Marquette, MI – December 29th, 2016 – It was time for another Sault Showcase the week after Christmas, and the Marquette Redmen‘s first game was against the Sault Blue Devils. The Blue Devils were the first team to commit a penalty, and with ten minutes left in the first, Marquette had their first real chance at taking the lead. It was a relatively quiet period, with neither team making any serious mistakes. The goalies for each team were having standout games however, and that most likely led to the low scoring in the first period. There was only one scoring chance recorded for each team in the period, and that meant it would be zeroes going into the second.
First Period Score
Marquette Redmen: 0
Sault Ste. Marie: 0
The broadcasters said it best, “the game just couldn’t get more even,” and each of the Marquette Redmen‘s lines were performing splendidly as the game moved into the second period. The Blue Devils began putting some heavy pressure onto the Redmen, but Marquette was able to hold them back for the first half of the second period. Just when it looked as though the Redmen would have a 2 on 1 break out, a Sault player made a great block on a pass, and that resulted in the first goal of the game. Within less than one minute, Sault Ste. Marie was able to score another even-strength goal, making it 0-2. The Redmen tried everything they could think of to get back in the game, but they would go into the second intermission still trailing by two.
Second Period Score
Marquette Redmen: 0
Sault Ste. Marie: 2
It was a difficult second period for the Marquette Redmen, and they found themselves trailing going into the final quarter. Like several other games already this year, they would have to fight back in the final period to even force an overtime. For a long time in the third period, the Redmen didn’t make any significant progress against the Blue Devils, however, with five minutes left in the game, Marquette scored their first goal, making it 1-2. As the period passed the three minute mark, the Redmen were forced to pull their goalie, and that allowed the Blue Devils to score two open-net goals, making the final score 1-4.
Final Game Score
Marquette Redmen: 1
Sault Ste. Marie: 4