With the two wins, Hancock improved to 8-4-1 on the season, but more importantly, they found a way to bounce back from the frustration of falling to Houghton in the championship game of the John MacInnes Holiday Hockey Classic.

“(These two wins were) huge,” said assistant coach Matt Marchel after Hancock’s win over Dewitt. “We were talking about it. It’s been probably whatever, seven or eight or nine days since our last game.

“We had a good week of practice, and it starts there, obviously. They’re hungry every single day of practice. The guys are working hard. We’re not always working smart, but we work hard. It’s huge for our confidence moving forward.”

Getting a pair of wins lifted spirits in the locker room in an obvious way.

Hancock center Max Heinonen takes the opening faceoff against Dewitt Capital City center Max Tyler during the first period of a game Saturday at the Houghton County Arena in Hancock. (Daver Karnosky/Daily Mining Gazette)

“That’s huge for us moving forward,” Marchel said. “We’re in the positive vortex of momentum. We’re doing things right, working hard, having fun, seeing success.”

HANCOCK COMPLETES COMEBACK TO TOP CAPITALS, 3-2

The Capitals’ Chase Potter struck twice in a 16-second span to break open a scoreless game Saturday. Rather than fall into funk, the Bulldogs found a way to chip away at the lead until they evened the game, and then struck one more time late in the third period to skate away with their second straight win.

Hancock got a big goal from senior winger Sam Roberts with just 3:38 left in regulation, which stood as the game-winner. He found a soft space in the slot, and then got his stick into a position to tip a shot from co-captain Luke Mikkola.

For Roberts, the goal was just his second of the season, but came in a huge moment for both himself and his teammates.

“He earns it,” Marchel said. “He deserves it. His feet are always moving. He’s always first one in on the forecheck. So, to have guys like that get rewarded for their hard work is great to see.”

The Bulldogs controlled much of the play in the first period, but could not solve Capitals goaltender Gavin Kashenider. They fired eight shots at him in the opening 17 minutes and were not rewarded for their efforts.

In the middle frame, Potter scored his first goal 1:44 in on a quick shot following a faceoff in the circle to Hancock goaltender Dan Wroblewski’s right. Potter then found the net again on a misplayed puck just 16 seconds later.

Instead of sending the Bulldogs into tailspin, that second goal seemed to rally the troops, as the Bulldogs began to systematically test Kashenider. First it was a shot here and a shot there. Then, they started getting to rebounds, whether shots hit shin pads in front of Kashenider, or his leg pads. In total, they fired 23 shots at him before the period ended.

Hancock broke through late in their third power play of the game. With the Capitals’ Max Tyler in the box, the Bulldogs controlled the puck for most of the two-minute stretch, and when co-captain Bryce Hanner’s wrist shot from the high slot slid through to the back of the net, the Bulldogs exploded in celebration. Sophomore defenseman Todd Kilpela and freshman center Tevin Stukel assisted on the goal.

Hancock struck again to even the game on another power play at 10:37. After junior Jackson Sintkowski fished the puck out, he fired a shot that Kashenider stopped. The rebound laid out in front of him, and Stukel jumped in and knocked it home.

“That first one when we possessed it for 1:45, and then finally got it,” said Marchel. “That was just awesome to see.

“We have some guys that can have real quick hands. They can release that thing in not a lot of space. You saw a couple of goals, like releasing it really quickly in tight, and getting the puck back, to me, is the main thing. We have guys that can get to it quickly, possess it for one second and then make a play.”

For the second straight game, the Bulldogs were playing with Hanner lining up as a defenseman, and alternate captain Max Heinonen taking his place up front. While the move might seem confusing to some, the Bulldogs like what they are seeing out of Hanner on the back end.

“He’s a smart hockey player,” Marchel said. “I think you can just put him out there and he’ll figure out what he needs to do. I guess he grew up playing a lot of defense, so he’s comfortable back there.

“He’s practiced, whatever, five or six times and played two games. So, I think in two weeks you’ll never know that he was ever a forward. What I like about him is, again, he’s smart. He has really strong hands, not afraid to pop guys, and he understands his limitations. The more he’s on the ice, I think the better off we are.”

HANCOCK POWERS PAST BRIGHTON, 5-1

Hancock struck three straight times on the power play, taking advantage of opportunities that Brighton gave them, to earn a 5-1 win Friday night at the Houghton County Arena.

Alternate captain Bennett Sturos got Hancock on the board just 3:29 into the contest off a feed from sophomore defenseman Todd Kilpela.

They then picked up their first power play goal of the contest when Kilpela struck at 10:03.

In the second period, Hancock struck twice more, one on a major power play, and the other on a late-period man advantage.

The first came off the stick of co-captain Bryce Hanner at 11:41 unassisted. The second came at 16:38 when freshman center Tevin Stukel struck. Kilpela and Hanner both assisted on the goal.

Brighton cut into the Bulldogs’ lead 3:25 into the third period when Lane Petit scored, but Hancock answered back at 9:04 when Sturos scored his second of the night to cap the scoring.

Senior goaltender Dan Wroblewski made 23 saves to earn the win for Hancock.

UP NEXT

Hancock is back in action on Tuesday when they host Kingsford. Opening faceoff is set for 7 p.m.