Raiders get elusive first ‘W’ by dominating Beaver Dam Co-op

MEDFORD GIRLS HOCKEY

Barring a tie, someone was going to get win number one for the season Saturday afternoon and the Medford Raiders were that girls hockey team, dominating the last two and a half periods in a 7-2 victory over the Beaver Dam Co-op.

The matchup was the final game of the day in the Medford triangular, played at the Simek Recreation Center. A last-minute fill-in after the Houghton-Hancock U19s had to back out, the sixth-ranked Somerset-based Western Wisconsin Stars blew through Medford 14-0 and Beaver Dam 10-0 in the first two games.

The third game was more competitive with both teams putting in two quick goals. But the momentum clearly swung Medford’s way midway through the first period with a couple of shifts of heavy offensive pressure. The Raiders finally broke the tie at 13:20 with a Kyle Kennedy tap-in and controlled play the rest of the way.

“We finally got a decent amount of shots on goal creating offensive opportunities,” Medford co-head coach Jenna Wieting said. “We used our D a lot today for shooting, which is good. That creates a lot of opportunities for us. We’re very confident in our defense’s ability to get good shots on. Then people can get up there and clean those up.”

The Raiders outshot the Golden Beavers 47-20, scored one power play and got their first short-handed goal of the season while getting their first win after nine losses. The Beaver Dam Co-op fell to 0-14 with its two losses.

Medford struck first just 38 seconds in. Emily Kiselicka passed the puck to Skylier Krueger at the blue line. She skated around two Beaver Dam defenders and flipped a shot that beat goalie Karlee Albert through the five-hole. At 5:00, while on a power play, Victoria Konieczny scored her first varsity goal, cleaning up the rebound off a Delaney Hraby shot. Kennedy had the second assist.

The Golden Beavers then made their push. Just 23 seconds after the Konieczny goal, Addy Damon got some skating space in front of Brandner and got a wrist shot by her. At 8:15, Damon used a screen to push the puck past Brandner’s glove and tie the game at 2-2.

But Medford’s building pressure resulted in Kennedy’s go-ahead goal. Sophia Brunner drove to the net and was denied initially, but the puck found its way to Kiselicka at the blue line. Her shot was stopped, but Kennedy had a wide-open net to tap in the rebound.

Hraby kept a puck from leaving the offensive zone 10:12 into the second period, and slapped it inside the post on Albert’s stick side for a 4-2 lead. The prettiest goal of the game came with 25 seconds left in the period when Krueger’s centering pass out of the right corner was onetimed by Eryka Seidl for a short-hander that made it 5-2.

“They got up there and were aggressive and got a good, hard shot on goal,” Wieting said. “Eryka got herself in a good spot as a good outlet.”

Medford continued to dominate in the third, outshooting the Beavers 18-5 while rotating all of its skaters onto the ice. At 8:15, Kennedy and Hraby perfectly executed a two-on-one with Hraby beating Albert low to the stick side. Medford crashed the net in the final seconds with Jaylin Machon getting the last goal as time expired, assisted by Alisyn Gruny and Seidl.

“We switched things up a little bit,” Wieting said. “We got everybody playing time today, so that was good. That was one thing I wanted to get out of this triangular. Everybody got to see a little more ice, which is good because we need to get experience too.”

Medford was one for two on power plays, while successfully killing off both of Beaver Dam’s. Brandner finished with 16 saves to pick up her first win between the pipes. Albert finished with 40 saves for Beaver Dam.

“It’s good that we were able to get Alyssa a win too,” Wieting said. “She’s been working really hard for us.”

Medford’s first game of the day got away quickly once the Western Wisconsin Stars broke the ice with an Erin Huerta goal 11:01 into the first period. Huerta scored again 15 seconds later and actually had the Stars’ first four goals by the 2:08 mark of the second period. Kenzie Weeks added two goals and five assists. Alise Wiehl had a hat trick and an assist.

The Stars led 3-0 after one and 10-0 after two. They outshot the Raiders 56-6 with Brandner collecting 42 saves.

Medford had yet another game called off on Tuesday as the Raiders did not make their planned trip to Baraboo. The Raiders have a tough one Friday, hosting the Central Wisconsin Storm in a 6 p.m. face-off. Medford will travel to Northland Pines for another 6 p.m. game on Monday.

Edge 6, Raiders 0

In a Thursday matchup of teams each seeking their first wins of the season, the Rhinelander-based Northern Edge Co-op used a six-goal second-period outburst to find elusive victory in a 6-0 decision at the Simek Recreation Center.

Maria Gironella got the first one 4:26 into the period, ending a lengthy flurry of shots and offensive pressure that had started during an Edge power play. The power play expired at 3:55, but the Raiders were unable to clear the puck and Gironella finally scored off a shot near the face-off circle to the left of Brandner.

At the time, the Edge had an 11-0 edge in shots on goal in the period.

The score held at 1-0 until the 13:23 mark, but that’s when all heck broke loose.

Not long after Medford killed off another penalty, Taylor Heleniak wrapped a pass around the net to MacKenzie Wissbroecker, who was camped on the post to Brandner’s left, giving Medford’s goalie no chance. Maddi Roeser also was credited with an assist.

Just 25 seconds later, Heleniak got in close and stuffed in a shot with Roeser getting another assist. At 14:31, Kristiina Kunelius got a low shot to get through, assisted by Gironella. The Edge won the ensuing face-off, crashed the net and got an unassisted score from Heleniak at 14:43. Emma Chiamulera’s goal at 15:34 finally ended the scoring avalanche.

“We have to figure out how to put a full game together,” Wieting said of the second-period collapse.

The Raiders got back on track defensively in the third period, getting 10 saves from Brandner. Offensively, the Raiders gave themselves a couple of scoring chances, but didn’t quite connect.

In the first period, the Edge outshot Medford 11-3. They went on to post a 4811 advantage in that department and improved to 1-6 with the win.

“Alyssa saved us in the first period,” Wieting said.