SPASH forward Coy Brish moves the puck into the slot despite pressure from the Raiders’ Keynan Miller. (Metro Wire photo)

Third-period deflections, regroup help SPASH pull away from Rapids in 7-2 win

December 10, 2021December 11, 2021

By Craig Marx

The Stevens Point Area Senior High Panthers entered Thursday evening’s Wisconsin Valley Conference hockey game against Wisconsin Rapids-Lincoln coming off of a home loss to Notre Dame (Green Bay) last weekend, and while the Raiders played the Panthers tough for nearly a period and a half, SPASH emerged with a 7-2 win after shoring up mistakes and penalties heading into the third period.

“The second period felt like more of an individual effort. We were able to come together as a team in the third and get back to our style of hockey and crash the net and have a chance to get some rebounds and deflections,” head coach Brandon Busse said after the win.

SPASH dominated the zone, outshooting Rapids 35-20 by the final buzzer. The Panthers were unable to capitalize on early rushes, however, until junior defenseman Michael Friese launched a top-shelf score over the right shoulder of Raiders’ goaltender Dakota Blasky with the help of Mason Keller and Kade Smigaj.

Up 1-0 with less than seven minutes remaining in the first period, Rapids forward Carson Gause almost netted a shorthanded goal at the tail end of a SPASH power play.

The Panthers would head into the locker room at the first intermission with their one-goal lead, but a two-minute roughing call on the Raiders’ Carson Gunderson and a subsequent five-minute boarding major on the Panthers’ Simon Bienvenue would see the second period begin with four-on-four action.

With both penalties expiring, SPASH’s Trevor Herman scored on a beautiful deflection after a cross-ice pass gave the Panthers a 2-0 lead. At the 9:12 mark of the second, however, the Rapids crept closer on the scoreboard after Josh Dekarske pulled away on a breakaway score just moments after being foiled on another unassisted attempt.

SPASH regained a two-goal lead with 6:12 remaining in the second period, following up the Rapids breakaway with a top-shelf zinger from sophomore Jamie Reeve.

Up 3-1 now heading into the final period, the Panthers never looked back. With a pair of back-to-back, four-on-four goals from Smigaj and Lucca Weinkauf, respectively, SPASH found themselves with a 5-2 lead with less than five minutes remaining.

Adding continued pressure and capitalizing on the rebounds and deflections that Coach Busse alluded to, Keller and Tyler Loomis scored the final two goals for the Panthers while the defense was able to contain the breakaways and penalties that had plagued them before the offensive explosion late in the third period.

“We needed to stop those breakaways,” Busse commented. “After some adjustments, we were able to contain them and continue to put pressure on their own goalie.”

Thursday’s win moves the Panthers to 3-1 on the year now. SPASH boys hockey plays Eau Claire Memorial (2-1 as of Thursday evening) this Saturday at the Hobbs Ice Arena in Eau Claire at 2 p.m. Check back with Metro Wire online for box scores and added information after the game.