March 25, 2021 at 8:22 a.m.
Hodag hockey already building toward 2021-22
Rhinelander squad goes 2-1 in Antigo Meltdown tourney
Hodag hockey already building toward 2021-22
A number of players who figure to be contributors on next year's team were in Antigo last weekend, taking part in the Antigo Area Youth Hockey Association's Midget-level (U18) tournament.
The Hodags ended-up fifth in the eight-team tournament. Following a 3-2 loss to eventual tournament runner-up Janesville in the opening round, Rhinelander bounced back with a 5-2 win over Marshfield and then defeated Tomahawk 10-1 to win the consolation championship.
The tournament was less about the end result, however, and more about looking ahead to the future. None of the seniors on this past year's GNC co-champion and WIAA sectional finalist squad were on the ice, giving the team a chance to see what it will look like on the ice come November.
"It's just a great opportunity for incoming players to get ice time, some goalies to get ice that don't get a ton of ice," RHS boys' hockey coach M.J. Laggis said.
Laggis was relegated to the role of spectator over the weekend, as WIAA regulations on out-of-season contact precluded him from being on the bench. But he was in Antigo, watching, as his players got three more changes to compete in a 5-on-5 setting.
Janesville scored a goal late in the second of the two, 25-minute running clock halves that proved to be the difference in what was a very even opening matchup for the Hodags. Other teams in the field included Antigo, Wausau West, East/Merrill and D.C. Everest.
"When I saw we drew Janesville, I thought, 'That's going to be tough right out of the go,' but that's good," Laggis said. "You're seeing speed. What a nice opportunity to play a team like Janesville, someone we don't normally play."
Though the Hodags graduate only four seniors from this year's squad, they are losing two of their top three scores in Harlan Wojtusik and Jake Losch, plus their two starting defenseman in JC Adams and Jared Arno. So events like the meltdown tournament help as the team looks to replenish its depth for next season.
"If you look at our strengths and weaknesses of the last season, if you asked us what was our No. 1 weakness, it would have been depth for sure," Laggis said. "We didn't have a lot of issues, but depth (was one). We're thinking about that all the time, how can we run three lines next year and where are our deficiencies. It's nice to have younger kids play trying to step up and get a feel for high school hockey."
The Rhinelander Ice Arena does not plan to have summer ice this year. The team will miss out on a number of games it would typically play over the summer, though Laggis said he's trying to organize a tournament similar to last weekend's event at the RIA before ice goes out in early June.
Still, that doesn't mean the players are missing out on opportunities to get better this spring. In addition to the spring 3-on-3 hockey league on Sunday nights at the RIA, there will be a high school spring development camp on Wednesday nights from April 7 to May 26 run by Colin Bailey, head coach of the Wausau Riverwolves NA3HL junior hockey program.
"We actually have a pretty good spring planned between the tournament here and the 3-on-3 league on Sunday nights and a Wednesday night skills night start," Laggis said. "We've got a few things going for our kids. We're trying to work around spring sports."
Rhinelander went 15-7-0 this season and won the Great Northern Conference tournament to share the overall GNC title with Northland Pines and Mosinee. The Hodags advanced to the WIAA sectional finals before losing to Lakeland one game shy of the WIAA state tournament.
With several key pieces from that squad returning, Laggis said he is optimistic about next season.
"We don't have a ton of kids coming into the program, but we've got a couple of kids we're excited about," he said.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
Comments:
You must login to comment.