March 11, 2019 at 2:40 p.m.
Team review: Rhinelander/Antigo girls' hockey
Edge stayed afloat with shoestring roster in 2018-19
Team review: Rhinelander/Antigo girls' hockey
Low numbers plagued the Northern Edge in 2018-19 under first-year coach Tom Roeser. The team was able to field a squad, but a lack of depth led to an up-and-down season on the ice that saw the team go 5-13-0 overall, and finish third in the GNC with a 4-5-0 league mark.
"I learned a lot," Roeser said last month following a season-ending loss to Wisconsin Valley Union in the WIAA sectional semifinals. "I have to learn to deal with the different personalities. I'm used to coaching one way and I'm going to have to change a few things."
Here are five storylines from the recently completed season:
THIN ICE
The Edge faced an uncertain offseason a year ago, which began with possible co-op talks with Lakeland. Those fell through and, shortly thereafter, then coach Kevin Sandstrom announced his resignation to further his educational pursuits out of the area.
The team was left in limbo most of the summer, uncertain of who would coach or how many skaters the team would have. Rhinelander brought on Roeser, who also coaches the Rhinelander Ice Association's bantam team, in the fall but there was still a question regarding numbers.
Rhinelander and Northland Pines discussed joining forces throughout the month of October, but Rhinelander called off the proposed merger at the last minute after finding a few more in-house recruits.
Still numbers were thin. At its peak, the Edge had 12 players - six each from Rhinelander and Antigo. Injuries and attrition whittled that total to nine players by season's end.
"I know the girls were probably a little tired, but they came out tonight and worked hard," Roeser said following a Feb. 11 game against Lakeland - the short-handed team's third game in four days. "We only had five forwards and three (defenders). They had to step up and they should sleep well tonight."
STANDOUTS
Despite the low numbers and sub .500 record, the Edge had a number of standouts this year, led by junior goalie Alicia Turunen, who was voted the top goaltender in the Great Northern Conference for the second year in a row.
Turunen, a junior, went 4-11-0 during the regular season with a 3.88 goals against average and a .914 save percentage. She made 617 saves this season.
"She faced a lot of shots and she learned a lot," Roeser said. "She had a lot of coaching in practice and she just gobbles up every bit of information she gets. That's why she's at where she's at. She's so coachable and she hates to lose. That's a great quality for a goaltender."
Junior Madi Losch was the team's top scorer with 13 goals and six assists on the season, despite spending much of her time manning the blue line. She was recognized as a unanimous first-team all conference defender in the GNC and earned honorable mention all-state as a defender from the Wisconsin Girls Hockey Coaches Association.
"You watch her skill level. She tries to do a lot on her own and she still successful," Roeser said. "She's our (top) defenseman and also we expect her to score goals too. She does it all."
Junior Jade Forster and sophomore Emily Kassler were Nos. 2 and 3 on the team in scoring and received honorable mention in the GNC.
MORE THAN MEDFORD
For much of the season, the Edge's lone success came against GNC back-marker Medford. The team opened the year with a 4-3 win over the Raiders Nov. 19, beat them again 7-2 on Dec. 13 and added a 6-0 win on Jan. 28.
The Edge had a couple of close calls - losing to Marquette, Mich. 2-1 in overtime and 4-3 to the Stoughton co-op on a last-second goal on back-to-back days at the Hodagland tournament - but didn't notch a win over someone other than the Raiders until Feb. 11 when they upset Lakeland 3-2 at the Rhinelander Ice Arena.
Taylee Tucker scored the game winner for the Edge in the third-period of a game played under unusual circumstances. Lakeland had already been informed that it had been banned from the WIAA playoffs after accumulating three game disqualification penalties over the course of the season. That gave the Edge a forfeit win over Lakeland in the regional finals, which were scheduled for Feb. 14.
Roeser called the Feb. 11 win over Lakeland as validation.
"It does for me, I don't know if it does for (Lakeland)," Roeser said. "They're a decent team and tonight we just had it. When you have a goalie playing like ours has over the last couple weeks, anything can happen and we kind of proved that tonight."
PLAYOFFS
Because of Lakeland's playoff ban, the sixth-seeded Northern Edge received a free pass to the sectional semifinal round of the tournament - matching the furthest the program has ever advanced in the playoffs.
Once there, the Edge could not keep up with the 11-school Wisconsin Valley Union mega co-op. The Edge lost 4-0 despite a 51-save night by Turunen, who kept the game a two-goal affair until the final seven minutes of regulation.
UNCERTAIN FUTURE
The Edge enters this offseason pretty much in the same boat as last year, possibly looking to merge with Lakeland. This time, however, it's the Thunderbirds who have approached the Edge about joining forces.
Both teams are projected to have somewhere between 10-12 skaters next season, Joining forces would put the merged team on more solid footing, numbers-wise, for the next few seasons.
The merger is still a long way from a done deal, however. Both the Lakeland and Rhinelander school boards would have to sign off on the plan, and an application would have to be filed with the WIAA before April 1 for the merged team to be eligible for next year's playoffs.
"If this does happen, this co-op, we should look at it as an opportunity to get better, to be challenged," Roeser told the Edge earlier this month at its team banquet.
The good news for the Edge is it had no seniors on this year's team, and it is projected to pick up a couple of incoming freshmen. Merger or not, Roeser outlined what has to happen for the team to improve next season.
"We need to get stronger, physically," he said following the season-ending loss to Wisconsin Valley Union. "That's something they don't need ice to do. They can do it out on their own, find a gym, do it outside. We've got body exercises we can work on. I hope they take that to heart and get stronger."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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