WELLS---Luke Schwemin scored a power play goal 1:46 into the second overtime to lift the Marquette Redmen to a 2-1 win over the Escanaba Eskymos in the Division Two regional semifinals Thursday night at the Wells Sports Complex.
The win was the first for the Redmen over the Eskymos since Nov. 29, 2011, when Marquette posted a 5-3 win in the 2011-12 season opener. Between then and Thursday night, the Eskymos were 5-0-2 in their last seven games against their rivals.
That included an 8-0 whitewash that the Eskymos put on the Redmen at the start of this season in Wells.
But new Marquette Coach Doug Garrow got his team to buy into a "defense-first" style of play, and that has resulted in a big turnaround for the Redmen.
Marquette started the season 0-5-1, but has gone 13-5-3 since and with Thursday's win over the Eskymos, advanced to the regional final against Saginaw Heritage.
Escanaba Coach Matt Hughes said that both teams played hard Thursday night.
"It's always tough to end the year," Hughes said. "We had plenty of chances. Give Marquette credit. They didn't generate much offense, but they played well defensively and their goalie made some key saves."
Schwemin's winning goal, off a feed from Tony Fedrizzi, came on a power play that was created when Eskymo senior Steve Wood was called for tripping in the corner of the Escanaba zone.
It is rare to see a penalty called in double overtime that does not directly impede a scoring chance, such on a breakaway, and Hughes was unhappy.
"If they call an interference down here (against Marquette), which it clearly was, we're on the power play," Hughes said, "instead of having to go 200 feet, chase a guy down, and take a penalty. Steve Wood was the one who was interfered with. But they let that go."
The Eskymos cleared the first Marquette rush, but not the second, and it was over.
"It was a good play by them," Hughes said. "They were on the power play. They caught us out of position and the kid (Schwemin) made a nice shot."
The first period was quite boring, with the Redmen content to clog the neutral zone with three guys and dump the puck into the Eskymo zone countless times.
The shots on goal in the first period read Marquette 3, Escanaba 2. And that was flattering to both teams.
Things opened up a bit in the second period as each team got a power play chance. The Eskymos outshot the Redmen, 11-5, but the game was still scoreless after 34 minutes.
Then early in the third period, Jeff Lyle was called for interference.
The Redmen went to the power play, and things looked fine until Calvin Pinar committed a rare turnover in front of his own net.
Marquette's Brett Specker took the bad pass and rifled a shot over the shoulder of Eskymo goaltender Nick LeMire, and Marquette led, 1-0.
But the Eskymos tied the game four minutes later as a pair of seniors came through. Dan Ritter won a key faceoff and got the puck to T.J. Myrick.
Myrick got it back to Ritter, and Ritter's low one-timer beat Marquette goalie John Beckman to make it 1-1.
Late in the game, the Eskymos carried the play to the Redmen, and the Marquette boys appeared to be on their heels. With just over 90 seconds left, Levi Wunder got the puck and skated in on goal. He beat Beckman cleanly, but his shot hit the right post.
"I thought we had the momentum after the third period, and I would have rather just went right into overtime instead of resurfacing," Hughes said. "But, we had our chances. We had plenty of scoring opportunities. We just didn't capitalize."
Escanaba outshot Marquette, 5-1, in the first eight-minute overtime. The final shots saw Escanaba with 23 and Marquette with just 16. But the Redmen prevailed.
"Their trap didn't work against us," Hughes said. "We were able to generate offense. We were able to get the puck deep and get possession of it. Overall, the kids played well."
Escanaba finishes its season with a 16-8-3 record.
"I think it was a positive year for us," Hughes said. "We had some highs, some lows. The kids responded to each of those very well. They were great kids to coach. They really stepped up. I think every kid improved throughout the year individually, and as a person. That contributed to this team."
Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box to see photos taken by Todd Myrick and Mary Gauthier, videos shot by Mike Dagenais, and listen to radio replays and interviews.
The win was the first for the Redmen over the Eskymos since Nov. 29, 2011, when Marquette posted a 5-3 win in the 2011-12 season opener. Between then and Thursday night, the Eskymos were 5-0-2 in their last seven games against their rivals.
TJ Myrick (9) is defended by Marquette's Justin Cain (8) and Ben Cole (21)
But new Marquette Coach Doug Garrow got his team to buy into a "defense-first" style of play, and that has resulted in a big turnaround for the Redmen.
Marquette started the season 0-5-1, but has gone 13-5-3 since and with Thursday's win over the Eskymos, advanced to the regional final against Saginaw Heritage.
Escanaba Coach Matt Hughes said that both teams played hard Thursday night.
"It's always tough to end the year," Hughes said. "We had plenty of chances. Give Marquette credit. They didn't generate much offense, but they played well defensively and their goalie made some key saves."
Marquette's Luke Schwemin wins it in 2OT
It is rare to see a penalty called in double overtime that does not directly impede a scoring chance, such on a breakaway, and Hughes was unhappy.
Luke Schwemin wins it for Marquette
The Eskymos cleared the first Marquette rush, but not the second, and it was over.
"It was a good play by them," Hughes said. "They were on the power play. They caught us out of position and the kid (Schwemin) made a nice shot."
Eskymo captain Derek Chaillier carries the puck during Thursday night's game.
The shots on goal in the first period read Marquette 3, Escanaba 2. And that was flattering to both teams.
Things opened up a bit in the second period as each team got a power play chance. The Eskymos outshot the Redmen, 11-5, but the game was still scoreless after 34 minutes.
Then early in the third period, Jeff Lyle was called for interference.
The Redmen went to the power play, and things looked fine until Calvin Pinar committed a rare turnover in front of his own net.
Marquette's Brett Specker took the bad pass and rifled a shot over the shoulder of Eskymo goaltender Nick LeMire, and Marquette led, 1-0.
Dan Ritter scores for the Eskymos!
Myrick got it back to Ritter, and Ritter's low one-timer beat Marquette goalie John Beckman to make it 1-1.
Late in the game, the Eskymos carried the play to the Redmen, and the Marquette boys appeared to be on their heels. With just over 90 seconds left, Levi Wunder got the puck and skated in on goal. He beat Beckman cleanly, but his shot hit the right post.
Escanaba outshot Marquette, 5-1, in the first eight-minute overtime. The final shots saw Escanaba with 23 and Marquette with just 16. But the Redmen prevailed.
"Their trap didn't work against us," Hughes said. "We were able to generate offense. We were able to get the puck deep and get possession of it. Overall, the kids played well."
Escanaba finishes its season with a 16-8-3 record.
Matt Hughes post-game comments
Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box to see photos taken by Todd Myrick and Mary Gauthier, videos shot by Mike Dagenais, and listen to radio replays and interviews.
