Eskymos Rally For Tie With Sault Blue Devils, 3-3

WELLS---Whenever a game ends in a tie, you have to wonder how the kids feel about not winning, but also, not losing.

The sentiment amongst the Escanaba Eskymos players on Saturday was pretty clear.

They tied Sault Ste. Marie, 3-3, and they hated the outcome.

Escanaba played a poor first period and fell behind, 3-1, before rallying to tie the game.

But the Eskymos, despite dominating the play for most of the afternoon, could not get the winning goal and had to settle for a tie.

Escanaba outshot the Blue Devils, 42-21, but Sault junior goaltender Tanner Reattoir made 39 saves to keep his team in the game.

"I'm viewing that game definitely as a loss," Eskymo junior Chris LeMire said. "We'll come back strong Monday (in practice) and then go against Marquette."

"Flush it, you know?"

Chris LeMire goal makes it 3-3.

"I don't really know what to say," Eskymo senior captain Levi Wunder said. "I'm disappointed in myself, mostly."

Wunder had numerous scoring chances in the game, but was held off the scoresheet. He did make two nice plays to set up goals by LeMire, but Wunder was disappointed that he couldn't score...especially on the first play of the overtime period.

Levi Wunder stopped in overtime.

"The puck floated behind their center and I picked it up, and went around their 'D'," Wunder said. "I went backhand, and thought it was in. But he made a good save on me."

"Nine times out of ten, that puck is probably going into the net," Escanaba Hockey Coach Matt Hughes said. "You know, that's what we wanted. A fast start. We put a lot of pressure on them. That was the game plan from the get-go. That play was a great set-up."

Reattoir was the main reason the Sault were able to get out of town with a point. He was especially sharp in the third period and overtime, when the Eskymos were especially dominant.

Escanaba had the shots advantage, 8-3, in the third, and 7-1 in overtime.

The first period was not good for the Eskymos, as Nathien Jeffreys scored 37 seconds into the game. But LeMire tied the game after Wunder made a nice pass (from his backhand to his forehand) and LeMire scored on the back door play.

But Sault freshman Bobby Price scored two goals 2:24 apart to make it a 3-1 game.

"I think we took the first period off," Hughes said. "We had a team travelling three hours on a bus, and it's important to get a good start and jump on them. It was the total opposite. But the kids turned it on and we started putting pressure on them."

Nick Aird scores.

Calvin Pinar made a rush up the middle of the ice and passed to Nick Aird for a goal in the second period that cut the Blue Devil lead to 3-2. And then LeMire tied the game with a top-shelf goal, with Zuidema getting the second assist.

The game was played mostly five-on-five, as just two minor penalties were called in the entire contest: one on each team, and both were called in the second period.

For the Blue Devils, Price had two goals and an assist, while Abby Roque had two assists and Nathien Jeffreys had a goal and a helper.

Escanaba improved to 3-0-1, while Sault Ste. Marie is now 2-0-1.

Escanaba travels to Marquette for a conference game on Tuesday.

Game time at Lakeview Arena is set for 7:00.

The game will be broadcast live on WCHT-AM (600), and on-line at www.rrnsports.com.

Click the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box to see the photos taken by Bill LaMarch, videos taken by Mike Dagenais, and listen to audio highlights.

Eskymos 3, Blue Devils 3 (OT)

S.S MARIE 3 0 0 0---3
ESCANABA 1 1 1 0---3

First Period
SSM 1-0: Nathien Jeffreys (Roque, Price) 0:37
ESC 1-1: LeMire (Wunder) 9:26
SSM 2-1: Price (Nathien Jeffreys, Roque) 12:16
SSM 3-1: Price (una) 14:38

Second Period
ESC 2-3: Aird (Pinar) 2:30

Third Period
ESC 3-3: LeMire (Wunder, Zuidema) 9:18

Overtime
No scoring

Penalties
ESC 1/2 (Schwalbach, holding)
SSM 1/2 (Zaborowski holding)

Shots on Goal: SSM 10-7-3-1=21; ESC 12-15-8-7=42
Goalie Saves: SSM Reattoir 39/42; ESC Valentine 18/21

Three Stars: 1. Reattoir (SSM); 2. Wunder (ESC); 3. LeMire (ESC).

Date	Time	Opponent	Score	Record

11/21	7:00 PM	Alpena Wildcats	7 - 1 (W)	1-0

11/22	1:00 PM	Alpena Wildcats	7 - 0 (W)	2-0

11/25	7:00 PM	at Kingsford Flivvers	4 - 2 (W)	3-0

11/29	1:00 PM	Sault Ste. Marie Blue Devils	3 - 3 (T)	3-0-1

12/2	7:00 PM	at Marquette Redmen	4 - 1 (W)	4-0-1

12/8	7:00 PM	Negaunee Miners	9 - 1 (W)	5-0-1

12/13	1:00 PM	at Hancock Bulldogs	3 - 7 (L)	5-1-1

12/19	7:00 PM	at Houghton Gremlins	3 - 6 (L)	5-2-1

12/26	7:00 PM	Painesdale-Jeffers Jets	9 - 3 (W)	6-2-1

12/27	1:00 PM	Painesdale-Jeffers Jets	5 - 1 (W)	7-2-1

1/2	6:00 PM	Cheboygan Chiefs	6 - 2 (W)	8-2-1

1/3	1:00 PM	at Pinckney Pirates	7 - 4 (W)	9-2-1

1/16	8:15 PM	at Bay City Central Wolves	4 - 2 (W)	10-2-1

1/17	12:00 PM	at Macomb Dakota	4 - 2 (W)	11-2-1

1/20	7:00 PM	Marquette Redmen	0 - 2 (L)	11-3-1

1/22	7:00 PM	at Calumet Copper Kings	3 - 4 OT (L)	11-4-1

1/27	7:00 PM	Kingsford Flivvers	5 - 2 (W)	12-4-1

1/30	7:00 PM	Houghton Gremlins	0 - 4 (L)	12-5-1

1/31	1:00 PM	at Sault Ste. Marie Blue Devils	0 - 1 OT (L)	12-6-1

2/5	6:00 PM	at Novi High School	3 - 5 (L)	12-7-1

2/6	6:15 PM	at Woodhaven High School	3 - 5 (L)	12-8-1

2/7	2:15 PM	at Berkley-Ferndale United	6 - 3 (W)	13-8-1

2/12	7:00 PM	at Negaunee Miners	5 - 6 (L)	13-9-1

2/20	7:00 PM	Calumet Copper Kings	4 - 3 OT (W)	14-9-1

2/21	1:00 PM	Hancock Bulldogs	2 - 4 (L)	14-10-1

3/3	7:00 PM	Negaunee Miners	3 - 0 (W)	15-10-1

3/5	7:00 PM	at Marquette Redmen	4 - 2 (W)	16-10-1

3/7	1:00 PM	Bay Area Thunder Hockey	8 - 0 (W)	17-10-1

3/10	7:00 PM	Traverse City Central Trojans	7 - 3 (W)	18-10-1

3/12	5:00 PM	Livonia Stevenson Spartans	2 - 3 (L)	18-11-1