MEDFORD HOCKEY - Raiders end regular season with a double-OT win over Hodags

MEDFORD HOCKEY

The Medford Raiders saw a late lead slip away in regulation Saturday morning, but they regrouped, got the game into overtime and, when they got an opportunity, they took advantage and won the Great Northern Conference’s seventhplace hockey game 4-3 over host Rhinelander.

Tucker Phillips got the game-winner 27 seconds into the five-minute, three-onthree double-overtime period with an assist from Grady Crass. With the win, Medford took two of three games from the rival Hodags this season and those two were the ones that mattered as they came in conference play.

Not only did Medford (2-8, 4-20) finish seventh in the GNC tournament, the win assured the Raiders finished seventh in the overall standings as well, marking the first time Medford didn’t finish in last place since 2020-21. The Raiders tied Northland Pines for the bottom spot the following year.

“We played well in spurts,” Medford head coach Klayton Kree said. “Once we got the lead, it seemed like we settled into the game. Unfortunately, they were able to fight back late in the third. A big response for us to dig deep to win it in the second overtime.”

Senior goal tender Talan Albers was busy, stopping 47 shots in the win. He saw nearly twice as many shots as his counterpart, Asher Rivord, who finished with 23 saves. Albers had 31 saves in the first two periods as Medford built a 3-1 lead.

Senior Logan Koski got the first goal 7:43 into the first period, assisted by Phillips and William Harris.

At the 2:29 mark of the second period, Phillips ripped a shot from Rivord’s left that beat the Hodag goalie to put the Raiders up 2-0. Koski had the assist.

Drake Nelson got Rhinelander on the board at 11:33 with an assist from Karter Massey. But, at 14:45, Medford’s Cole Pernsteiner was able to get in good position in front of the crease and deflected a shot from Phillips past Rivord to give Medford its two-goal lead back.

That lead held until 11:18 had elapsed in the 17-minute third period as Rhinelander tried to ramp up its pressure at the net. Carson Phlen got the puck past Albers with an assist from Logan Leonard. With 1:55 left, Dylan Shefveland got the equalizer, assisted by Nelson and Jack Turek.

Albers had four saves while Rivord had three in the overtime. Off the opening face-off of the second overtime, Rhinelander got the puck into Medford’s defensive zone, but Raider skaters Phillips, Crass and Shane Kiselicka stopped the Hodags.

“We forced a turnover in our defensive zone, Grady settled the puck and made a pass back to Tucker, who sped up the left boards, entered the zone and beat the goalie high glove side. I’m super proud of these guys, finishing out with a win and with great effort.”

Rhinelander wound up with a 50-27 edge in shots on goal. But, Medford only had to fight off the Hodags while shorthanded once. The Raiders did not score on four power plays.

In the other three GNC placement games at Rhinelander Saturday, Tomahawk clinched the outright championship with a 3-1 win over secondseeded Mosinee. Fifth-seeded Northland Pines knocked off third-seeded Lakeland 4-0 in the third-place game and fourthseeded Antigo beat sixth-seeded Waupaca 6-3 in the fifth-place game.

The seventh-seeded Raiders can take a nothing-to-lose attitude into their WIAA Division 2 tournament opener tonight, Thursday, at second-seeded Mosinee. The Indians (8-2 GNC, 14-9-1 overall) handled Medford twice during the regular season 10-0 and 7-0. The winner of tonight’s 7 p.m. game will face either sixth-seeded Shawano-Bonduel or third-seeded Lakeland in Tuesday’s sectional semifinal.