Wausau Pilot & Review
EAGLE RIVER – Andrew Hartwig scored 2:18 into overtime to lift Northland Pines to a 5-4 win over Wausau East/Merrill United in a nonconference boys hockey game Saturday.
East/Merrill (1-3) overcame a 4-1 deficit to force overtime.
Zach Pagel scored in the first period for the Bluejacks, and after Northland Pines pulled ahead 4-1, he added another goal late in the second period to cut the deficit in half.
Eli Pagel and Connor McCorkle scored in the third period to tie the game and forced overtime, only to see the Eagles win it in the extra period.
Connor Burton made 42 saves in goal for East/Merrill.
East/Merrill plays Wisconsin Valley Conference matches at Marshfield on Tuesday and at D.C. Everest on Thursday.
Eagles 5, Bluejacks 4 (OT)
East/Merrill 1 1 2 0 – 4
Northland Pines 2 2 0 1 – 5
First period: 1. NP, Matthew Szafranski (Drew Christenson); 2. NP, Zach Szafranski (Brett Wielhouwer); 3. EM, Zach Pagel (Eli Pagel, Kaeden Grusnick).
Second period: 4. NP, Tyler Beitler (Julian Merschodorf, Gaige Marien); 5. NP, Sam Warner (Christenson); 6. EM, Z. Pagel (E. Pagel).
Third period: 7. EM, E. Pagel (Nicholas Bodner, Z. Pagel); 8. EM, Connor McCorkle (Grusnick, Parker Klebenow).
Overtime: 9. NP, Andrew Hartwig (Z. Szafranski), 2:18.
Saves: EM, Connor Burton 42; NP, Eli Kerner 13.
Records: East/Merrill 1-3; Northland Pines 1-2.
