This story is sponsored by Studio 211 Hair Salon
By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
MARSHFIELD – With about seven minutes left in Tuesday’s WIAA girls hockey sectional semifinal, it looked like Marshfield’s season would be coming to an end.
The Tigers’ fortunes soon changed. A penalty on Northland Pines forced a power play and Marshfield took advantage with a goal by Tori Esser to tie the game with 5:48 remaining. Three minutes later, Paige Johnson scored the go-ahead goal and the Tigers’ Abbey Besler added an empty-net score with 16 seconds left to push Marshfield to a thrilling 4-2 win over the Eagles at the Marshfield Youth Ice Recreation Center.
Marshfield (19-5) will play in a sectional final for the first time in its three-year history, taking on the Central Wisconsin Storm (24-1) at 7 p.m. Friday at Greenheck Fieldhouse at D.C. Everest High School.
“Going into the power play, I took a timeout to rest my better girls,” Marshfield coach Nate Sparbel said. “It worked to our advantage. It was also a move there, throwing your better girls out, that can make you pay for it the rest of the game because your lines are off. Fortunately for us, it worked and switched the momentum in our favor.”
Following a scoreless first period, Marshfield got on the scoreboard in the first minute of the second period. Besler scored off an assist from Emily Wolfe 50 seconds into the period to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead.
Northland Pines (15-8-2) responded when Paige Healy scored an unassisted goal at the 6:22 mark, tying the game 1-1.
Seconds after killing off a 5-on-3 power play, the Eagles scored again. Northland Pines goalie Kim Van Brunt saved four shots during the Tigers’ power play and as the second penalty expired, Ali Plese controlled a loose puck at the Northland Pines’ blue line, skated the length of the ice and beat Marshfield goalie Ashley Bauer to put the Eagles up 2-1 with 1 minute left in the second period.
Marshfield’s defense did enough to keep it within a goal until Esser tied the game on a power play.
Johnson then dissected the Eagles’ defense and slipped on past a diving Van Brunt for what proved to be the game-winner with 2:23 left in the game.
Marshfield held off a 6-on-4 as Pines pulled its goal and the Tigers had a penalty in the final 2 minutes, with Besler scored from the opposite blue line, banking a shot off the board on the right side of the ice.
“When we tied the game, the last thing I wanted, was to go back into a defensive struggle,” Sparbel said. “I wanted to keep playing an aggressive fore-checking and back-checking game.
“Paige had been itching for one all night, she had a couple of different opportunities, and this time they weren’t able to poke the puck away from her at the net. She did a nice toe-drag and move right across the front of the net. The goalie followed her and went down and Paige put it home.”
The Storm beat Marshfield 5-0 and 9-1 in a pair of regular-season matchups this season, and beat the Tigers 3-0 in last year’s sectional semifinal. In order to beat the Storm, the winner of the sectional the last three seasons, Marshfield will have to
“Between now and Friday, we just need to focus on skating hard and playing our game of hockey,” Sparbel said. “The Storm is a very good team. They are very talented. The girls just have to go into the game with their heads up and whatever happens, happens.”
Tigers 4, Eagles 2
Northland Pines 0 2 0 – 2
Marshfield 0 1 3 – 4
Second period: 1. M, Abbey Besler (Emily Wolfe), 0:50; 2. NP, Paige Healy (unassisted), 6:22; 3. NP, Ali Plese (ua), 16:00.
Third period: 4. M, Tori Esser (Paige Johnson), pp., 11:12; 5. M, Johnson (ua), 14:37; 6. M, Besler (ua), empty net, 16:44.
Saves: Kim Van Brunt (NP) 10-9-5-24; Ashley Bauer (M) 7-5-10-22.
Records: Northland Pines 15-8-2; Marshfield 19-5.