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ESCANABA---It was a banner afternoon for Graham Johnson Saturday afternoon as the Escanaba High School hockey captain led his team to a mercy-shortened victory over a downstate opponent. Johnson scored the 100th goal of his Eskymo career, as he personally dominated the Saginaw Heritage Hawks, 8-0, at the Wells Sports Complex.
Johnson, ranked one of the top hockey forwards in all of Michigan, scored four goals and added three assists, having a hand in all-but-one of the Eskymo goals.
The Eskymos fired 51 shots at Saginaw goaltender Landon Hayward, and Johnson's fourth goal of the game ended the contest on the mercy rule. Johnson now has 23 goals and 12 assists for 35 points in the Eskymos' twelve games this season.
It wasn't only Johnson who dominated the Hawks on Saturday. Fellow senior Owen LaBonte assisted on the last three Johnson goals, and LaBonte ended up with four assists to go along with one goal of his own. Senior Ben Sands also had four a playmaker of apple-assists, and he also scored a goal, for four total points.
Johnson's little brother, Griffin, added a goal and two assists.
Senior goaltender Cully Hayes barely broke a sweat, turning aside all ten shots the Hawks managed to put near him. Saginaw Heritage, which also lost in Marquette Friday night, 9-1, had its season record fall to 1-7-0.
Escanaba (8-4-0) heads into Christmas with identical 4-2-0 records at home and on the road. And the Eskymos will be on the bus again right after Christmas, heading to Alpena for their annual tournament at the Northern Lights Arena.
Escanaba will face the St. John's Jesuit Titans (0-9-0) out of Toledo, Ohio, on Friday afternoon. The Titans wind then will take on the host Alpena Wildcats (9-3-0) on Saturday afternoon. Both games are set to start at 4:30, closing the 2025 portion of the Eskymo schedule.
