WELLS — The Escanaba Eskymos snapped a six-game losing streak here Friday night, earning a 3-1 hockey victory over the Painesdale Jeffers Jets.

Junior goaltender Dylan Ziemke stopped 31 shots and Esky’s penalty kill unit didn’t allow the Jets to score through five opportunities.

“This is great for us,” said Esky coach Matt Hughes. “I think there’s a little sense of relief right now. It’s a tough spot to be in when you’re playing the top teams in the state. We had a very good first period. We came out strong and put a lot of pressure on them.

“Dylan had another big night for us. They put a lot of pressure on us, but he stayed calm and made some key saves. Our penalty kill unit was also real good tonight. Our boys work hard on on that and improved the past couple weeks. Unfortunately, we’ve been able to practice that a lot in games.”

Sophomore defenseman Gunner Bourdeau’s one-timer from beyond the faceoff circles gave the Eskymos a 1-0 lead eight minutes, 31 seconds into the contest.

Senior forward Spencer Bourdeau then gave the Eskymos (2-9) a two-goal cushion from the doorstep with 21 seconds left in the opening frame.

Sophomore forward Sawyer LaMarch concluded Esky’s scoring from the low slot midway on a power play midway through the second.

Jeffers (2-8) began to storm the net late in the second period and senior forward Nathan Wakeham got the Jets on the board with a shot from the left circle 3:37 into the third.

“We battled back,” said Jeffers coach Pat Nettell. “Once again we had to climb the mountain. The first period was a setback for us. We’ve been a slow starting team all year. We had to dig deep and the kids got a lot of confidence when we got the goal. Our goaltender (sophomore Simon Rajala) did a phenomenal job. Their goaltender did a good job, too.”

Rajala had 29 saves for the Jets, who were outshot 17-6 in the opening frame. Both teams, however, finished with 32 shots on goal.

The Eskymos converted on 1-of-4 power plays.

“Their goaltender made a lot of saves, especially in the first period and a little bit in the third,” said Hughes. “We need to be more disciplined. It’s hard to put pressure on your opponent when you’re sitting in the penalty box.”

Esky missed a scoring chance midway through the first period when Rajala denied senior forward Nick Kolich on a break-away.

“That was a huge stop by Simon,” said Nettell. “That kept it a 1-0 game. Our freshman line got some time in tonight which gave us an opportunity to build some depth.”

The Eskymos host Negaunee today at noon and 6 p.m. Jeffers faces Hancock Monday at the Houghton County Arena.

Jeffers 0 0 1 — 1

Escanaba 2 1 0 — 3

Scoring plays:

First period

E — G. Bourdeau (Boyce), 8:31

E — S. Bourdeau (Krutina and Kolich), 16:39

Second period

E — LaMarch (S. Bourdeau), power play, 7:08

Third period

PJ — Wakeham (Holombo), 3:37

Shots on goal: Escanaba 32, Jeffers 32

Power plays: Escanaba 1-4, Jeffers 0-5

Goaltender saves: Escanaba (Ziemke 31), Jeffers (Rajala 29).