By Jed Buelow
Tomahawk Leader Co-Editor, Sports and Nature Editor
After spending the better part of the last month on the road, Hatchet hockey will enjoy a stretch of four-home games that began with Chequamegon last night and continues tomorrow (Thursday) against the Merrill/East Bluejacks.
Over the holiday break Tomahawk took part in a tournament in Baraboo where they fell by a score 10-0 to the home team in the opener. The T-Birds scored three in the first and four more in the second en route to the shutout win.
“This game we had small mental lapses, maybe due to the holiday break,” said Hatchet head coach Chris Bembinster. “This was a perfect example of needing a small mental tune up. We are just looking to get better every day.”
Coach Bembinster said he saw that improvement as Tomahawk took on Rhinelander in round two action but fell by a score 8-3.
In the loss to the Hodags, Tomahawk held the early lead after Cody Scholz connected on a pass from Anthony Ierulli at the 11:26 mark in period one to tie the game at one apiece. The Hatchets would take the lead 5:50 into the second period as Caleb Lund lit the lamp to put Tomahawk up 2-1.
The Hodags would respond with six unanswered goals to retake a commanding lead. Zach Friske would add one more to the scoreboard in the final period on a power play before Rhinelander added another of its own to get the five-goal win.
Hatchet goalie Caidyn Senoraske had a busy night between the pipes as he finished with 33 saves compared to 13 saves by his Hodag counterpart in Baraboo.
“This game is what we as coaches are looking for as a response,” coach Bembinster said after a tough opening round loss. “We played a very solid game. We did play better than the final score.”
Rhinelander would make it two in a row over Tomahawk on Thursday as the Hatchets traveled to Hodag Country for a GNC tilt and got shut out 11-0.
The coach said his team just needs to stay focused and continue to improve as the season progresses. Tomahawk began a stretch of four home games Monday as they looked for their third win of the season over Chequamegon.
The Hatchets are back in action tomorrow (Thursday) as they host the Merrill/East Bluejacks before taking on Ashland one night later Friday, Jan. 10. Opening puck drop for both games at SARA Park is at 7 p.m.