There’s still plenty of hockey to be played this season and Waupaca is still in the mix for a Great Northern Conference boys’ championship.
The Comets improved to 5-2 in conference play following recent wins over Lakeland and Medford. Waupaca handed Lakeland a 5-3 defeat Jan. 11 and shut out Medford 11-0 Jan. 9.
Waupaca 5, Lakeland 3
MINOCQUA – Waupaca spread the scoring around against the Thunderbirds, as Brandon Bolen, Jared Erickson, Ben Stone, Frankie Ellingson and Austin Erickson all found the net on four power play goals and a short-handed goal.
Jared Erickson and Stone gave the Comets a 2-0 lead heading into the second period, while Bolen and Ellingson scored in the second period to make it 4-0.
Lakeland’s Jack Dern scored a short-handed goal in the second period to cut Waupaca’s lead to 4-1 and Dern and Tommy Berger scored in the third period to make it a 4-3 game.
Austin Erickson pushed the lead back to two goals with three minutes to go in the contest.
Comet goalie Walker Smith finished with 23 saves and also was credited with an assist on Jared Erickson’s goal.
Waupaca 11, Medford 0
WAUPACA – The Comets outshot the Raiders 47-8 and scored in all three periods.
Jared Erickson had four goals and an assist for Waupaca, while Drew Simonson, Aaron Dahle, Elliot Crisman, Zach Smith, Ellingson, Austin Erickson and Max Menzies also found the net.
Austin Erickson assisted on four goals, while Simonson had three assists, Stone, Smith and Ellingson chipped in with two and Bolen, Grant Stearns, Dahle, Nick Grams, Crisman and Menzies had one each.
The Comets scored four times in the first period before adding five goals in the second and two in the third.
Waupaca was scheduled to host the Fox Cities Stars Jan. 14 in a nonconference matchup, but the game will be rescheduled after it was postponed because of the weather.
The Comets will head to Eagle River Saturday, Jan. 18, for a 3 p.m. rematch with Northland Pines. The Eagles trailed Waupaca by a goal with six seconds remaining in regulation earlier this season, but tied the game and returned home with a 4-3 overtime win.
The Comets will also host Tomahawk at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21, in another GNC matchup.