By Nick Beversdorf
Reporter
Bluejay varsity hockey officially ended its season Tuesday night (2/16) with a tough 7-2 loss to Northland Pines during the first round regional play-off game. The Eagles quickly scored a goal during the first period but the Bluejays tied the game back up within a minute. After that, however, the Eagles consistently scored during the second and third periods with the Bluejays only getting one point during the third.
“We tied the game up soon after they went ahead,” said Coach Bill Hausworth. “Then they took advantage of some of our mistakes. Against a team like Pines mistakes will hurt you. They are a pretty good hockey club.”
Northland Pines finished their season 11-3, placing them third in the Great Northern conference. Conversely, Merrill finished their season 2-9, tying them with Marshfield for second to last place (Wausau East finished last) in the Wisconsin Valley Conference. Regardless of the end results, Hausworth was still proud of his team.
“We played hard till the end,” he said. “Overall this season our kids played through adversity and never made any excuses. They stuck together as a team and showed a lot of character.”
MRL: 1 0 1-2
NLP: 3 3 1-7
Saves: Bryce Broeking (48, 11-12-25, 7GA)