Escanaba Hockey Association Presents Awards                     The Escanaba Junior Hockey Association held its annual banquet Monday night, and announced its top awards winners for the just-completed hockey season. The top award, the Ovid Provo Award, went to graduating senior John LeMire. LeMire was a defenseman on the Eskymo hockey team this season, scoring three goals and nine assists this season. He had a +9 rating. Also, Erin Gregoire of the Great Lakes Wolfpack Under-19 girls hockey team won the Herbert Kristen Award. (Lisa Dagenais photos)

Wolfpack Girls Finish 4-1 At Alpena Tourney The Great Lakes (Escanaba) Wolfpack Under 19 girls hockey won four out of five games at a weekend tournament in Alpena. The 'Pack beat Marquette, 4-1, Friday night as Carrie Knudson scored twice. Then on Saturday, they beat Detroit Compuware, 4-1, as Stacie Mathieu scored twice. The Escanaba girls then beat Kalamzoo, 7-1, in the night game. Then on Sunday, the Wolfpack beat Alpena, 8-1, before losing to Compuware, 5-3 in the title game. Pictured: Shelby Gregoire battles Marquette's Montana Viitala. WATCH WOLFPACK vs DETROIT COMPUWARE HIGHLIGHTS CLICK HERE  to see Sara Girard score a Wolfpack goal. CLICK HERE  to see Stacie Mathieu score a Wolfpack goal. CLICK HERE  to see Lora Kositzky score a Wolfpack goal. WATCH WOLFPACK vs ADVANTEDGE VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS CLICK HERE  to see a replay of Bre Belanger's goal on the backhand. CLICK HERE  to see a replay of Carrie Knudson's goal through the five-hole. CLICK HERE  to see a replay of a save by goaltender Annika McQueeney.                 The Wolfpack girls swarm the Detroit Compuware net during Saturday's game.

Escanaba Bantam AA Hawks Roll Past SS Marie                       The Escanaba Hawks Bantam AA (age 13-14) hockey team got a win and a tie against the Soo Lakers hockey team Saturday at Lake Superior State University's Norris Center. The teams tied 1-1 in the morning game even though Escanaba badly outshot the Sault side. In the afternoon game, with the Escanaba High School hockey team in the stands cheering them on, the Escanaba Hawks scored six goals in the first period and a half and coasted to the 8-1 win. WATCH ESCANABA HAWKS vs SOO LAKERS VIDEOS CLICK HERE  to see Kyle Egner get rocked by a huge hit...but get right back up. CLICK HERE  to see Blane Borman score a third period goal. Pictured above: Hunter LaMarch scores a goal for the Hawks on Saturday at LSSU. Pictured at left: Hawks goaltender Jack Valentine keeps an eye on what's going on in the corner. Bottom photo: Hawks' Chris Zuidema falls to the ice after scoring a goal...and Blane Borman is there ready to tap it in just in case.

Marquette Girls Hockey Finish 1-1-1 In Canada  The Marquette Advantedge girls 19U AA hockey team completed a three-game series with the Sault Ste. Marie (Ont.) Wildcats this weekend, coming away with a win, a loss, and a draw.  The first game on Saturday saw the teams play to a 1-1 tie.  Marquette scored first in the game, with Marlowe Pentecost scoring in the second period with the assist going to Haley Boroughf. Carley Maanika made 18 saves. In the second game, Marquette fell behind in the first period  3-1, and lost, 4-2. Boroughf scoring both goals. Maanika stopped 25 shots in net. Then on Sunday, the Advantedge girls came away with a 1-0 win. Montanna Viitala got the goal, with Carlson getting the assist. Maanika stopped 15 shots in recording her first shutout.   The Advantedge team travels to Ohio next weekend to play in a showcase. Pictured: the Marquette girls in an earlier game against Escanaba. (Lisa Dagenais photo)

Wolfpack Girls Split Four Games In Mackinaw                   The Great Lakes Wolfpack Under-19 girls hockey team won two and lost two at the Frozen Eight Showcase in Mackinaw City this weekend.  The girls won twice on Saturday, beating the Michigan Ice Dogs of Ann Arbor, 3-2, and then topping Mackinaw City, 6-1.  In the first game, Lora Kositzky, Jalyn Dagenais, and Allison Laramie had the goals and Josie Goddard got the win in net. In the second game. Bre Belanger and Stacie Mathieu both had two goals and Annika McQueeny got the win. The Wolfpack girls lost both games on Sunday. They fell to the Keweenaw Storm, 4-1, with Elizabeth Horn scoring the only goal. Then the girls lost to Sault Ste. Marie (Ont.), also by a 4-1 score. Erin Gregorie had Escanaba's only goal in that game.             Top picture: Escanaba's Stacie Mathieu scores a goal against Ann Arbor. Left photo: Escanaba's Bre Belanger scores against Mackinaw City. Right photo: Escanaba's Jalyn Dagenais and Erin Gregorie battle for a loose puck. (Lisa Dagenais photos)

Escanaba 19U Girls Bring Home Hockey Trophy                       The Escanaba High School hockey team brought home a trophy last weekend after winning a tournament championship in Traverse City. And not to be outdone, the Escanaba 19U girls hockey team won a tournament trophy Sunday in Ashland (Wis.). The Great Lakes Wolfpack 19U team beat the Thunder Bay (Ont.) Bears, 7-1, in Sunday's title game. Brianna Belanger and Lora Kositsky both scored two goals in the championship game, backing up the near-perfect goaltending of Annika McQueeney. In fact, McQueeny was in net for all three of her team's victories over the weekend. Besides the championship game win, the Wolfpack girls also won twice on Saturday: 2-0 over the Thunder Bay (Ont.) Sabres, and 7-0 over Osseo-Maple Grove (Minn.). The Wolfpack team includes girls from Escanaba and several southern U.P. cities.

