Difficult week for New Richmond girls hockey

• Tiffany Olek

Tiger defenseman Tiffany Olek (6) looks to make a lead pass to get the puck out of the Tigers’ defensive zone against Hudson

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Nobody would blame the Tiger girls hockey team for being happy that last week is over.

The Tigers had waited two weeks to get back on the ice last Tuesday against Hudson. The long layoff between games showed as the Tigers started slowly and never got their bearings in a 10-0 loss to the Raiders.

The week got worse for the Tigers on Sunday when they found out they were the eighth seed in the WIAA sectional tournament bracket. Because of the strength of the teams in this sectional, there weren’t going to be any easy options for the Tigers in the WIAA tournament this year. Three of the top five teams in the state reside in this sectional bracket (Hayward, Eau Claire-Altoona and the St. Croix Valley Fusion).

As the eighth seed, the Tigers will draw top-seeded Hayward in the opening round of the tournament. That game will be played at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 16 at the Hayward Sports Center. Hayward is currently ranked second among the girls teams in the state.

Last Tuesday’s loss to Hudson had to be a bitter pill for the Tigers. The two-week gap between games seemed ill-timed for a team trying to build momentum at the end of the season. Conversely, Hudson was on a major roll, fresh off an upset over the fifth-ranked Fusion team.

The Tigers came into the game short-handed. They were missing players due to grades and other players were coming off illness and major dental work.

Hudson scored two goals in the first period, possessing the puck much of the period. It got much worse in the second period. The Tigers showed little energy in their defensive zone and Hudson capitalized, scoring five times. The Raiders added three more goals in the final period.

The Tigers gave up the 10 goals on 26 shots by Hudson.

After the stretch of having one game in 20 days, the Tigers will be busy to close out the season. The Tigers play their final home game at 6 p.m. on Thursday when Onalaska visits. On Saturday the Tigers will play at 2 p.m. in Superior. The final regular season game for the Tigers arrives next Monday, when they play at 7 p.m. against the Eau Claire-Altoona Stars at Hobbs Ice Arena.

Tags: sports, tigers, hockey, prep