February 14, 2022 at 7:23 a.m.
Hodags down Waupaca, finish third in GNC
Hodags down Waupaca, finish third in GNC
Defenseman Layne Roeser scored three times as the Hodags erased an early deficit to defeat Waupaca 4-1 in the third-place game of the Great Northern Conference tournament at the Lakeland Ice Arena.
The victory locked Rhinelander into sole possession of third place in the final conference standings and secured a program-record 17th victory on the season. More importantly, it was a strong response for the team after getting blown out by eventual GNC tournament champion Mosinee at home last Tuesday.
"It was the best possible outcome from today, no doubt about it," coach M.J. Laggis said. "We got a lot of momentum. We had a really good practice Friday and we played pretty darn solid all the way around today. That's exactly what we had to do, exactly how we had to answer. We were happy with the intensity and the focus our kids had before the game and we got the job done."
Roeser had a strong night for the Hodags, recording his 13th, 14th and 15th goals of the season.
He tied it up for Rhinelander 6:30 into the opening period as he flicked a puck into the zone from the red line. The puck happened to find its way on net and past goalie Brody Berens.
"It was just a long shot from the red line that beat him top shelf," coach Laggis said. "It was one of those shots that it was in the air so long, he didn't save it and it went right over his shoulder and in. From there, Layne poured two more in and Cal had a beautiful goal as well."
Roeser scored again in the second period as he went top shelf off the left faceoff circle after receiving a drop pass from Sam Schneider along the boards. Roeser's final goal was almost a mirror image of the second as he scored from the top of the right circle following a point-to-point pass from Schneider.
Cal Laggis also recorded his 15th goal of the season in the game. He scored late in the second period, walking in off the right end line after Leo Losch won a battle for the puck along the boards.
Waupaca struck first as Ryan Mace forced a turnover in the corner and fed the puck to Adam Mace in the slot for a finish just 1 minute, 57 seconds into the contest. That proved to be the only puck senior Garrett Kulhanek let by as he turned aside 26 shots in the victory.
"They scored the first goal. It wasn't necessarily a strong goal but, from there, Gary really, really buckled down and played well from that point on," coach Laggis said. "Particularly today, Garrett did a great job on rebounds, just reeling them in and controlling them. That's how he's got to play, for sure (in the playoffs)."
The Hodags outshot the Comets 36-27 in the contest.
Mosinee defeated Lakeland 3-0 in the championship game of the GNC tournament, but Lakeland secured the overall conference title by having the best average finish between the dual meet and conference tournament portions of the schedule. Antigo bested Tomahawk 6-4 in the fifth-place game while Northland Pines avenged a loss to Medford, beating the Raiders 8-2 in the seventh-place game.
All-GNC team announced
As has been a tradition since the inception of the conference tournament, the eight GNC coaches voted on the all-conference team, which was announced prior to the third-place game on Saturday. The Hodags had five all-conference honorees, led by Losch who was named a first-team forward.
Cal Laggis and Joey Belanger each received second-team honors as forwards while Sam Schneider was named a second-team defensemen. Roeser received honorable mention as a defenseman.
"I'm really happy for the all-conference guys and it feels good," coach Laggis said. "Other guys could have been in the mention as well, you know how that always goes, but I'm really proud of them and they worked hard to get there and it's just an nice honor for them"
Antigo defensemen Garrett Husnick and Lakeland goalie Max Masayesva split conference player of the year honors. Antigo's Matt Borneman was voted conference coach of the year.
Playoffs ahead
Rhinelander now turns its attention to the WIAA tournament. The Hodags will host seventh-seeded Tomahawk at the Rhinelander Ice Arena Thursday night.
The Hodags had their hands full with the Hatchets in the conference meeting between the two teams Dec. 23 at the Rhinelander Ice Arena. Rhinelander needed a pair of third-period goals to edge the Hatchets 5-3 in that contest.
The Hodags won a non-conference rematch against the Hatchets 7-1 six days later in Tomahawk. Coach Laggis said his team is certainly not looking past the Hatchets in the playoff opener.
"I'm expecting them to play really well and we need to play really well," he said. "That's what we're getting ready to do. We're getting ready to just come out and play great hockey in all three zones, put pucks on net and get rebounds."
The winner of the Rhinelander-Tomahawk game will face the winner of Thursday night's Mosinee-Pacelli matchup in the sectional semifinals Feb. 22. Rhinelander would host that game if it wins on Thursday.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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