MARQUETTE---The Escanaba Eskymos haven't had very much "puck luck" over the course of the second half of this hockey season.
The team went on a 3-8 skid after an 11-2-1 start, and it was for a variety of reasons. Often times, the Eskymos ran into a hot goalie. Or they hit the pipe on a possible game-winning goal. Or there was a marginal penalty call against them. Or a bad turnover.
But Thursday night in Marquette, the Hockey Gods paid back the Eskymos for previous bad luck.
Calvin Pinar scored a hat trick on three innocent-looking shots and Escanaba rallied for a 4-2 win over the Marquette Redmen in the Division 2 regional semifinals.
"That was probably the dirtiest, greasiest three goals that I've ever scored," Pinar said. "Everybody needed to show up, and they did. Everybody putting in the effort and work. It just feels so good to beat Marquette."
"It's always great to win against a tough team like Marquette," said Eskymo sophomore Chris LeMire, who played Bantam hockey in Marquette when he was younger. "No matter how weak they are in the (regular) season, they always improve toward the end, and this was just a great game."
The result sends the Eskymos into the regional championship game against the Bay Area Thunder, who upset two-time defending regional champ Saginaw Heritage, 6-3.
Pinar's first goal came just 2:24 into the game as he shot one from the corner that banked in off of Marquette goaltedender Brendan Higbie.
The rest of the period was controlled by the Redmen, and they scored on goals by Spencer DenBeste and Brock Smith just 1:29 apart late in the period. Marquette led, 2-1, and was dominating the game, but the Redmen also had five shots miss the net.
And Escanaba goaltender Jack Valentine, who always plays his best hockey against the Redmen, kept the Eskymos afloat with 15 saves in that first period.
"The last ten games, I'd say, has been pretty much all mental," Valentine said of his vastly improved play in net. "Everything since freshman year, I've learned that you have to be mentally focused, just be on your game, and see the puck. I could tell from warm-ups that it was going to be a good night. I was seeing the puck really well."
In the intermission between the first and second periods, the usually-reserved Eskymo coaches had seen enough. And they let the boys know it with a loud address.
"We had a tough first period," Escanaba Head Coach Matt Hughes said. "We were forechecking, but our 'third guy' was getting sucked down deep. So, we were giving up odd-man rushes. And we'd have a defensman pinch, or a defenseman fall down. So, we, as a coaching staff, went in and motivated the boys a little bit."
Hughes, known for his calm demeanor on the bench, was vocal this time.
"You hate yelling at the kids," Hughes said. "It's that time of year that you shouldn't have to yell at them. You're playing Marquette in a pre-regional game. As a coaching staff, we felt that now was the time if there was any time. And the kids responded."
Indeed, it worked. The old "throw the puck on the net and good things happen" cliche is a cliche because it's true. Pinar threw one on goal from the wall, again, and it somehow beat Higbie to tie the game just 1:19 into the second period.
"We started off a little slow, but we just came back in the last two periods and just dominated," Pinar said.
Moments later, the Eskymos kept the pressure on in the Marquette zone and defenseman Matt Casey sent one toward the net.
Escanaba captain Levi Wunder, who was sometimes watched by as many as four men whenever he was near the puck, got free and tipped it past Higbie at the 3:29 mark to put the Eskymos in the lead.
Marquette Coach Doug Garrow called a time out, and removed Higbie from the netm replacing him with fellow senior Jon Beckman. But the move didn't work as Pinar completed his hat trick with another sharp-angle shot, making it a 4-2 game.
From there, the Eskymos played defense, and were responsible with the puck in the neutral zone. There were very few scoring chances over the final third of the game, and the Eskymos played a style that's normally exhibitted by the Redmen.
When Marquette did get a power play because the Eskymos had too many men on the ice, LeMire nearly singlehandedly killed it off.
He was on the ice for the entire two minutes. He won two wall battles and stripped the puck from a Redmen skater, too.
"Killing a penalty like that always gives us momentum," LeMire said. "In a game like this, if you've got the momentum, you're gonna win the game."
And then in the final 100 seconds, when Marquette was desperate to get its goaltender to the bench for an extra attacker, the Eskymos made it tough.
Pinar stayed at the center ice line and his teammates sent him the puck, and on five occassions, it went back into the Marquette zone.
The Redmen never got a shot on goal with the goalie pulled.
"They played great hockey with a two-goal lead," Hughes said. "It was the situational game that we were in. They came out as a team, talking to each other on the bench. It was just one of those games where once we got going, everything felt very good."
Marquette outshot Escanaba, 19-7, in the first period. In the final two periods, the Eskymos outshot the Redmen, 15-8. Marquette ended up with 27 shots, the Eskymos had 22. But on the scoreboard, it was a 4-2 Escanaba victory.
"I had a few lucky saves," Valentine said, modestly. "Some shots that were deflected into me. I got the puck out, so..."
The Redmen, who were one of the hotest teams in the state down the stretch, finished the season with a 17-8-2 record. Escanaba improved to 16-10-1.
NEXT UP: BAY AREA THUNDER---Escanaba will play in the Division Two regional championship game for the fourth time in six years.
The Eskymos lost close games in their three previous finals appearances, so they are hoping that the fourth time will be the charm Saturday afternoon in Gaylord.
The Bay Area Thunder team is made up mostly of kids from Bay City John Glenn High School, but also, a few from Essexville-Garber and Pinconning High Schools.
The Thunder have an 18-9-1 record this season, and they pulled huge playoff upsets over Midland Dow (5-4), and defending regional champ Saginaw Heritage, (6-3).
