January 26, 2018 at 1:54 p.m.
Edge uses strong second to blast Medford 8-2
Edge uses strong second to blast Medford 8-2
Payton Bunnell scored two goals 56 seconds apart, and the Northern Edge scored four times in the second as they knocked off the Raiders 8-2 at the Rhinelander Ice Arena.
"We really took it to them in the second, played the game we're capable of playing, I think, from start to finish in the second," Edge coach Kevin Sandstrom said. "4-0 on the year vs. Medford. That's where we should be. We took care of business against Medford."
The Edge swept all three conference games from the winless Raiders this season and also defeated Medford in late December in a non-conference game as part of the Hodagland Tournament.
Kourtney Carrico gave the Edge a 1-0 lead early in the first, scoring on a backhander off a pass from Evelyn LeVeque to the right faceoff circle. Medford hung around after that as the Edge made a concerted effort to give its third line more ice time, and more scoring chances, throughout the game.
Rhinelander/Antigo kicked it into gear in the second with a goal from the point by Ellen Padgett at the 5:46 mark. The senior defender added a pair of assists in the win.
"Ellen Padgett had a heck of a game and you look at that goal she scored in the second period," Sandstrom said. "That's a goal we've been looking for her to score for quite sometime when I look at her in the training area blasting pucks over and over and over into the net ... It was a blast, two inches off the ice. You don't ask for a better shot from there."
Bunnell gave the Edge a two-goal lead late on a penalty kill as she received a pass from Padgett at her own blue line and skated the rest of the way for a short-handed tally. Bunnell scored again 56 seconds later to make it a 4-0 Edge lead.
Madi Losch made it five with 1:05 remaining in the second as she intercepted an Emily Schafer shot near the top of her own crease, skated the length of the ice and beat goalie Liz Brandner on a backhander.
"It was real nice to see her do that," Sandstrom said of Losch's end-to-end play. "Medford thought they might have had a chance there for a second and Madi shut the door on that."
The Edge got goals from LeVeque and Losch in the first 90 seconds of the third and one later in the period from Jade Forster. Schafer, Medford's leading scorer, capitalized on a rebound and a turnover to notch both Raider goals in the third.
"We got a little sloppy and a little too caring when it came to the puck," Sandstrom said. "We were looking to get rid of it to some player who don't normally see the ice and, unfortunately, it ended up in the back of our net. That's alright."
The Edge outshot Medford 37-19 in the contest as Alicia Turunen turned in a 17-save effort in the victory.
Rhinelander/Antigo hosts the Lakeshore co-op this afternoon in a 5 p.m. faceoff at the Langlade County Multi-Purpose Building in Antigo.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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