, when they did get chances, they capitalized. That's how Rapids played."
Rapids got on the board just 1:02 into the contest, getting one off Rhinelander's top-scoring line of Abe Laggis, Harlan Wojtusik and Conor Pequet. Myles Auclair skated into the Rhinelander zone and put a screened backhander between Stafford's legs to give the Raiders the early lead.
"Goal No. 1 was a really weak goal and a team goal that we gave up," coach Laggis said. "We had a line out there, I'm not going to use any names, they absolutely were not back-checking, two of the three. Then we had all kinds of traffic in front of Seth and a soft puck in there. Rapids put pressure on and they were able to slide one home. That's tough on a goalie when you've got everything converging in on you like that and you're trying to make a play."
The Hodags answered 7:16 into the first as Abe Laggis made a pass from behind the net to Harlan Wojtusik in the slot for a one-timer.
It was the sophomore Wojtusik's fourth goal in two games for Rhinelander, coming off a hat trick in a 6-3 win against Mosinee on Thursday.
Rhinelander outshot Rapids 15-8 in the first period, and 40-36 in the game.
"We had stretches where we were just all over them, generating a lot of pressure and creating a lot of chances and couldn't get shots through," Laggis said. "When we did, we could get rebounds."
The Hodags, who played almost the entire first two period of hockey penalty free, hindered their comeback chances by spending 10 minutes, 59 seconds in the box in the third.
Pequet was called with major boarding with a second remaining in the second period and had to serve a five-minute penalty.
Rapids took two penalties early in the third to give the Hodags a brief 4-on-3 power play, but Rhinelander was unable to capitalize.
Danny Zuiker was called for interference at the 7:16 mark of the third and both Alex Hedberg and Hunter Hicks were called for cross checking seconds apart late in the third, both as part of coincidental minors with Wisconsin Rapids.
"We took some awful penalties. You're not going to win a game like that taking a five-minute major. Rapids took themselves off (that power play) with their stuff, but that's just not how you're going to win a game," Laggis said. "You've got to play good 5-on-5 and minimize your penalties. Then, when you have a chance, you've got to make it."
Though it didn't score on Saturday, M.J. Laggis said he was pleased with the effort of his third line comprised of sophomore Jake Losch, junior Max Spaulding and junior Harrison Shinners.
"One of our better forwards tonight, all the way around, was Max Spaulding," he said. "He was going to the corners hard, playing the body hard and doing a lot of good things for us. He and Jake and Harry generated a lot of good shifts and created some turnovers. If they could have finished for us, that would have been huge, but the other two lines got chances as well and we just didn't finish."
Rhinelander travels to Tomahawk this evening for a Great Northern Conference contest.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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