BLIZZARD BUSTERS

MEDFORD BOYS HOCKEY

Gowey’s hat trick, Machon’s penalty shot key in win

According to Medford’s goal scorers, their shots on goal weren’t perfect Thursday night. But when things are going right, those imperfect shots can look pretty darn good.

Junior Connor Gowey was the primary beneficiary of the Raiders’ good luck, securing his second career hat trick in the Raiders’ 4-1 non-conference win over the Burnett Blizzard Co-op at the Simek Recreation Center. Senior Brayden Machon got a rare penalty shot late in the second period and converted and senior Ben Brunner collected 16 saves as the Raiders snapped a six-game losing streak in a solid all-around effort.

The hat trick for Gowey came almost a year to the day since he scored three goals in a 7-6 win at the Shawano Co-op on Dec. 22, 2020. He’s had several twogoal games as well as a Raider.

Thursday’s hat trick started with the first sign this might be Medford’s night. After the Raiders weren’t able to find the net on a couple of good early scoring chances, Gowey took a shot from the right corner deep in the offensive zone and got the right bounce off the left side of goalie Cashton Kapp’s back to give Medford a 1-0 lead 8:36 into the opening period with Kaden Kennedy getting credit for the assist.

“That is not what I meant to do,” said Gowey, who now has a team-high six goals for the year. “I don’t know. It hit the post, bounced up in the air, hit him in the back and wobbled in. I wasn’t expecting that to happen, but I’ll take that.”

“Connor is starting to get more aggressive and use that shot he’s got,” head coach Galen Searles said. “He’s always been our number-one sniper because he’s got the shot. He has to get himself into position to take those shots. It was nice to see that.”

The Blizzard answered just 32 second later at 9:08 when Ross Anderson won a face-off in Medford’s zone, sending the puck to Will Gerber for a one-timer that found the net, tying the game at 1-1, where it stayed through the end of the period. Medford went into the first intermission with a 9-5 edge in shots.

“Our passing was a little more on today,” Searles said. “The kids had their heads up and stayed out of the box. After the first period, it felt like the same game as the Pacelli game (a 5-0 loss on Dec. 14 that was scoreless after one). We were on top of them, but if we start getting penalties, the same thing can happen again and they can get momentum. But it was nice to see them come out flying.”

Gowey put the Raiders up for good just 2:55 into the second period, getting the puck from Colbe Bull and taking a low shot from Kapp’s right side.

“I took it wide, took a shot on net hoping we could get a rebound, but it went right through the five hole,” Gowey said.

Medford goal keeper Ben Brunner made a couple of good glove saves during a Blizzard power play that started 14:28 into the period. Just after that power play ended, with 47 seconds left in the period, Medford’s Miles Searles flipped the puck out of the defensive zone, timing the pass perfectly to a sprinting Machon. He got tripped from behind by Logan Hopkins, creating his penalty shot opportunity.

“It’s pretty nerve-wracking,” Machon said. “It’s never happened to me before. You never know if they’re actually going to call it a penalty shot or not of if they’re just going to call it a tripping. You get all excited and then you get on the line and you’re nervous because it’s just you and the goalie. You just have to put it in.”

That’s what he did –– but not by much –– as the puck just trickled over the red line behind Kapp to give Medford a 3-1 lead.

“My plan was to make a move, but then I was going in and I saw the right glove side was open and I went for it,” Machon said. “I didn’t quite hit what I was shooting for. I hit the bottom of his glove and it just barely rolled in. It was cool.”

“You don’t see that too often, so that was pretty cool,” Gowey said. “Making it in was even better. That really changed the momentum of the game.”

The Blizzard didn’t seriously threaten the Raiders’ lead in the third period and Gowey added to it six minutes in, skating through some resistance and firing a shot that again bounced off Kapp and in.

“The third one should’ve been an easy top shelf goal, but I ended up hitting the goalie’s stick,” Gowey said. “It bounced off his back and rolled in again.”

The offense was certainly a welcome sight after Medford had scored just three goals in its previous six games, but Galen Searles said the defensive effort was just as important in the win. Plus, Medford had just two penalties, resulting in only four minutes in the box.

“The defense did a nice job of moving the puck up quick,” he said. “That’s something we talk about a lot is not hanging on to it and letting your forwards get covered before you try and pass it to them. Other than that bang-bang off the face-off, it could’ve easily been a shutout. But that was a nice shot. Ben was strong again. He didn’t get tested as hard but I thought he made the saves he needed to. He was good with his stick a few times where the puck was in front and he’d bring it into the corner.”

The 2-7 Raiders looked to make it two in a row Tuesday with a non-conference game at Shawano. After that, it’s on to Great Northern Conference play at Tomahawk against the improved Hatchets on Jan. 6 and at the always-strong Lakeland Thunderbirds on Jan. 11.

“I think we’re starting to play better as a team,” Machon said. “We have two new young guys and we lost a lot of seniors this year. We’re starting to figure out how to play together. We have a lot of guys who haven’t played much before, even though they’ve played awhile.”

“I think we’ve been playing a lot better lately,” Gowey said. “We’re moving our feet. We’re better conditioned.”

Tigers 9, Raiders 1

Six different players scored goals as the Black River Falls Co-op outshot Medford 43-14 and outscored the Raiders 9-1 in non-conference play Dec. 21.

The host Tigers came 49 seconds away from a shutout, but Gowey spoiled that by scoring an unassisted goal.

Black River Falls needed just 30 seconds to score the game’s first goal and had four on the board by the end of the opening period. Two more second-period goals put the running clock into effect and pushed the Raiders toward their sixth straight loss.

Gabe Iverson, Karsten Hunter and Matt Engebretson scored two goals apiece for the Tigers, who improved to 6-2.

Brunner had 34 saves for the Raiders with 15 coming in the first period when the Tigers set the tone by outshooting Medford 19-7.

Wyatt Tennant got the Tigers’ first goal right off the bat with assists from Hunter and Micah Zoschke. Hunter got his first goal seven minutes in and Engebretson added one just 2:02 later with an assist from goalie Christopher Muir. Iverson’s unassisted goal at 15:37 stretched the lead to 4-0.

Hunter and Ian Zoschke scored at 4:24 and 6:24 in the second period with both goals coming on power plays. Engebretson (1:04), Iverson (6:40) and Wyatt Madvig (7:58) pushed the lead to 9-0 in the third period. Madvig’s goal came on a power play, making Black River Falls three for four on the night. Medford was scoreless in two chances.

Muir had nine saves in 36:26 between the pipes. Not only did he have an assist, he also had a roughing penalty in the game. Kyle Hansen stopped four of the five shots he saw in 14:34 of ice time.

Benches from both teams have their eyes on Medford’s Brayden Machon as he gets set to unleash a successful penalty shot late in the second period of the Raiders’ 4-1 win over the Burnett Blizzard Co-op Thursday at the Simek Recreation Center.MATT FREY/THE STAR NEWS

Medford’s Connor Gowey skates one last stride before firing the shot that results in his third goal of the night during the third period of Thursday’s win.MATT FREY/THE STAR NEWS