January 3, 2018 at 1:08 p.m.
Edge splits games to finish 2nd at Hodagland
Edge splits games to finish 2nd at Hodagland
The Northern Edge was blanked 4-0 by eventual tournament champion Viroqua on Friday but bounced back with a 9-1 win over Medford Saturday to claim the tournament's runner-up spot.
The results mirrored earlier meetings for the Edge against the two opponents. Rhinelander/Antigo lost to Viroqua 4-0 during the Lakeshore tournament back on Dec. 1 and defeated Medford 8-0 in a Great Northern Conference game Dec. 12 in Medford.
The caliber of opponent was different, to be sure, but Edge coach Kevin Sandstrom said his team's performance also varied greatly from Friday morning's loss to the Hawks to Saturday morning's rout of the Raiders.
"We play like we did against (in a 2-1 win over) Stoughton (in the first round of the tournament), we can win those games. We take our effort from Stoughton and Medford and put it into Viroqua, that's a game we should win, too," he said.
Viroqua 4, Northern Edge 0
The Hawks scored early in all three periods as they blanked the Northern Edge 4-0.
According to the official scoresheet, all four goals were scored during the first minute of each period. Alice Blake got Viroqua on the board 51 seconds into the contest. Kelsey Shaner scored on the power play 19 seconds into the second. Emma Kolden and Naomi Schroeder both scored within the first 51 seconds of the third.
"Their goals, three of them were horribly unlucky bounces, led to their stick, led to open chances," Sandstrom said.
The Edge was outshot in the game 39-12. Alicia Turunen made 35 saves in defeat.
"I don't think 4-0 was the indication (of how the game was played)," Sandstrom said. "The shots will tell you Viroqua handled us. That's what we talked about, changing our dryland regimen where we're just shooting pucks. We've got to find a knack for at least putting pucks on the net, let alone in the net."
Northern Edge 9, Medford 1
The Edge had a much easier time Saturday against winless Medford.
Rhinelander/Antigo got five goals from five different players in the first period and cruised to a 9-1 win.
Two players who started in goal this season for the Edge - Turunen and Nevaeh Forster - scored in the contest as Rhinelander/Antigo gave Gwen Frederickson a one-off start in net. Frederickson tallied 13 saves, only conceding an Emily Schafer breakaway in the first.
"She went out there, tried and made some really nice saves," Sandstorm noted.
Madi Losch recorded her first varsity hat trick, and now has 11 goals on the season. She scored once in the first period and notched back-to-back goals in the second that gave the Edge an 8-1 lead after two periods.
"What impressed me about Madi's game is she probably had the opportunity to score 10. I think she knew that," Sandstrom said. "She had an interest in getting her teammates involved. She had an interest in making smart hockey plays, good hockey passes, all over the ice."
Payton Bunnell started the scoring with a short-handed goal 7:43 into the first, which was quickly followed by Turunen's first tally since she scored twice in the season-opener against Lakeland/Tomahawk - the only other time she has skated out this season.
After Schafer scored to make it 2-1, Losch responded with a goal 25 seconds later and Ashley Adams followed with a rebound goal in short order. Forster recorded her first varsity goal with 2:06 remaining in the opening period as the Edge took a 5-1 lead.
Lauren Kefalinos widened the lead 9:25 into the second and Losch scored short-handed at the 12:59 mark, moments after the Edge was given a bench minor. Losch finished her hat trick with 10 seconds remaining in the second and Kefalinos scored once more on a shot from the point 2:06 into the third.
Rhinelander/Antigo outshot Medford 38-14 in the contest.
The road ahead
The Northern Edge will open the 2018 portion of its schedule with a trip to Western Wisconsin on Saturday. The Edge fell to the Stars 7-1 on Dec. 9 in Rhinelander.
Sandstrom said the team hopes to take what it learned during the Hodagland tournament and apply it in the final month and a half of the season.
"We've got about 10 games left, six conference games left, some nice matchup coming up," he said. "If we play like we did today (when we go) against a better opponent, we can win those games. We've got to start winning the games we can win."
We can perform better, but we've got to stop performing worse," he added. "I hope, heading into the new year, they take that to heart and that we start playing our best hockey at the end."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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