Raiders expect more goals as they add a little more depth
MEDFORD HOCKEY PREVIEW
Much like last winter, the Medford Raiders begin the 2022-23 hockey season a little thin in numbers and they lean to the young side with half of the 14-man roster being sophomores or freshmen.
But also like last year, it’s a group that has grown up on hockey and knows the game well giving fourth-year head coach Galen Searles and his two new assistants reasons to believe the Raiders will find some success in the next few months.
Medford opened the season Friday with a late addition to the schedule, a non-conference game at Antigo, which the Red Robins won 6-4. The teams will meet again Dec. 1 in conference matchup at the Simek Recreation Center.
Medford’s Tuesday game with Marshfield was postponed to Dec. 16. The Raiders are at the Altoona Co-op Tuesday for a non-conference contest before the GNC opener and home opener with Antigo.
The addition of four freshmen combined with the loss of three seniors, including goaltender Ben Brunner, actually adds up to two more skaters for the Raiders. That gives Medford the potential to rotate three full offensive lines and two defensive lines. It still could be tough going against some of the deep and established programs the Raiders will face, particularly in the Great Northern Conference.
But the extra bodies will help. “We didn’t really have that luxury last year,” Searles said Friday.
Medford’s top line to start the year features senior Miles Searles, senior Connor Gowey and freshman Tucker Phillips. Miles Searles has been a valuable player in the previous three years, logging shifts both on offensive and defensive lines as needed. He scored eight goals and added nine assists during Medford’s 6-16 season a year ago. Gowey’s 13 goals ranked second on the team behind the now-departed Brayden Machon’s 21 and included hat tricks in wins over the Frederic Co-op and Northland Pines. He added three assists.
“I have high hopes,” Galen Searles said. “I told them a couple times, somebody or a combination of somebody has to replace the offensive output that Brayden had last year. It’s usually going to be seniors stepping up. Brayden did that last year for what Carter Pernsteiner had done the year before. They are next in line. I definitely think they have the ability to do that.
“Miles and Connor have played together through their youth years,” he added. “They’ve always been on the same teams. Very rarely have they consistently been on the same line. They’re good buddies so I know that they’ve got their own personal synergy. When they have played together in games they know where each other is at. Now is their time to shine and fill the back of the net with pucks. And I think Tucker is going to be a good compliment to that. I think he’ll be able to keep the play alive and be another passing option.”
As it stands now, the second line has junior Isaac Schaefer at center with senior Jake Noland and junior Noah Machon on the wings. Schaefer is a physical presence and certainly possesses scoring ability. He had six goals and seven assists.
Freshman Cole Pernsteiner joins sophomores Logan Koski and Mason Harris on the third line.
“On the second line, Isaac is a big bull out there,” Searles said. “As long as he can stay out of the box, I think he’s going to get his share of goals.”
Defensively, Medford is led by juniors Cameron Bull and Kaden Kennedy. To start out the season, Bull is being paired at the blue line with freshman Shane Kiselicka and Kennedy is working with freshman Gavin Phillips, Tucker’s twin brother.
“Definitely expecting a lot out of Cameron as far as putting some points on the board,” Searles said. “He has a rocket of a snap shot from the point. He was definitely a leading defensive scorer and one of the team leaders last year. He’s a year older, a year bigger and hopefully a year smarter. Kaden is an excellent defender and definitely the biggest pest on the team, just being tenacious in defending guys. Gavin is a good athlete and Shane, I remember coaching him years ago. He was always a real smart player and he’s shown that right off the bat in practices.”
The defensemen will aim to keep the ice clear in front of sophomore goal tender Talan Albers, who takes over the job full-time. He got over 200 minutes in net as a freshman, including a couple of starts. Helping his development this season is the hiring of Tyler Kadlecek as an assistant coach. Kadlecek was a goalie for the Raiders, graduating in 2018. “Talan is looking good,” coach Searles said. “He grew a little bit. He’s filling out a little bit more of the net. “He’s definitely improved positionally. Tyler’s been helping him with that. He’s being more disciplined with where he’s at and the mechanics of being a goalie, getting into the right positions. The test will be the game time. He’s looked good in practice. “We focus in practice on defensive coverage,” he added. “The guys that are covering the front of the net have to keep all sticks tied up. You have to be a pest. That is a position where you have to be hated almost because you’re annoying the guy so bad.” The Raiders’ 5-4 doubleovertime win at Northland Pines was their only Great Northern Conference win of last season. Pines won the rematch in the Great Northern Conference tournament as the team finished tied at the bottom of the final standings. Mosinee won the tournament, but Lakeland won the overall championship with one more point than the Indians. Lakeland won the biggest game between the two, taking the WIAA Division 2 sectional final 3-1 to advance to state.
Rhinelander and Antigo both went 7-3 in conference games while Waupaca (55) and Tomahawk (3-7) also fielded solid squads.
For the first time, Medford will host the final day of the GNC tournament on Saturday, Feb. 11 with four games to be played that day at the Simek Recreation Center, which got a huge upgrade in the off-season with a new compressor shoring up an aging refrigeration system.
The non-conference schedule features a variety of opponents from northern and western Wisconsin that should give the Raiders ample chances to play competitive games. “I like the mix. You have to play your conference teams. It’s nice once in awhile to see the teams in your sectional to see where you’re at. We need to play some comparable teams too.”
The Raiders were the sixth seed in last year’s sectional tournament, falling to a very good third-seeded Amery Co-op in the opening round. The sectional bracket is the same as last year with one exception as Spooner has replaced Marshfield. The Amery Co-op, the Chequamegon Coop, the Frederic Co-op, Hayward, New Richmond and defending WIAA Division 2 state champion Rice Lake fill out the bracket.
Senior Delaney Hraby puts a shot on net during the closing drill of Medford’s girls hockey practice on Monday morning.MATT FREY/THE STAR NEWS
