TRAVERSE CITY--- Steve Fredrick scored his second goal of the game with 4:31 left in the third period as the Macomb Dakota Cougars held off the Escanaba Eskymos, 4-3, Friday at the North/South Hockey Showcase in Traverse City.
Levi Wunder, T.J. Myrick, and Chris LeMire scored for Escanaba.
"The kids definately played hard," Eskymo Coach Matt Hughes said. "I told the kids after the game that if we minimalized the mistakes and turnovers, we're on top on the scoreboard. Turnovers were our nemisis tonight, that's for sure."
"They took advantage of some of them."
The Eskymos turned in a much better performance than they did Tuesday night, when the boys tied the Marquette Redmen, 2-2, at Lakeview Arena.
"We actually played a great game," Eskymo captain Derek Chaillier said. "We just made some minor mistakes and they capitalized. We pinched at bad times, like when there wasn't a guy high, and that gave them 2-on-1's."
"That's what killed us."
"Lots of turnovers," Eskymo freshman Chris LeMire agreed. "They're a fast team. You've got to pick your head up and move it (the puck). But there was a night-and-day difference.
"In Marquette, we went in there thinking that we had the game. In this game, we knew what we had to do."
After a scoreless first period, Fredrick scored after the Eskymos turned the puck over in the neutral zone. But the Eskymos battled back with a pair of goals. First, Wunder rifled one into the net off of the crossbar. Eskymo goaltender Nick LeMire got the assist.
Escanaba took the lead later in the period when Charlie Zuidema picked up a loose puck and fed Myrick for a breakaway. Myrick ripped one past Dakota goaltender Adam Bryant for a shorthanded goal, making it 2-1.
But the lead didn't last long. Just 19 seconds later, with Dakota still on the power play, Jake Vandevelde put the Cougars back on the board. It was 2-2 after two periods.
Early in the third period, the Cougars took the lead when Matt Riehl blasted one off of the crossbar and into the net...a goal similiar to the one that Wunder scored for Escanaba earlier in the evening.
But Escanaba had the answer again as Chris LeMire whipped the puck toward the net, and it appeared to hit two Dakota sticks and go into the net.
"There were a lot of tips on that," LeMire said. "I was just lucky to place it in the right spot and it got tipped and it went in. It was great because we got the momentum."
Chris LeMire was given the team's "hard-hat" award after the game.
Dakota got what turned out to be the winning goal when Vandevelde went in on a 2-on-1 with Fredrick. Nick LeMire stopped Vandevelde's shot, but the big rebound went to Fredrick and he knocked it into the open net, making it a 4-3 game.
Dakota (9-5-1) outshot Escanaba, 37-23.
"We hung in there," Hughes said. "We told the kids: 'Don't hang your heads about this one'. We played hard against a fast team, and had them on the ropes a couple of times.
"It could have gone either way. A bounce here, a bounce there, we're on top."
"I told the guys in the locker room that we played fine, but we can't make those little mistakes," Chaillier said. "We just have to capitalize on our chances, too."
It was a much better performance for Escanaba this time compared to last season when the Eskymos lost to the Cougars, 8-0. The Cougars entered this game with 13 seniors.
Escanaba (10-4-1) will face Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett Saturday afternoon in Traverse City. Game time is 1:15. 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 to see videos and photos from the game, and listen to radio replays and interviews. Thanks to Mary and Taylor Gauthier for doing the camera work.
Levi Wunder, T.J. Myrick, and Chris LeMire scored for Escanaba.
"The kids definately played hard," Eskymo Coach Matt Hughes said. "I told the kids after the game that if we minimalized the mistakes and turnovers, we're on top on the scoreboard. Turnovers were our nemisis tonight, that's for sure."
"They took advantage of some of them."
Sammy Shaheen has the puck for Dakota as Calvin Pinar (18) defends for Escanaba.
"We actually played a great game," Eskymo captain Derek Chaillier said. "We just made some minor mistakes and they capitalized. We pinched at bad times, like when there wasn't a guy high, and that gave them 2-on-1's."
"That's what killed us."
"Lots of turnovers," Eskymo freshman Chris LeMire agreed. "They're a fast team. You've got to pick your head up and move it (the puck). But there was a night-and-day difference.
"In Marquette, we went in there thinking that we had the game. In this game, we knew what we had to do."
After a scoreless first period, Fredrick scored after the Eskymos turned the puck over in the neutral zone. But the Eskymos battled back with a pair of goals. First, Wunder rifled one into the net off of the crossbar. Eskymo goaltender Nick LeMire got the assist.
T.J. Myrick scores the shorthanded goal.
But the lead didn't last long. Just 19 seconds later, with Dakota still on the power play, Jake Vandevelde put the Cougars back on the board. It was 2-2 after two periods.
Early in the third period, the Cougars took the lead when Matt Riehl blasted one off of the crossbar and into the net...a goal similiar to the one that Wunder scored for Escanaba earlier in the evening.
Chris LeMire scores tying goal
"There were a lot of tips on that," LeMire said. "I was just lucky to place it in the right spot and it got tipped and it went in. It was great because we got the momentum."
Chris LeMire was given the team's "hard-hat" award after the game.
Dakota got what turned out to be the winning goal when Vandevelde went in on a 2-on-1 with Fredrick. Nick LeMire stopped Vandevelde's shot, but the big rebound went to Fredrick and he knocked it into the open net, making it a 4-3 game.
Eskymo senior T.. Myrick (9) scored a goal.
"We hung in there," Hughes said. "We told the kids: 'Don't hang your heads about this one'. We played hard against a fast team, and had them on the ropes a couple of times.
"It could have gone either way. A bounce here, a bounce there, we're on top."
"I told the guys in the locker room that we played fine, but we can't make those little mistakes," Chaillier said. "We just have to capitalize on our chances, too."
It was a much better performance for Escanaba this time compared to last season when the Eskymos lost to the Cougars, 8-0. The Cougars entered this game with 13 seniors.
Escanaba (10-4-1) will face Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett Saturday afternoon in Traverse City. Game time is 1:15. 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 to see videos and photos from the game, and listen to radio replays and interviews. Thanks to Mary and Taylor Gauthier for doing the camera work.
Dakota's Jake Vandevelde (19) slides toward the puck as Escanaba's Jeff Lyle (11) closes in Friday night.
