Hodag hockey overpowered by Tomahawk in tourney opener

TOMAHAWK —Thursday night’s WIAA tournament opener went about as expected as the heavily underdog Rhinelander Hodags took on the top-ranked Tomahawk Hatchets.

Tomahawk scored early and often in a 9-0 rout of the Hodags at SARA Park. Those results mirrored the two regular-season meetings between the teams, which the Hatchets won 10-0 and 9-0.

Some of Tomahawk’s top players had a field day. Austin Lamer scored three times and added three assists while Caleb Dickens had a goal and two helpers. Tomahawk (20-3-0) overwhelmed the Hodags, outshooting Rhinelander 70-5. 

“When you play Tomahawk, you always know they’re going to run their first line right until the end of the game, and they held true again tonight with that. They score early and often and, when you’re down, then they’re going to come at you again,” Hodag coach M.J. Laggis said.

The loss brought to an end a trying season for the Hodags who finished the year 3-22-0. That matched the team’s lowest win total since a trio of three-win seasons in the early 2010s. Much like those seasons, Rhinelander’s depth was stretched thin much of the year. 

“Wish they would have had a different year, but the truth of the matter is we’re incredibly outmanned, short-staffed from week one of the season right to the end,” Laggis said. “We had a lot of days with six, seven, forwards max and three (defensemen) that were available at practice with due to injury, due to sickness and other conditions.”

Tomahawk struck twice in the first six minutes Thursday to seize control of the matchup. Jake Albert scored from the right point 3:06 into the contest and Caiden Reichelt scored on a wristshot from the left faceoff circle at the 5:47 mark to give the Hatchets a 2-0 lead. Dickens tallied the first goal for Tomahawk’s top line at the 11:46 mark as he tipped in a shot from the blue line by Lamer. 

The Hatchets added on in the second period. Jett Reilly scored on a rebound off a Lamer shot 2:30 in. Lamer fired top shelf to make it 5-0 at the 6:26 mark and Sawyer Hanna triggered the running clock rule on a rebound goal at the 10:33 mark. Goals by Max Larson and Lamer in the final 3:15 of the period gave Tomahawk an 8-0 lead. 

Lamer had Tomahawk’s lone goal of the second period, scoring after Dickens dropped a pass off to him from close range on a 2-on-0 breakaway with 7:38 remaining. 

“We were unable to match our speed. That’s the bottom line. So they just exploited that,” Laggis said.

Meanwhile, the Hodags’ depth issues reared their head again during the game. Laggis noted that senior defenseman Zach Edyvean, who had been sidelined the last few contest due to concussion protocol, left during the game following a setback. Logan Leonard (illness) and Kadin Rodziczak (knee) were also unable to finish the contest. 

Sophomore goalie Asher Rivord made a season-high 61 saves in the contest — surpassing the 58 he made in the first matchup the season against the Hatchets back on Dec. 12.

“I think a real standout tonight was Asher Rivord,” Laggis said. “He made a ton of saves, he made them in scrambled situations. He made second, third saves in flurries left and right, and he really played admirably. What I was most proud of is that he kept his composure even when the heat was really, really, really on him. That was good to see.”

Farewell to the seniors

    Rhinelander’s Karter Massey handles the puck during the third period of a WIAA boys’ hockey tournament game at Tomahawk Thursday, Feb. 20. Massey was one of five Hodag seniors who played in his final high school game on Thursday. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

As their careers came to an end, Laggis took time after Thursday’s game to speak about all five of his seniors — Van Tulowitzky, Karter Massey, Timber Cronauer, Edyvean and Nate Cordy.

“The thing about Van that really struck me is he got a ton of playing time this year,” he said. “He hadn’t been playing much previous to this year. He got a ton, and if you could see that goal that he scored in Chequamegon … What a fantastic shot and a great play and I’m really glad that a kid like that got to have that kind of a moment during his senior year. 

“Karter Massey, he has been on just a great kid to have in the locker room. Karter’s been a guy that, you know, there’s a beast inside when he really wants to go and play. You saw it at times this year, when he could just step up and put it in a faster gear and at a faster level ... The thing that I appreciate the most about him is just his great demeanor in the locker room, and he’s always about the guys around him, so that’s fantastic. 

“Timber Cronauer, one thing I talked to the kids about in the locker room tonight, what a great example he is for a guy like Carson Plehn, who’s driving from Three Lakes,” Laggis continued. “You know, he drives (from Wabeno), he gets here, he’s at the rink. He’s extremely dedicated and he’s a football player in a hockey uniform. There’s no doubt about it. And he’s just been a joy to be around … He’s just been such a fantastic part of our locker room and truly a leader, truly deserving of a captain, 100%. 

“Zach, he was a forward — and a forward that could have been slated to score a snoot full of goals as junior and senior year … The fact is, though he was willing to sacrifice that and play defense when we really needed a defenseman in the worst way last year and did a fantastic job …  I’m really sorry that it ended with a concussion and him not being able to finish tonight, but I’m really proud of that he did that for the team.

“Nate Cordy, there’s a guy that got very little playing time early in his career. He was not made a captain this year, early on, and he just steadily outworked and outperformed. There was one point in practice this year where I asked each coach on the same practice day and said, ‘Who’s the hardest worker on this team?’ And to the man said, ‘Nate Cordy. ‘That’s how he is. He’s tireless, he never quits, he’s the best teammate you could have. After the Ashland game we just said, ‘You’re going to be a captain from here on based on your actions and how hard you work.’”

All-Conference honor

Edyvean was the lone Hodag to receive all-Great Northern Conference recognition as the team was announced prior to the championship game of the GNC tournament last Saturday in Rhinelander. Though Edyvean had only one goal and two assists on the season, Laggis said his contributions to the team on the blue line were invaluable. 

“I was really happy with that Zach got a vote to be put on all conference honorable mention, and again I’m happy for that just based on the fact that a lot of people would not switch positions for the sake of their team, knowing that it's going to cut down their point production and all that stuff,” Laggis said. “It just says a lot about him … very, very pleased for him that he was honorable mention all-conference.”

What’s next

As for the remainder of the squad, Laggis said the team will still hold practices through the conclusion of the state tournament — which it’s permitted to do under WIAA regulations — as it prepares for next season.

“The message has to be crystal clear on one thing. What you’re offseason is, is what your season’s going to become,” he said. 

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].