Hodag hockey gets into win column, takes rematch with Medford

One would not blame the Rhinelander High School boys’ hockey team for feeling a bit of déjà vu Tuesday night as it clung to a one-goal lead in the third period over Medford at the Rhinelander Ice Arena. 

This time, however, the Hodags stood tall and finally broke into the win column.

Drake Nelson scored what proved to be the game-winning goal in the second period and freshman Connor McGee made 27 saves as the Hodags defeated the Raiders 3-2 at the Rhinelander Ice Arena to begin the second round of Great Northern Conference play. 

That was the same scoreline, only in reverse, when the two teams met earlier this month in Medford. In that one, the Hodags conceded the tying goal late in the third period and saw the Raiders net the game-winner less than a minute into overtime. 

    Members of the Rhinelander High School boys’ hockey team celebrate after defeating the Medford Raiders 3-2 at the Rhinelander Ice Arena Tuesday, Jan. 20. It was Rhinelander’s first win of the season and snapped a 17-game losing streak dating back to the end of last season. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

That was the closest the Hodags came to tasting victory until Tuesday, when it snapped its 15-game losing streak to start the season and a skid 17 straight defeats dating back to the end of last season.

“I’ll be honest with you, when it was 3-2, late in the game, we had a couple real scary shifts where we did some things that weren’t necessarily perfect plays with the puck. In your mind, you kind of thought, ‘Oh, here we go.’ But I just thought we did a good job of making the plays when we had to,” Hodag coach M.J. Laggis said. “They were pretty excited in the locker room after, and I was glad. We made some mistakes down the stretch in that third period, to say the least. However, the guys that were on the ice played really hard together, and they found a way.” 

The Hodags had to protect a one-goal lead much of the third period after Ian Roiger scored to make it a 3-2 contest 1:22 into the stanza. The Raiders put eight shots on McGee in the final period, and pulled goalie Cashton Reis late in the final minutes but could never find the equalizer. 

A pair of key penalties aided the Hodags’ cause. Medford’s Tanner Hubbard was assessed a five-minute major and a 10-minute misconduct for checking from behind midway through the third. Cole Persteiner, who scored the game-winner in the first meeting in Medford, wasn’t on the ice for the final 1:56 after receiving a slashing penalty and a misconduct as part of offsetting minors with Rhinelander’s Carsen Zadnik. 

The Hodags had their own penalty trouble in the third, as Kadin Rodziczak received a two and a 10 for head contact, but the Hodags were able to buckle down defensively in the final minutes. 

Tuesday was the third straight game between Rhinelander and Medford that decided by a goal. Medford won the previous two in overtime.

“We did a good job of using the glass and the boards and chipping pucks,” Laggis said. “We didn’t necessarily do a great job when they pulled their goalie of getting over the red line before we took a shot at the net. We had a couple icings there that we’d like back, but just the overall attitude on the bench and the attitude in the locker room, really, to be honest, through the last couple weeks has been pretty darn good.”

Zadnik broke a 1-all tie 5:31 into the second period as he scored his first varsity goal on a shot from the left faceoff circle. Nelson scored his third goal of the season at the 13:46 mark of the period finishing off a wild scramble in front of the Medford net. Logan Leonard and Braydon Lorman were credited with assists in the flurry.

“Drake has some looks all night long, and that goal was a good example of getting a puck to a net, and just first effort, second effort, third effort, we finally banged the rebound home. I was really happy with that,” Laggis said. “Carsen Zadnik, a freshman, got his first career goal, and that was really nice to see. It was a nice goal too.”

Carson Plehn tied for the team lead, netting his fourth goal of the season, to open the scoring in the first period. He fired home a chance from the bottom of the circles at the 11:43 mark of the period. Defenseman Gabe Kennedy, back after missing several games due to injury, had the assist.

“Carson Plehn really kind of had a come live game tonight. He has really started playing better and we really need him to be that guy down the stretch to try to win a few more here,” Laggis said. “Getting defensive and Gabe Kennedy back tonight was just huge. He was back in the lineup and that gave us a big lift as well.”

Meanwhile McGee had, statistically, his best night in goal of the season. He made 27 saves on 29 chances, marking the first time this season finished a game with a save percentage greater than 90%.

“I thought Connor McGee worked as hard as he could work in there tonight, made some saves and it was nice for him as a freshman to finally get a win,” Laggis said.

Marshfield 9, Rhinelander 0

The Hodags couldn’t slow down Marshfield’s Wyatt Fischer Saturday, Jan. 17. The Tiger sophomore scored five goals and added an assist in a 9-0 victory over the Hodags in Marshfield.

The Tigers scored five times in the first period and Fischer, by himself, at a hat trick in the second — scoring goals on the power play, short-handed and at even strength. Marshfield outshot Rhinelander 49-9 in the contest. 

“That’s probably the fastest Marshfield team I’ve ever coached against,” Laggis remarked. “They had a very good first line. They moved the puck really well. They were extremely quick in all areas of the ice and just had some really nice shooters. They’re a very skilled team.”

Though the Hodags didn’t generate much offense in the contest, and were shutout for a second consecutive game, Laggis did point to a couple of bright spots for his team.

“I thought Dylan Shefveland, from a defensive standpoint, just played fast and played hard and made a lot of plays all over the ice, getting out of the zone. And I thought Jack Turek was really good today. He really worked hard — in particular just fantastic backchecks,” he said.

The Hodags were back in action Thursday taking on Pacelli at the Rhinelander Ice Arena in a game that concluded after press time for today’s edition. Visit RiverNewsOnline.com for a recap of that contest and read a full report in Tuesday’s River News. 

The Hodags will continue the second round of GNC play this coming Tuesday at they host Antigo at the Rhinelander Ice Arena.

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at jeremy@

rivernewsonline.com.