Great Lakes Wolfpack Girls Beat, Tie Marquette                     The Great Lakes Wolfpack Under-19 girls hockey team posted a win and a tie against the Marquette Advantedge girls Saturday afternoon at the Wells Sports Complex. The Wolfpack girls (from Escanaba, Menominee, Iron Mountain and Manistique) earned a 3-3 tie in Saturday's first game, and then skated to a 5-4 victory in the second contest. It was a big doubleheader for the Wolfpack girls against the defending state champion Advantedge team, which competed at the national tournament in California last season. Top photo: Escanaba goaltender Josie Goddard makes a big save. Left photo: Escanaba's Stacie Mathieu (21) has her shot hit the crossbar, as teammate Jalyn Dagenais (12) waits for a rebound. (Lisa Dagenais photos)

Keweenaw Girls Lose National Title Game, 2-1  The Keweenaw Storm girls hockey team lost a heartbreaker in the Tier II Under-16 national championship game Sunday in Anaheim, California. The girls fell to the Connecticut Polar Bears, 2-1, as Katie McLaughlin scored 8:36 into overtime. Kimberly Harter had put the Copper Country girls on the board in the first period, but Connecticut tied it with a shorthanded goal in the second period. The Storm had four power play chances in the third period, including two five-on-three chances, but could not score and the game went into OT. See the results and box scores here . Keweenaw was playing just 14 hours after winning its national semifinal game in five overtimes, 3-2, over the Alaska Icebreakers, Saturday night. (USA Hockey Photo of Calumet's Allison Patrick (5) taking a shot on goal.)

Keweenaw Girls Win Five-Overtime Marathon                      The Keweenaw Storm girls hockey team will play for a national championship on Sunday after surviving a five-overtime marathon in the semifinals Saturday night in Anaheim, California. Keweenaw beat the Alaska Icebreakers, 3-2, at the USA Hockey Tier II Girls Under-16 National Championships as Kimberly Harter scored the winning goal with 28 seconds left to play in the fifth overtime period. The Copper County girls outshot the Alaska girls, 71-17, as Megan Yeo and Alexis Pyyknonen also scored goals in regulation time. The girls from Calumet, Houghton, and Hancock killed off Alaskan power plays in each of the first three overtimes. It was a long day for the Alaskans, who won their quarterfinal game in four overtimes earlier on Saturday. So, the Alaskan girls played six 17-minute regulation periods, plus nine overtime periods (minus 28 seconds). As for the Keweenaw girls, their quarterfinal was a bit easier: a 2-0 win over the East Coast Wizards Saturday morning. Jessica Schlaff and Megan Yeo scored the goals for the Storm, and Stephanie King posted her fourth straight shutout in net. See the results and box scores here . The girls are listed as "Center Ice/Auto Pro". (USA Hockey Photo of Calumet's Allison Patrick (5) taking a shot on goal.)

Marquette Girls' Run Ends In Quarterfinals, 3-0 The Marquette Advantedge girls hockey team had its season come to an end on Saturday, losing 3-0 to the Alaska All-Stars at the USA Hockey Tier II Under-19 Girls National Championships Saturday in Anaheim, Calif. The Marquette girls (along with some from Negaunee, Iron River, and Gladstone) were in a 0-0 tie well into the second period of Saturday's national quarterfinal game, but the Alaskans got two goals from Zoe Hickel in a seven-minute span to turn the game around. One of Hickel's goals was a shorthanded goal. Marquette goalie Carley Maanika stopped 19 of 22 shots in a losing effort. Great season, girls! Click here  to see the statistics from all of the tournament games.

Marquette, Keweenaw Girls Move To Quarters                     The eweenaw Storm Under-16 girls hockey team beat the New Jersey Coloniels, 5-0, in their third national tournament game in Anaheim. Five different players scored the Storm, who have not allowed a goal in three games. The girls qualified for the national quarterfinals. See the results and box scores here . (USA Hockey photo of Keweenaw's Lexi Pyykkonen screening St. Louis Cyclones goalie Taylor Gorman.) MARQUETTE GIRLS ALSO WIN; IN QUARTERFINALS----After suffering two one-goal losses, including one in overtime, the Marquette Advantedge Under-19 girls hockey bounced back Friday at the USA Hockey Tier II National Championships in Anaheim, Calif. The girls routed the Hershey (Pa.) Junior Bears, 8-0, to finish pool play with a 1-1-1 record. Haley Boroughf scored four goals and added an assist to lead Marquette. Alyssa Camps added two goals and two assists. Marquette advances to the national quarterfinals. Click here  to see the stats via the USA Hockey web site.

