Pacelli pounces on penalty; Red Robins get GNC win

MEDFORD BOYS HOCKEY

The Medford Raiders had more shots and quality scoring chances in the first period Tuesday, but a big second-period swing changed everything in a 5-0 nonconference hockey loss to the Pacelli Coop at the Simek Recreation.

The Cardinals scored four times in the second period to break the game with three of those goals coming during a fiveminute major slashing penalty the Raiders obviously struggled to kill.

Penalties and playing short-handed were a big reason Medford was unable to mount any kind of comeback in the last two periods. They successfully killed off five two-minute minors they were whistled for during the game. But they also didn’t create a ton of offense after their eight-shot first period and fell to 1-5 overall.

“We were humming in the first period,” head coach Galen Searles said. “We created some good scoring chances. We needed to capitalize on those opportunities. It was good until that five-minute major.”

Included in the first-period opportunities were two power-play chances the Raiders did not score on. A penalty just 3:50 in put Medford a man down, but that’s when they got their first good chance to beat Pacelli goalie Carter Herheim. Miles Searles intercepted the puck in the offensive zone and centered it Jake Noland, whose shot was denied. Brayden Machon had a good one-on-one shot at Herheim nearly two minutes later at the 6:45 mark but couldn’t connect. Around the 12:45 mark, the Raiders’ top line put in a strong shift, putting a couple of shots on net, including another by Machon off a perfect Searles pass. Connor Gowey carried the puck for two chances in the final minute, but he too came up empty.

Jake Noland had two chances in front of the net early in the second period that Herheim pushed aside.

“Jake Noland was on fire tonight,” Galen Searles said. “He had some good scor- ing chances and passed the puck well.”

But, as Searles feared, momentum swung when Pacelli finally broke the scorelss tie 4:17 into the period on an unassisted goal by Drew Bandy. Raider goalie Ben Brunner got a big save to stop a Pacelli breakaway at 8:26, but that’s when the five-minute slashing major was called and the visitors went to work.

First, at 10:16 Mason Zelinski got an open lane right through the middle of the Raiders’ defensive and beat Brunner to make it 2-0. Sawyer Olds and Eli Robinson had the assists. Just 39 seconds later, Robinson was able to get to the crease and tapped one in past Brunner’s righthand stick side. Joshua Massey had the assist as a delayed hooking penalty on Medford was eliminated with that goal.

Just after Gowey put a good shot on Herhiem right off a face-off and just before the major penalty finally expired, Pacelli made it 4-0 with some crisp passing that got Olds a goal at 13:07, assisted by Jacob Hasler and Robinson.

Pacelli’s passing continued to get better in the third period, resulting in 10 shots on goal, but only one got past Medford freshman goalie Talan Albers. That came off the stick of Bandy 30 seconds into the third period, assisted by Ben Westrick.

“The way they passed at the end, they looked like a whole different team,” Searles said. “But that’s what happens when you start playing with some confidence like they were.”

Pacelli improved to 3-2 overall behind Herheim’s shutout in net. He had 21 saves, including eight in the first and third periods. Brunner had seven saves in 27:55 of net time, while Albers stopped 12 shots in 23:05.

Medford draws a tough Great Northern Conference foe Friday when the Waupaca Comets visit the Simek Center for a 6 p.m. face-off. Then it’s off to Black River Falls on Tuesday for a non-conference contest with the Tigers that also starts at 6 p.m.

Antigo 9, Medford 1

On Thursday, the Raiders weren’t as sharp as they had been at times in their loss to Rice Lake two nights earlier and the visiting Antigo Red Robins took advantage, cruising to a 9-1 win at the Simek Center.

Garett Husnick had a hat trick and Owen Dickman scored twice to lead Antigo’s offensive attack that put 42 shots on goal. The Robins built an 8-0 lead before the Raiders broke the shutout 10:41 into the third period. With an assist from Isaac Schaefer, Gowey carried the puck into the offensive zone and attacked from the right side. He flicked a fast-moving wrist shot past Antigo goal keeper Nolan Bunnell to get Medford on the board.

Brunner kept Medford in it in the first period, stopping 21 of the 23 shots he faced. The Robins were kept off the board during a five-on-three advantage of 1:35. Antigo had a 23-4 advantage in shots in the first 17 minutes. Husnick scored just 16 seconds in with assists from Tony Kanda and Lanson Nelson. Eli Kassler added the second goal just 1:18 later with assists from Calvin Jensen and Joe Volpentesta. But that was all the Robins got despite dominating the action.

But they repeated their quick-strike ability to start the second period and, this time, they maintained it throughout, scoring five times to put the game away. Husnick’s goal just 52 seconds into the period made it 3-0. Jensen scored 65 seconds later to make it 4-0.

At 7:26, Dickman stuck in a bouncing puck that had been deflected after being shot by Paden Michalik. Husnick got his third goal on an unassisted breakaway at 11:04 and Dickman scored at 13:40 off a pretty centering pass from Ian Brittenham to make it 7-0.

Michalik’s power play goal made it 8-0 before Gowey got his goal. Karda closed the scoring at 14:30, with a deflection in front of the crease off a blue-line shot from Nelson.

Brunner finished with 26 saves in two periods of work between the pipes. Albers took over in the running-clock third period and stopped seven of nine shots. Bunnell had 10 saves. Medford had one power play opportunity that spanned the end of the second and start of the third periods. Antigo was one for four.

After going wide right on his first try, Shawn Konieczny perfectly pushed the puck through center ice on his second and final attempt and made the Forward Bank $5,000 Shot on Goal during the first intermission in Tuesday’s Medford Raiders hockey game at the Simek Recreation Center. By making the shot, Konieczny took home half of the $5,000 jackpot while the other half goes to Medford’s athletics program. He is the second winner in Medford over the past three seasons. Ruth Searles made her shot two seasons ago.MATT FREY/THE STAR NEWS

Medford’s Connor Gowey tries to maintain control of the puck as he carries it into the offensive zone and is hounded by Antigo’s Trevin Walbeck during Thursday’s loss.MATT FREY/THE STAR NEWS