The Bluejay boys ripped off three games in a row last week, recovering from a lop-sided loss to the state’s fifth-ranked Wis. Rapids with back-to-back wins for the title of the Merrill Invitational.
Merrill gave up the tying goal to Rhinelander with just 52 seconds left in regulation on Friday night, endured a challenging overtime, then secured the win in a shoot-out. The boys closed out the tourney title with a 9-5 triumph over Medford the next day.
The Jays took a 1-0 lead over Rhinelander in the first period, and pushed it to 3-1 in the second before giving up two third period scores.
“(It was) another game of ups and downs,” MHS coach Chase Nelson said. “We were out-shot 7-3 in the first period but led 1-0. Then we came out really well in the second period, and out-shot them 12-4 and held a 3-1 lead. Then, in the third, we came out, and instead of going out and winning a hockey game, we played not to lose, and then we almost did.
“We ended up winning the game in a shoot-out, but on our record this game goes down as a tie. Which will be huge when it comes to the seeding meeting. Us and Rhinelander will be fighting against each other for seeding. If we could have hung on and won the game in regulation, then we would have a had a good argument that we should be seeded higher. Now, we see them again this Saturday, and that game is going to be even bigger.”
Nick Hoffmann (A-Jaakko Holopainen, Juuso Valtanen) scored the opening goal on a breakaway with 4:50 left in the first. Just three minutes into the second, Merrill put tremendous power play pressure on the Hodags, and shortly after Austin Burgener’s shot clanged off the post, Kyle Kleinschmidt (A- Valtanen, Holopainen) put it in.
Rhinelander cut it to 2-1 with 11:08 gone on a deflected goal in a 4-on-4 situation. But with the Hodags in a 5:00 major situation with 3-1/2 minutes to go, Hoffmann converted a top-shelf shot started by Holopainen behind the net feeding Burgener to the side.
The Jays fought off a 5-on-3 situation in the third, but with 4:38 gone and just after getting a man back, the Hodag’s Cody Vinger scored a long rebound of a rejected shot. Vinger also tallied the tying goal directly off a face-off after Rhinelander pulled its goalie for the final minute.
Holopainen made a huge save in the 8:00 overtime on a breakaway timed to a Merrill shift change. Neither team scored, bringing on the shoot-out.
Merrill goaltender Carlo Corbani stoned Rhinelander’s first two shoot-out attempts wrapped around Dylan Heller’s clang off the right post. But Burgener put home his chance, and when the Hodags missed their next try off the left post, the Bluejay celebration began.
Saves–MHS–Carlo Corbani 7-3-17-2–29. RHS–Jake Arno 2-10-3-1–16.
The Jays watched a 4-1 first-period lead disappear into a 4-3 hole in the next afternoon’s Medford game. But Hoffmann (A-Holopainen, Heller; UA; Holopainen) scored the next three goals in a span of 1:43 and Burgener (A-Hoffmann, Brian Root; Kleinschmidt) tacked on two more to push it to 9-3 before the end of the second.
Medford netted the only two goals of the third period, with 11:13 and 15:41 elapsed.
“I am happy that we won, but not that proud of the way we played,” Nelson said. “We had a couple of times to put this game away, but we got comfortable with a 4-1 lead and stopped playing hockey, and then the next thing you know, it is 4-3. We were able to generate some offense on the power play which helped us open the game back up, but then we got comfortable again and quit playing and they added two goals late.
“Medford has improved quite a bit since we saw them in early January, and I have to give them credit for playing hard for three periods.”
“Maybe it was playing late on Friday night and then having to come back early Saturday afternoon and play again, or maybe it was the fact that we played three days in a row. Whatever it is, we have some things to figure out, soon. Playoffs are not too far off, and if we want to get the first-ever playoff win in school history, we need to be playing our best hockey when that time comes.”
Burgener (A-Heller) opened the scoring 4:00 into the contest, but Medford tied it up with 7:51 elapsed. Merrill would score three unanswered, from Hoffmann (A-Ben Rasmussen, Heller, 9:05), Ben Brown (A-Matt Ladeweg, Joe Ladeweg, 14:51) and Rasmussen (UA, 15:19).
Medford was paced by Jack Shafer (2 G, 1 A), Nathan Gradberg (1 G, 1 A) and Dylan Hraby (2 A)..
Saves–MHS–Stephan Simon 11-10-12–33. Medford–Carter Jamieson 9-9-12–30.
Hot-read Rapids
The Bluejays stuck within a 2-0 game of Rapids (13-1, 3-1 WVC) early, but a five-goal second period took them out of it.
“When you play against one of the top ten teams in the state, you need to bring your best,” Nelson said. “At times, we showed that we could hang with Rapids. We had an okay first period, a terrible second period, and then an okay third period. They have some really nice players, as do we, but to be a top team you need to play with consistency and confidence. When you let a high-caliber team, like Rapids, intimidate you, then you are already beat before the puck even drops.”
Rapids was boosted by Caleb Schroer (2 G, 2 A), Luc Kreuser (1 G, 3 A) and Matt Edwards (2 G, 1 A).
Saves–MHS–Simon 37. WRL–Tyler Werne 9.
Merrill (7-6-1 overall, 0-1 WVC) hosts SPASH (7-5-1, 3-0-1) on Thursday and goes to Rhinelander (6-4-1, 3-3 GNC) for Saturday’s 8:00 p.m. make-up game.