Click the thumbnails to see photos and videos taken by Lizzie Taylor. Click the AUDIO buttons to hear post-game comments from Escanaba Coach Andy Johnson, Marquette Coach Doug Garrow, and Marquette's Brody LeMire. Also hear Nolan Bink and Hunter Allen player spotlight interviews.
WELLS----The Escanaba Eskymos hockey team jumped to a quick 2-0 lead Thursday night, but the Marquette Sentinels rallied for a 5-2 victory at the Wells Sports Complex.
Gunnar LaMarche opened the scoring three minutes into the game, and Ben Sands followed with a goal of his own three minuters later. That gave Escanaba a 2-0 lead, and the Eskymos had a power play. The Sentinels were able to kill that off, something that Coach Doug Garrow said after the game was a turning point in the contest.
That would be the only power play for the Eskymos until very late in the third period. In the meantime, Marquette got five straight power plays, with three of the calls contested loudly by the Eskymo coaches abd players. Marquette cashed in with two power play goals 31 seconds apart in the late part of the first period, by Brody LeMire and Brody Sheldon.
The second period was a stalemate, with neither team scoring, and the period ended in a 2-2 tie.
The third period started with Escanaba shorthanded again. The Eskymos killed off a carry-over penalty, but mnoments later, Griffin Johnson got his third penalty of the game. That tripping call was costly as Marquette again cashed in on the power play chance, with LeMire throwingh a shot toward the net that hit the body of teammate Jack Pond and went past Eskymo goaltender Cully Hayes, giving Marquette a 3-2 lead.
After goalie Parker Neverhoven stopped Escanaba's leading scorer Graham Johnson on a breakway (for the second time in the game), Marquette took a 4-2 lead on a nice give-and-go on a 2-on-1 between LeMire and Pond.
Escanaba got a power play chance in the final two minutes, and pulled Hayes for a second extra attacker. The Eskymos fired shot after shot after shot toward the Marquette net, but the Sentinels blocked seven shots during that time.
Marquette scored an empty net goal with nine seconds to play, making it a 5-2 final.
Escanaba fell to 7-4-0 on the saeason, with a four game winning streak snapped. The Esymos will host Saginaw Heritage Saturday afternoon.
Marquette improved to 8-3-2 on the season and will host Saginaw Heritage Friday night at Lakeview Arena.
