MEDFORD HOCKEY - Two games of progress, then a step back Tuesday for hockey team

MEDFORD HOCKEY

After taking some steps forward late last week, the Medford hockey team took a step backward Tuesday, allowing six second-period goals in an 8-2 loss at Shawano.

For the second straight game, Medford got the first goal. Tucker Phillips got it unassisted just 1:56 in.

But after that it was all Hawks as they improved to 5-3 on the season, while the Raiders fell to 1-7.

Tanner Hubbard scored Medford’s second goal 7:51 into the second period with an assist from Phillips. But by then, the Raiders had already trailed 4-1. Two goals six seconds apart at 10:11 and 10:17, however, made it 6-2 and ended any momentum the Raiders hoped to get off that goal.

Blake Knope led Shawano’s offensive attack with three goals and an assist. Gavin Hundt scored the Hawks’ first goal 6:32 into the first period. It came on a power play. Knope got the tie-breaking goal at 14:27. Hundt finished with two goals and an assist.

Talan Albers had 12 first-period saves and 15 more in the second on his way to 37 saves. Kaiden Thornborrow had 31 saves for Shawano.

Things won’t get any easier for Medford tonight, Thursday, when it visits Great Northern Conference leader Tomahawk, the state’s top-ranked team in Division 2. The Raiders will then get right back at it Friday, hosting the Frederic Co-op Blizzard at 7 p.m. at the Simek Recreation Center.

Medford will take some time off for Christmas and then has one game over the holiday week, visiting the Barron Co-op at 6 p.m. on Dec. 27.

Rice Lake 7, Medford 2

Tucker Phillips scored the game’s first two goals and the Raiders were still deadlocked 2-2 with host Rice Lake after two periods in Saturday’s non-conference matchup, but the Warriors wore down Medford and scored five times in the third to earn a 7-2 win.

While it got away at the end, Medford head coach Klayton Kree said this was Medford’s best effort in the first month of the regular season with the final score not indicating how he felt the Raiders played.

“We played really, really good for a good portion of the game,” he said. “We let it slip in the third a little, but we turned a corner in this game. I’m really proud of their performance.”

While Rice Lake outshot Medford 8-5 in the first period, Phillips got the only goal, beating Warrior netminder Cael Gago at 6:12 with a Grady Crass assist. Phillips got a short-handed goal 5:34 into the second. The unassisted score made it 2-0, where it stayed until the Warriors turned the tide with two quick ones late in the period.

Jacob Wyse got the first one with just 1:42 left in the 17-minute period, assisted by Easton Gbeyetin. Ten seconds later, Gbeyetin scored unassisted and, just like that, the lead was gone.

Gbeyetin scored 1:28 into the third to give the Warriors the lead. Lincoln Heinn scored twice in the third, including a short-handed goal to close the scoring with 2:44 left. Brady Doporcyk and Austin Storberg added goals for Rice Lake, who improved to 2-3.

Rice Lake had a 40-20 advantage in shots on goal. Talan Albers had 33 saves in goal for Medford. Gago had 18 saves, including one on a penalty shot midway through the third period. Medford did not score on five power plays and killed three Rice Lake power plays.

Antigo 7, Medford 3

The Antigo Red Robins have been playing short-handed through the first few weeks of the season, but with half of their high-scoring duo of Owen Dickman and Eli Kassler available, that was enough for them to come into the Simek Center Thursday and get a 7-3 win.

Dickman was the half of that duo who played and he scored six of Antigo’s goals, including five in a row that broke the game open over the second and third periods.

The Raiders actually outshot Antigo 2725. Unfortunately, the Raiders were down to emergency goalie Jacob Doyle, who did get 18 saves. Albers was out after getting injured late in the team’s Dec. 10 win at the Chequamegon Co-op and normal backup Jaxston Malzahn was away in Mexico.

“Jacob kept us in it for a long time,” Kree said. “We just had a couple lapses on the defensive end, where we had a couple of guys not stepping up or guys stepping up and nobody filling in behind them.

“But we played hard. We’re starting to score some goals. The chances are there. Our offensive zone pressure is doing really good. At some point, they’re going to start going in in bunches.”

Dickman scored his first goal 54 seconds in, but then Medford kept him under wraps for a lengthy stretch. He did have the assist on Liam Burt’s goal 4:50 into the first period. The Raiders then kept Antigo out of the net for 28 minutes and cut that deficit to one when Hubbard, a freshman, got his first varsity goal, assisted by Crass and Phillips at the 9:02 mark of the first period.

“They’ve been buzzing around, they’ve been a good line,” Kree said of that trio.

The Raiders had a golden opportunity to draw even when they had a five-minute power play midway through the second period, but they weren’t able to take advantage of it. Right after it ended, the Robins were able to get Dickman free on a breakaway and he scored at the 15:17 mark.

Dickman then went on a scoring binge to start the third and make it 7-1. He was left open on the doorstep at 2:31, and scored again 22 seconds later off an Alex Brittenham assist. Dickman beat Doyle low to the stick side at 6:32 and then he got his last one at 7:02 as the Red Robins created heavy pressure in the crease.

The Raiders didn’t quit, getting a Fischer Thums rebound goal at 10:16 as he beat Antigo goale Richie Veriha by going top shelf. Ian Roiger and Cade Wellman had the assists. Tucker Phillips got an unassisted breakaway goal 38 seconds later.

“Our blue line of Cole Pernsteiner, Logan Koski and Mason Harris, they’ve been getting chances here and there,” Kree said. “I was impressed with our white line tonight every time they got out on the ice. They got a goal. Fischer has been hustling really hard, Cade has been hustling really hard and we’ve been seeing improvement out of Ian too.”

Veriha finished with 24 saves as Antigo improved to 2-0 in the GNC and 3-3 overall at the time. Both teams had just one power play and did not score.

“Things are looking up,” Kree said. “The guys played hard and you can see the improvement.”

Medford’s Tanner Hubbard tries to make something happen with the puck during the Raiders’ 7-2 loss at Rice Lake Saturday afternoon. TRAVIS NYHUS/RICE LAKE CHRONTOTYPE