The Point-Rapids Red Panthers jumped out to a 4-0 lead early in the third period only to watch that lead get cut in half by the visiting Tomahawk Hatchets before holding on for a 4-2 Great Northern Conference victory Friday night at the South Wood County Rec Center.

Rachel Metz started the scoring for the Red Panthers with a rebound goal at 7:12 of the first, with an assist to Katrina Hassig. That score held up as the two teams skated off for the first intermission, with the scoreboard showing a 1-0 Red Panther lead, as well as a 6-3 shot edge for the hosts.

Metz added her second tally of the game when she grabbed a pass in the slot and beat freshman Tomahawk goalie Erin Sparks high on the blocker side just 3:24 into the second stanza. Hassig earned her second assist on the play.

That would be the only score in the second despite four power play chances--three for Point-Rapids and one for Tomahawk. The Red Panthers held a 12-10 shot edge in the period.

The Red Panthers got their third score on the board compliments of the 'Hanny B. Show.' Speedy junior defenseman Hannah Beilke grabbed a loose puck in her d-zone, skated hard through the neutral zone before turning the corner on the defenseman and firing a shot from the right dot that beat the Tomahawk goalie for an unassisted goal at 5:20.

Just ten seconds later, Emily Exner scored from the slot on assists from Kaylee Bruneau and Beilke, increasing the lead to 4-0 and causing Tomahawk coach Greg Vallier to use his time-out.

The strategy worked as Nicole Nerva scored from the high slot while on the power play, with helpers to Jordan Parker and Erika Vallier at 12:55 to cut the lead to 4-1.

Nerva converted again when she grabbed an errant pass from a Red Panther defenseman in the slot and beat Red Panther goalie Emily Bubla to close to 4-2 with 1:42 left, but that was as close as Tomahawk would get on this rainy, sleety, snowy evening in Wisconsin Rapids.

Bubla stopped 17 shots for the Red Panthers (6-5-2, 5-1 GNC) while Sparks made 25 saves for Tomahawk (4-7, 2-4 GNC).