Last year’s win total already surpassed as Raiders rout Viroqua
MEDFORD HOCKEY
Carter Pernsteiner’s hat trick fueled a strong offensive attack that produced seven goals in the Medford Raiders’ 7-2 win over the host Viroqua Co-op Saturday afternoon.
The Raiders used a five-goal outburst in the second period to break open the non-conference game and even their overall record at 4-4. They’ve needed just eight games to surpass their win total from all of last season.
Goalie AJ Adleman collected 32 saves to pick up the win, including 15 in a second period where both teams got their shots, but Medford was the team that made them count.
Pernsteiner got the scoring in the game started by connecting off a Colton Gowey assist 4:13 into the first period. But the Blackhawks’ Jake Krause answered with an unassisted goal just 25 seconds to tie it. That’s where the game stayed through the rest of the period as Adleman had nine saves and Viroqua’s JJ Hertel had 12.
A goal by Medford’s Logan Searles 4:46 into the second period opened the floodgates for a four-goal barrage that took just 1:46 to complete. Pernsteiner had the assist on Searles’ go-ahead goal and he followed it up with an unassisted goal at 5:20. Austin Waldhart knocked one home 16 seconds later off a Blaine Seidl assist for a 4-1 lead.
Pernsteiner completed the gamechanging surge with a goal at 6:32 that was assisted by brothers Connor and Colton Gowey.
Viroqua briefly cut into the lead with a power-play goal from Ty Milutinovich at 10:58, assisted by Tyson Menzynski. But Miles Searles answered that with his first goal as a Raider at 14:39 with Waldhart getting the assist. That put the Raiders comfortably ahead 6-2 going into the third period.
Six minutes into the third, Waldhart added an insurance goal with a Logan Searles assist. That came on a power play, Medford only’s power-play goal in five chances.
Viroqua (2-7), on the other hand, was just one for seven on power plays. Hertel finished with 29 saves for the Blackhawks. He stopped nine of 14 Medford shots in the second period.
Medford returns to home ice for back-to-back games at the end of this week. The Raiders host the alwaystough Waupaca Comets tonight, Thursday, at 7 p.m. and then get the Shawano Co-op Friday night in a game that faces off at approximately 7 p.m., following the completion of the 5 p.m. girls game against Northland Pines.
Medford stays at home next week, hosting the Black River Falls Co-op Tuesday and Mosinee on Jan. 9. Both games start at 7 p.m.
