MEDFORD GIRLS HOCKEY - Sabers strike early and late in 8-1 win

MEDFORD GIRLS HOCKEY

The Medford Raiders got off to a slow start, hung tough in the second period and then ran out of gas in the third Thursday in an 8-1 home loss to the Chippewa Falls-Menomonie Sabers.

Kara Kennedy scored her second goal of the season with help from a Grace Schmidtfranz assist 11:40 into a second period that saw the Raiders equal the Sabers in shots on goal with 12 apiece. At the time, the goal cut the visitors’ lead to 4-1 and that’s where the score stayed going into the second intermission.

But in the third period, the Sabers got four goals from four different skaters to put the game away and improve to 6-2.

The Raiders fell to 2-6 going into a twoweek break from competition.

“The girls will be working hard at practices,” head coach Tasha Schmidtfranz said. “ Hopefully we can keep developing and find what works for our team.”

Chippewa Falls-Menomonie jumped on the Raiders in the first period, outshooting them 16-2 and putting three pucks past goalie Zayleah Leonhardt.

At 3:40, Addisyn Buesgen scored from her knees when she got knocked down just before a pass from behind the net arrived from Paige Steinmetz. Not long after that, Leonhardt stopped a shot from inside the blue line by Olivia Herr, but Tessa Leisses was there to clean up the rebound.

Medford’s first real chance offensively came at 6:10 when Jaylin Machon carried the puck along the right boards and centered a pass to Makenna Wellman, whose shot went wide of the net. A power play for Medford that started at 6:52 was shortlived when the Raiders were called for a body check just 13 seconds later, creating 1:47 of four-on-four hockey.

Leonhardt stopped a breakaway chance at 10:40 but wasn’t as fortunate at 14:44 when she deflected Buesgen’s shot but it still snuck into the net’s upper right corner. Steinmetz had the assist. Grace Schmidtfranz finally put Medford’s first shot on goal at 15:30 and the Raiders got another one on goalie Kassie Herr in a scramble at the net in the final seconds.

Kinley Laux scored for the Sabers 3:36 into the second period with assists from Leisses and Elle Ash. Steinmetz (3:19), Ashley Slupe (4:23), Buesgen (7:01) and Delaney Johnson (14:21) got the four goals in the third period for Chippewa Falls-Menomonie. Buesgen’s third goal of the night came on a power play. She also assisted on the Steinmetz and Slupe goals.

Herr finished with 18 saves for the Sabers. Leonhardt had 13 more saves in the third period to finish with 46.

Medford is off until Dec. 29 when it hosts the Stoughton Co-op Icebergs at 6 p.m. In between, you’ll see the team out and about ringing the bells at County Market tonight, Thursday, and selling for the raffles and chuck-a-ducks at the annual alumni hockey games Saturday night at the Simek Center.