Five-Goal Second Period Leads Esky Past Calumet

WELLS----Before Saturday's game against the Calumet Copper Kings, Escanaba senior Jeff Lyle wasn't even sure if he would be able to suit up.

He took a puck off of his foot at the end of Friday's practice, and it was so painful that he could barely put pressure on it.

"I couldn't walk on it at all last night, so I wasn't sure," Lyle said. "When we warmed up, I just took it easy. I didn't think I was even gonna be able after warm-ups because it just hurt that bad. But when I put my skate on, it didn't hurt that much."

Jeff Lyle (11) is deep in the Calumet zone.

And so Lyle did suit up and played a big role in the Eskymos' 8-1 victory over the Coppper Country team.

He scored a goal and added an assist, and enjoyed his time being a forward for the first time after two-plus seasons as a defenseman.

'"He was a natural forward," Escanaba Coach Matt Hughes said. "Somehow, a couple of years ago, he got placed back on 'D'. He stuck it out.

"He plays very good defensively, so we decided to try him up front a little bit and he fit in well. He moved the puck well. I think he made Levi (Wunder) and Steve Wood better tonight."

Levi Wunder and Calvin Pinar each had two goals as the Eskymos improved to 10-3 on the season. Dan Ritter, Derek Chaillier, and Dylan Gauthier also scored for Escanaba.

Dylan Gauthier goal

"The kids played very good overall, the entire game," Hughes said. "A few defensive breakdowns, but nothing that hurt us. We were able to get on the scoreboard right away and get at their goaltender. We scored on our good opportunities, and there were some others that we didn't capitalize on."

Gauthier got his team going with his second goal of the season just 2:39 into the game.

"I just got a pass from Chris (LeMire) at the red line," Gauthier said. "I was thinking about passing it to Blaine (Borman), but I shot it instead. And it went in, I guess."

Dylan Gauthier scores a first period goal.

Gauthier is still trying to get back into "hockey shape" following a horrific leg injury that happened eleven months ago at the Hockey Showcase Tournament in Chelsea.

"It's been pretty tough, but to get back to 100-percent, you've just got to keep working hard," Gauthier said, adding that he's not 100-percent yet. "I'm out of shape."

Five minutes later, Wunder scored on the power play to make it 2-0.

"He (Dan Ritter) won the faceoff clean," Wunder said. "It was just sitting there. I just teed 'er up and let 'er fly!"

But the Copper Kings got to within 2-1 as Maxx Frderickson scored with 5:03 left in the first period. Then came Lyle's big moment as he went on a breakaway and scored just 16 seconds into the second period. It was second career goal as an Eskymo.

Jeff Lyle goal

"Finally," Lyle laughed. "I've got two now! I just kind of like forward more (than defense) so I talked to Coach and asked if he'd give me a chance to step up to forward."

It's a good thing he did, because that goal got the Eskymos going.

And they scored four more goals in the second period. Pinar scored his first goal at the 6:08 mark, then Ritter followed with his second goal of the season 89 seconds later.

Matt Casey (5) checks a Calumet foward.

Late in the period, Wunder tallied on the power play and then Chaillier scored a pretty unassisted goal as he went coast-to-coast and backhanded it home. It was 7-1.

Pinar's third period goal capped the scoring for the Eskymos as the Copper Kings spent most of the third period in the penalty box.

Senior goaltender Nick LeMire stopped 23 of 24 shots for the Eskymos.

Calumet's Tyler Hubbard gave up two goals on ten shots, and then Carroll faced 30 shots, yielding six goals. Calumet's record fell to 2-10-1 on the season.

Chaillier got the team's "Hard Hat" award for a job well-done.

Derek Chaillier goal

"He's a competitor and he's a strong kid," Hughes said. "That's one thing that we've talked to our D' about: the faster you get back to that puck, chasing it down, the more time you're going to have to make a play."

"He made a great move on their goalie."

The game was played before a large crowd filled with Escanaba High School students, who chanted loudly all night and played around with the EHS Band.

Escanaba freshman Chris LeMire (8).

"It was incredible," Wunder said. "Unvelievable. It was awesome to see the band here, all the students. It was a special night for us."

"It was the crazziest I've ever seen it," Gauthier said. "It was so loud in here. It (that energy level) just gets you going."

Escanaba returns to action on Tuesday night with a road game in Marquette.

Face-off at Lakeview Arena is set fot 7:00.

The game will be broadcast live on WCHT-AM (600), and on-line at www.rrnsports.com.

Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box at the top of this page to see photos taken by Lisa Dagenais, videos taken by Mike Dagenais, and to hear radio replays and interviews.

Calvin Pinar (18) and Steve Wood (7) celebrate Pinar's first goal Saturday. (Lisa Dagenais photo)

Date	Time	Opponent	Score	Record

11/22	7:00 PM	at Houghton Gremlins	0 - 6 (L)	0-1

11/29	7:00 PM	at Alpena Wildcats	5 - 4 (W)	1-1

11/30	1:00 PM	at Alpena Wildcats	3 - 0 (W)	2-1

12/3	7:00 PM	Marquette Redmen	8 - 0 (W)	3-1

12/9	7:00 PM	at Negaunee Miners	7 - 0 (W)	4-1

12/10	7:00 PM	Sault Ste. Marie Blue Devils	2 - 4 (L)	4-2

12/14	1:00 PM	Hancock Bulldogs	3 - 0 (W)	5-2

12/20	7:00 PM	Houghton Gremlins	1 - 5 (L)	5-3

12/27	8:00 PM	Painesdale-Jeffers Jets	5 - 2 (W)	6-3

12/29	4:00 PM	Negaunee Miners	5 - 2 (W)	7-3

1/3	6:30 PM	at Cheboygan Chiefs	8 - 0 (W)	8-3

1/4	12:30 PM	at Grand Blanc Bobcats	11 - 3 (W)	9-3

1/11	7:00 PM	Calumet Copper Kings	8 - 1 (W)	10-3

1/14	7:00 PM	at Marquette Redmen	2 - 2 (T)	10-3-1

1/17	6:15 PM	Macomb Dakota	3 - 4 (L)	10-4-1

1/18	1:15 PM	Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett	3 - 3 (T)	10-4-2

1/21	7:00 PM	Kingsford Flivvers	8 - 2 (W)	11-4-2

1/29	7:00 PM	at Sault Ste. Marie Blue Devils	1 - 7 (L)	11-5-2

2/6	2:00 PM	Farmington High School	2 - 4 (L)	11-6-2

2/7	12:15 PM	at Marysville High School	6 - 2 (W)	12-6-2

2/8	12:30 PM	Berkley-Ferndale United	2 - 2 (T)	12-6-3

2/11	7:00 PM	Negaunee Miners	12 - 1 (W)	13-6-3

2/14	7:00 PM	at Calumet Copper Kings	4 - 1 (W)	14-6-3

2/15	1:00 PM	at Hancock Bulldogs	2 - 3 (L)	14-7-3

2/20	7:00 PM	at Kingsford Flivvers	7 - 2 (W)	15-7-3

2/25	7:00 PM	Negaunee Miners	3 - 0 (W)	16-7-3

2/27	7:00 PM	Marquette Redmen	1 - 2 (L)	16-8-3