November 28, 2021 at 12:05 p.m.
Hodag hockey opens 1-2
Leading scorer Joe Schneider suffers knee injury in opener
Hodag hockey opens 1-2
Senior forward Joe Schneider, the Hodags' leading scorer from last season, sustained a knee injury last Tuesday in Rhinelander's 9-3 win at home against Ashland. Schneider, and a number of others, missed the team's weekend tournament in Amery as Rhinelander fell to Amery 6-0 Friday night and suffered a 7-6 overtime loss to River Falls on Saturday.
For Rhinelander, the first week of the regular season proved to be a lesson in handling adversity.
"From the time Joe got hurt to today, it's been nothing but adversity, from who can't play and why they can't play. It's just crazy," Laggis said. "We talked a lot in the locker room about being positive and battling through adversity, and all that adversity teaches you in life."
Schneider was hurt early in the third period against the Oredockers when he was checked from behind into the boards by Ashland's Gavin Moncher.
Schneider reinjured the same knee he hurt in August that cost him the entire RHS football season.
"It's the same knee he hurt in the football scrimmage and, the doctor that looked at him tonight said that everything's intact, but it's the same type of an injury. We've just got to wait and see," Laggis said after Tuesday's game. "The thing about Joe is he did everything right on the rehab. He's been just the backbone of our program in terms of his work ethic and commitment. He missed his senior year in football, rehabbed it all the way ... He just did everything the right way and has that tonight."
As of press time, there was no definitive word as to how long this latest setback will sideline Schneider, a second-team All-Great Northern Conference forward last year. He had a team-high 32 goals last year to go along with 25 assists and was a key piece in the Hodags' run to a GNC tournament title and their berth into the WIAA Division 2 sectional finals. He had one assist Tuesday prior to the injury.
Moncher was assessed a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct for the hit.
"I saw a lot of elbows tonight and that hit from behind on was nasty on Joe, the boarding. That's not fun hockey," coach Laggis said.
A standout three-sport athlete, Schneider announced his commitment to play college baseball at UW-Stevens Point earlier this month.
"Joe's a competitor. He'll be back, I hope in hockey, and he's certainly going to have a great future playing baseball for the Hodags this year and UW-Stevens Point (next year)," coach Laggis said. "He's got a lot in front of him, but it's just a hard, hard night for us."
Rhinelander 9, Ashland 3
Aside from the Joe Schneider injury, it was a productive opening night for the Hodags. Joey Belanger had a hat trick and the line of Cal Laggis, Leo Losch and Gavin Denis added four goals in the Hodags' 9-3 win over the Oredockers.
"For a first game, if you get out of that without Joe getting injured, you're delighted right now and saying we've got a great spot to start from," coach Laggis said.
"I thought, for the most part, our kids rose above that. We made some mistakes too, but we played pretty well, put some pucks in the net," Laggis added.
Rhinelander never trailed in the contest and scored four unanswered goals following Joe Schneider's injury to put the game out of reach.
Sam Schneider, Joe's younger brother, began the third-period scoring barrage, firing a shot from the blue line between goalie Connor Paakola's legs three minutes into the final stanza to put Rhinelander ahead 6-3. Cal Laggis found Losch in front for a goal at the 6:57 mark and then Laggis scored on a backhander exactly five minutes later to cap off a four-point night.
Cal Laggis scored after generating a turnover deep in the Ashland zone in the first period and then found Denis wide open on the back post for a goal early in the second.
"That line's really buzzing around. They really play well together," coach Laggis said. "Cal was really good tonight. That last goal he scored tonight was a really pretty goal, second effort all the way, and made the move and buried it. Leo played like an animal and Gavin Denis is coming on, scored a nice goal. He's really playing well."
Carter Detienne had the opening goal for Rhinelander, tipping in a rebound off a Belanger shot 2:37 into the opening stanza. Laggis scored and then Belanger scored his first of three power play goals to give Rhinelander a 3-0 lead 15:01 into the first.
