February 16, 2018 at 12:47 p.m.
Eagles rout Hodags 10-0 in regional finals
Eagles rout Hodags 10-0 in regional finals
The second-seeded Eagles launched an all-out assault on the Hodag goal in the first period and defeated the Hodags 10-0 in a WIAA regional final at the Eagle River Sports Arena.
A running-clock rule goes into effect in high school hockey when a team leads by six goals or more. Northland Pines evoked the rule exactly 13 minutes, 59 seconds into what turned out to be the most lopsided loss in a season that saw the Hodags set a programrecord for wins.
"As good as a team as they are, I'm just in shock that we didn't come out and compete," Rhinelander coach M.J. Laggis said. "I don't mean beat them, but we just flat out did not come out and compete at all and by the time they tallied their sixth goal it was beyond done."
The start of the game was almost an exact replica of the contest two nights earlier against Mosinee, which Rhinelander rallied to win in overtime, 5-4. A turnover in the defensive zone led to a Jack Rhode unassisted goal 50 seconds into the game and then Harmon Marien scored 41 seconds later to put the Eagles up 2-0.
Unlike Tuesday night, however, there was never a sign of a Hodag comeback. Kevin John sent a shot from the point that popped in and out of goalie Seth Stafford's glove to give Northland Pines a 3-0 lead at the 4:24 mark. Laggis called a timeout to try to settle his troops, but it was of little use. Gunnar Schiffmann poked home a rebound at the 7:03 mark and the Hodags were unable to capitalize on a 5-on-3 power play a short time later. Back to full strength, Sammy Spencer scored at 12:43 to make it 5-0 and Marien delivered the coup de gras to send the game into runtime at the 13:59 mark.
"I've never been speechless in my life between periods and after the first period tonight I was just about there," Laggis said of the blitzkrieg the Eagles unleashed in the first period.
Pines scored twice more in the second and twice more in the third with the game well out of reach.
It was the third loss of the season for Rhinelander against Northland Pines, which has received honorable mention in the Wisconsin Prep Hockey/Wisconsin Hockey Coaches Association poll. Each loss was progressively more lopsided. The Hodags fell to the Eagles 6-0 in Eagle River Dec. 21 and 10-1 to Pines Jan. 16 in Rhinelander.
"We were outgunned. Talent-wise, there's no question (Pines is the better team), but I thought we were ready with a solid game plan and the exact opposite happened," Laggis said. "As focused and ready as I thought we were, the exact opposite happened. As a group, not every player but as a group just very, very intimated, as intimidated as I've seen."
"You got to learn how to play in big games and you've got to learn how to get over the mystique of playing Northland Pines in Eagle River," Laggis added. "Obviously, we didn't. It's going to take a lot of hours of me thinking and scratching my head because, again, I just thought we were ready."
Northland Pines outshot Rhinelander 31-14 in the contest. Seth Stafford made 21 saves in the Hodags' goal before giving way to backup Anthony Kowalski with less than six minutes to play. The Eagles scored on the only shot Kowalski faced.
Laggis took time to after the game to recognize the Hodags' four seniors - Sam Rhode, Nick Sandstrom, Matthias Schneider and Cole Spaulding.
"He's a team player because he wasn't afraid to do that as a senior," Laggis said of Rhode's willingness to split time between varsity and JV this season. "I'm really proud of him. I'm proud of Nick for finishing what he started, coming out and being a very positive kid.
"Matthias Schneider is probably one of the most hard-working, hustling kids I've ever seen. He wins every single drill in practice. He hustles as hard as he can ... Everyone could learn how hard to practice when you watch Matthias. And Cole Spaulding, he's the best leader I've been around. He carries himself with absolute class and he's one of the best guys I've ever been around. I'm very proud of him."
Rhinelander finishes the season with a record of 16-10-0, the most wins its ever had in a single season.
The Hodags recorded their best finish (T-4th) in the Great Northern Conference since joining the league in the 2010-11 season and won only their third playoff game in nine years. But all of that was of little consolation to Laggis Thursday night.
"It's hard to see the positive right now of that. I'm proud of that but, in the end, you've got to learn how to compete in big games," he said.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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