Northland Pines girls’ hockey co-op falls 3-1 to Wis. Valley Union

The Northland Pines girls’ hockey co-op were unable to make it two straight wins with a 3-1 loss to Wisconsin Valley Union on Monday, Dec. 22.

“I’m happy with the results,” Northland Pines co-op coach Jeff Stebbeds said. “That sounds funny coming out with a loss, but I mean, that’s a strong co-op that we just played there, and it was 3-1 and very well could have been a 2-1 game. The girls came out hard.”

Wisconsin Valley Union (3-3), a co-op comprised of schools including Marshfield, Stevens Point, Wisconsin Rapids, Amherst and Waupaca, outshot the Northland Pines co-op (1-4-1), comprised of schools Northland Pines, Lakeland Union, Rhinelander, Three Lakes, Antigo, Hurley and Norway (Mich.), 41-17 to grab a road victory in Eagle River.

Ellie Czaikowski scored twice for Wisconsin Valley Union. Her first goal came 5 minutes, 55 seconds into the second period. She broke away from the Northland Pines defense and finished to break the scoreless tie.

“We’re pinching sometimes,” Stebbeds said. “We’re getting caught pinching and being too aggressive in the zone, in the attacking zone. Next thing you know … we got an odd-man rush coming the other way. We just keep preaching to them, ‘If we’re going to pinch, we’ve got to get that puck, we got to win those battles and come away with the puck.’ Otherwise, yeah, it’s off to the races in the other direction.”

Goalie Lucy Nowak made 38 saves for Northland Pines, including a perfect 10/10 in the first period. Her play kept the game competitive for Northland Pines, and she had a save percentage of .927.

“She gives us her best effort every time on the ice,” Stebbeds said. “She was fantastic, and like usual, she gave us a good chance to win the game.”

With less than four minutes remaining in the second period, Reese Simcakoski gave Wisconsin Valley Union a two-goal lead. Her goal ended up being the game winner.

“They actually looked tired in the second period, but then all of a sudden, we started gassing out as well, which didn’t make sense to me,” Stebbeds said. “We had three lines on their two, but they come at you fast and furious, and like I said, they worked the net hard.”

Czaikowski added to Wisconsin Valley Union’s lead in the third period with her second goal. Campbell Spees got the assist.

The sister connection of Avery and Mya Renkes got the Northland Pines co-op on the board. Mya Renkes made a pass to Avery Renkes, finishing with a score. The goal came midway through the third period and made the score 3-1.

“Happy for them. They’re working hard,” Stebbeds said. “Nothing was going. All of a sudden we got a little bit of free ice and yeah, it was a great pass back and forth, and they finally buried it. Another couple of kids, they all work hard for us, but it was just good to see. It’s fun to see when you get a sister duo like that to get an assist and a goal out of them.”

Other than that goal allowed, Wisconsin Valley Union goalie Kylin Wright was perfect. She made 16 saves, a percentage of .941.

Stebbeds noted after the game that injuries continue to ravage the Northland Pines co-op.

“The biggest thing that’s killing us right now is ... the injuries,” he said. “We get a kid healthy today, comes back finally from being injured, and then we lose another one during the game. The cycle is endless and it just, we can’t get over that hump of injuries. But as far as all that being said, I’m proud of the girls. They skated hard for us tonight.”

The first period played out to a 0-0 draw. Wisconsin Valley Union held a 10-6 shot advantage. Northland Pines had a couple of looks. Ayla Shepherdson ripped a shot that hit the net. Wisconsin Valley Union’s Evelyn Fleming countered, but Nowak stayed composed to make the save.

In another chance, Larken Paff made a run, saved by Wright this time. 

Lena Chiamulera took a shot on goal that was saved. With a loose puck on the ice, the puck was cleared. 

“From top to bottom, all these kids come to work for us every single day,” Stebbeds said. “They don’t take a day, a practice or, as funny as it sounds, they skate that hard at practice for us. They’re just in a rut right now where things aren’t going our way, but eventually that switch is going to be flipped, things are going to start popping for them.”

A missed chance from the Northland Pines co-op came in the first period. Wisconsin Valley Union’s Jai Dee Menge got tagged with a two-minute minor for interference on a run made by Lilly Tomlanovich. Northland Pines couldn’t take advantage of the power play.

Another power play opportunity for Northland Pines came in the second period. Again, Wisconsin Valley Union killed the power play.

Northland Pines played Wisconsin Valley Union for the second time in the week on Saturday, Dec. 27 at a tournament in Verona. Northland Pines also took on the Bluebirds on Sunday, Dec. 28.

“Starting fast,” Stebbeds said about the rematch with Wisconsin Valley Union. “We need to start fast and then throw the first punch and get on the board first. I want to go down there and strike first and get on top.”

Up next, the Northland Pines co-op is hosting Badger Lightning on Friday, Jan. 2 in Eagle River. The puck drops at 5:30 p.m.

Brett LaBore may be reached at [email protected] or [email protected].