In the game against Midland Dow, the Thunder were outshot, 51-12, but still won the game because goaltender Jayson Wiltala stood on his head, making 47 saves.
Read THIS STORY from MLive.com about the Thunder-Heritage game.
Read THIS STORY from the Midland Daily News about the Thunder-Dow game.
Saturday's regional championship game starts at 1:00, and will be broadcast live on WGKL-FM (105.5), WCHT-AM (600), and on-line at www.rrnsports.com.
Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box above to see photos taken by Mary Gauthier, videos taken by Mike Dagenais, and listen to post-game interviews, as well as the call of the final minute of the game.
The team went on a 3-8 skid after an 11-2-1 start, and it was for a variety of reasons. Often times, the Eskymos ran into a hot goalie. Or they hit the pipe on a possible game-winning goal. Or there was a marginal penalty call against them. Or a bad turnover.
Calvin Pinar scored a hat trick on three innocent-looking shots and Escanaba rallied for a 4-2 win over the Marquette Redmen in the Division 2 regional semifinals.
"That was probably the dirtiest, greasiest three goals that I've ever scored," Pinar said. "Everybody needed to show up, and they did. Everybody putting in the effort and work. It just feels so good to beat Marquette."
"It's always great to win against a tough team like Marquette," said Eskymo sophomore Chris LeMire, who played Bantam hockey in Marquette when he was younger. "No matter how weak they are in the (regular) season, they always improve toward the end, and this was just a great game."
Radio Replay of Game's Final Minute
Pinar's first goal came just 2:24 into the game as he shot one from the corner that banked in off of Marquette goaltedender Brendan Higbie.
And Escanaba goaltender Jack Valentine, who always plays his best hockey against the Redmen, kept the Eskymos afloat with 15 saves in that first period.
"The last ten games, I'd say, has been pretty much all mental," Valentine said of his vastly improved play in net. "Everything since freshman year, I've learned that you have to be mentally focused, just be on your game, and see the puck. I could tell from warm-ups that it was going to be a good night. I was seeing the puck really well."
Jack Valentine point-blank save.
"We had a tough first period," Escanaba Head Coach Matt Hughes said. "We were forechecking, but our 'third guy' was getting sucked down deep. So, we were giving up odd-man rushes. And we'd have a defensman pinch, or a defenseman fall down. So, we, as a coaching staff, went in and motivated the boys a little bit."
"You hate yelling at the kids," Hughes said. "It's that time of year that you shouldn't have to yell at them. You're playing Marquette in a pre-regional game. As a coaching staff, we felt that now was the time if there was any time. And the kids responded."
Indeed, it worked. The old "throw the puck on the net and good things happen" cliche is a cliche because it's true. Pinar threw one on goal from the wall, again, and it somehow beat Higbie to tie the game just 1:19 into the second period.
"We started off a little slow, but we just came back in the last two periods and just dominated," Pinar said.
Moments later, the Eskymos kept the pressure on in the Marquette zone and defenseman Matt Casey sent one toward the net.
Levi Wunder scores tie-breaking goal.
Marquette Coach Doug Garrow called a time out, and removed Higbie from the netm replacing him with fellow senior Jon Beckman. But the move didn't work as Pinar completed his hat trick with another sharp-angle shot, making it a 4-2 game.
When Marquette did get a power play because the Eskymos had too many men on the ice, LeMire nearly singlehandedly killed it off.
He was on the ice for the entire two minutes. He won two wall battles and stripped the puck from a Redmen skater, too.
"Killing a penalty like that always gives us momentum," LeMire said. "In a game like this, if you've got the momentum, you're gonna win the game."
And then in the final 100 seconds, when Marquette was desperate to get its goaltender to the bench for an extra attacker, the Eskymos made it tough.
Chris LeMire #3 star interview
The Redmen never got a shot on goal with the goalie pulled.
"They played great hockey with a two-goal lead," Hughes said. "It was the situational game that we were in. They came out as a team, talking to each other on the bench. It was just one of those games where once we got going, everything felt very good."
Marquette Spencer DenBeste scores
"I had a few lucky saves," Valentine said, modestly. "Some shots that were deflected into me. I got the puck out, so..."
The Redmen, who were one of the hotest teams in the state down the stretch, finished the season with a 17-8-2 record. Escanaba improved to 16-10-1.
NEXT UP: BAY AREA THUNDER---Escanaba will play in the Division Two regional championship game for the fourth time in six years.
The Bay Area Thunder team is made up mostly of kids from Bay City John Glenn High School, but also, a few from Essexville-Garber and Pinconning High Schools.
The Thunder have an 18-9-1 record this season, and they pulled huge playoff upsets over Midland Dow (5-4), and defending regional champ Saginaw Heritage, (6-3).
In the game against Midland Dow, the Thunder were outshot, 51-12, but still won the game because goaltender Jayson Wiltala stood on his head, making 47 saves.
Read THIS STORY from MLive.com about the Thunder-Heritage game.
Read THIS STORY from the Midland Daily News about the Thunder-Dow game.
Saturday's regional championship game starts at 1:00, and will be broadcast live on WGKL-FM (105.5), WCHT-AM (600), and on-line at www.rrnsports.com.
Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box above to see photos taken by Mary Gauthier, videos taken by Mike Dagenais, and listen to post-game interviews, as well as the call of the final minute of the game.
The Eskymos celebrated on the bus ride home with music and singing, but Jack Williams had homework!
