Click the thumbnails to see photos taken by Lizzie Taylor.
ESCANABA---The Escanaba High School hockey team picked up a huge win Friday night against a club that they haven't much over the years: the Calumet Copper Kings. The Eskymos rolled to a 6-1 win over the Copper Kings at the Wells Sports Complex, continuing its season-long string of win a game, lose a game, then win a game. Escanaba's record improved to 4-3-0 on the season.
Captain Graham Johnson again led the way, getting another hat trick, with two of the goals coming during a three-goal Eskymo outburst that put the game away.
Johnson now has scored twelve goals and assisted on four others, for 16 points in just seven hockey games.
The Eskymos also happily welcomed back two players who have been sidelined by various broken bone injuries. Nick Martinson and Keagan Braun are back in the lineup, joining both Graham and Griffin Johnson, who are also recovering from broken bones but are playing through it.
Martinson and Chase Korpi scored in the first period to give the Eskymos a 2-0 lead, then Johnson scored his first goal (assisted by his little brother).
The Copper Kings' Lewis Nagel got his team on the board, but in the third period, the 3-1 lead grew when Johnson scored two more goals and Ben Sands found the back of the net. Sands also had two assists to go along with his goal.
Senior goaltender Cully Hayes continued his four-year streak of playing every single minute of every single Eskymo game by stopping 28 of the 29 shots he faced. Beau Jukuri took the loss in net for Calumet (3-2-1 overall).
Escanaba returns to action Friday night against Negaunee and Saturday night against Houghton.
