Two tough teams produce tough luck for skaters

• Emily Stankevitz (No. 13) and two of her teammates

Coming up ice for the Raiders against the Fusion are Emily Stankevitz (No. 13) and two of her teammates. Photo by Joe Winter

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The Raider girls hockey team learned quickly why the St. Croix Fusion, a co-op team from River Falls, Baldwin-Woodville, St. Croix Central, Glenwood City and Spring Valley, is considered one of the top squads in Wisconsin.

On Dec. 16, the unbeaten Fusion jumped to a 5-0 lead in the first period and never looked back, coasting to a 8-0 win over the Raiders on their home ice.

The Fusion outshot the Raiders 32-10 in the first two periods, before the Raiders slowed them down, allowing just four shots in the third period.

Goalie Alise Riedel racked up 25 saves before being injured near the end of the second period. Dani Krinke stopped four shots in the third period.

The Raiders finally broke out of their six-period scoring slump, but it wasn’t enough as they lost 6-1 to the Jefferson Jaguars in Bloomington, Minn., on Dec. 18.

The Jaguars scored first on a power-play goal at the 5:19 mark of the first period, but Hudson answered one minute later to tie the game when Bonnie Meyer scored on an assist by Abby Singerhouse. The Jaguars scored a goal with one second left in the first period and added two more in each of the final two periods for a 6-1 win.

Three of the Jaguar goals were on power plays. Krinke made 27 saves for Hudson.

The Raiders record is 1-2 in the Big Rivers and 2-5 overall. The girls will continue practices over the holiday break to prepare for the Schwan’s Cup tournament in Blaine, Minn., on Dec. 29-31. Hudson’s first game is against Prior Lake, Minn.

Tags: sports, hudson, girls, hockey, raiders