STATE CHAMPIONS!!! Esky Bantams Soar To Title

MONROE, Mich.---The Escanaba Riverside Hawks Bantam "B" hockey team won a state championship on Sunday with one tough victory, and one easy one.

The boys beat St. Ignace, 3-1, in the state semifinal game Sunday morning in downstate Monroe. And then in the championship game Sunday afternoon, Escanaba jumped to a 3-0 lead and rolled to an 8-3 win over St. Clair Shores.

"It's totally awesome," Hawks Coach Pat Labre said as the team's bus started to make the long, nine-hour trip back to the U.P. "It's such an experience for myself and the other two coaches. The players had a phenominal, phenominal weekend. They skated their tails off."

"It's by far the biggest moment I've had in my hockey career," said Ethan Silverstone, who scored in both of Sunday's games and had a hat trick in pool play Saturday. "It was my goal all year, from the first moment we stepped in the locker room, to win states. We completed it."

"It was very exciting to win my first state championship," said goaltender Trevor Denome. "I never had the chance to win one before. It was pretty fun."

It was the second state championship in as many weeks for the Escanaba Junior Hockey Association, after the Pee Wee "B" team won a state title last weekend in Alpena.

In the state final on Sunday, Kyle Krutina, Silverstone, and Jake Anderson all scored early in the first period to put the Hawks on their way to the championship. Labre says it was important to get off to a fast start after winning a nailbiter in Sunday's semifinals.

"They just kind of relaxed back at the hotel," Labre said. "We watched the movie 'Miracle'. I think that was a good eye-opener for them, showed the importance of this game. They came out stronger than ever."

Indeed they did. Even though St. Clair Shores cut the Hawks' lead from 3-0 to 3-2 with two quick goals in the second period, the Escanaba boys didn't panic, scoring five more goals to blow it open. Krutina scored his second goal to make it 4-2, and then Silverstone scored his second marquer to make it 5-2. The onslaught continued with Krutina scoring two more goals. It was 7-2.

"They never shrugged their shoulders and never gave up (after St. Clair Shores made it 3-2)," Labre said. "They just kept putting the puck in the net."

Daniel Martin capped the scoring late in the second period, making it an 8-2 game. St. Clair Shores scored late in the third period, but it turned out to be a cosmetic goal.

Joey Jacobsen had a three-assist playmaker in the championship game, while Silverstone had two assists to go along with his two goals. Anderson had an assist to go along with his first period goal, and Grant LaMarche added a single assist.

The championship game success wouldn't have happened had the boys not pulled out a tough semifinal win earlier in the day against their fellow Yoopers from St. Ignace.

The Saints took a 1-0 lead in the first period, but Escanaba tied it in the third period on a Krutina goal. The Hawks killed off a 5-on-3 power play against for 1:48, with Denome making save after save to keep it tied.

Then Krutina scored the tiebreaking goal, and later, Silverstone sealed it with an empty-net goal in the closing seconds.

"It was nervewracking," Silverstone said. "We had our goalie stand on his head. We kept blocking shots. And finally, we killed it off."

"It was exciting because they had a 5-on-3 and they couldn't score," Denome said. "We just wanted to get the puck past our blue line and get it out of our zone."

"Trevor stood on his head. We just had to stay patient and keep playing the triangle," Labre said. "I love this team. Very unselfish. Just a great, great group of kids."

On Saturday, the Hawks beat Westland, 4-1, in the morning, and then topped the host Monroe team, 6-1. Escanaba lost to Big Rapids, 4-3, in Friday night's opener.

St. Ignace won all three of its pool play games. The Saints beat Mt. Pleasant, 4-2, Friday night, and then beat Suburban Farmington, 5-1, and St. Clair Shores, 6-0, Saturday afternoon.

In Friday's pool play loss, Escanaba got a goal from Jacobsen in the first period, with Krutina assisting. But Big Rapids still led, 2-1.

The Hawks tied the game with an unassisted goal from Martin, and a goal from Silverstone (assisted by Krutina).

But in the third period, Big Rapids scored the only goal, to win, 4-3.

That meant the Hawks needed to win twice Saturday to advance to the Final Four. In Saturday's opener, Escanaba grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals by Silverstone (assisted by Krutina), and Krutina (assisted by Jacobsen).

After Westland scored, Krutina tallied again in the second period, with Silverstone again assisting. That gave Escanaba a 3-1 lead. Silverstone's empty-net goal ended it.

In Saturday's late afternoon game, Escanaba jumped to a 3-1 lead right off the bat. Braden Reinhart scored an unassisted goal, then Vinnie Haslow tallied (Bryce Cooper assisted), and then Spencer Bourdeau made it a 3-1 game.

In the second period, Silverstone scored to make it 4-1 (Martin assisted). In the third period, Silverstone scored two more times to complete his hat trick, making it a 6-1.

That sent the Hawks into Sunday's Final Four, and it turned out to be a Super Sunday. But then, on the way home, the team's charter bus broke down in Saginaw. So, the trip was extended.

The Hawks' championship was one of five state titles captured by U.P. hockey teams. Two Marquette girls teams captured state championships, the Escanaba PeeWee's won their's last weekend, and the Hancock High School team won a state title Saturday.

Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box above to see more photos and videos taken by Mike Martin, and listen to post-game comments from Coach Labre, goaltender Denome, and center Silverstone.