February 13, 2023 at 8:58 a.m.
Edge shuts out Beaver Dam again
Playoffs begin Thursday at Wisconsin Valley Union
Edge shuts out Beaver Dam again
By By Brett LaBore-
It was the second straight game the Edge scored 10 goals.
"This is a good win. Even though we only beat them 1-0 the last game, it's a little more difficult this time around," Edge assistant coach Brian Heleniak said. "They actually (did not have) a goaltender in their net tonight. They had a girl dressed as a skater as playing goalie. We still got to show up, still got to play hockey."
Beaver Dam did not have the same goaltender they had when the Edge won 1-0 back on Jan. 28. Addy Damon, not a goalie, filled in at the net. Still, the Edge capitalized on their chances throughout the night
The Edge controlled the puck for much of the game, totaling 37 shots to the Golden Beavers' 10.
Taylor Heleniak, coming off her five-goal performance against Northland Pines, didn't waste any time scoring Saturday night. She scored 52 seconds into the game, the assist to Wyndi Saari.
Maddi Roeser scored a goal for the second straight game. She shot the puck right between the legs of Damon. Taylor Heleniak had the assist.
Ella Koca fired a shot right into the net, the assist to Emalee Detienne. The Edge held a 3-0 lead.
The Edge switched up their power play a little bit. It worked throughout the night with two power play goals. Maria Gironella had the first one, taking a shot that defected off a Beaver Dam defender and into the net. Kassidee Linssen picked up the assist.
"Power play was good. We changed personnel around again. We're still kind of tweaking a few (things). We did manage two power play goals again today. That was again helpful," coach Heleniak said. "So that's something that makes a difference in a closer game is the power play."
After one period, the Edge led 4-0.
The puck found the back of the net four more times for the Edge in the second period. Taylor Heleniak fired one past Damon for a goal. Detienne had her second assist of the game.
A few minutes later, Taylor Heleniak took another shot. Saari cleaned it up with a rebound goal, her first goal of the night. Gironella also had the assist.
"We wanted to put pucks on net to work on net front presence. That's big moving forward on any goaltender that's going to give up rebounds. We did ... pull back a couple pucks and put in some rebound goals. It's the same concept regardless of what goalie you have," coach Heleniak said. "Obviously, we did sneak a couple in there that went in from the blue line that probably would be saved on a typical goaltender, but it's still the same concept. Like I told the girls, we're not going to not take the shooting solution if it's there so it worked."
Saari and Taylor Heleniak tacked on a goal each before the period ended. Saari had two goals and one assist thus far. Taylor Heleniak had the hat trick with three goals to go along with two assists in just two periods of play.
The Edge scored two more times in a quick third period. Taylor Heleniak split two defenders before scoring her fourth goal of the night, a power play goal. Saari and Roeser had the assists. Taylor Heleniak has now scored nine goals in the past two games.
Gironella gave the Edge their 10th goal of the night, this one unassisted.
Kristiina Kunelius saved all 10 shots she saw in the evening, picking up her second shutout win against Beaver Dam this season.
"We get a little more confidence, especially in our goaltending with Kristiina in net. She only faced 10 shots tonight, but was pretty solid," coach Heleniak said. "So that's where that momentum kind of builds from the back to the front. We keep some of those pucks out of our net that sometimes have gone in, and now we gain more momentum, more confidence moving forward."
Playoff opener
Up next, the Edge (7-12) play at four-seeded Wisconsin Valley Union in a regional final game Thursday, Feb. 16 at Marshfield Area Ice Arena. The puck drops at 7 p.m.
"Thursday, it's going to be a coin flip. We didn't show up on our first period when we played them in Antigo, and it showed," coach Heleniak said. "If we manage like we did against (Central Wisconsin) Storm when we only lost that first period 2-0 to Storm which is a little bit more of a powerhouse than Valley Union. So I think if we can manage and keep it to a 1-0, a 0-0 period that has more favor for us."
Earlier this season, Wisconsin Valley Union beat the Edge 7-3 on Dec. 12.
Brett LaBore may be reached at [email protected] or [email protected].
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