Everyone contributes in win; Raiders go 1-1 at HodagLand

MEDFORD-RIB LAKE GIRLS HOCKEY

Having a limited roster isn’t ideal in the sport of hockey. But there are times when it has its perks.

For the Medford-Rib Lake girls hockey team, the biggest perk is the ability to spread the wealth on those rare occasions where the Raiders have the advantage and that was the case Saturday in a 12-2 win over the Beaver Dam Co-op that capped the team’s weekend at the Hodag-Land Holiday Tournament in Rhinelander.

In the Raiders’ third win of the winter, sophomore Kyla Kennedy, the team’s Rib Lake representative had a career day with four goals and two assists. Emily Schafer collected her sixth hat trick of the season but also assisted on five others.

And, freshman Eryka Seidl scored two goals and added an assist, meaning all the skaters who started the season with the team have now scored at least one point. All nine of those skaters scored in Saturday’s lopsided win.

The Raiders went 1-1 during the weekend, falling 4-1 to the Northern Edge II in Friday’s tournament opener.

Kennedy got Saturday’s rout started with her first goal less than a minute into the contest thanks to a Schafer assist. It stayed 1-0 until the 3:05 mark, when Schafer assisted Kristen Brandner on the junior’s second goal of the season.

Then, 25 seconds later, it was Seidl’s turn to get into the scoring for the first time. The freshman put the puck past Beaver Dam goalie Abby Okon with assists from sisters Alyssa and Kristen Brandner to make it 3-0.

The Raiders were just halfway done scoring in the first period at that point. The first line struck quickly as Schafer and Kiersten Crass got goals with assists from Kennedy and Delaney Hraby just nine seconds apart at 4:42 and 4:51. Kennedy made it 6-0 with a Schafer assist at 6:24 to make it 6-0.

Kennedy secured her hat trick at the 3:23 mark of the second period with a Crass assist before the Golden Beavers broke the Raiders’ shutout bid with a power-play goal at 4:04. But that goal was canceled out by Kennedy’s fourth goal, which came off a Skylier Krueger assist at 7:22 and Schafer’s unassisted tally at 13:14.

The Raiders answered an early Beaver Dam goal in the third period with scores from Schafer at 6:26 with a Seidl assist, Alyssa Brandner at 8:34 with a Schafer assist and Seidl again at 12:41 with assists from Schafer and Karli Higgins.

Alyssa Brandner’s goal was her second of the season and the assist for Higgins was her second.

The Raiders also shared their success on the back end with freshman Saige Duesing picking up the win between the pipes. She started the game and worked the first and third period, collecting nine saves on 10 shots faced.

Senior Alex Nicks worked the second period and had 10 saves on 11 shots faced.

The Raiders had a 32-20 edge in shots on goal.

Edge II 4, Medford 1

The tournament host Northern Edge used their reserves and a rule that allows players to compete in five periods daily in a varsity/JV setting to enter a second team into the tournament field. The Edge II team got a tiebreaking goal early in the second period and went on from there to a 4-1 win over the Raiders Friday afternoon.

Kennedy scored the goal for the Raiders 50 seconds into the second period to tie the game at 1-1. Schafer had the assist.

But Alicia Turunen answered for the Edge just 2:54 later with assists from Maria Gironella and Kristina Kunelius to regain the lead and the Edge never lost it. Alexis Hekrdle scored late in the period with assists from Turunen and Maddie Roeser.

Despite outshooting the Edge 14-8 in the third period, the hosts got the only goal with Caitlyn Fesnick scoring off assists from Kassidee Linssen and Serena Hanke.

Turunen also had the Edge’s first goal, an unassisted score in the opening period.

The Raiders moved the puck well and created several scoring opportunities. They outshot the Edge 37-29. But Anna Maulson created a wall in front of the net, collecting 36 saves. Nicks had 25 saves for the Raiders.

The weekend’s results put Medford at 3-7 overall as the 2020 portion of their schedule gets underway with three games in two days this weekend at the Simek Recreation Center.

The Raiders will host a tough Northland Pines team at 5 p.m. on Friday in game one of a girls-boys doubleheader. Medford takes on the Shawano Co-op in the boys game.

On Saturday, Medford hosts the Marquette, Mich. 19U team for a doubleheader that starts at 10 a.m. Marquette was also at the HodagLand tournament and went 2-1.