Eskymos Dominate Calumet; Tied For First Place

WELLS---The last time the Escanaba High School hockey team lost a game, it waas a month ago in Calumet. The Eskymos had a chance to avenge that loss Friday night, and they took full advantage. Escanaba scored 32 seconds into the game and built up a 5-0 lead before settling for a 7-3 win over the Copper Kings at the Wells Sports Complex.

Not only did the Eskymos avenge that 5-2 loss, but they also pulled into a first-place tie with the Copper Kings in the Great Lakes Hockey Conference.

Esky's Dan Ritter (19) skates on after Calumet's Braden Anderson goes down.

"We outshot them 17-4 in the first period and the guys really went out there with a purpose," Escanaba Coach Tim McCarthy said. "I couldn't ask more out of the kids."

"We wanted it, and we wanted that other game up in the Armory there," Eskymo captain Jake Eastin said. "It just feels great to get the win on these guys. We had a great start."

Levi Wunder scored three more goals, giving him 38 for the season. Nick Vandermissen had a play-maker, giving him 34 assists.

Eastin had two goals and an assist, giving him 50 points for the season. And Steve Wood added two goals for the Eskymos.

"Stevie does well," McCarthy said. "We ask him to hold the puck (on the penalty kill) and he does a great job at that. Then, we ask him to move it, and he does."

Jake Eastin makes a move and then scores back-hand

Escanaba took the opening face off and swarmed the Copper King net. Vandermissen found Wunder with a cross-the-crease pass, and Wunder made no mistake.

Wood scored five minutes later as the puck was stopped by Calumet goaltender Troy Pierce, but it trickled into the net. Then with 2:07 left in the period, Wunder scored again off of a Derek Chaillier set-up. It was a 3-0 lead after the first 17 minutes.

"It was huge, and we were talking about it all day," Eastin said. "We wanted to jump on them quick, early. Be as aggressive as you can. Don't even let them breathe."

Escanaba's Quintin McCarthy (20) blocked several shots during Friday's game.

The prettiest goal of the game came off of Eastin's stick late in the second period. He got a pass from Ben Lasecki, raced up the left side, moved past a Copper King defenseman, and went to his backhand for a sweet goal that made it 4-0.

"They just chipped it out and I ended up getting it," Eastin said. "The guy was pinching on me, so I knew that I could just slide the puck behind the back side of him. And then I went to my backhand."

The Eskymos kept the pressure on right off of the faceoff. T.J. Myrick came in with a shot and Wood knocked home the rebound, just 22 seconds after Eastin's goal.

But Escanaba did not get into the second intermissen with that 5-0 lead. The Eskymos got a little complacent, and gave up two goals in less than a minute. The first was a tip by Reilly Schreiber off of a Jim Sturos shot. The other was a Brendan Jacques rush to the net.

Steve Wood scores. 5-0.

McCarthy used the second intermission to warn his guys to tighten up.

"We sat back just a little bit and they got two goals on us just like that," McCarthy said. "You can't press the panic button there, but that's what Calumet can do to you. We ended up in the box quite a bit, and we've got to stop that. We play aggressive."

Defensively, senior Quintin McCarthy led the way for the Eskymos. He had a +4 rating and there were no goals scored against the Eskymos while he was on the ice Friday.

In the third period, Eastin was set up perfectly in front of the net by Vandermissen, and the Eskymo captain buried it for a 6-2 lead. Calumet's Lucas Lahnala got that goal back, but Wunder completed his hat trick off of another Vandermissen feed. It was 7-3.

Escanaba's Jake Eastin (6) and Calumet's Brendan Jacques go for the puck near Calumet goalie Troy Pierce Friday night.

"We just work hard in practice and we seem to always find each other," Vandermissen said. "It just feels good knowing that we can always find each other."

"He seems to find me all the time on the ice, and it's really working out good," Wunder said, and he then laughed. "I guess I'm a little more selfish with the puck!"

For Wood, that makes three goals in two games. He had three in the first 18 games!

"I guess I've just been in the right spot," Wood said. "(On the first goal) I dumped it deep and T.J. forechecked him and popped 'er right into me. I shot it five-hole.

"And then the second goal, T.J. had it in the slot. He shot it, then I shot it off the rebound, and I got my own rebound and then put it in."

Levi Wunder scores 32 seconds into the game.

Escanaba outshot Calumet, 33-21, including 17-4 in the first period. The Eskymos improved to 19-3 on the season, with a #5 ranking in the state in Division Two.

The Copper Kings fell to 15-9, with a #3 ranking in the state in Division Three.

Escanaba was called for six penalties and Calumet was whistled just one time. The Eskymos killed off all six of the Copper King power play opportunities.

Dylan Gauthier got a hero's welcome as he arrived Friday night at the rink.

The Eskymos celebrated Parents Night before the game, and there was a special moment during the ceremony as freshman Dylan Gauthier came into Zamboni door enterance in a wheel chair.

He was severely injured in last week's Showcase in Chelsea, and just returned to Escanaba from Ann Arbor Friday afternoon.

Gauthier took part in Parent's Night with his family, and he watched a part of the game before heading for the warmth of the locker room. Doctors say, however, that Gauthier should make a full recovery from his injuries.

"It was great to see him here, and we definitely got this one for him," Wunder said.

Escanaba hosts Hancock Saturday afternoon. Game time is 1:00. The game will be broadcast live on WCHT-AM (600), and at www.rrnsports.com.

Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box to see photos taken by Lisa Dagenais, videos taken by Mike Dagenais, and audio highlights and interviews from the radio broadcast.

Game 22: Escanaba Eskymos 7, Calumet Copper Kings 3

CALUMETI      0      2      1----3
ESCANABA      3      2      2----7

First Period
ESC 1-0: Wunder 36 (Eastin, Vandermissen) 0:32
ESC 2-0: Wood 5 (Myrick) 5:12
ESC 3-0: Wunder 37 (Chaillier) 14:53

Second Period
ESC 4-0: Eastin 23 (Lasecki) 14:19
ESC 5-0: Wood 6 (Myrick) 14:41
CAL 1-5: Schreiber (Sturos, Anderson) 15:36
CAL 2-5: Jacques (Schreiber) 16:30

Third Period
ESC 6-2: Eastin 24 (Vandermissen, Wunder) 2:42
CAL 3-6: Lahnala (unassisted) 6:34
ESC 7-3: Wunder 38 (Vandermissen) 11:22

Escanaba Penalties (6/12): Myrick 2 tripping;  Lyle 2 clipping; Chaillier 2 tripping; Lasecki 2 head contact; Lasecki 2 interference; Chaillier 2 interference.

Calumet Penalties (1/2): Rowe 2 hooking.

Shots on Goal: Escanaba 17-8-8=33; Calumet 4-8-9=21.
Power Plays: Escanaba 0/1; Calumet 0/6.
Three Stars: 1. Vandermissen and Wunder, ESC; 2. Wood, ESC; 3. Eastin, ESC.

Quintin McCarthy dives in front of the puck as Rob Erkkila (4) and Brendan Jacques (9) cut in on goal.

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