The Escanaba Eskymos and the Marquette Sentinels met for the third time this season, renewing a rivalry that had already tilted in Marquette’s favor. The Sentinels had claimed both regular-season matchups by identical 5–2 scores, setting the stage for another competitive postseason showdown.
Both teams advanced in convincing fashion in their tournament openers. Marquette earned a 5–1 victory over the Kingsford Flivvers, while Escanaba showcased its offensive firepower with a 9–1 mercy-rule win against the Sault Ste. Marie Blue Devils. The highly anticipated matchup took place on the Sentinels’ home ice at Lakeview Arena, adding another intense chapter to the season series.
Marquette set the tone early when Skylar Blackburn buried a top-corner knuckleball goal to give the Sentinels a 1–0 lead. The home team dominated the opening period, outshooting Escanaba 17–3 and carrying the one-goal advantage into the first intermission. The defensive battle continued through the second period, with both teams generating power-play opportunities but unable to convert, keeping the score 1–0 heading into the third.
The Sentinels extended their lead at the 11:47 mark of the final period when Evan Mattila tipped in a goal to make it 2–0. Just minutes later, Seth Sandstrom connected with Brody Sheldon at 8:09 to push the lead to 3–0. Escanaba answered at 5:50, as Nolan Bink’s shot was redirected by Graham Johnson to cut the deficit to 3–1. Despite the late push, the Eskymos could not close the gap. Marquette finished with a 36–23 advantage in shots, and both goaltenders turned in outstanding performances as the Sentinels secured the 3–1 victory.
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With the win, Marquette advances to the quarterfinals, where it will face the Houghton Gremlins, who mercy-ruled the Calumet Copper Kings in their regional final. The quarterfinal matchup is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. on February 28 at the Berry Events Center on the campus of Northern Michigan University. If you can’t make it, we’ll have it for you right here on Fox Sports Marquette 105.1 and 99.9.
