Esky Can't Overcome Rough Start; Falls In Hancock

Click the thumbails to see photos and videos, and listen to post-game comments from Cody Nelson and Escanaba Coach Andy Johnson. Also click the AUDIO buttons to hear player spotlight interviews with Alex Schwalbach and Cale Carter.

HANCOCK---The Escanaba High School hockey team gave up 18 shots and three goals in the first period in the first period, and couldn't recover as an emotional Hancock Bulldogs team skated to a 5-3 win on Bulldog Senior Night Thursday at the Houghton County Arena.

"They cycle the puck really well," Escanaba Coach Andy Johnson said. "We were chasing and running and they pretty much had their way with us. We can't throw pucks on the ice, on the top of the crease. They were picking them off. But in the second period we came out, we started working harder, and we were better in our defensive zone the rest of the game."

But the damage was done as the Bullogs (12-12-1-0) were celebrating Senior Night for their seve 12th graders, and they got the jump when seniors Chad Nordstrom and Easton Sintkowski teamed up on a play that ended with a Brady Galetto goal just 3:54 into the game.

Escanaba cashed in three minutes later when Hancock goalie Isaak Pietila went into the c0rner to play a loose puck. He lost it to Eskymo freshman Alex Schwalbach, who quickly got it to senior Jayger LaMarch, who put it into the net before Pietila could get back between the pipes.

But Hancock scored two goals one minute apart in the late part of the period, with Calvin Heinonen and Benett Sturos scoring to make it a 3-1 Hancock lead.

In the second period, the Eskymos picked up their hitting, with Gunner Bourdeau and Trevor Streichert delivering big, legal hits into the boards, and freshman Cale Carter sitting down the Bulldog captain, Nordstrom, with a jarring hit of his own.

Escanaba closed to within 3-2 when Bourdeau shot one toward the net that was redirected home by Cody Nelson for his second-ever Eskymo goal.

"It's a good feeling (to score) but it's a game we could have won," Nelson said. "I mean, we didn't show up on time, like Coach said. We still came back and played pretty good, and it feels good to get a goal, but it would be better with a win."

Nelson would go to the penalty box after Nordstrom made a move on him, leading to a tripping penalty. And Nordstrom cashed in off the faceoff with a sweet move from the blue line into the front of the net, and he sniped it past goaltdender Dylan Ziemke to make it 4-2.

The Eskymos caught a break one minute later when Sawyer LaMarch brought the puck in on goal and tried to tuck it by goaltender Brandon Pietila. who came in for his brother after Nelson's goal. Pietila appeared to have the puck trapped, but there was no whistle, so Jayger LaMarch jammed it into the net to bring Esky to withi 4-3 with 11:29 to play.

But any momentum the Eskymos would have was deleted just 30 seconds later when Sintkowski scored from a bad angle along the far boards to make ot 5-3.

The Eskymos never threatened down the stretch, and they could't even get Ziemke off for an extra attacker in the final minute of the game.

Ziemke ended up making 37 saves o 42 shots. The two Pietlias combined for 20 saves.

Escanaba fell to 14-8-0-1 with the loss. The Eskymos close the regular season Saturday afternoon with a home game against Painesdale-Jeffers. Face-off is 1:00.