Bucko’s Party Store defeated Gino’s Restaurant Sunday in a game at the HoCo Arena in Hancock. Bucko’s is: Logan Frantti, Byron Parks, Aron “Bucko” Butkovich, Randy Wettalainen, Drew Randell, Randy Thyrion, Ty Harju, Casey Hainault, Troy Jarvi, Jeff James, and Jake Garrow. (Daver Karnosky/Daily Mining Gazette)

HANCOCK — There was a time in the past where the playoff champions of the Copper Country Oldtimers Hockey League and the Calumet Slo Puck League used to meet at the end of the season for a playoff series to determine “the best of the best” between the two leagues. Sunday, Gino’s Restaurant, the Copper Country champions, faced Bucko’s Party Store in a revival of the matchup, in a game at the HoCo Arena in Hancock.

In the “winner takes all” format, Bucko’s skated away with a 9-2 win. They led 7-2 at half time.

At the end of the day, two players did most of the damage for Bucko’s, Byron Parks and Drew Randell. Randell scored five goals, four of which came in the first half, and Parks had two goals and four assists.

The duo led a tight-knit team.

“It was a lot of fun,” said Randell. “(We had) a good group of guys this year. It was fun playing up in Calumet. Then, it was a good idea for those guys to get together and come up with a kind of new tradition, and hopefully they’ll keep that going in the years to come.”

Several members of Gino’s shared a similar sentiment about rebuilding the tradition.

It took Bucko’s just 100 seconds to get on the board when Randy Thyrion buried a shot from the slot through Gino’s goaltender Roy Manninen.

From there, Gino’s had multiple good looks, one from forward Charlie Turner four and a half minutes in from the right circle, and another from Craig “Boney” Sporalski 23 seconds after. Bucko’s goaltender Jake Garrow stood his ground as Gino’s continued to push.

However, forward Jake Wisti evened things at 1-1, with a one-timer at 7:15. Defenseman Trevor Ploe drove down the right boards and fed the puck into the slot, where Wisti got to the puck and knocked it in.

Shortly after, Randell got things going for Bucko’s. He scored at 9:30, on a play in close to the net. Then he scored on the power play at 12:50, just 10 seconds into the man advantage, with a wrist shot from the left circle.

He then picked up his hat trick goal at 17:25 while Bucko’s was shorthanded. Parks, who already had assists on each of Randell’s first two tallies, found him flying through center ice. Randell skated in alone and buried a puck through Manninen.

“I don’t know,” Randell said, when asked how he found the net so often. “I honestly didn’t really notice. It’s a good group of guys, and just good teamwork. I think everyone was out there working hard. I just ended up on my stick and just happened to go in.”

Forward Zach Babcock cut the Bucko’s lead in half with a breakaway goal at 21:09, and it looked like Gino’s might climb their way back in.

However, Randell scored his fourth goal of the game at 23:50, which put the game out of reach off a feed from Ty Harju.

Gino’s defenseman Jon French was whistled for a tripping penalty at 25:20, and 30 seconds later, Randell scored his fifth and final goal. Casey Hainault picked up the lone assist on the tally.

“This was my first year in this league, actually,” said Randell. “Coming down this way, they’re a little more serious it seems than when we were up in Calumet, with the announcers and everything going on.”

Hainault then added a goal of his own with just six left in the period to put Bucko’s up 7-2 at that point.

In the second half, Gino’s switched goaltenders from Manninen to Dustin Jaehnig, but that decision did not slow down the Bucko’s offense. Parks drove around a defender and stuffed the puck home just 20 seconds into the period. He scored again 3:25 later in a similar fashion.

After that, the game settled. Gino’s forward Matt Mattila had a great look 9:42 as he fired a shot from the slot, but again, Garrow was there to make the save. Defenseman John Erickson had a shot from the right point off a faceoff about 40 seconds later, but again Garrow was ready to make the stop.

Five minutes later, Gino’s had a power play. Babcock took a pass from Turner in the slot and got a shot off during the advantage, but again Garrow made the save. Three and a half minutes later, Babcock got another look cutting through the slot, but could not solve Garrow.

Erickson had the last quality scoring chance for Gino’s with a wrist shot from the left point with 2:59 left in the game.

Garrow finished the game with 24 saves to earn the win. Manninen made 28 stops for Gino’s in the first half. Jaehnig stopped 10 in the second half for Gino’s in the loss.

Gino’s Restaurant forward Zach Babcock controls the puck in the neutral zone during a game against Bucko’s Party Store Sunday at the HoCo Arena in Hancock. (Daver Karnosky/Daily Mining Gazette)