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Esky digs deep for win

Dennis Grall | Daily Press Colton Hayes of Escanaba follows through on his shot that blinked the red light for a first-period goal against University of Detroit Jesuit Sunday in Wells. Defending is Michael Coletti.

WELLS — Playing for the third time in as many days can be challenging for any hockey team.

Escanaba, however, appeared to be no worse for wear Sunday as it skated to a 5-1 victory over the University of Detroit Jesuit Cubs at the Hannahville Ice & Turf Complex.

The victory enabled Esky to bounce back from Saturday’s 3-2 loss to Bay City Central in Traverse City and win 2-of-3 this weekend. The Eskymos beat Portage Central 6-1 Friday at Traverse City.

“This was our best game of the three,” said Esky coach Matt Hughes. “This was a very high energy game. Both teams were in the same boat. It was good to see the boys come out and play hard.”

Detroit Jesuit dropped a pair of games at Calumet prior to its first meeting with Esky. The Cubs (5-9) have dropped eight straight.

The Eskymos (8-7) opened the scoring eight minutes, 41 seconds into the contest as senior Chris LeMire scored from back of the circle on a faceoff won by fellow senior forward Parker LaMarch.

Senior forward Maxim Denomme tied the score at 12:37 with an unassisted tally during a scramble in front of the Esky net.

A goal by junior forward Colton Hayes enabled Esky to regain the lead at 15:36 and LeMire gave the Eskymos a two-goal cushion just 29 seconds later on a 2-on-1 break, forcing the Cubs to change goaltenders after the opening frame.

“We had plenty of shots, but didn’t match their energy level,” Jesuit coach Rick Bennetts said, noting the Cubs had a 10-6 shots on goal advantage after the opening frame. “We gave up six shots and allowed three goals. It’s hard to gain momentum that way. Although two of those were real good shots. They’re a good team and they’re well coached. This is a new destination for us and we’re pleased to be here.”

Esky had a four-minute power play midway through the second stanza, but came up empty.

Then with 80 seconds left in the period, sophomore forward Christer Carne helped the Eskymos atone for the missed opportunity as he skated to the doorstep and went top shelf with a backhanded shot for a 4-1 advantage.

“That was a big goal, especially for that (third) line,” said Hughes. “The two quick goals in the first period were also big for us. Chris came up the right side on that breakaway and made a great shot. The first couple minutes, both teams were feeling each other out.”

Esky stormed the net to open the third period, firing six shots in the first 80 seconds. The Eskymos, however, didn’t score again until the final 1:50 on senior forward Garth Wickham’s empty-netter.

Jesuit finished with a 27-26 shots edge. Esky junior net-minder Brody Goddard stopped 26 shots. Jesuit junior Grant Gardella had 18 saves in relief of senior Pat DiRita.

“They have some skilled guys,” said Hughes. “Brody had a great game. He came up big for us.”

The Eskymos were 0-for-3 on the power play and the Cubs failed to cash in on four attempts.

Esky, which dropped the jayvee game 5-2, hosts Marquette Tuesday. The jayvee game starts at 5.

“Marquette is playing good hockey right now,” said Hughes. “We can expect a tough game from them.

Wickham scored both goals in Saturday’s loss to Bay City Central, finishing with five this weekend.

“We controlled a lot of the play,” said Hughes. “We just didn’t put the puck in the net. Their goaltender played real well.”

The summary:

Detroit Jesuit     1   0   0   —   1

Escanaba           3   1   1   —   5

First period

E — LeMire (LaMarch), 8:41

DJ — Denomme (unassisted), 12:37

E — Hayes (P. Carne), 15:36

E — LeMire (Sliva), 16:05

Second period

E — C. Carne (unassisted), 15:40

Third period

E — Wickham (empty net, shorthanded), 15:10

Shots on goals: Detroit Jesuit 27, Escanaba 26

Goaltender saves: Escanaba (Goddard 26), Jesuit (Gardella 18, DiRita 3)

Power plays: Escanaba 0-3, Jesuit 0-4.

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