Prep hockey: Copper Kings ease past Flivvers, 7-1
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CALUMET -- The action slowed down in the second period, but the damage was already done.
Calumet scored four goals in the first period and rolled to a 7-1 win against Kingsford on Thursday at the Calumet Colosseumn.
The Copper Kings (15-9) were powered offensively by a hat trick from Paul Sturos. Jackson Rilei had a goal and three assists.
"I thought we played a really sound first period. I think shots were like 17-4 and up four-nothing, I thought we played the way we needed to play," Calumet head coach Dan Giachino said. "Second and third period, I thought we got a little sloppy. Guys started trying to cheat the zone a little bit at times and probably gave up a few more shots, especially in that second period than I would prefer in a game like this. I thought we worked hard. And you know, I thought we did what we needed to do."
Kingsford broke the shutout a minute and a half into the third period when Gavin Moore tapped in a rebound after Calumet goalie Bruce Parisot vacated the crease to stop the initial shot of a Flivvers attack.
Kingsford (3-16-1) played increasingly stronger as the game went on. Calumet's forecheck appeared to ease off after the four-goal first period. The game opened up as both teams dumped and chased. The Flivvers found more chances with a game-high nine-shot second period.
"I thought we got better in the second and better in the third as the game went on," Kingsford head coach Greg Wadge said. "Our goalie played really well. And you know, Jackson Rilei and (Paul) Sturos are solid up front for those guys."
Parisot got a rare start for the Copper Kings. He made 16 saves in a near-shutout performance in which he wasn't tested too strongly, but was strong when Kingsford had a handful of point-blank chances. Thursday was Parisot's fourth appearance in goal this season and third win.
Kingsford goalie Isaiah Anderson made 45 saves on 52 shots. The loss dropped him to 3-10-1 on the season, with a .902 save percentage and 3.61 goals-against average. Anderson has faced an average of 37 shots per game this season.
Sturos scored the first goal of the game two and a half minutes into the first period. He scored late in the second period and six and a half minutes into the third period to complete the hat trick.
The Flivvers host Escanaba (16-9) in the Division 2 Region 9 semifinal on Thursday.
Calumet played at Jeffers on Friday night, but the game ended after Friday's press time. The Copper Kings face Jeffers again in the Division 3 Region 17 semifinal at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Hancock plays Houghton in the other semifinal game at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday. The semifinal and regional championship games are all at the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena.
KHS 0 0 1 -- 1
CHS 4 2 1 -- 7
First Period--Scoring--1, CHS, P. Sturos (Rilei), 2:34. 2, CHS, Williams (Kiilunen, Anderson), 6:13. 3, CHS, Cima (Boberg, Mattila), 10:57. 4, CHS, Rilei (Jurmu), 14:00, pp. Penalties--KHS, Fortner (hooking), 13:13. CHS, Williams (interference), 12:10.
Second Period--Scoring--5, CHS, Cima (Anderson, Larson), 5:34. 6, CHS, P. Sturos (Rilei), 16:38. Penalties--KHS, Fortner (slashing), 11:57.
Third Period--Scoring--7, KHS, Moore (Crockford), 1:29. 8, CHS, P. Sturos (N. Sturos, Rilei), 6:26. Penalties--CHS, N. Sturos (holding), 16:21. KHS, Fortner (slashing), 9:21.
Shots on Goal--KHS 4-9-4--17. CHS 17-20-15--52.
Saves--KHS, Anderson 13-18-14--45. CHS, Parisot 4-9-3--16.
Power-play Opportunities--KHS 0 of 2. CHS 1 of 3.
Marquette 9, Houghton 1
MARQUETTE -- Senior Brayden Grange gave himself a big sendoff, scoring four goals in Marquette's 9-1 thrashing of visiting Houghton on Thursday evening.
Despite a big night in his final high school regular-season game, Grange was upstaged by a visitor who didn't even wear skates at Lakeview Arena.
Walking on a blue carpet over the ice in athletic shoes, Iron River resident Nick Baumgartner was visiting Marquette and presided over the ceremonial first puck drop.
