ESKYMOS WIN 1ST REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

GAYLORD---The fourth time was the charm.

After being oh-so-close in the regional finals on three different occassions in the past six years, the Escanaba Eskymos finally got over the hump on Saturday.

And the boys did it in dominant fashion as they won the Division Two Regional Championship over the Bay Area Thunder, 8-0, at the Otsego County Sportsplex in Gaylord.

The game was called by the mercy rule early in the third period.

Saturday's win came after the Eskymos lost regional championship heartbreakers to the Bay Area Reps in 2010, Traverse City Central in 2012, and Saginaw Heritage in 2013.

Escanaba Hockey Coach Matt Hughes says that this one is for all of those Eskymos.

"It's huge, and that was part of my pre-game speech," Hughes said. "We've been here before, but we've never been beyond here. I told them 'you're about to make history today as a group of young men, as Eskymos, for your school, and for your alumni'."

And to do it in Gaylord, the site of the 2012 and 2013 heartbreaking losses?

Hunter LaMarch goal ends the game!

"That was on my mind too," Hughes said. "We've never had very good success here at all, so it's a very good thing for these kids. It was very good for our program to jump on our opponent right away and get off to a great start. Nobody took a shift off."

Bay Area Thunder Coach Larry Kwapiszewski said the following to MLive.com:

"We just ran into a very good Escanaba team today," he said. "They are talented and deep and are by far the best team we've gone up against all season. I wish them the best of luck the rest of the way. This experience will help motivate us for next season."

Escanaba junior Dylan Gauthier had a big smile as the Eskymo playoff futility ended.

"This feels great to get it, finally," Gauthier said. "I didn't play freshman year (against Saginaw), and so I finally got to play this year. It was good."

"Last year, we lost to Marquette and we couldn't get here. But now we're here, and we won on a mercy!"

"This is the biggest game I've ever played in," Eskymo sophomore Garth Wickham said. "It felt really good to make Eskymo history, with the mercy, and the shutout!"

"We made history," Eskymo captain Levi Wunder said. "It feels so great because we did it as a family. I am so proud of my team. We did it together. Everybody helped. It was great to see some of the (fourth line) guys get some ice time and they did a good job, too."

Indeed, the Eskymos dominated the first period against the Thunder team that included boys from Bay City John Glenn, Essexville-Garber, and Pinconning High Schools. They scored five goals in the first 17 minutes to take all suspense out of the game.

Chris LeMire goal makes it 7-0

The Thunder had the power play but turned the puck over to Wunder, who ripped home a shorthanded goal at the 3:58 mark of the first period. Later, Wunder created an opportunity with his speed and Nick Aird cashed in with a goal from in close to make it 2-0.

Exactly two minutes later, Wunder scored his second goal off the skate of goaltender Jayson Wiitala, and then two minutes after that goal, Wickham scored on the power play to make it 4-0. Then, in the closing seconds of the period, Chris LeMire found Hunter LaMarch in the middle of the ice for a shorthanded breakaway.

With three seconds left in the period, LaMarch swept it into the net for a 5-0 lead.

"He was fighting, clawing, and scratching, and he ended up poking it through," Hughes said. "That was just a great, hard-working goal. His two linemates, Chris LeMire and Garth Wickham, also had great games."

Escanaba scored once in the second period, and it was Wunder who set the table after Calvin Pinar took advantage of a turnover at the blue line.

Wunder skated in, drew a defenesman, and left a drop pass for Dylan Gauthier, who gunned it top-shelf.

"I didn't think he was gonna pass it to me at first," Gauthier said. "I just thought he was gonna skate around. But then he dropped it between his legs and it was right to me, and I just shot it. I guess, top shelf!"

Dylan Gauthier goal makes it 6-0.

"He was very unselfish today," Hughes said of Wunder.

Wunder now has 85 points on the season: 42 goals and 43 assists in 28 games.

The Eskymos put it away quickly early in the third period. LeMire scored on his backhand off of a feed from LaMarch at the 2:38 mark, and just eleven seconds later, it was Eskymo history as Wickham found LaMarch for the game-clinching goal.

Wickham, in fact, assisted on both of those final Eskymo goals.

"My teammates jumped to open ice and I just gave them the puck," Wickham said. "I just wanted to finish the game. I wanted the goal. We need to get home."

Escanaba outshot the Thunder, 35-11.

Wiitala made some tough saves, just as he had in the Thunder upset wins over Midland Dow and Saginaw Heritage earlier in the week. But his team was overwhelmed by the Eskymos.

The Thunder finished their season 16-10-2.

Statistically, Escanaba was led by Wunder's four points (two goals, two assists). LaMarch also had four points (two goals, two assists). Wickham had three points (one goal, two assists), and LeMire also had three points (one goal, two assists). Valentine earned his second playoff shutout of the week.

"These kids are playing very, very good hockey," Hughes said. "Very disciplined hockey. There's a gain of trust that has happened over the last month, and it's really great to see that, and it's a really great time of the year for that to happen."

Levi Wunder goal makes it 3-0.

Escanaba (17-10-1) will return to Gaylord on Tuesday to face the Traverse City Central Trojans in the state quarterfinals. The Trojans (19-8-1) beat Portage Central, 2-1, Saturday, in their regional final.

The Tuesday night game starts at 7:00 and will be broadcast live on WGKL-FM (105.5), WCHT-AM (600), and on-line at www.rrnsports.com.

Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS above to see photos and videos taken by Mary Gauthier, and to hear interviews, highlights.

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