ALPENA - Ryan LaMarch put an exciting finish on Escanaba's opening hockey game here Friday.
Playing in his first varsity game, the sophomore wing poked in the game-winning goal 1:55 into overtime for a 2-1 victory over Cheboygan in the Huron Challenge.
"There was a scrum in front of the net (off a faceoff) and Ryan was able to put it home. He is good in tight," coach Charlie Elliott said after his first game at the helm.
"It speaks to the quality of the kids we've got. They competed well, they competed hard. They had a lot of learning going on."
Senior goalie Alex Wyckoff stopped 12 shots, with Elliott noting he "stood on his head and played very well for us. He made some big saves (down the stretch)."
Escanaba opened the scoring on Bryce Wolf's breakaway goal in the first period. "It was a clearing pass from LaMarch. He got it in the slot. That goal came from good zone defensive coverage."
Cheboygan tied the game with four minutes left in regulation, with Dylan Wilkinson scoring off a faceoff. "He walked us in right off the draw. Our guys weren't ready," said Elliott.
Elliott said the Eskymos showed a lot of nervous energy at the start. "Our team attack options were limited. We threw the puck around a lot," he said.
"We were not playing the system we've asked them to play. They were reverting back to their old habits, bad habits. Things weren't there and they tried to make something out of nothing."
Cheboygan goalie Nick Watson rejected 22 shots.
"We made some very strong attempts on the net. They were very physical with us and we had to get one under our belts to get the kids used to the level of play they have to rise to," Elliott said.
Esky faces Grand Rapids Christian at 11 a.m. today.