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By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
MARSHFIELD – It took a while, but the Marshfield girls hockey team eventually got things rolling and there was no stopping them after that.
After a scoreless first period, the Tigers scored three goals in a 3-minute stretch of the second period and went on to a 4-1 win over Medford in a WIAA regional final Thursday night at the Marshfield Youth Ice Recreation Arena.
Paige Johnson scored at the 7:41 mark, Nell Eichten added another goal 2 minutes later and Johnson scored again at the 10:44 mark to provide all the scoring the Tigers would need.
Alexis Straughan had 17 saves in goal for the Tigers, who improve to 13-6-1 and move on to a WIAA sectional semifinal matchup next Tuesday against the Central Wisconsin Storm. The game will be held in Mosinee beginning at 7 p.m.
The Storm knocked out Marshfield in the playoffs last season in a sectional semi and have beaten the Tigers twice this season. Marshfield is 9-1-1 since its second loss to the Storm on Jan. 5.
“The Storm is such a good team and it just seems it’s the one thing that we can’t get over,” Marshfield coach Nate Sparbel said. “We have a really good rivalry with them and it’s just something we have to do. We’ll give it our best.”
Sparbel said he made a few changes after the sluggish first period and the Tigers responded well.
“In the second period I switched up the lines,” Sparbel said. “What we were doing in the first period, obviously, really wasn’t working. Medford had some really nice opportunities and so I kind of wanted to put that to rest.
“The way we switched them up worked and the ice spread out and we were able to get some pucks in the net.”
Bailey Joswiak added Marshfield’s final goal 38 seconds into the third period.
Medford’s Polly Coyer scored the Raiders’ only goal with 21 seconds left in the game.
“It comes a lot to the younger girls understanding the play of our veteran defense – when to clog things up and when to spread things out,” Sparbel said of the Tigers’ great run over the past six weeks.
Tigers 4, Raiders 1
Medford 0 0 1 – 1
Marshfield 0 3 1 – 4
Second period: 1. MAR, Paige Johnson (Alexis Straughan), 7:41; 2. MAR, Nell Eichten (Morgan Larson), 9:41; 3. MAR, Johnson (Nicole Karl), 10:44.
Third period: 4. MAR, Bailey Joswiak (Emily Wolfe, Johnson), 0:38; 5. MED, Polly Coyer (Hailey Brost), 16:39.
Saves: Medford, Tori Walsh 5-15-17-37; Marshfield, Straughan 7-0-10-17.
Records: Medford 9-12-1; Marshfield 13-6-1.