MEDFORD GIRLS HOCKEY - Eagles skate past Raider girls, 5-2

MEDFORD GIRLS HOCKEY

Taylor Heleniak again played like one of the toughest forwards the Medford Raiders have seen this season, recording two goals and two assists, while Mallory Schmidt got the hat trick this time in the Northland Pines Co-op’s third win over the Raiders, a 5-2 decision Thursday night in Eagle River.

Heleniak’s second goal, which came 10:08 into the third period, was accomplished with an Ella Hahn assist and took some starch out of a comeback effort the Raiders had started earlier in the period. After getting nothing on 12 shots on goal in the second period, Medford’s Kara Kennedy finally solved Eagle netminder Jenna Uhrine 7:22 into the third, scoring a power-play goal with help from a Jaylon Machon assist, to cut Pines’ lead to 3-1.

But Heleniak’s goal, plus Schmidt’s third goal off a Heleniak assist just 15 seconds later at 10:23, put the game out of reach. Medford’s Grace Schmidtfranz got the Raiders’ second goal with 1:15 left with an assist from Tori Konieczny.

The Eagles beat the Raiders 3-1 in both of the girls hockey teams’ first two meetings this year. Heleniak, who is from Lakeland, had five of the Eagles’ six goals in those games and an assist on the one she didn’t score on.

This time, Schmidt got the home team on the board first, scoring 4:55 in with an Emalee Detienne assist. Heleniak scored at exactly the 14:00 mark for a 2-0 lead. The period ended with Pines holding a 9-0 advantage in shots on goal.

Medford was able to create much more offense in the second period, outshooting the Eagles 12-9, but the Eagles were the only team to light the lamp in the period, getting a power-play goal from Schmidt with assists from Heleniak and Avery Renkes at 3:37.

Zayleah Leonhardt had 22 saves for the Raiders in the contest, while Uhrine had 15 in her third win of the season against Medford, who fell to 3-11 with the loss.

The Raiders head to the Milwaukee area this weekend to take on the Hartland Arrowhead Co-op Friday at 7:30 p.m. and the Brookfield Glacier Co-op at 9 a.m. Saturday.