Offensive surge in second, third periods leads to 7-3 win
MEDFORD GIRLS HOCKEY
Having earned a rare opportunity to hold a third-period lead, the Medford girls hockey team didn’t squander it Monday, killing off a power play and scoring three late goals to pull away for a 7-3 win over the Chippewa Falls-Menomonie JV team at the Simek Recreation Center.
Kyla Kennedy earned a hat trick, scoring her third goal with two seconds left in the game, Skylier Krueger scored two clutch goals down the stretch and Eryka Seidl added two for the Raiders, who hadn’t scored a goal since their season opener against the Northern Edge on Dec. 7.
The win was Medford’s first in seven tries. The Raiders will see the Sabers’ varsity squad in a Jan. 28 matchup at the Simek Center.
Monday’s matchup gave the Raiders a chance to skate against a team that had a comparable number of skaters and it showed as they never hit a dead-leg stretch that has haunted them in previous games.
A three-goal spurt in the second period overturned a 2-1 deficit and put the Raiders in the lead for good. They closed it out with a three-goal run after the Sabers pulled within 4-3 early in the third.
Seidl, who scored Medford’s first goal four weeks ago, got the first one Monday 10:07 into the contest after the Raiders had put a couple of good shots on Saber net minder Kassandra Herr in the early going. The ice breaker came on a two-onone break with Kennedy delivering the centering pass. It stayed 1-0 into the first intermission with Raider goalie Saige Duesing collecting 10 saves in the period.
The Raiders, however, went into the break down a skater and the Sabers took advantage just 41 seconds in the second period with Kyla Pryzbylski putting in the rebound goal off assists from Marley Sterling and Rhyenne Fuerstenbreg. Sterling stole a puck in the neutral zone and scored a breakaway goal at 7:00 to give the guests their only lead.
Medford got the equalizer at 9:29 when Sophia Brunner’s centering pass resulted in a shot on goal for Seidl that Herr stopped with a stick save. Seidl retrieved the puck and centered it to Kennedy, who rifled a shot past Herr.
Just 2:22 later, Kennedy got a steal and a shot on goal that Herr stopped. However, Karli Higgins put the rebound on Herr and Seidl was there to clean up that loose puck to put the Raiders on top.
Kennedy got a key goal with 36 seconds left in the period to give the Raiders full momentum heading into the second intermission as she picked up a loose puck near center ice, made a move around the lone defender between her and the goalie and flipped the puck past Herr to give Medford a 4-2 lead.
The Sabers inched closer 5:16 into the third right off the face-off that started what was going to be a five-on-three power play. Kinley Laux won that face-off, pushing the puck to Fuerstenbreg for an open shot from inside the blue line that she didn’t miss.
Herr made two clutch saves on good shots by Higgins to keep it a one-goal game. But Herr didn’t have the answer for a breakaway chance for Krueger at 13:08 that was set up by a beautiful pass from the defensive corner from Kristen Brandner that hit Krueger’s tape just beyond the red line.
Herr made the save on a one-on-one chance for Kennedy at 14:08. The play resulted in Kennedy crashing into Herr and drawing an interference call. Duesing made a couple of key saves during the power play and just before the penalty expired, Krueger connected on an empty net short-hander from a tough angle with 54 seconds left in the game.
Krueger carried the puck out of a scrum and center ice and sent another shot into the crease that Higgins and Kennedy were both there to punch in, with Kennedy getting credit for the goal just before time expired.
Duesing notched 24 saves in net as Medford outshot the Sabers 28-27.
Medford did not convert on its two power plays. The Sabers scored two power- play goals, but the Raiders killed off some key penalties to maintain the lead.
The Raiders are scheduled to head south Friday to face the Brookfield Glacier co-op in a 5 p.m. face-off.
