Brandon varsity hockey coach Tim Stone said the Blackhawks did not give their best effort in their Dec. 6 game against Kearsley.
Three days later, the Blackhawks corrected that problem against their neighbors from Goodrich.
Seven different players scored for the Blackhawks as they defeated the Martians 8-1 Dec. 9 at Ice Mountain Sports Complex in Burton. The win improved the Blackhawks? record to 3-1-1, while Goodrich fell to 2-3.
Senior Chris Nelson had two goals and two assists, while his linemates, seniors Matt Cinader and Blake McLellan, also had a productive game. Cinader had one goal and three assists, while McLellan added one goal and two assists.
The Brandon victory came on the heels of a 2-2 tie against Kearsley, which left Stone disappointed with the team’s lack of hustle.
‘Our effort without the puck was not what it should be,? he said. ‘The last five minutes of the game, we played hard because we were trying to win the game. They could not get the puck out of their end. We had several chances to win late in the game.?
Stone said the Blackhawks addressed their effort issues Dec. 7-8 at practice, and the team took those lessons to heart against the Martians Dec. 9.
‘We came out of the game like we should,? he said. ‘We played very aggressively. We won, but more importantly it was the tempo of the game that mattered. We controlled the game and didn’t give them room to do anything.?
The Blackhawks had a sizable advantage in terms of shots in goal, outshooting the Martians 50-12. Sophomore Shawn Walker earned the win in net for the Blackhawks.
Nelson opened the scoring for the Blackhawks in the first period, then Goodrich senior Austin Saber answered with a power play goal to tie the contest at one.
However, the Blackhawks broke open the game with three more goals in the first period.
Nelson scored on assists from Cinader and McLellan to put the Blackhawks up 2-1. Junior Kyle Doan then scored on assists from seniors Erich Heiden and Brandon Newman, and Cinader scored on assists from Nelson and McLellan, putting the Blackhawks ahead 4-1 at the end of the first period.
McLellan then opened the second period scoring on assists from Cinader and Nelson. Senior Zac Caldwell then scored a power play goal on assists from Cinader and Wedding, and junior Ryan Doyle wrapped up the period’s scoring on assists from junior Nick Foren and sophomore J.T. Wedding. Brandon closed out the game’s scoring in the third period, as Foren scored on an assist from Doyle.
Against Kearsley, the Blackhawks took a 1-0 lead in the second period, as Doan scored on assists from Wedding and Newman. Kearsley then scored two goals within 37 seconds in the third period to take a 2-1 lead.
Wedding then scored a power play goal at 7:50 of the third period, on assists from senior Drew Fisher and Doan, to tie the contest at two. Senior goalie Jeff Hammond stopped 20 shots for the Blackhawks.
Meanwhile, Goodrich entered the game against the Blackhawks on a winning note, having defeated Clio 4-1 in a Dec. 6 nonleague game.
The two teams scored one goal apiece in the first period before the Martians broke things open with one goal in the second period and two more in the third period.
Saber tallied four points in the game for the Martians, including a hat trick. Brennen Benedict notched the Martians? other goal, and added an assist, while Zack Pernack and Travis Wandell each added an assist.
Michael Underwood made 27 saves in net for the Martians.
On Dec. 2, the Martians were shut out 3-0 by Lapeer East. The Eagles scored all three of their goals in the second period.
After a scheduled Dec. 16 game against Swartz Creek, the Blackhawks? next scheduled game is at 5 p.m. Wedneday, Dec. 20, when they host Linden at the Polar Palace in Lapeer.
Meanwhile, the Martians were scheduled to travel to Iceland Arena for a Saturday, Dec. 16 game against Durand. Their last remaining scheduled game before the Christmas break is at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 20, when they travel to Midland Arena for a game against Freeland.