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OVERTIME THRILLER: Esky Escapes Manistique
 Click the thumbnails to see photos and videos, hear interviews with Jayger LaMarch, Dakota Maki, Karson Krutina, and Eskymo Coach Andy Johnson. Also click the AUDIO button to hear Riley Stannard's player spotlight interview. MANISTIQUE---Karson Krutina scored with 1:21 left in overtime to lead the Escanaba High School hockey team to a 6-5 win over the Manistique Emeralds Friday night at the Little Bear West Arena. It was the first-ever match-up between the two teams on Manistique’s home ice, after the Eskymos posted a 6-1 win earlier this season in Escanaba.  “I think we were better than them in the first period, and we capitalized on our chances,” Escanaba Coach Andy Johnson said. “The second period, it got chippy, the refs started calling it tight, just to simmer down the game because the boys were looking for hits. And then we came out in the third, and it was a great game in the third period.” “It was a good thing that they pushed us into OT,” said senior Jayger LaMarch, who had a goal and two assists and earned the game’s third star. “It really pushed our limits, and really made us a better team, for sure.” Escanaba led 2-0 after the first period when Brayden Martineau capitalized on a nice Gunner Bourdeau pass to beat Manistique goaltender Alex Noble short side, and then Jayger LaMarch scored a sick goal as he broke in on a helpless Noble to make it a 2-0 game. Krutina scored his first goal of the night on a back-hand shot to make it 3-0, but then the parade to the penalty box began and the Eskymos got sloppy in the defensive zone, allowing multiple back-door plays to put Manistique back in it. Escanaba had the power play and a 3-0 lead, but gave up a shorthanded goal as Dakota Maki rifled a shot off the post and past goaltender Dylan Ziemke.  And the comeback was complete for Manistique when Maki cashed in on the power play for his second goal of the game, tying the contest at 4-4. The third period saw the Eskymos pound shot after shot at Noble, a sophomore goalie playing on this co-op team with Manistique, Newberry, and Superior Central High Schools. Noble stopped them all, until Sawyer LaMarch cashed in for his second goal of the game with 1:52 left to give Escanaba a 5-4 lead. The Emeralds had trouble getting their goalie pulled, but then the Eskymos took an icing call with 15 seconds to play. That gave Manistique an offensive zone faceoff, and as time ticked away, there was Maki to push home the game’s tying goal with 4.5 seconds left in the game. It was his hat trick goal, and it sent the large Emeralds crowd into hysterics. “Coach said once we pull the goalie, we had to get pucks on net and try to get a tip-in,” Maki said. “I happened to be out front. Audie (Matt Rahilly) threw it out and I just happened to be in the right place. It’s the best feeling in the world. You’ve got all these people here. Your friends and family. Just to give us a couple more minutes of hope to win the game. We didn’t win in the end, but it gave us some hope, so it was nice.”  “I went and dug it out of the corner, and got it to Sauce (Sawyer LaMarch),” Krutina said. “He ripped a shot, and I crashed the net, and kind of poked it in on the rebound.” Escanaba ended up outshooting Manistique, 53-24, with Noble stopping 47 of them. Ziemke had 19 saves in net for the Eskymos. Manistique fell to 6-4-1-0 on the season, although four of those wins have come against junior varsity teams. Escanaba improved to 13-6-0-1 on the season. That includes a forfeit win from Houghton, which the Eskymos had lost to, 6-0, back in November. Manistique is home on Saturday at 1:00 against Painesdale-Jeffers. Escanaba takes the ice next Tuesday night in Negaunee.  |
