Click the thumbnails to see photos taken by Lizzie Taylor, and click the AUDIO button to hear post-game comments from Coach Andy Johnson. Also click to hear player spotlight interviews with Ben Sands and Graham Johnson.
WELLS---The Escanaba High School hockey team lost to the Traverse City West Titans, 2-0, Friday night, turning in a flat, sloppy performance three days after a season-opening win over Kingsford. The Eskymos enter the season with high expectations, ranked sixth in the state in the Division Three pre-season poll. But they looked nothing like that until a frantic final five minutes Friday night, and Eskymo Coach Andy Johnson says it is a “lesson learned”.
“We think we're good, and we just needed to be knocked down a step to make us really believe that we've got to work if we want to get wins,” Johnson said. “They were working hard. Every one of their lines worked hard. They were out there playing the body. West just outworked us. They were playing hard, what we want to do. They were showing us how to play hockey, for sure.”
Escanaba was badly outplayed in the first period, but escaped with a scoreless tie thanks to 15 saves from senior goaltender Cully Hayes. It was better in the second period, but the Eskymos still had multiple passes hop off sticks, guys bumping into each other, and fanned shot attempts.
Finally, late in the period, the Titans scored a goal as the trailer, Riley Basile, rifled it past a screened-out Hayes with exactly four minutes left on the clock. Then two minutes later, another defenseman, Drew Charland, scored with a long-range shot from the right circle.
Escanaba got its only power play chance early in the third period, and while they had the puck in the Titans zone for almost the entire two minutes, the Eskymos were kept to the outside and could not muster sustained pressure. Johnson pulled the goaltender with 2:41 to play, and the Eskymos woke up, peppering goaltender Jake Mosely with shot after shot after shot.
But it was too late.
“We were playing with urgency, playing our game, working hard, and the only way Traverse City West could break out of the zone was to ice it,” Johnson said. “I hope we look back at this Traverse City West game and say it was our eye-opener. They showed us that we need to work hard to get wins. Credit to them.”
Escanaba (1-1-0) will face Midland Dow Saturday afternoon at 3:00. The Chargers played to a 2-2 tie in Marquette Friday night. TC West (2-0-0) will play in Marquette on Saturday.
“We've got to come out tomorrow and play with that urgency and be ready to go, like we were in the last five minutes tonight,” Johnson said.
