Sponsor MarshfieldAreaSports.com’s sports coverage: Advertise with us
By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
MARSHFIELD – The Marshfield High School girls hockey team is only in its second year of existence at the WIAA level and on Thursday night it made history at the Marshfield Youth Ice Recreation Center.
Behind two goals from Paige Johnson and solid defense throughout the game, the Tigers beat Northern Edge (Antigo/Rhinelander co-op) 4-1 in a regional final for the first playoff win in the team’s history.
Marshfield scored first with 2:09 left in the first period as Tori Esser connected on a power-play to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead.
Northern Edge (8-15) responded early in the second period when Nikki Kloes scored off an assist from Katie Falk, also on a power-play, to tie the game.
Kloes’ goal was the only one that got by Marshfield goalie Ashley Bauer, who had 15 saves as the Tigers controlled the puck throughout most of the game.
“We played a lot in their zone, which was good to see,” Marshfield assistant coach Chris Panici said. “We skated hard to the puck. We weren’t passing as good as we usually do, but the girls worked hard for the goals that they got.”
The power-play was kind to the Tigers, who scored twice more in the second period as Northern Edge played short-handed.
Emily Wolfe scored at the 9:04 mark and Johnson added a goal with 2:15 to go in the second period – both on assists by Chandler Roy-Peterson – to put Marshfield in control.
Johnson added the Tigers’ final goal at the 6:37 mark of the third period against Northern Edge goalie Johanna Sommers, who had 47 saves in all as Marshfield peppered the net with consistency.
Marshfield (12-7-1) will get another crack at two-time sectional champion Central Wisconsin Storm (22-2) at 7 p.m. Tuesday in a sectional semifinal at Greenheck Fieldhouse at D.C. Everest High School. The Tigers lost twice to the Storm this season – 2-1 on Dec. 21 and 4-1 on Jan. 22. The Storm routed Lakeland 10-0 on Thursday.
“They are our rivals because they play good hockey and so do we,” Panici said. “We’re looking forward to it.
“I don’t really know what the difference was (in the two losses), but I can say that we’re going to come out hard like we have been and it’s going to be a good game.”
Tigers 4, Edge 1
Northern Edge 0 1 0 – 1
Marshfield 1 2 1 – 4
First period
1. M, Tori Esser (unassisted), 14:51.
Second period
2. NE, Nikki Kloes (Katie Falk), 2:55, power play; 3. M, Emily Wolfe (Chandler Roy-Peterson), 9:04, pp; 4. M, Paige Johnson (Roy-Peterson), 14:45, pp.
Third period
5. M, Johnson (ua), 6:37.
Saves: NE, Johanna Sommers 20-15-12–47; M, Ashley Bauer 5-6-4–15.
Records: Northern Edge 8-15; Marshfield 12-7-1
