If the Waupaca Comet hockey team is going to win a Great Northern Conference championship this season, it’s going to need some help.
The Comets fell to 6-2 in league play Friday, Jan. 6, with a 7-4 loss to Mosinee in the opening round of the Sentry Classic in Stevens Point.
Waupaca also dropped a 2-0 decision the following day to Green Bay United in the tournament’s consolation game and picked up a 9-0 GNC win over Medford Tuesday, Jan. 3.
Mosinee 7, Waupaca 4
STEVENS POINT – Both teams scored two goals in each of the first two periods at the K.B. Willett Arena, but the Indians came up with three unanswered goals in the third period to get the win.
Drew Simonson put the Comets on the board 2:48 into the game after a shot bounced off of a Mosinee player. Bryce Hladovcak answered with a power play goal six minutes later and gave the Indians a 2-1 lead with 5:25 remaining in the first period.
Waupaca’s Jared Erickson scored an unassisted short-handed goal with 20 seconds remaining in the period to tie the game at 2-2.
Beau gave Waupaca a 3-2 lead 2:25 into the second period, with Bjorn Asher getting credit for the assist. Jared Sprink added a Mosinee goal with 9:48 to go in the period, Asher scored a power play goal 1:30 later off of an assist from Erickson and Ash and Mosinee’s Zach Pyan found the net with 3:06 on the clock to tie the game at 4-4.
Austin Fochs, Sprink and Austin McCarthy scored for the Indians in the third period.
Waupaca goalie Zach Martin finished with 36 saves as Mosinee outshot the Comets 43-25.
Green Bay United 2, Waupaca 0
STEVENS POINT – Jay Routheau scored the Gryphons’ goals in the first and second periods.
Martin finished with 25 saves in the game.
Waupaca 9, Medford 0
MEDFORD – The Red Raiders were no match for the Comets, who scored four goals in the first period, two in the second and three in the third.
Hunter Vezina scored there times for the Comets, while Ash scored twice and Simonson, Sam Menzies, Jordan Erickson and Asher found the net once. Asher, Caleb Kiesow and Jared Erickson led the way in assists with three each, while Dante Grorich added two and Martin, Menzies and Cooper Flesch had one each.
The Comets outshot the Red Raiders 50-16 and Martin had 16 saves in goal.
Waupaca will head to Tomahawk tonight (Thursday, Jan. 12) for a 7 p.m. rematch with the Hatchets before returning to the Northwoods two days later to face Rhinelander. The Comets’ next home game at the Waupaca Expo Center is a 7 p.m. GNC matchup Tuesday, Jan. 17, with Antigo.