Hodag hockey falls to Waupaca 4-1

WAUPACA — On Monday night in Waupaca, the Rhinelander High School boys’ hockey team turned in one of its better efforts in recent weeks, but it wasn’t enough to snap its current losing streak. 

Nate Hines scored twice for Waupaca, including an empty-netter with 2:04 remaining as the Comets beat the Hodags 4-1 in a Great Northern Conference matchup.

Rhinelander (2-14-0, 0-5-0-0) showed some fight in a game that was rescheduled following a Dec. 19 snow-out, but came up a bit short in its fourth straight loss. 

Drake Nelson scored his team-leading ninth goal of the season in the third period, but the Hodags couldn’t overcome spotting the Comets two goals in the first period. 

“I thought we played really hard tonight. I thought we played harder as the game went on,” Hodag coach M.J. Laggis said. “I thought we had a number of good scoring chances, and if we could capitalize on some of those, it could have been a much, much tighter game than 4-1. It could have been right there at the end.”

Waupaca (8-10-0, 2-4-0-0 Great Northern) peppered Rhinelander’s net with 19 shots in the opening period and was able to bury two of those shots. Hines fired inside the right post 8:52 into the opening stanza and Gavin Grant scored on a backhander in front of the crease with 41.5 seconds left in the period as the Comets took a 2-0 lead after one period.

The Comets threw 19 more shots on Rhinelander sophomore Asher Rivord in the second period. He stopped them all as the teams played a scoreless second period. It marked just the eighth period all season that Rhinelander has kept the opposition from scoring. 

Rivord made 51 saves for Rhinelander, his second-highest total of the season.

“There were times early in the game, especially in the first period, when it was a shot rebound, shot rebound, shot rebound, and I thought he got a lot stronger as the game went and played a lot better as the game went,” Laggis said.

Thor Kallestad gave Waupaca a 3-0 lead 5:50 into the third period on a rebound goal off a Noah Fleming shot. Rhinelander found a bit of life roughly three minutes later as Nelson found a loose puck down near the end line in the offensive zone and fired past Waupaca goalie Gavin Hafferman. 

    Rhinelander’s Drake Nelson handles the puck in his own zone during the first period of a GNC boys’ hockey game at Waupaca Monday, Jan. 27. Nelson scored his team-leading ninth goal for Rhinelander in a 4-1 defeat. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

“Drake shot low, something we’re preaching on all the time and beat the (goalie) low. That was a nice goal,” Laggis said.

Ultimately, the Hodags could chalk up Thursday night’s defeat to an inability to take advantage with an extra attacker on the ice. Rhinelander went 0 for 5 on the power play in the contest, including a 5 on 3 it failed to convert in the first period. 

The Hodags had life after another Waupaca penalty with 5:50 to go, but were unable to generate many quality chances. 

“We’re closer to actually setting up the power play. But, you know, it’s a lot of things. It’s you get out there and you’re playing short-handed and then you get a power play chance and everyone’s tired to begin with. You get one person that’s out of position or one person doesn’t win a race of the puck and you don’t get it set up and then, you know, you’re in trouble. 

“I do think tonight we had more of those looks on power play than we have had in the past, but clearly not where we want it.”

Laggis pulled Rivord for an extra attacker on an offensive zone faceoff with 2:51 remaining but the Hodags weren’t able to do much with the extra attacker. Defender Zach Edyvean had to clear one Waupaca chance on the empty net from the goal line before Hines grabbed a puck at neutral ice and buried the clinching goal.

“We did have some good pressure, nice shift. And then trying to change here and gave away a puck at neutral ice and it goes in,” Laggis said. “That’s just, you know, comes with the territory. When you pull your goalie, you’re playing for multiple goals and you taking a chance.”

Rhinelander had 21 shots in the contest. Many of the team’s best looks came in the third period, including a breakaway chance by junior Dylan Shefveland that sailed wide.

“Dylan Shefveland’s breakaway, oh my goodness. He made a beautiful play, broke loose at the box, split him, skated away from him, gave himself space, did everything right, just couldn’t bury it,” Laggis said. “That would have been huge for us, but a great effort.” 

The Hodags were still relatively thin at defenseman on Monday. Though the team got Edyvean back from an illness but Gabe Kennedy didn’t play after hurting his knee in last Thursday’s home loss against Shawano/Bonduel.

“I thought Zach Edyvean stood out and played his best hockey game of the year. He was fast, he back checked, he was strong on the puck, no bad penalties,” Laggis noted. “The other guys that I thought have just gotten better game in and game out. Dylan Shefveland and Carson Plehn, those guys have improved unbelievably. I see it day and day out. So lots of positives.”

The Hodags finish out the week with back-to-back GNC contests, which began last night when Lakeland came to the Rhinelander Ice Arena for a contest that concluded after press time for today’s edition. The Hodags hit the road tonight to take on Mosinee. 

Saturday’s scheduled non-conference game at Ashland has been postponed. No make-up date has been announced, but RHS AD Brian Paulson told the River News Monday the teams are tentatively looking at Friday, Feb. 7 or Saturday, Feb. 8.

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].