MEDFORD GIRLS HOCKEY - Shots finally find net when needed in 2-1 victory

MEDFORD GIRLS HOCKEY

The Medford Raiders played some of their best hockey of the season in the first two periods Friday but had nothing to show for it while trailing the Stoughton Co-op 1-0.

The theme going into the third period for the girls was to keep shooting and it paid off with two goals, including Emily Kiselicka’s game-winner with 41 seconds left that pushed the Raiders to an exciting 2-1 win over the Icebergs at the Simek Recreation Center.

Of all the quality shots Medford put on the Icebergs’ freshman goaltender Annika Mueller, Kiselicka’s goal was, arguably, among the least likely to go in. But puck bounces can be unpredictable. Holding down the defensive spot on the left side of Medford’s formation, the Raiders worked the puck back to Kiselicka, whose first shot was blocked. She got the rebound and flipped it toward the net. The puck hit some traffic on the way through and found its way in.

The Raiders killed off the rest of the clock from there to improve to 3-6.

“That one was very lucky,” Kiselicka said. “We were just cycling it out. We just wanted to keep pounding it in and eventually it just went in when we got a tip.”

“It was really cool,” the Raider junior said. “I think we had our moments. I think we definitely had a couple points where we could’ve been better. But as a team we played very well today.”

Oddly, in the two periods the Raiders outshot the Icebergs 27-9, they were outscored 1-0. The Icebergs seemed to finally get their legs under them after their long trip in the third period, where they outshot the Raiders 15-8. But Zayleah Leonhardt finished with 23 saves on 24 total shots faced and the Raiders made two of the third-period shots count to get the win.

The first Medford goal came 3:05 into the period. Kara Kennedy and Jaylin Machon worked the puck behind the Icebergs’ net. Machon then sent a centering pass to an uncovered Tori Konieczny, who banged the puck home to tie it after the Raiders had trailed since the 12:46 mark of the second period.

“I was just trying to throw it in front,” Machon said. “Tori was there and it worked good.”

“I was hyped. I was very hyped,” Konieczny said. “We just worked well as a team. We’ve had how many practices without a game. We basically destructed and built back up, figured out what worked for us and we made it work.”

This was Medford’s first game since Dec. 14 and the players said in that time the team had taken a hard look at what had gone right or gone wrong in the first eight games and made some line adjustments.

“We’re definitely getting some stuff figured out,” said Kiselicka, who moved to more of a defensive role. “We moved a lot of people around on our lines and I think it’s working out.”

“Our passing was great tonight,” Medford head coach Tasha Schmidtfranz said. “We had good teamwork, a lot of offensive regroups and a lot of neutral zone regroups. I think we’re really starting to come together as a team.”

The Raiders outshot the Icebergs 16-5 in a scoreless first period where Medford couldn’t capitalize on two power plays. In the opening three minutes, Kennedy and Machon both had shots bounce off the base of the post. Machon, Ava Hartl and Grace Schmidtfranz all had hard shots on goal in the period and Kennedy couldn’t connect in front off a nice feed from Machon during the second power play.

Mueller made key saves on shots by Machon, Hartl and Konieczny in the first half of the second period. Suddenly, at 12:46, the Icebergs’ Alexa Bartels got control of the puck and sped all alone to get a one-on-one shot with Leonhardt and scored with a shot over Leonhardt’s left shoulder.

Medford killed off a Stoughton power play not long after the goal. Penalties by both teams created short power plays and a 70-second stretch of four-on-four skating late in the period. But neither team scored.

“It’s very frustrating but you gotta keep shooting,” Konieczny said of Medford’s scoreless first two periods.”

“I was very happy at the end when we finally got them in,” Kiselicka said.

Medford is back at home Friday when it hosts another southern foe, the Beaver Dam Co-op, at 7 p.m. Friday has been designated as Youth Night at the Simek Center. The Raiders head to Eagle River Tuesday for a 6 p.m. rematch with the Northland Pines Co-op. Pines beat Medford 3-1 back on Dec. 12. Medford is at the always-tough Black River Falls Co-op on Jan. 11 and hosts one of the state’s best teams, Superior-Northwestern, on Jan. 13 at 5 p.m.

“This was a super great game,” Tasha Schmidtfranz said. “I’m very excited. We’re coming together as a team.”

Medford’s Ava Hartl lines up a point-blank shot after gaining control of the puck ahead of the Stoughton Co-op’s Sydney Gilbertson during the first period of Friday’s 2-1 win. This shot on goal, like the rest of Medford’s shots in the first two periods, was saved by the Icebergs’ Annika Mueller. MATT FREY/THE STAR NEWS

Emily Kiselicka reacts following her game-winning goal Friday. MATT FREY/THE STAR NEWS