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Wunder-ful Turnaround! Eskymos Beat Utica Ike
 TRAVERSE CITY---It was not a pretty scene for the Escanaba Eskymos hockey team Friday night after the 8-0 loss to Macomb Dakota. But after a little heart-to-heart talk, and a challenge from their coach, the Eskymos turned in a solid performance Saturday against Utica Eisenhower, winning 4-1 at the Bay Area Reps Tournament in Traverse City. 
Hunter LaMarch (16) in a recent game.
Escanaba took an early lead when Levi Wunder scored his first goal as an Eskymo. The Eagles tied the game with a power play goal, but Wunder scored again to make it 2-1. The Eskymos' final goals came off the sticks of Jake Eastin and Nick Vandermissen. And the goals came after McCarthy threatened to put the two on separate forward lines. "They had the first period to work together, or we were going to split them up," McCarthy said. "Jake and Nick stepped up and played much better than last night. They stepped up and took a leadership role." Junior goaltender Nick LeMire stopped 27 of 28 shots for the victory.  The Eskymos had 29 shots on goal. They played without top defenseman Derek Chailler, who suffered a concussion during Friday's game. But the Eskymos perservered. "In the third period, we just wore them down," McCarthy said. "They were tired and out of gas. They started taking penalties. I'm proud of our team. We had a positive bench." So, Escanaba finished a brutal stretch of four games with a 2-2 record. That against schools larger than Escanaba (Marquette, Sault, Macomb Dakota, Utica Eisenhower). "I would never have believed it (going 2-2), not with seven freshmen," McCarthy said. "We have a young, rebuilding team. This is going to give us a lot of confidence." Escanaba hosts the Gil Versailles Memorial Tournament next weekend. The Eskymos will play the Tomahawk Hatchets Friday night. Game time is approximately 8:15. The game will be broadcast live on WGKL-FM (105.5) and WCHT-AM (600). FRIDAY---MACOMB DAKOTA 8, ESCANABA O: It was a rough night for the Escanaba High School hockey team as the boys faced Macomb Dakota in the Bay Area Reps Tournament in Traverse City. The Eskymos were outshot 35-14 and lost to the Division One Cougars, 8-0, on the mercy rule. "They had 14 seniors, they played very well, and they crashed the net," Eskymo Coach Tim McCarthy said. "They're a tough Division One school, and we have seven freshmen." The Eskymos fell behind, 3-0, in the first period, and it didn't get better from there. "They outplayed us, that's the bottom line," McCarthy said. "We didn't clear our zone. They made us pay for our mistakes. We had scoring opportunities, but didn't bury it." Dakota had a player ejected for checking EHS's Matt Casey into the boards from behind. Click the thumbnails in the "ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS" box to see photos taken by Lisa Dagenais during last Wednesday's Eskymo-Sault game.
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| 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
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