HANCOCK — Hancock senior Mason Mikesch earned a hat trick on Friday as the Bulldogs earned a 5-1 victory over the visiting Escanaba Eskymos.

It is an up-and-down chase in the first period for both teams. The Eskymos came out on the ice quick and strong. However, as the clock wound down Hancock took over and possessed the puck and the ice for much of the last 10 minutes.

While they out shot their opponent 13-3, the Eskymos did a great job of blocking up the middle and keeping the Bulldogs outside. With that in mind, Escanaba’s head coach Matt Hughes was impressed with the play of junior goalie Bryce Buchbinder.

“Tonight was his first game,” he said. “He was injured earlier this season. So, for him to jump in and play like that against these guys (Hancock) was a very positive thing for him.”

The Bulldogs found the net first to kick off the second. Less than a minute in Salani lifted one in past Buchbinder. He was assisted by Chad Nordstorm. Four minutes later the Bulldogs did it again. This time it was Mikesch with his first of three. He picked up a deflection in front of the net and pushed it past the goal line.

Less than two minutes later the Eskymos got their first goal of the night thanks to Sawyer LaMarch. He found up a loose puck in the slot and punched it into the net.

“I was very happy with the play of Sawyer,” said Hughes. “More than just the goal he played with fire the whole game.”

Mikesch would earn his second goal of the night with less than two minutes to go in the second as he fired a bullet from the point thru the legs of Buchbinder.

In the third period, Salani and Mikesch proved again to be a deadly combination. At the 7:30 mark, Salani put a perfect pass to the stick of Mikesch in the slot who lifted it in for a goal and the hat trick.

Salani added his second goal of the night on a power play with just over a minute to go in the third.

In the end the Bulldogs out shot the Eskymos 34-17 to earn the 5-1 win.

EHS 0 1 0 — 1

HCHS 0 3 2 — 5