Season-ending stretch a tough one for the Raiders

MEDFORD BOYS HOCKEY

The level of competition faced in the last two weeks by the Medford hockey team has been stout, and things didn’t get any easier Tuesday in an 8-2 loss at Mosinee that kicked off this week’s Great Northern Conference tournament.

The seventh-seeded Raiders, and particularly head coach Galen Searles, were anxious to test themselves against the second-seeded Indians, who are ranked fifth in this week’s wisconsinprephockey. net Division 2 state poll, and compare this performance to an 8-0 season-opening loss to them.

From a numbers standpoint, the Raiders obviously got two more goals and they closed the gap slightly in shots on goal and puck possession.

But just like the first matchup, Mosinee scored three goals in the first period and tacked on a fourth very early in the second to put things into cruise control the rest of the way.

Mosinee improved to 7-1 in GNC games this season and 13-3-1 overall. Medford is 1-7 and 5-12-1 heading into a GNC consolation semifinal tonight, Thursday, at sixth-seeded Antigo that starts at 7 p.m.

The tournament is scheduled to conclude Saturday at Lakeland. Medford will face either eighth-seeded Tomahawk or fifth-seeded Waupaca in the fifth-place or seventh-place game.

Matej Krudenc got Mosinee on the board just 2:32 into Tuesday’s game off a Slade Krause assist. At 4:51, Filip Deniger made it 2-0 with an assist from Grant Kuklinski. Eli Miland’s goal with just nine seconds left in the period was a killer, making it 3-0. He was assisted by Cade Schmirler.

AJ Buenning’s unassisted goal 2:55 into the second period stretched the lead to four. Krudenc assisted on a Jaegar Dhein goal at 6:18, but Medford broke the shutout just 1:07 later when the Raiders’ top line put one on the board. Carter Pernsteiner continued his recent scoring surge with the goal with assists from linemates Brayden Machon and Miles Searles.

Unfortunately, the Indians went on a two-goal spree moments later to go up 7-1. Krudenc scored unassisted at 9:20 and Schmirler did the same on a power play at 11:01.

Kuklinski tacked on a power-play goal 6:36 into the third before Raider Logan Searles beat goaltender Tucker Stepan with a power-play goal at 9:18. Cameron Bull had the assist.

Ben Brunner notched five saves per period for a game total of 15. Stepan had 14 saves, including six in the second period. Mosinee converted on both of its power plays, while the Raiders were one for two.

Mosinee advanced to a GNC semifinal tonight, Thursday, against third-seeded Lakeland. Those teams will play either top-seeded Northland Pines or fourthseeded Rhinelander in Saturday’s firstand third-place games.

In Tuesday’s GNC play, Lakeland beat Antigo 8-1, Northland Pines beat Tomahawk 12-0 and Rhinelander passed a test from Waupaca 7-5.

On Sunday, Medford drew the sixth seed for the fast-approaching WIAA Division 2 sectional tournament. The Raiders will head to third-seeded New Richmond (10-4) for a 7:30 p.m. face-off on Thursday, Feb. 4.

The rest of the bracket has the seventhseeded Burnett Blizzard Co-op going to second-seeded Superior, the fifth-seeded Amery Co-op visiting fourth-seeded Hayward and top-seeded and defending sectional champion Rice Lake hosting the eighth-seeded Chequamegon Co-op.

Marshfield 7, Medford 1

Medford closed a tough stretch of five games in nine days Friday with a 7-1 loss to a fast-skating team from Marshfield at the Simek Recreation Center.

Unable to punch anything past Marshfi eld goal tender Cole Halverson through the first 40-plus minutes, the Raiders got some life when Pernsteiner stole a pass in the defensive zone and went coast-tocoast, finishing with a deke and a backhand score that made it 4-1 at the 7:27 mark of the third period.

Unfortunately, a check from behind penalty on Pernsteiner at 11:32 –– a call Medford’s bench didn’t fully agree with –– resulted in a five-minute major penalty that the Tigers took advantage of, scoring three times to put the game away.

Galen Searles said he felt the Raiders were playing their best hockey of the night in the third period when the penalty took some wind out of their sails.

Sawyer Schindler got the first goal on the power play with a hard wrist shot from Brunner’s right at 12:38. Triston Reissman completed his hat trick with 57 seconds left in the game, flipping the puck just into the upper corner of the net and Payton Smith tacked on the final goal with 20 seconds left, tapping in an easy rebound.

Nick Urban put Marshfield up 1-0 with a pretty goal just 2:02 off an assist by Ian Haugen.

Reissman got his first two goals in the second period. He split two defenders and got the puck past Brunner at 3:52 and was assisted by Noah Peterson. At 13:45, Reissman got his stick on a clearing attempt by the Raiders and was able to send a slap shot from the point that eluded Brunner’s glove. Ethan Meissner had the assist.

Marshfield’s Seth Peterson made it 4-0 three minutes before Pernsteiner’s goal.

Brunner finished with 24 saves on 31 shots faced. Medford put 12 shots on Halverson, who saved 11, including six in the second period.

Icemen 4, Medford 2

Goals ending the second period and starting the third broke a 2-2 tie and sent the Barron Co-op, better known as the Northwest Icemen, to a 4-2 non-conference win over visiting Medford Thursday night.

Hayden Hince got the go-ahead goal with 43 seconds left in the second period, assisted by Gavin Gordon and Caden Illa. With 10 seconds left, Medford was called for hooking and the Icemen made the Raiders pay 1:07 into the third period on Trent Zenzen’s power-play goal, which was assisted by Lucas Anderson and Jace Burch.

None of Medford’s six third-period shots on goal got by Northwest’s Connor Morrison and the two-goal deficit stood the rest of the way. Medford tied the game twice in the second period. Pernsteiner’s unassisted goal 3:30 in tied that game at 1-1, equalling an unassisted score by Northwest’s Cale Cleveland that came 4:38 into the first. Lukas Pond put the Icemen ahead 2-1 at the 5:34 mark of the second period with a Cleveland assist.

But, Raider Connor Gowey lit the lamp at 7:39, assisted by Isaac Schaefer. That was a rare power-play goal for the Raiders, just their third of the season.

Brunner had a solid night with 26 saves, while Morrison finished with 19 for the Icemen. Both teams had three power-play chances.

Galen Searles said after a one-day break during a busy stretch of hockey, the Raiders looked much better than they did in a 13-1 loss at Rhinelander Jan. 19.

“We had a slow first period followed by a strong second,” he said. “We had a solid third period with a few great scoring opportunities that just didn’t pan out.”