Ashland responded though. Goals by Moncher and Ty Gilbertson 42 seconds apart made it 3-2 after one period.
"It really was a couple of breakdowns and not tacking care of the puck and it ended up in the back of our net," coach Laggis said. "That's one of those teachable moments about what we want to do on our forecheck."
Denis and Belanger scored for the Hodags in the second, but Gabe Kivisto scored on a rebound for Ashland to make it 5-3 after two.
Belanger finished his hat trick with 10.5 seconds remaining as Rhinelander went 3 for 6 on the power play in the game.
Rhinelander outshot Ashland 42-21 in the contest. Garrett Kulhanek made 18 saves in the victory.
River Falls 7, Rhinelander 6, OT
The list of player unavailable quickly mounted over the weekend. Ben Brooks injured a shoulder Friday night against Amery. Carter Detienne injured his hand over the holiday break, Sam Schneider missed the tournament due to illness and the Hodags had several others out for various reasons.
By the time Rhinelander got to Saturday's game against River Falls, the team had only 14 players - four of whom were goalies - suited.
That lack of depth eventually caught up with Rhinelander as the Wildcats outshot the Hodags 20-6 over the final period and overtime to come out with a 7-6 win. Grady Nygard tied it with 1:59 remaining in regulation and Dylan Rach won it with a goal 4:39 into the extra session.
"It's hard to finish a period, it's hard to finish a game when you're that decimated," coach Laggis said. "We were within two minutes of winning that thing and gave up the equalizer. That was a case of we were on tired legs. We had chances to clear the puck, we couldn't do it. We had another chance to clear it, couldn't do it and then finally just a high shot."
The game was back-and-forth, with neither team ever leading by more than a goal. Denis got the Hodags on the board just two minutes into the game, before River Falls answered with a pair of special teams goals 46 seconds apart to take a 2-1 lead. Belanger tied it on the power play at the 8:03 mark of the first and Losch gave Rhinelander a 3-2 lead on his own power play goal at the 12:05 mark.
River Falls tied it on a Matthew Marsollek goal 2:50 into the second before Belanger netted his second power-play goal of the night exactly 12 minutes into the period. Teddy Norman tied it 28 seconds later before the Hodags netted their fourth power-play goal of the game, this one by Cody Everson, to take a 5-4 lead after two.
River Falls scored just 26 seconds into the third period to tie it, before Losch restored the lead at the 9:24 mark of the third.
Senior Caleb Shefveland, in his first start of the season, made 42 saves in defeat. The Wildcats outshot the Hodags 49-31 in the contest.
"Chevy (Shefveland) had a lot of really, really nice saves today," coach Laggis said. "I know any time that you give up seven goals you think that's not a great goaltending performance, but I'll tell you what some of the quality chances that they had and they were overwhelming us at points because we were on tired leg. Chevy really held us in there."
Cal Laggis chipped in three assists in a losing effort for Rhinelander.
Amery 6, Rhinelander 0
The Hodags were down six players on Friday night as the lost 6-0 to the Warriors.
Amery scored once in the first, twice in the second and three times in the third. The Hodags were outshot 36-11 in the contest.
"Amery was really fast, they were physical and they put the puck home," coach Laggis said. "Amery's solid so, 6-0, the thing that jumped out at me with that game is our kids really worked hard and tried hard. We kept it 1-0 after one and 3-0 after two and actually generated some chances, but we were unable to score. Then Amery just bounced (three more) home."
Justin Walter and Fredrik Henningsgard each scored twice for Amery. William Jensen and Max Mike added goals. Kulhanek made 30 saves in defeat for the Hodags.
Up next
Rhinelander hosts Northland Pines to open GNC play Thursday night at the RIA. After not beating Northland Pines since 1991, the Hodags defeated the Eagles three times last season, all in Eagle River.
Coach Laggis said it will be a matter of trying to regroup, and hopefully getting a few more players healthy, this week ahead of the conference opener.
"All we can do is go back to the drawing board on Monday, practice with whoever we have at practice, be competitive at practice, have fun at practice and keep trying to improve," he said.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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