On a full-moon Friday night in Wisconsin Rapids, the Badger Thunder paid a visit to the South Wood County Rec Center to play host Point-Rapids Red Panthers.

The Thunder were playing their fourth game in five days and were looking for a victory. The Red Panthers had just suffered two tough road losses in games they thought they should have won.

Both teams wanted a win in the worst way, but it was the hosts that got a pair of second period goals and withstood a furious final minute of play to skate off with a hard-fought 2-1 win over the Thunder.

The Thunder (11-12-1) had a power play chance in the first period, and the Red Panthers--smarting from a previous day loss to the Northern Edge in which they were 0-for-4 on the kill--kept the puck out of the net to send the teams to the locker room scoreless. The home team held a 5-3 shot edge in the first.

Katrina Hassig got the hosts on the board less than a minute into the second period. She picked up a rebound on the low left side and fired it into the net past the right pad of Thunder goalie Jaime Dutton at the 48 second mark, with assists to Hannah Beilke and Rachel Metz.

The Red Panthers got their second goal on a rebound scrum to the right of Dutton. Hailey Ehr banged the puck into the net from almost the same spot as the first goal at the 9:37 mark. Metz and Amanda Milanowski got assists on the play.

The Red Panthers had a delayed penalty late in the period that lasted 21 seconds, nearly unheard of in high school hockey. Goalie Emily Bubla raced off and an extra skater joined in, but play was whistled dead as the Thunder touched the puck before the Red Panthers could tally. 

The home squad held a 12-10 shot edge in the middle session.

The third period was owned by the Thunder as they outshot Point-Rapids 14-4, but the only blemish on Bubla's record for the night was an extra attacker goal with 49 seconds left that cut the lead to 2-1. Jessica Patton punched in a rebound during a mad scramble to the right of the goalie. Courtney Sakry and Rachel Pawlak were credited with helpers on the play.

The Thunder had 76 seconds worth of 6-on-5, and despite a handful of shots, were unable to bury the puck again as the horn sounded on the 2-1 score.

Bubla finished with 26 saves for Point-Rapids, who assured themselves of a winning season for the first time since 2010-11 as they improved their record to 11-9-3.

Dutton stopped 19 pucks for the Thunder.

PLAYOFF SCHEDULE:
Badger Thunder @ Icebergs, Thursday 2/20, 7pm (Mandt Center)
Marshfield @ Point-Rapids, Thursday, 2/20, 5pm (Wis Rapids)