SAULT STE. MARIE---"You've got to be kidding me".
That was pretty much the sentiment for every member of the Escanaba High School hockey team on Saturday as the boys lost to the Sault Ste. Marie Blue Devils, 1-0, in overtime at the Pullar Stadium. The Eskymos lost on a fluke goal after having so many offensive chances of their own go by without finding the net.
Travis Zaborowski scored at 3:12 of the overtime period on a shot from beyond the blue line. The puck hit the arm of defenseman Paul Carne and bounced past a stunned goaltender Jack Valentine.
An upset Carne ended up with a swelled up arm, and the Eskymo team ended up with its second overtime loss in as many weeks.
"As a goalie, you always feel 'I could've had that'," Eskymo Coach Matt Hughes said. "Paul Carne's probably thinking the same thing. 'I should've blocked the shot, or maybe just gotten out of the way'. But you're in the middle of an overtime period, things are intense, and you want to lay it all out there on the line."
Escanaba had plenty of chances to score, but the puck bounced the wrong way for the second straight game, after the Eskymos also lost to Houghton Friday night, 4-0.
Levi Wunder was stopped on an in-close slapshot by Sault goaltender Tanner Reattoir late in the first period, and in the second period, Parker LaMarch was robbed from in close. For a moment in the third period, it looked like Wunder had scored, but he clearly shot the puck into the net after it had been knocked off of its pegs.
Then late in the third period, the Eskymos were given their only power play of the game when Chase Meehan was called for hooking with 1:45 left in the game. But the Eskymos could not take advantage of the opportunity, and ended up losing in overtime.
"We had plenty of chances and their goalie played well once again," Hughes said. "Our goalie played well too. It's a tough one. The kids are working hard, and you tell them that if they continue to work hard, good things are gonna happen, and pucks are gonna bounce our way. But unfortunately, that wasn't the case tonight."
The Eskymos outshot the Blue Devils, 33-25, but Reattoir stopped all 33 shots and was given the game's #1 star. Valentine also played well, stopping 24 shots before the unfortunate deflected shot ended up beating him for the game's only goal.
Escanaba was shut out for the second straight night, and the team hasn't scored since Levi Wunder scored 4:52 into the third period of Tuesday night's game against the Kingsford Flivvers. That means the Eskymos have now gone 117 minutes and 20 seconds of hockey without scoring a goal.
Hughes says that with six games left in the season, it's time for some leadership.
"We need to put the puck in the net," Hughes said. "We need to capitalize on our chances. We can't get 20, 30 shots on net, and never put the puck in. Our upperclassmen need to start stepping up and start putting the puck away. I mean, we lean on those guys."
Escanaba (12-6-1) has now lost four of its last five games. Three of those losses were by shutouts, and two have come in overtime. Sault Ste. Marie improved to 8-11-2 on the season. The game was the annual "Pink at the Rink" game, where Blue Devil players wore white and pink jerseys and money was raised for the local cancer society.
The Eskymos will be back on the road Wednesday for the big trip to the Michigan Public High School Hockey Showcase in downstate Chelsea. The Eskymos will practice in Mt. Pleasant on Wednesday afternoon, and then will play three games at the showcase.
Escanaba's first game is Thursday night against the highly-ranked Novi Wildcats. Game time is 6:15. It will be broadcast live on WCHT-AM (600), and on rrnsports.com.
Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box to see photos taken by Mary Gauthier, and listen to the game-winning goal and interviews with Parker LaMarch and Coach Matt Hughes.
That was pretty much the sentiment for every member of the Escanaba High School hockey team on Saturday as the boys lost to the Sault Ste. Marie Blue Devils, 1-0, in overtime at the Pullar Stadium. The Eskymos lost on a fluke goal after having so many offensive chances of their own go by without finding the net.
An upset Carne ended up with a swelled up arm, and the Eskymo team ended up with its second overtime loss in as many weeks.
"As a goalie, you always feel 'I could've had that'," Eskymo Coach Matt Hughes said. "Paul Carne's probably thinking the same thing. 'I should've blocked the shot, or maybe just gotten out of the way'. But you're in the middle of an overtime period, things are intense, and you want to lay it all out there on the line."
Escanaba had plenty of chances to score, but the puck bounced the wrong way for the second straight game, after the Eskymos also lost to Houghton Friday night, 4-0.
Sault Wins In Overtime
Then late in the third period, the Eskymos were given their only power play of the game when Chase Meehan was called for hooking with 1:45 left in the game. But the Eskymos could not take advantage of the opportunity, and ended up losing in overtime.
The Eskymos outshot the Blue Devils, 33-25, but Reattoir stopped all 33 shots and was given the game's #1 star. Valentine also played well, stopping 24 shots before the unfortunate deflected shot ended up beating him for the game's only goal.
Escanaba was shut out for the second straight night, and the team hasn't scored since Levi Wunder scored 4:52 into the third period of Tuesday night's game against the Kingsford Flivvers. That means the Eskymos have now gone 117 minutes and 20 seconds of hockey without scoring a goal.
Parker LaMarch player spotlight interview
"We need to put the puck in the net," Hughes said. "We need to capitalize on our chances. We can't get 20, 30 shots on net, and never put the puck in. Our upperclassmen need to start stepping up and start putting the puck away. I mean, we lean on those guys."
The Eskymos will be back on the road Wednesday for the big trip to the Michigan Public High School Hockey Showcase in downstate Chelsea. The Eskymos will practice in Mt. Pleasant on Wednesday afternoon, and then will play three games at the showcase.
Escanaba's first game is Thursday night against the highly-ranked Novi Wildcats. Game time is 6:15. It will be broadcast live on WCHT-AM (600), and on rrnsports.com.
Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box to see photos taken by Mary Gauthier, and listen to the game-winning goal and interviews with Parker LaMarch and Coach Matt Hughes.
