December 9, 2020 at 1:16 p.m.
Top line powers Northern Edge to 5-1 victory over Medford
Top line powers Northern Edge to 5-1 victory over Medford
The Edge's top line of Lakeland seniors Kate Vizanko, Callie Johnson and Izzy Boyer was involved in all five scores. Vizanko scored three goals, Boyer tallied three assists and the line totaled 10 points on the night as the Edge got back to within a game of .500 at 1-2-0 on the year.
Despite the lopsided shot count, it was a one-goal game early in the third. The Edge responded with three tallies in the final stanza to put the game away, beginning with a Vizanko score on the power play at the 6:08 mark.
"I think that power play kind of lit a spark on us," Edge coach Tom Roeser said. "We got the power play goal and the girls kind of saw that you've got to move the puck around to score on this goaltender. They started doing that much better and generated a lot more quality scoring opportunities and finally started burying some."
Sure enough, the floodgates seemed to open a bit in the third against Medford's Saige Duesing, who stopped 57 pucks in defeat. Johnson gave the Edge a three-goal cushion at the 9:47 mark, finishing a Boyer centering pass from the right faceoff circle. Vizanko completed her hat trick at the 13:44 mark after receiving a drop pass from Johnson in the slot.
"They did a real good job," Roeser said of the play of his top line. "They spread the puck out. Everyone started getting a touch and we started finishing."
The Edge threw 26 shots on goal in the first period, but did not get one to drop until the 14:05 mark as Lakeland sophomore defender Caitlyn Fesnick threw one in from the right point that bounced through traffic and made its way home.
"It wasn't a hard shot, but it was kind of a bouncer. The goalie had to play a short hop and it just slipped through the five-hole," Roeser said. "The thing about that shot was it was going to be a rebound too had she saved it ... Caitlyn earned it. She worked her butt off tonight and played a really nice game."
Vizanko scored her first goal of the night 12:13 into the second period to give the Edge a 2-0 advantage as Boyer won an offensive zone faceoff back to Vizanko in the slot for a one-timer.
Though the Raiders had only one shot through the first two periods, they suddenly had life early in the third as an Edge defender inadvertently threw a puck on her own net in an effort to clear it from the corner. Eryka Seidl was credited with a goal in the ensuing scrum in front of the net that saw the puck trickle past goalie Ellie Stank and across the goal line.
"It's very easy for a goalie to get complacent," Roeser said. "We mishandled the puck behind the net and knocked one in ourselves and, bam, it's a one-goal game. You've really got to learn to start putting the puck in the back of the net."
That was pretty much the only blemish for the Edge, who did not take a penalty in the contest and put far more pressure on the goal than they did in season-opening losses to Fox Cities and Northland Pines.
"Our defensemen started getting a little more aggressive holding the zone, which we've been trying to do more," Roeser said. "We can only do that when our third forward stays high. Our third forward stayed high tonight, so our D could be more aggressive. We didn't give up the blue line and that was a big part of our game tonight."
Stank recorded five saves for the Edge as she earned her first career varsity victory in goal.
Originally scheduled for Tuesday night, the Edge-Medford game was moved to Monday to better accommodate the scheduling of officials.
Next up, the Edge skates at home Saturday against the Badger (Baraboo co-op) Thunder.
The puck drops at 6 p.m. at the Rhinelander Ice Arena.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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