STEVENS POINT – The RHS Boys Hockey Team certainly was not expecting what it got Tuesday night in the WIAA Playoffs. After playing well in spurts over the last two games, the upset-minded Hodags could never find that form and were routed 10-1 by the Stevens Point Panthers in a WIAA Regional Semifinal.

 

Seventh-seeded SPASH blitzed Rhinelander from the start, launching 21 puck on net in the first period and burying three. They would add three more in the second and four in the third with the game already out of reach.

 

“They were fast and we really froze up and didn't handle the puck,” RHS Boys Hockey Coach M.J. Laggis said of what happened to his team. “It was pretty evident. We were just slapping it around. We were unable to breakout, we couldn't handle the puck and had very poor passing. It was a rough, rough game.”

 

Rhinelander's lone glimmer of hope came early in the second period as Joe Zuiker banged home a power play rebound of an Alex Henkel shot from the point to make it 3-1. That glimmer was short lived as SPASH scored 29 seconds later.

 

The Hodags had played strong in the first 30 minutes of each of their last two games, playing the top two teams in the Great Northern Conference – Northland Pines and Waupaca – to an aggregate score of 4-5 during that time frame. After 30 minutes Thursday, the Panthers already had a 6-1 lead.

 

“Win or lose, you think we are going to compete very hard,” Laggis said. “To say this is disappointing is a great understatement. It's extremely disappointing to not be able to compete. We had several individuals that competed, but as a group we did not compete.”

 

SPASH outshot Rhinelander 41-22 for the game. Marcus Thorsen made 31 saves in the loss as the Hodags finished this year's campaign by losing 13 of their last 14 games and with a 3-16 record overall.

 

The game marked the end of the four-year high school career of defenseman Alex Henkel, who scored his 39th career point with his assist Tuesday. 

 

“I'm thankful that he was part of that 13-win season a year ago so he was able to taste a winning season,” Laggis said. “He's a great kid and a class act. He's one of those guys that when they come along, you appreciate them. He was a good part of our program.”

 

Laggis also commended the efforts of seniors Ryan Gartman and Jacob Sommers who saw a significant increase in playing time this season.

 

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BOX SCORE: Rhinelander at Stevens Point – Tuesday, February 15, 2011

 

RHS 0 1 0 – 1

SP 3 3 4 – 10

 

Scoring

 

1-6:13 SP – Jon Pirrie (Logan Brown, Drew Soik)

1-14:06 SP – Jake Jaworski (Matt Hoyt)

1-16:54 SP – Brown (Jared Hucke, Kenton Grulkowski)

2-0:58 R – Joe Zuiker (Alex Henkel) PP

2-1:27 SP – Hoyt (Matthew Dufresne)

2-4:43 SP – Grulkowski (Hucke, Max Seiter)

2-10:32 SP – Matt Czaikowski (unassisted)

3-3:46 SP – Jeffery Wychesit (Nick Larson, Bryan Quinn)

3-7:46 SP – Grulkowski (Czaikowski, Seiter) PP

3-11:19 SP – Hoyt (Seiter) PP

3-14:57 SP – Matthew Quinn (Hoyt)

 

Shots on Goal: R 22 (4-12-6); SP 41 (21-9-11)

Saves: R – Marcus Thorsen 31; SP – Michael Storch 19, Jake Krutza 2

Penalties-Minutes: R 8-16; SP 6-12

Power Plays: R 1-5; SP 2-8

 

Rhinelander (3-16-0, 3-11-0 GNC)

Stevens Point (12-10-1, 8-4-0 WVC) at Wausau East, 2/17