September 2, 2022 at 11:00 a.m.
Better late than never
Hodags use last-minute surge to beat Pines, 5-2
Better late than never
Braden Mork converted a PK in the 75th minute following a wild scrum in front of the Northland Pines goal and the Hodags tacked on two more goals in the final five minutes to get past the Eagles 5-2 at Mike Webster Stadium.
The Hodags (4-0-1, 1-0-0-1 Great Northern) outshot Northland Pines 38-9 in the match but found themselves deadlocked with the Eagles at 2 after Ryan Muench converted from the spot following a Hodag handball foul in the 69th minute.
"It seemed like it lit a fire under the boys' butts. They kicked it into high gear and finished really strong," Hodag coach Nathan Bates said. "I'm happy with the win, happy with the way the boys responded after what happened. That's all positive stuff moving forward."
The Hodags had three chances on a scrum in front of Pines goalkeeper Sam Warner before the ball rolled out of bounds for an apparent goal kick. However, following discussion between officials, it was deemed that Warner fouled Rhinelander's Matthew King inside the penalty area and a penalty kick was awarded.
Mork, who scored twice in Thursday's game, cooly tucked a shot inside the left post to give the Hodags the lead and spark the frantic finish.
"Our boys brought down there and there was a fumble, the ball was going around in the box," Bates explained. "I believe the call was the goalkeeper actually didn't go for the ball. He grabbed Matthew and pulled him down to the ground. That's what the penalty kick was there. After that, the tide changed and the end score is 5-2."
Will Gretzinger effectively clinched the game for Rhinelander in the 76th minute as he won the ball between two Eagle defenders at the top to the 18, created some separation and fired a shot to the low left corner. Shane Petrick scored his team-leading eighth goal of the season in the 78th minute on a shot from 35 yards that slipped through Warner's hands and into the back of the net.
It was a stunning turn in what was otherwise becoming another rough night for the Hodag offense following a 1-1 draw at Medford on Tuesday. The Raiders got an extra point over the Hodags by winning the subsequent shootout, 6-5.
Rhinelander mustered only 10 shots in the first half Thursday, but took the lead off a set piece in the 13th minute. Kyle Wiese tapped the ball back to Will Quinn on an indirect free kick and Quinn found the back of the net from 35 yards. Pines canceled out that goal in the 31st minute as AJ Muench finished from 10 yards after he got free inside the Hodag box.
"The boys had a real slow start today," Bates said. "The first half, I wasn't real impressed. We weren't talking or playing our normal game. They were just kicking the ball. I kind of got on them at halftime. The second half they came back out and they looked like a different team."
Rhinelander picked up the intensity early in the second half with several scoring chances before Mork gave the Hodags the lead in the 51st minute. He fired from the right corner of the 18-yard box following a run up the flank and deposited the ball in the low left corner of the net.
The Hodags had the better of play much of the second half, but the Eagles were able to capitalize on a break as the ball bounced inside the Rhinelander box and hit a Hodag defender in the hand.
"Typically when a team like Pines, good coaching staff and the boys are always hungry and they play us tough, so once it was tied up, it could have went the other way," Bates said. "Our boys could have gotten down on themselves and Pines could have rallied and really brought it to us. Fortunately, it went the other way and my boys got mad and they came back out and really kicked it in the butt."
Thursday's stat line resembled last season for the Hodags, when they generated plenty of chances, but struggled to find the target. Of Rhinelander's 38 shots, only 14 were on goal.
"We had a lot of shot but tonight wasn't our night," Bates said. "We definitely had a lot off frame. So far this season, up until tonight, most of our shots have been really accurate and on frame."
Cooper Radke made two saves for the Hodags in victory. Rhinelander also picked up its fifth yellow card of the season in the second half when defender Charlie Heck was booked for dangerous play following a tackle attempt in the 65th minute.
Rhinelander was scheduled to play at D.C. Everest tonight in a non-conference game, but Bates indicated that contest has been canceled to give Rhinelander a full week without competition following a tough, physical opening stretch of the season.
"We've got a lot of kids that are really injured right now and some sitting on the bench that are usually a big part of our game," Bates said. "I'm hoping for the recovery period for the kids, working on some things at practice and getting them ready for the game at Lakeland the following Thursday."
Lakeland, the defending GNC champion, lost to Medford 4-1 on the road Thursday. Both the Hodags and the T-Birds are looking up at the Raiders following two games in conference play. Thursday night's game will take place at IncredibleBank Field in Minocqua.
"The boys are pretty pumped for it. They always play Lakeland very tough, so I'm excited for the game," Bates said.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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