MARQUETTE — Variety is the spice of life and the Marquette Senior High School hockey team had two very different games when the Redmen traveled to Downstate for the weekend.
But MSHS got the better of both this season, improving to 4-2.
Marquette opened the journey in Saginaw, needing multiple comebacks and overtime to defeat Saginaw Heritage 3-2. The next day, he went the short distance to Midland to blitz Midland Dow 9-0 in a game scheduled after two periods.
The Redmen return to their home ice at Lakeview Arena for a trio of games this week.
MSHS will host Calumet today at 6:30 p.m. and then entertain the Bay Reps from the greater Traverse City area on Friday at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday at 1:00 p.m.
Here’s a recap of the Redmen’s journey down:
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Marquette 3, Saginaw Heritage 2 (OT)
On Friday at the Saginaw-Bay Ice Arena, MSHS head coach Doug Garrow was impressed by the crowd and his team’s comeback.
“It was a great atmosphere … with a very vocal student section, and they were treated to one of the most exciting high school hockey games in recent memory.” said Garrow.
After a scoreless first half, the hosts Hawks came on the board first as Owen Turner scored in the second at 4:27.
The Redmen’s Connor Stade responded with an unassisted goal about five minutes later to make it 1-1, but Heritage took the lead less than two minutes later through a power-play goal from Brett Wobio.
The Hawks’ 2-1 lead held just over seven minutes of the third period when MSHS’s Jacob Garrow equaled 2-2 and equaled with 9:48 left when Nash Riipi and Colin Nemacheck provided assists.
“We fought our way through penalties and injuries and came back… to tie it in the third.” said Coach Garrow.
In overtime, however, Marquette went sideways.
“In the OT period we took down two players, with one of those penalties being a five-minute major.” said Doug Garrow. “We killed much of the Major and received another penalty for tripping.
“With 4:04 left, Tucker Welch ended the game with a shorthanded breakaway.
“It was a great team win that we hope to take with us in the coming weeks.”
Welch’s game-winner went unaided, making marquette goalie Cole Kelly the winner, stopping 21 shots, including two in OT.
MSHS fired 35 shots at Heritage goaltender Teague Workman, including four in overtime.
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Marquette 9, Midland Dow 0
Saturday in Midland, the Chargers are struggling despite winning an MHSAA state championship last spring.
“The Midland Dow rebuild lost 14 seniors from last year’s (Division) 3 State Championship team and we took advantage of their youth and inexperience,” said Coach Garrow.
Riipi, Jake Garrow and Stade combined for six goals and 12 points.
Riipi had his hat-trick before Marquette’s first half ended with six goals; Garrow finished with two goals and six points, including four points in the opening stages; and Stade had a goal in the first half before adding two assists in the second half.
MSHS had two three-goal goals in the opening stages – the first three were scored in the middle of the section in a 2:27 time span, but the last three took just 20 seconds to score in the last two minutes.
In that final stretch, Garrow scored with 1:58 to go, then Riipi sacked one with 1:43 to go, and finally Caleb Fries got his first with 1:38 to go.
The Redmen had another three-goal streak in them, scoring their final trio in a 90-second stretch midway through the second.
Alongside Riipi, Garrow and Stade, CJ Carter had two assists, Fries had two goals, Joe DeMattia one goal, and Nemacheck and Welch one assist each.
Marquette peppered Dow goalie Ethan Jordan with 29 shots in the two halves while Redmen goalie Parker Nevenhoven had just four shots.
Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is [email protected].