Sault hockey win streak hits seven in dramatic fashion, Islanders outlast Panthers

SAULT STE. MARIE – The Sault High hockey team earned its seventh consecutive win on Friday night and did it in style, knocking off St. Edwards Catholic High School, one of the top ranked teams in the state of Ohio.

The Devils watched a two-goal lead turn into a tie game after Logan Klaiber scored a power-play goal to tie the game at 3-3.

Ethan Adair then send the home crowd home happy after scoring right in front of the Eagles net on an assist from Garrett Gorsuch with 14.2 seconds left to give the Sault the win.

“This was definitely a statement game for us,” said Sault coach Rick Mackey.  “For us to come out and beat a team like this, especially after giving up a two-goal lead in the third period, says a lot about the way these guys keep fighting and playing hard, no matter what’s happening.”

The Sault got on the board first as Avery Wilson brought the puck up the left side of the ice and found Evan Kennedy with a pass right in front of the St. Edwards goalkeeper.  Kennedy flipped a shot past the netminder and the Sault led 1-0.

In the second period, the Eagles turned the puck over in front of their own net and George Bauman made them pay for it as he lit the lamp unassisted to give the Sault a 2-0 lead at the 12:15 mark.

The Eagles had a great chance to score midway through the second period as they got a short-handed breakaway opportunity, but Blue Devil goalie Triston Forgrave came out to meet the charge and stoned the shot attempt to preserve the lead.

“He has been solid all year,” Mackey said of Forgrave. “He has been locked in and focused and you just don’t ever see him out of position.”

Avery Wilson took advantage of the energy created by Forgrave’s save and wristed a shot past the Eagle goalie on assists from Cale Bell and Korsen Pace to push the Sault’s lead to 3-0 with 9:38 left in the second period.

St. Edwards got on the board with 7:22 left in the second as Ryan Schmitt got an unassisted goal after a Sault turnover.  The second period ended with the Sault still leading 2-1.

The Eagles came out in the third seeming determined to get back into the game and did just that. They scored two goals in 90 seconds, the second coming on the power play after Wood was called for interference at the 8:12 mark, tying the game at 3-3.

“We just had to keep calm, and keep playing,” Mackey said of his team’s mentality after losing the lead. “We knew how good these guys were and that they weren’t going to quit.  We were able to match their intensity and speed and not lose focus after they tied the game.”

Forgrave got the win in net, stopping 32 shots, while Johnny Satanek took the loss, stopping 27 shots.

The Sault, 12-4, will be in action again on Saturday as they host Port Huron North.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Islanders outlast Panthers

DeTOUR – The Cedarville-DeTour Islanders trailed by a single point heading into the fourth quarter of Thursday night’s Eastern Upper Peninsula Conference showdown against the Pickford Panthers.

However, a full-court press and some clutch free throw shooting carried the Islanders to a 10-point win over the Panthers, 56-46.

The Islanders led 17-12 after one quarter, but slumped in the second, scoring just four points.  They went into halftime trailing 25-21.

The Islanders came alive in the fourth period, particularly Lily Plowman.  She scored 15 of her game-high 24 points in the final eight minutes and made 3-of-4 free throws in the period to help Cedarville-DeTour hold on for the win.

Taylor Williams was also in double figures for the Islanders with 19 points.

For the Panthers, Madison Thurmes hit for 20 points, including four three-pointers, while Isa Franklin chipped in with 14 points, including three long balls.

PICKFORD        12      13      9       12 – 46

CEDARVILLE-DETOUR       17      4       12      23 – 56

PICKFORD – Thurmes 20, Cottle 1, Crimin 2, Blenkhorn 2, Franklin 14, Potoczak 7. FT: 6-16; F: 17; Fouled out: Thurmes, Cottle; 3PFG: 7 (Thurmes 4, Franklin 3).

CEDARVILLE-DETOUR – Nye 2, Kohlman 3, Williams 19, Fisher 6, Plowman 24, Osogwin 2. FT: 11-19; F: 19; Fouled out: None; 3PFG: 1 (Williams 1).

Saints roll on home floor

ST. IGNACE – The St. Ignace Saints girls’ basketball team had little trouble dispatching the visiting Newberry Indians in a Straits Area Conference matchup on Thursday.  The Saints held the Indians scoreless in the fourth quarter and won the game 72-26.

The Saints took control midway through the third quarter.  St. Ignace led 30-20 and then went on a 42-6 run to close the game and seal the win.

Jillian Fraser notched a triple-double for the Saints, scoring 17 points, grabbing 13 rebounds and getting 10 steals.  She also blocked four shots.

The Saints were very balanced in the win, having four players in double figures.  In addition to Fraser, Addison Cullen also netted 17 points. Avery Visnaw hit for 13, while Cadence Cullen added 11.  Riley O’Rourke grabbed seven rebounds in the win.

The Saints enjoyed a huge advantage from the free throw line, making 17-of-33 tries from the stripe, while Newberry got to the line just eight times, making three.

NEWBERRY        6       12      8       0 – 26

ST. IGNACE      11      17      19      25 – 72

NEWBERRY – Whalen 12, T. Depew 3, A. Depew 2, S. Taylor 2, Egert 2, Johnson 3, G. Taylor 2. FT: 3-8; F: 24; Fouled out: A. Depew, 3PFG: 3 (Whalen 2, T. Depew 1).

ST. IGNACE – Visnaw 13, Dorenbecker 4, Tabitha Shepard 3, Fraser 17, O’Rourke 2, C. Cullen 11, A. Cullen 17, Cece 2, Tayah Shepard 3. FT: 17-33; F: 11; Fouled out: None; 3PFG: 2 (Fraser 1, Tayah Shepard 1).

This article originally appeared on The Sault News: Sault hockey win streak hits seven in dramatic fashion, Islanders outlast Panthers