Marquette Girls Lose OT Heartbreaker In Calif.                      The Marquette Advantedge Under-19 girls hockey team lost a heartbreaker at the USA Hockey Tier II National Championships Thursday in Anaheim, Calif. The girls fell to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 1-0, in overtime. The Lady Roughriders scored the winning goal on the power play at 4:38 of the overtime period. Marquette goaltender Carley Maanika took a tough loss in net, making 34 saves on 35 shots. Click here  to see the schedule and box score. This is Marquette's second straight one-goal loss at nationals, after the girls lost to Potsdam, N.Y., 3-2, on Wednesday. The Marquette girls play a team from Hershey, Pa., Friday morning. The girls need to win, and hope for help, to advance. (USA Hockey photo of Marquette vs. Potsdam)  KEWEENAW GIRLS ARE NOW 2-0: Also out west on Thursday, the Keweenaw Storm Under-16 girls hockey team beat St. Louis Cyclones, 9-0, in their second national tournament game in Anaheim. Kimberly Harter had a hat trick for the Copper Country girls. See the tournament results and box scores here .

Marquette Girls Drop First Game In California                     The Marquette Advantedge Under-19 girls hockey team played well on Wednesday, but came up a goal short in their first game at the national tournament in Anaheim, California. Marquette fell behind, 3-0, and ended up losing, 3-2, to a team from Potsdam, NY. Abby Esbrook and Kirsten Iwanski scored Marquette's goals, and the U.P. girls outshot the girls from New York, 37-16. Carley Maanika took the loss in net for Advantedge. Click here  to see the box score from the game. Click here  to see the schedule and results. You can click here  to visit the Marquette Hockey web page. The Marquette girls play a team from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Thursday afternoon. Also out west on Wednesday, the Keweenaw Storm Under-16 girls hockey team beat Rochester, NY, 4-0, in their first national tournament game in Anaheim. The Calumet girls play a team from St. Louis, Missouri, Thursday afternoon.

1/22-23, 2011: Wolfpack U19 Girls Get 3 Wins                     The Great Lakes Wolfpack Under-19 girls hockey team won two more games on Sunday, beating the Traverse City North Stars, 3-1 and 3-2, at the Wells Sports Complex. Annika McQueeney won both games in goal. The Wolfpack team is based in Escanaba, but also includes girls from Iron Mountain, Manistique, and Menominee. Pictured above: Elizabeth Horn (16) scores a goal on Sunday. Left photo: Stacie Mathieu skates up-ice on a break. (Lisa Dagenais photos) Saturday Games: A Split With Michigan Ice Dogs                   Four different girls scored goals to lead the Great Lakes Wolfpack Under-19 hockey team to a 4-3 win over the Michigan Ice Dogs of Ann Arbor Saturday in Mackinaw City. The Ice Dogs are one of the top teams not only in Michigan, but in the entire country. The U.P. girls got goals from Elizabeth Horn, Sarah Girard, Lora Kositsky, and Stacie Mathieu. Josie Goddard got the win in net. The Ice Dogs won Saturday's first game, 7-3. Top photo: Erin Gregoire is on her knee as she shoots the puck. Pictured at right: Lora Kositsky (left in blue) scores. See the puck in the net? (Lisa Dagenais photos)

1/17/11: Esky PeeWee Hockey Wins Tourney                    The Escanaba-based Northern Michigan Bank Pee Wee hockey team won the championship of a weekend tournament in Green Bay, Wis. The boys won the the trophy by allowing only one goal in four games. In the round-robin, Escanaba beat West Madison, 8-0; Janesville, 9-0; and McFetridge, 3-1. Then in the championship game, Escanaba topped Middleton, Wis., 6-0. In Sunday's final, Aaron Young scored twice, while Cody Vandermissen, Jake Strom, Noah Olsen, and Gavin Schwalbach all scored once. Garrett Parlett was the winning goaltender in all four games for NMB.

1/2/11: Wolfpack Girls Split In Mackinaw City                   The Great Lakes Wolfpack 19-and-under girls hockey team won one and lost one on Sunday in Mackinaw City. The hosts won the opener, 4-3, but the Escanaba-based Wolfpack blounced back to win the second game, 6-1. In the opener, Sara Girard, Bre Belanger, and Erin Gregoire scored for Escanaba. In the second game, Stacie Mathieu led the way with two goals, while Belanger, Gregoire, Lora Kositsky, and Jalyn Dagenais all added one goal apiece. Annika McQueenly was the goaltender in both games for the Wolfpack. Pictured above: the Mackinaw City goaltender is down and the referee looks to see if the puck is in the net, as Escanaba's Jalyn Dagenais (12) comes into the goal crease. Below left: Carrie Knutson (14, right) shoots, but the goaltender makes the save. Bottom right: Bre Belanger (left) looks to steal the puck. (Lisa Dangenais photos)

12/19/10: Escanaba Pee-Wee Wins Tournament