Still mourning the death of its coach, and still looking for its first win this season, the Shawano Community High School varsity reserve hockey team lost to visiting Grafton 6-1 Friday night at the Crawford Center.
Wearing stickers on their helmets as a tribute to coach Tommie CarlinSchauer, who died last week of cancer, the Hawks (0-6) skated even with Grafton for the first and third periods. In the second period, however, Grafton put in five goals.
Shawano took the lead with 11:57 left in the first period when junior forward Blake Stoss’ shot rebounded to sophomore Aaron Lammers, who managed to get the puck past goalie Ty Barnhill.
Grafton (6-2, 0-2 North Shore Conference) got the goal back on a 5-3 advantage late in the period. Shawano played 3 minutes down two players but only gave up one goal.
“Their first goal came on our penalty kill,” said Bryon Lammers, who took over the coaching duties when CarlinSchauer was diagnosed with cancer two days before the season started. “This game, with all the penalties, was hard on us with our short bench. We can’t skate with a big team.
“They (Shawano) were doing better at the end of the first period. They came out and just expected the second period to go the same. They stopped skating and winning the races to the puck. They weren’t making an effort in their passing, and the other team jumped on top of them.”
The Hawks held Grafton scoreless in the third period.
“It was important that they came back in the second period, after being down by so many goals,” Lammers said. “They took pride in defending their home ice. … I think we did a lot better in the third, I’m proud of them for that.”
Shawano goalie Brendan Chapman had 37 saves. Barnhill had 19.
The team learned about the death of “Coach Tommie,” as he was called, from Lammers and Charmaine Schreiber, Shawano Community High School activities director, last week before a practice.
“We canceled practice that night,” said Lammers, who was approached to take over the coaching duties temporarily because he had coached this group of players at the lower levels. “Let the kids go home and process it.”
Triston Krueger, who played on the team during both of CarlinSchauer’s years coaching and is an assistant coach this season, said telling the team was difficult.
“I was just trying to not break down in front of them,” he said.
Krueger, the team’s captain last year, said the news really shocked him.
“It was really hard when I was told,” Krueger said. “It hit pretty hard.”
“It was a rough start for us,” said Lammers.
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