"The team had a visit from Olympic gold medalist Nick Baumgartner before the game and his talk really inspired the team to come out and take control of the game right from the beginning," MSHS head coach Doug Garrow said in an email.
Baumgartner, at age 40 was the oldest member of Team USA at the Beijing Winter Olympics. He won his first Olympic medal, a gold just five days before Thursday's game, in the mixed team snowboardcross event with Lindsey Jacobellis.
Baumgartner visited Marquette in part because he attended and played football at Northern Michigan University for one year before deciding to pursue sports that became part of the X-Games and Olympics.
This year was his fourth Winter Olympics, but was the first time he won a medal.
As Garrow mentioned, the Olympian also talked to the Redmen pregame and must've especially inspired Grange, who had his hat trick before the second period was even two minutes old.
"This win gives us at least a share of the (Great Lakes Hockey) Conference title, going 9-1 in conference games," Garrow said. "The Houghton team was battling with a bunch of sickness and the 9-1 score is really not indicative of the team they have."
The mercy loss was just the second for longtime Gremlins coach Corey Markham. Markham said half his team is dealing with illness. Thursday's game was a patchwork of players taking up various positions for the first time in their careers.
Thirteen MSHS players notched at least a point, with seven getting multiple points including Grange.
Senior Drew Dellies and juniors Joe DeMattia and Jacob Garrow each had a goal and an assist, while senior Cole Ranta, junior Colin Nemacheck and freshman Kody Moyer all had two assists.
Grange opened the scoring not quite five minutes into the game with a goal assisted by Dellies and Nemacheck before the Gremlins tied it just 47 seconds later on a score by Landon Stephens.
DeMattia knocked home what proved to be the game winner with 4:25 left in the opening period as assists went to Owen Riipi and Moyer.
Then Grange notched his second of the game and Dellies added one that was unassisted in the final 130 seconds before intermission to make it 4-1 after one period. Nash Riipi got an assist on Grange's second marker.
It was all Marquette the rest of the way until the eight-goal mercy rule was invoked following a Theo Adams goal with 6:16 left in the third.
Back in the second, Grange finished his hat trick 1:27 into the period while Garrow scored near the midpoint to make it 6-1. Nemacheck and Tucker Welch got assists on Grange's latest goal, while Rylan Ragusett was credited with one on Garrow's.
In the third, Jack Sides needed just 12 seconds after the period started to make it 7-1, while Grange and Adams scored 2:10 apart to end it. Garrow got an assist on Sides' tally, while DeMattia and Rants helped out on Grange's fourth and Ranta and Moyer assisted on the game-ender.
MSHS sophomore goaltender Wylen Cambensy was called on to make just 12 saves, while Gremlins netminder Bryant Lee had 15 stops.
The Redmen, who reportedly are 19-5-1, open what they hope is another long MHSAA Division 2 tournament run vs. Negaunee at the Negaunee Ice Arena at 6 p.m. Thursday.
Marquette has reached the state semifinals in the Detroit suburb of Plymouth the past three years, two years ago having their season end without a loss in the tournament due to the onset of the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent cancellation of all remaining games.
HHS 1 0 0 -- 1
MSHS 4 2 3 -- 9
First Period--Scoring--1. MSHS, Grange (Dellies, Nemacheck) 5:14; 2. HHS, Stephens (Markham) 6:01; 3. MSHS, DeMattia (O. Riipi, Moyer) 12:35; 4. MSHS, Grange (N. Riipi) 14:51; 5. MSHS, Dellies, 15:17.
Second Period--Scoring--6. MSHS, Grange (Nemacheck, Welch) 1:27; 7. MSHS, Garrow (Ragusett) 9:53.
Third Period--Scoring--8. MSHS, Sides (Garrow) 0:12; 9. MSHS, Grange (J. DeMattia, C. Ranta) 8:34; 10. MSHS, Adams (C. Ranta, Moyer) 10:44.
Power-play Opportunities--HHS 0 of 3. MSHS 0 of 5.
Penalties-minutes--Houghton 3-6, Marquette 5-10.
Saves--HHS, Lee 8-6-1--15. MSHS, Cambensy 5-4-3--12.