MEDFORD GIRLS HOCKEY - Pines outscores Raiders again; short-handed team battles in quad

MEDFORD GIRLS HOCKEY

For the second time in the season’s first three weeks, Medford’s girls hockey team had no trouble generating scoring chances against the Northland Pines Co-op Tuesday.

Also for the second time, the Raiders didn’t get enough of those shots past Eagle goalie Lucy Nowak in a 7-4 loss at the Simek Recreation Center.

Medford started a bit slow offensively, but the Raiders eventually built momentum and put 35 shots on goal in the last two periods. The team also scored three power-play goals, something that has been absent for much of the first few weeks.

But it wasn’t enough as Pines got two goals from Bella Nowak, a goal apiece from five others and 42 saves from Lucy Nowak, who had 32 saves in the Eagles’ 43 overtime win over Medford back on Nov. 26. The Eagles scored the game’s first three goals and led 6-1 going into the third period.

Medford outshot the Eagles 22-4 in the third while trying to put together a frantic comeback.

Zayleah Leonhardt scored the last two goals, getting a power-play score at 9:32 and then punching in a rebound at 10:41 with Tori Konieczny and Carly Koski getting the assists. The Raiders weren’t far from another goal or two after that. Megan Schaefer had a shot just go over the crossbar, a puck slid through the crease just missing the post and Leonhardt put a couple of hard shots on goal with no luck.

Grace Schmidtfranz got Medford on the board with a power-play goal 6:23 into the second period, assisted by Emily Kiselicka and Leonhardt. The Eagles, though, got a quick answer from Reese Retallick 71 seconds later to go up 4-1. Goals by Bella Nowak at 13:25 and Olivia Peterson at 14:36 made it a five-goal game. Peterson’s goal came on a power play.

Kara Kennedy scored for Medford 2:10 into the third, but that was countered by Lilly Beitler’s goals for the Eagles at 3:43, which came on another power play.

Pines scored on all three Medford penalties. Medford was two for seven on power plays.

Chloe Pipkorn had 16 saves in goal for the Raiders, who finished with a 46-23 advantage in shots on goal.

The Raiders end a lengthy run of home games tonight, Thursday, by hosting the Eau Claire Stars Co-op at 6 p.m.

Weekend quad

Already down some bodies due to injuries, the Raiders had to work around a couple more absences due to prior commitments and did what they could in a two-day quad they hosted at the Simek Recreation Center.

The Raiders dropped their Friday night game to the Brookfield Glacier Co-op 9-1 and then had a close game with the Hartland Arrowhead Co-op get away from them in the period in a 7-1 final.

“I’m so proud of the ladies this weekend,” head coach Tasha Schmidtfranz said. “I don’t feel like the scores quite reflect how hard we tried being short of players.”

Friday’s game also was competitive until the third period. Konieczny got the Raiders on the board first with a Kennedy assist 3:27 into the game. The 1-0 lead held until the Glacier got two goals 75 seconds apart late in the opening period. Maggie Chandler got the first one at 14:03 and Ella Vranak got the second at 15:28.

Brookfield got two more goals in the second period at 7:16 and 13:48 to go up 41. A five-goal outburst in the third put it away.

Vranak scored twice and had an assist for Brookfield, who beat Northland Pines 5-0 on Saturday. Seven more skaters had a goal apiece for the Glacier. Pipkorn had 28 saves in goal for Medford and Macy Blooming had 11 for Brookfield.

On Saturday, Arrowhead got out to a quick start, getting an Elizabeth Robinson goal on the game’s first shift at 41 seconds and Rowan Smith adding another at 6:03 on a one-timer off a perfect centering pass from Paxtyn Showers. Hana Olson also had an assist.

After starting a bit flat and getting outshot 17-5 in the opening period, the Raiders found energy in the second period and outshot the Warhawks 12-11. They had a power play chance but couldn’t convert and had a handful of good opportunities but Warhawk goalie Brihanna Chmiel stopped everything when needed.

Right after Chmiel made a glove save on a point-blank shot by Kennedy, Arrowhead got an unassisted goal from Isabelle Holtz with 1:19 left in the period as she got loose skating in from Pipkorn’s left side and somehow found a small gap to make it 3-0.

“We definitely hustled, started passing much better,” Tasha Schmidtfranz said. “It was really coming together. Once we get control of the puck, we can definitely pass and handle it and get it down the ice. We had shots on goal.”

Down to just two defensemen, Grace Schmidtfranz and Koski, and only a couple of extra skaters as well, the Raiders ran out of gas in the third.

Smith scored right off a face-off 33 seconds in. On a power play at 5:35, Veronica Pauken connected on a nice wrist shot and at 7:38, Emmerson Berger was able to skate through the middle of the defense and shot over Pipkorn’s glove to score and make it 6-0.

The Raiders got their goal at the 10minute mark. Kennedy won the race to a loose puck at the defensive blue line, got out in front of three Warhawk skaters and connected on a shot low to the far stick side. Grace Schmidtfranz was credited with the assist.

“She’s been reaching for that one for awhile,” Tasha Schmidtfranz said. “She said something like, ‘I don’t care if I miss it, that’s where I’m shooting it, that’s where I’ve been trying to shoot it’ and this time she connected. She saw it and she took it. That was awesome.”

Unfortunately, Arrowhead won the ensuing face-off and Pauken scored just nine seconds later. Arrowhead outshot the Raiders 45-20 with Pipkorn collecting 38 saves. “I’m very proud of Chloe,” Tasha Schmidtfranz said. “She saved a ton of shots this weekend and she’s only been in net for about six weeks.”

Arrowhead beat Northland Pines 3-0 in the first game of the quad late Friday afternoon.

Medford defenseman Carly Koski hustles to try to get to a loose puck near the crease during the first period of Tuesday’s 7-4 home loss to Northland Pines. MATT FREY/THE STAR NEWS

Chloe Pipkorn