Hodag hockey falls in OT to East/Merrill

Much the same as how things went for the Green Bay Packers a few hours later, the Rhinelander High School boys’ hockey team had a chance to pick up a road victory Saturday afternoon only to watch its chances slip away down the stretch.

Zach Pagel scored four times, including the game-winner on the power play 1:58 into overtime, as Wausau East/Merrill up ended the Hodags 6-5 in Merrill.

Pagel also scored the game-tying goal just moments after the Hodags went ahead 5-4 in a wild, back-and-forth third period. Gavin Denis scored three times, including the go-ahead goal for Rhinelander, but it was not enough as the Hodags (4-10-0, 1-4-0-0 Great Northern) suffered their fourth straight defeat. 

“We’re just struggling to put together three lines that can go out there and either play even and/or create scoring opportunities,” Hodag coach M.J. Laggis said. “We’re not taking care of the puck in the D zone and just to many giveaways. We give the puck away a lot and make some bad decisions with the puck. That really cost us today.”

Pagel scored the game winner after East/Merrill won an offensive zone faceoff in the extra session, he flicked a wrist shot from the right side boards past goalie Tyler Kimmerling for the game winner. It came while Rhinelander was trying to kill off a five-minute major for checking from behind called on defenseman Gabe Kennedy in the final minute of regulation. 

“You’re late in a tie game like that and a five-minute penalty. A two would have been doable. We could have loaded up the best that we could, but trying to kill a five, you’re playing a number of shifts there where you’re using way more of the bench,” Laggis said. “It just caught up with us, for sure.”

East/Merrill broke a 3-all tie on another power play goal in the third, which started a wild rush that saw the teams exchange four goals in less than 2 1/2 minutes. Pagel corralled a bouncing puck on the power play at the left point and fired a shot top shelf past Kimmerling to put the Bluejacks ahead 4-3 at the 9:13 mark of the period.

Sophomore Dylan Shefveland tied it for Rhinelander just 55 seconds later as he took a neutral zone faceoff into the zone, fired a shot from the right circle that found its way home off a carom. 

“It was a working man’s goal Dylan Shefveland got. That was awesome,” Laggis said.

Denis gave Rhinelander the lead with 5:32 remaining as he got free on a breakout along the near boards, skated in and fired a shot between the legs of East/Merrill goalie Chase Klebenow. The lead was short-lived, however, as Pagel gathered a loose puck off the ensuing faceoff and skated into the zone. The puck came free again and no Hodag defender could get a stick on it before Pagel caught up with it right in front of the net to poke it in and tie the game.

The Hodags had the lead for only 10 seconds in the contest and erased margins on three separate occasions. Kakin Jahnke skated around three defenders and buried a wrist shot that put the Bluejacks on the board just 2:28 into the game. Denis answered with his first goal of the game as he got free on a Joey Belanger pass out of the zone and beat Klebenow on a backhander to tie it at the 9:54 mark of the period.

East/Merrill scored twice in a 47-second span to take a 3-1 lead in the second. Jackson Pierce got free along the far boards and slotted a pass to Pagel, skating in from the opposite wing, for a point-blank finish at the 6:08 mark. A turnover at the offensive blue line by Rhinelander led to a 2-on-0 chance the other way that Jahnke buried for his second goal of the afternoon.

“Early in the game we were just letting them get going in neutral ice,” Laggis said. “They had a wing that they just threw wide and we were just unable to make an adjustment to cover that guy. We gave up a lot of odd-man rushes early in the game.”

Denis answered for Rhinelander, converting on a 2-on-1 chance with Belanger at the 7:39 mark of the second and Belanger tied the game on a breakaway off a defensive zone faceoff at the 9:33 mark.

“We had a number of good scoring chances and put some pucks away,” Laggis said.

East/Merrill outshot Rhinelander 41-29 in the contest. Kimmerling stopped 35 pucks in defeat.

The Hodags wrap up round robin play in the Great Northern Conference this week. Rhinelander will host Antigo this evening and then skate at Lakeland on Thursday. 

“Antigo will play a tough brand of hockey. Lakeland is very skilled. We’ll be up against it this week. We’ve just got to try to find a way to get better,” Laggis said.

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at jeremy@rivernewsonline.com.