Sault Blue Devils Hold Off Late Eskymo Challenge

WELLS---For the second straight game, the Escanaba Eskymos scored a goal less than a minute into the contest when they hosted the Sault Ste. Marie Blue Devils Wednesday night in Wells. But unlike last week's win over Marquette, the Eskymos could not score again the rest of the way and lost to the Blue Devils, 3-1.

Escanaba's Jake Eastin carries the puck as CJ Wilkins defends for the Sault Ste. Marie.

Nick Vandermissen scored 22 seconds into the game, but Blue Devil goaltender Nick Mackenzie was solid the rest of the night. He stopped two breakaways, and turned aside all eleven shots the Eskymos threw his way in the third period.

Escanaba had scored 40 seconds into their game last week against Marquette and won, 7-5.

But not this time. The Blue Devils salted it away with an empty-net goal with 19 seconds left in the contest to win their fifth straight game.

Escanaba fell to 1-1.

"Well, we had to play three periods of hockey, and we didn't do that," Eskymo Head Coach Tim McCarthy said. "It just took a little while for us to get going, and I have no explanation for that. The Soo is a very, very good team that moved the puck well."

After Vandermissen's early goal, Sault Ste. Marie tied the game at the 10:06 mark of the first period when Ben LaCross blasted one past goaltender Nick LeMire.

Then moments later, Eric Hillock was close to putting his team into the lead but his hard shot rang off the crossbar. In the second period, Willem Gauthier was left alone in the low slot and beat LeMire with a low shot to put the Blue Devils in front, 2-1.

Goaltender Nick LeMire made 24 saves.

Sault High dominated the second period, outshooting Escanaba, 11-2. But LeMire stood tall in net, making several difficult saves and even one poke check to keep it 2-1.

"Nicky had another strong game," McCarthy said.

One of the two shots the Eskymos got in that period came off the stick of Jake Eastin, as he cruised in on a breakway after a Blue Devil turnover. Mackenzie stopped Eastin's shot, and unfortunately for the Eskymos, that was a preview of what was to come.

About four minutes into the third period, the tide turned in Escanaba's favor, and the Eskymos were in control from there.

But they couldn't score. Mackenzie made two saves in a row early in the period during an Eskymo flurry, but the junior netminder did his best work late in the game with Escanaba bidding to tie the contest.

Levi Wunder stole a pass at the Soo blue line and raced in on goal, but Mackenzie stopped the breakway. Eastin had a chance on a rebound, but defenseman Justin DeLisle was there in the blue paint to stick it away. Vandermissen's hard shot was speared by Mackenzie, and Derek Chailler's shot was stopped, and then Wunder again.

Levi Wunder was chosen the game's #2 star.

Wunder, who earned the game's #2 star, was left shaking his head after the game.

"I came down, picked the puck off, and I was going 'low glove'," Wunder said of the first stop. "It was off his arm and it just didn't slip through. Then, Nick gave me a nice pass and it was just a one-timer. He (Mackenzie) put the leg out and robbed me."

"Levi was moving the puck well and getting good shots off," McCarthy said.

The Eskymos got another power play chance with 57 seconds left when Hillock was called for high sticking. But six seconds later, Wunder was called for tripping and the power play was neutralized.

The Eskymos pulled LeMire and put more pressure on the Blue Devil zone, but Chris Hazen carried the puck along the boards into the Escanaba zone and slid in an empty-net goal to give the Blue Devils the hard-earned win.

"We just couldn't put the puck in the net," McCarthy said. "We played well in the third period, but we needed three periods like that."

"In the second period, I think everything fell apart," Wunder said. "We weren't really working it and our positioning was off. We just didn't have any intensity in the second period."

Derek Chailler through the neutral zone.

McCarthy did like the play of defenseman Derek Chailler, who logged a lot of ice time.

"He was picking passes, being in the right spot," the coach said. "Did an outstanding job."

Sault Ste. Marie outshot Escanaba, 27-19. LeMire stopped 24 of 26 shots for the Eskymos, giving them a chance to win the game. Mackenzie made only 18 saves, but earned the game's #1 star because so many of those saves were clutch.

Escanaba travels to Traverse City this weekend to compete in the Bay Area Reps Tournament.

