Sault Ste. Marie – December 2nd, 2016 – The Marquette Redmen hockey team clashed with the Utica Eagles in the Eastern end of the Upper Peninsula in an exciting game of high school hockey. As soon as the puck dropped, the action began, and just 35 seconds into the first period, Marquette put the puck into the net for the first time in the game. Just a few minutes later however, the Eagles answered on a wrap-around goal off of a give away from the Redmen. Marquette seemed to have the upper hand, and they forced two penalties from the Eagles in the first but weren’t able to score on the power plays.
First Period Score:
Marquette Redmen: 1
Utica Eagles: 1
Thanks to some great play in the first period, the Marquette Redmen started the second period on a power play for one minute and 43 seconds, but the advantage didn’t last long. A Marquette player had an interference penalty called against him, and that made it 4-on-4 hockey for just under 30 seconds. Another penalty by Marquette meant that it would be 3-on-5 hockey for almost two minutes. It didn’t take long for Utica to score a go-ahead goal, but that would only end one of the penalties. Marquette would still have to play 4-on-5 for over a minute. The Redmen stopped the Eagles, but they continued to have problems with penalties throughout the rest of the second period. With about five minutes left in the period, Utica scored another goal, making it a two-goal deficit for Marquette. Utica would go on the power play one more time before the period ended, but they were not able to put the puck into the net.
Second Period Score:
Marquette Redmen: 1
Utica Eagles: 3
Going in to the final period, the Marquette Redmen trailed the Utica Eagles, and the action never slowed down. Just over two minutes into the period, Marquette brought it back to within one goal off of a nice deflection on a shot from the blue line, making it 2-3. All the lines for the Redmen were doing well, and trailing by a single goal, the game was within reach. Penalty minutes continued to pile up for Marquette as they grew desperate to tie the game and force overtime. With just under four minutes left, they were forced to kill another penalty, and it looked as if the Marquette team was getting worn out by the Eagles. With just one minute left in the final period, Marquette was forced, for the third game in a row, to pull their goalie. In the last 30 seconds, the Eagles scored two open-net goals and sealed their victory over the Redmen.
Final Game Score:
Marquette Redmen: 2
Utica Eagles: 5