December 27, 2021 at 8:30 a.m.
Joe Schneider returns, scores twice in Hodag hockey win
Joe Schneider returns, scores twice in Hodag hockey win
Senior captain Joe Schneider, originally feared lost for the season with a knee injury, was back on the ice in a big way Thursday night.
One month to the day after dislocating his left knee in the season opener against Ashland, Schneider returned and scored two goals as the Hodags got by Tomahawk 5-3 at the Rhinelander Ice Arena.
Schneider was limited to only a few shifts per period and played predominantly on defense in his return, but the fact that he was back at all felt like a Christmas miracle.
"When I went down a month ago, I thought it was going to be my last hockey game ever," Schneider said after Thursday's game. "We went through the process and they said I could do without surgery. It's just more likely to pop out, but I'm willing to take that risk. I decided to be stubborn and play some hockey because I know it will be my last chance."
The Hodags (7-2-0, 3-0-0 Great Northern) needed Schneider's lift against an upset-minded Hatchet squad (1-4-0, 0-2-0 Great Northern). He scored to put Rhinelander up 3-1 in the second, but then Tomahawk answered with two unanswered goals to tie it late in the period.
Joey Belanger broke the deadlock with 6:20 left in regulation and Schneider scored once more just over a minute later to give the Hodags some needed breathing room.
"Tonight belongs to Joe Schneider. To think his year's is over and now he's back is really uplifting," coach M.J. Laggis said. "I'm so proud of him. It would have been devastating for me to see a senior end his career like that. For him to come back and play, get a huge goal, and then top it off with another one, I'm so happy for him."
Laggis said the turning point for Schneider came when the team returned home following a win Dec. 3 at Pacelli. From there, he began to work in earnest with RHS athletic trainer Amanda Milanowski in an effort to return.
"From that moment on, it just started clicking," coach Laggis said. "He talked to Amanda. We got a high-end brace and he was just improving like a wild man in the weight room. Amanda Milanowski, our trainer, I can't say enough about her. She was really instrumental in helping Joe get back, working with him one-on-one. They researched together and found the right knee brace for him that would be way more supportive than what he had one before. She's right there watching him and monitoring what he's doing."
The goal was for Schneider to return late in the regular season but, after skating in pregame warm-ups Thursday night, he got the OK to see a few shifts of game action.
"I was thinking maybe February if I was going to try to rehab, but Amanda's been super helpful. All my friends, family, everybody's been super supportive of me, the coaches, all my teammates," Schneider said. "It's been hard, but it's been fun coming back, dreaming about playing hockey again."
The comeback culminated with just under six minutes to play in the second period when Leo Losch pitched the puck out of the defensive zone to Schneider along the right-side boards. Schneider skated in past a defender, deked left and beat Tomahawk goalie Andrew Samundsen. It was Schneider's first goal of the season after scoring a team-high 32 as a junior.
"To score tonight with the home crowd and all the kids up there that know me, it just meant a lot to me," he said.
The game itself was a segmented affair. The teams were scoreless after one period. Rhinelander went up by two goals twice in the second before Tomahawk roared back, but the Hodags put it away with two late goals.
Cal Laggis and Belanger scored 1 minute, 23 seconds apart to give Rhinelander a 2-0 lead early in the second. But Tomahawk answered on an Austin Lamer blast from the blue line at the 10:30 mark of the period. Schneider restored the two-goal lead, but Tomahawk answered on a pair of breakaway chances, first by Ty Anthes and then from Caleb Dickens to tie it.
Tomahawk had only one shot on goal in the first period, and only one shot on goal in the third, but the Hatchets scored three times on 11 shots in the second.
"They worked extremely hard," M.J. Laggis said. "There was a lot of dump and run, chipping pucks deep, beating us. We were making slip moves and not taking care of the puck in neutral ice. When we did that, they'd peel it from us and go."
Losch had three assists on the night for Rhinelander, including a helper on what proved to be the game winner. Losch fed Belanger in front of the net to put the Hodags up 4-3 at the 10:40 mark of the third. Schneider then put a bow on things with a end-to-end goal at the 11:54 mark.
Schneider said the opportunity to skate with his teammates once again was more important than the victory.
"Going out here with these boys is so awesome," he said. "I don't care if we win or lose any night. Practicing with them, playing games with them, it's all fun to me."
The win moved Rhinelander into sole possession of first place in the GNC, a half-game ahead of Lakeland. A Hodag team that has been battered and depleted by injury and illness now gets two weeks to rest, practice and prepare in front of a sectional final rematch against Lakeland Thursday, Jan. 6 in Minocqua.
"I think we've played gutty and gutty at the right times, but we've got to play better hockey," coach Laggis said. "We need to try to keep some people healthy and get some people recovered from some thing. We've got to get into a good practice routine ... We've got to get tempo and flow back into our practices."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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