Escanaba Hockey Team Breaks Streak At Showcase

CHELSEA, Mich.---It was a sigh of relief that could be heard from 400 miles away.

The Escanaba High School hockey team finally broke through with a victory Saturday afternoon at the Michigan Public High School Hockey Showcase in downstate Chelsea, turning back the Berkley Bears, 6-3, at the Arctic Coliseum.

Levi Wunder and Hunter LaMarch each scored two goals as the Eskymos jumped to an early lead. LaMarch scored both of his goals in the first period, and they were both on shorthanded breakways.

Wunder's first goal also came in the opening 17 minutes, and Escanaba had a 3-0 lead. Berkley (11-6-0) scored two quick goals to close to within 3-2 after one period.

Escanaba's lead went to 4-2 as Wunder scored his second goal of the game, this one, very early in the second period. It was a sigh of relief for Wunder, who had his first multi-goal game since a Jan. 17 win over Macomb Dakota in Traverse City.

Wunder now his 69 points in 22 games on the season (34 goals, 35 assists).

The Bears cut the Eskymo lead to 4-3, but Calvin Pinar and Garth Wickham scored two quick goals to make the score 6-3 after two periods. There were no goals in the third.

Before this win, the Eskymos had lost six of their past seven games. They had the lead late in the third period of three of those losses (Calumet, Novi, Woodhaven), and were shut out in the other three losses (Marquette, Houghton, Sault Ste. Marie).

In other games on Saturday at the Showcase, the Kingsford Flivvers finished 3-0 in the event with a 7-5 win over Big Rapids. And the Marquette Redmen tied Romeo, 2-2, to finish the Showcase at 2-0-1. Romeo tied the game with nine seconds left in the third.

Escanaba improved to 13-8-1 on the season, and clinched a winning season for the fourth straight year. The Eskymos return to action next Thursday with a make-up game in Negaunee. The game will be broadcast live on WCHT-AM (600), and on-line at www.rrnsports.com. Face-off is set for 7:00.

FRIDAY'S GAME---WOODHAVEN 5, ESCANABA 3:
The Escanaba High School hockey team fell behind by two goals, rallied to take the lead, but lost on a late goal to the Woodhaven Warriors, 5-3, Friday night at the Michigan Public High School Hockey Showcase in downstate Chelsea.

That scenario was the same one that played out for the Eskymos in Thursday's loss to Novi, as Escanaba lost by the same 5-3 score in the showcase opener.

"We didn't put in a full 17 minutes in any of the three periods tonight," Escanaba Coach Matt Hughes said. "For us to be successful, that's what needs to be done, every night. But unfortunately, we haven't been able to do that."

On Friday, the game was scoreless after the first period. But Woodhaven scored two quick goals to start the second period, putting the Eskymos on their heals. Connor MacDonell and Alex Robinson scored back-to-back goals to put the Warriors in front.

But, just like in Friday's game, Escanaba battled back. Levi Wunder scored a power play goal from Nick Aird and Hunter LaMarch to put the Eskymos on the board, and then Charlie Zuidema scored off a Wunder drop pass to tie the game. Aird drew the second assist, and the game was tied at 2-2 after two periods.

Then, early in the third period, Chris LeMire out the Eskymos in the lead on a goal from LaMarch and Paul Carne. It was the second straight night where the Eskymos rallied from a 2-0 deficit to take the lead. They were hoping for a different result this time.

Unfortunately for the Eskymos, that didn't happen. Woodhaven got another goal from its leading scorer, Robinson, to tie the game. And then, with 2:06 left in the third period, Robinson completed his hat trick by scoring on a rebound.

Jacob Pakenas scored an empty-net goal in the final minute to clinch the win for Woodhaven, which improved to 13-7-0 on the season with the victory.

"It comes down to giving a little more effort," Hughes said. "We have the skills to play the game, and play it at a high level. But we need a little more effort from the guys."

Also at the Showcase on Friday, the other two Upper Peninsula teams in this 65-team event got victories. Marquette beat Rockford, 3-1, while Kingsford edged Livonia Churchill, 4-3. Both Marquette and Kingsford are 2-0 at this tournament.

THURSDAY'S GAME---NOVI 5, ESCANABA 3:
The Escanaba Eskymos fell behind early, rallied to take the lead, but then lost at the end to the Novi Wildcats, 5-3, Thursday night at the Michigan Public High School Hockey Showcase at the Arctic Coliseum in downstate Chelsea.

Escanaba (12-7-1) has now lost five of its last six hockey games, after an 11-2-1 start.

Eskymos vs Novi Highlights

"We had them on the ropes," Escanaba Coach Matt Hughes said. "I thought we played well, and we worked hard. We created a lot of (scoring) opportunities, but we didn't capitalize on them. In the defensive zone, we got stuck on the wall. They'd win a battle, and then they'd get a chance. We need to do better, and we will clean that up."

Novi (13-6-1) scored the game's first two goals. Brad Hofelich, the Wildcats' candidate for the state's Mr. Hockey, put his team on the board in the first period with his 24th goal of the season. Hofelich had an assist on a later Novi goal to give him 56 points.

Novi took a 2-0 lead on a goal by Brenden Wexler, but the Eskymos scored late in the first period to break a long scoreless streak that spanned more than two full games.

Sophomore defenseman Paul Carne scored as Escanaba's Mr. Hockey candidate Levi Wunder made a sweet pass from the corner to set up Carne for the Eskymo goal.

In the second period, the game was even, until the closing seconds. That's when Charlie Zuidema, again set up by Wunder, scored, to tie the game with 13 seconds left to play.

The Eskymos grabbed the lead early in the third period as Chris LeMire scored off a nice set-up by Wunder. So, 100 seconds into the final period, Escanaba led Novi, 3-2.

But things went south for the Eskymos midway through the third period as the Wildcats scored twice in a span of 48 seconds. First, it was Bryan Fegert, who scored a pretty goal from Wexler and Jimmy Hole to tie the game with 7:51 left in the contest.

Novi was not done there. Less than a minute later, Jake Cyr scored on a weak shot from the blue line. It somehow found the back of the net, giving Novi a 4-3 lead with 7:03 left in the game. The Wildcats got an empty-net goal from Wexler at the end to finish it.

"Novi is a good team," Hughes said. "They move the puck really well. I thought it was a good effort for us, despite the outcome."

Wunder led the way for Escanaba with three assists.

In other U.P. games at the Chelsea Showcase on Thursday, the Marquette Redmen scored four goals in a span of first minutes in the first period to beat the Berkley Bears, 6-1. And in the late game, the Kingsford Flivvers beat the host Chelsea Bulldogs, 3-1.

Meanwhile, the Escanaba boys will travel to downtown Detroit Friday morning for a tour of Joe Louis Arena and the Detroit Red Wings facilities.

"We told the boys after the game about the trip," Hughes said. "They are excited."

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