The Northland Pines girls hockey co-op hit a bumpy stretch of its schedule after the holiday break, getting handed losses to the Central Wisconsin Storm (8-0) Jan. 7, the Icebergs (2-1) Jan. 10, and the Eau Claire Area Stars (5-0) Jan. 11.
The Eagles went on the road to visit the Storm, a perennial power currently ranked third in the state, and had no luck finding the back of the net. Pines fired eight shots on goal to the Storms’ 50.
Pines bounced back with a more competitive game last Friday in Eagle River, where there were plenty of chances on the net to score some goals. The Eagles fired 25 shots compared to the 39 from Stoughton, as neither side capitalized on opportunities in the first two periods.
It was Ava Carillo who broke the scoreless tie with a powerplay goal at 11:43 of the third period, which held for just over a minute before the Icebergs tied things up to force overtime.
Nearly three minutes into the OT period, the visiting Icebergs lit the lamp to steal a competitive win.
The Eagles played inside their barn again Saturday, but failed to score after piling on just nine shots.
“I would rather be playing teams like this who force our girls to pick up the pace of the game and elevate their play,” noted Pines head coach Jeff Stebbeds. “I don’t want to use our youth as an excuse all the time, but that experience will come and we’ll be putting the puck in the net better, too.”
Coach Stebbeds also highlighted the play of freshman goalie, Lucy Nowak, who has a 3-9 record through 13 games.
The Eagles don’t score many goals, but Nowak’s play gives them a chance in most games. She has stopped 438 of 483 shots on goal or 90.7%.
“Lucy is so solid and she’s always ready to play. She keeps throwing 50 saves out there and keeps us in about every game,” said Stebbeds.
The Northland girls hockey team has a 3-10 record and was scheduled to play at Medford Tuesday night.
The Eagles travel to Sun Prairie to meet the Cap City Cougars Friday, Jan. 17, starting at 5:30 p.m.
They then play the Badger Lightning Saturday, Jan. 18, in Baraboo. Puck drop is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. there.
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