The Eskymos face Macomb Dakota Friday night at 7:30, and Utica Eisenhower at 12:45 Saturday afternoon. These games will NOT be on the radio due to the inability to get a strong broaadcast signal out of the Centre Ice Arena's Rink #2.

We will have full recaps of the games on this web site throughout the weekend.

Click the thumbnails in the 'ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS' box to see photos, video clips, and listen to interviews with Tim McCarthy and Levi Wunder. Thanks for the help from Sam Barton, Lisa Dagenais, Mike Dagenais, and Bri Belanger for all of those photos and videos.

Game Two---Sault Ste. Marie Blue Devils 3, Escanaba Eskymos 1
SAULT STE. MARIE 1 1 1----3
ESCANABA 1 0 0----1

First Period
ESC 1-0: Vandermissen 3 (Wunder) 0:22
SSM 1-1: LaCross (TenEyck) 10:06

Second Period
SSM 2-1: Gauthier (Hillock, Meehan) 11:17

Third Period
SSM 3-1: Hazen (unassisted) 16:42 ENG

Escanaba Penalties (2/4): McCarthy 2 head contact; Wunder 2 tripping.

Sault Ste. Marie Penalties (4/8): Wilkens 2 interference; Hillock 2 interference; Hazen 2 tripping; Hillock 2 high-sticking.

Power Plays: Escanaba 0/4; Sault Ste. Marie 0/2.
Shots on Goal: Escanaba 6-2-11=19; Sault Ste. Marie 9-11-7=27.
Three Stars: 1. Mackenzie, SSM; 2. Wunder, ESC; 3. Gauthier, SSM.

Nick LeMire makes the save as Derek Chailler (right) dives for a block and Jake Eastin (6) backchecks. Soo's Chase Gamelin (12) and Eric Hillock look for rebounds. (Sam Barton photos)

Date	Time	Opponent	Score	Record

11/27	7:00 PM	at Marquette Redmen	7 - 5 (W)	1-0

12/5	7:00 PM	Sault Ste. Marie Blue Devils	1 - 3 (L)	1-1

12/7	7:30 PM	at Macomb Dakota	0 - 8 (L)	1-2

12/8	12:45 PM	at Utica Eisenhower	4 - 1 (W)	2-2

12/14	8:15 PM	Tomahawk, Wis.	9 - 1 (W)	3-2

12/15	2:15 PM	L'Anse Purple Hornets	9 - 1 (W)	4-2

12/18	7:00 PM	Negaunee Miners	9 - 0 (W)	5-2

12/28	8:15 PM	Monroe, Wis.	9 - 1 (W)	6-2

12/29	2:00 PM	Painesdale-Jeffers Jets	9 - 1 (W)	7-2

1/4	6:00 PM	at Negaunee Miners	9 - 0 (W)	8-2

1/5	1:30 PM	at Grand Blanc Bobcats	9 - 1 (W)	9-2

1/8	7:00 PM	at Sault Ste. Marie Blue Devils	4 - 3 (W)	10-2

1/12	6:00 PM	at Calumet Copper Kings	2 - 5 (L)	10-3

1/15	7:00 PM	Marquette Redmen	3 - 1 (W)	11-3

1/26	7:00 PM	at Cheboygan Chiefs	8 - 0 (W)	12-3

2/1	7:00 PM	Alpena Wildcats	9 - 2 (W)	13-3

2/2	1:00 PM	Alpena Wildcats	6 - 4 (W)	14-3

2/7	8:00 PM	at Hartland Eagles	4 - 2 (W)	15-3

2/8	6:00 PM	at Rochester United	1 - 0 (W)	16-3

2/9	12:30 PM	at Chelsea Bulldogs	6 - 5 (W)	17-3

2/12	7:00 PM	at Kingsford Flivvers	7 - 5 (W)	18-3

2/15	7:00 PM	Calumet Copper Kings	7 - 3 (W)	19-3

2/16	1:00 PM	Hancock Bulldogs	4 - 3 (W)	20-3

2/18	7:00 PM	at Negaunee Miners	8 - 0 (W)	21-3

2/21	7:00 PM	Kingsford Flivvers	6 - 3 (W)	22-3

2/26	7:00 PM	at Negaunee Miners	8 - 0 (W)	23-3

2/28	7:00 PM	at Marquette Redmen	8 - 0 (W)	24-3

3/2	1:00 PM	Saginaw Heritage Hawks	1 - 2 (L)	24-4