Top line can’t be contained in season-opening blowout win
MEDFORD BOYS HOCKEY
The competition will certainly be tougher most of the year, but the scoring punch shown by the top scoring line was encouraging for the Medford Raiders in their 11-1 blowout win over the Shawano-Bonduel-Clintonville Co-op in the Nov. 26 hockey season opener.
Colton Gowey had a hat trick by the end of the first period and wound up with five goals and an assist, while Carter Pernsteiner added four goals and two assists in the first double-digit win for a Medford hockey team in well over a decade. The Raiders beat the Chequamegon Coop 9-0 last season.
Head coach Galen Searles said his first line of Gowey, Pernsteiner and Brayden Machon needs to be the team’s scoring leaders the year and it wasted no time in the opener, getting a Gowey goal off an assist from defenseman Warryck Leonhardt just 30 seconds in.
The Hawks answered just 17 seconds later with an unassisted goal by Leland Jones, but that would be it for the hosts, who put nine shots on Raider goaltender AJ Adleman in the first period and just four the rest of the way.
Gowey scored unassisted goals at 2:35 and 7:29 to put Medford ahead to stay. Pernsteiner got his first goal of the year at 8:57 and he notched his second one with a Gowey assist at 11:46, giving the Raiders a 5-1 lead that stood into the first intermission.
The Raiders lit the lamp five more times in the second period to take a commanding 10-1 lead and allowing Searles to get ample ice time for all of his skaters in the later stages of the non-conference game.
Gowey scored at 1:12 with a Pernsteiner assist, then Pernsteiner and Machon were credited with assists on Gowey’s fifth goal, which came at the 5:15 mark.
Two minutes later, junior defenseman Logan Searles got his first goal of the season, assisted by Blaine Seidl. Seidl also assisted on the first varsity goal for freshman Connor Gowey, which was scored at the 14:09 mark.
Pernsteiner stuck the puck past Shawano goalie Caleb Davids with two seconds left in the period to get his hat trick. He was assisted by Miles Searles and Machon. Pernsteiner scored his first goal 12 seconds into the final period to close the scoring. Both teams were unsuccessful on four power-play opportunities.
Medford avenged a 4-2 loss Shawano handed it in last year’s only meeting between the teams. The Hawks will visit Medford for a rematch this season on Jan. 3.
The Raiders will make their home debut Friday at 5 p.m. when they host the Merrill Co-op in game one of a boys-girls doubleheader at the Simek Recreation Center. The girls host the Somerset Coop in game two.
Medford opens Great Northern Conference play Tuesday when it hosts the Rhinelander Hodags at 7 p.m.
