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Bulldogs bite Flivvers for second time in five days

By By Ron Deuter - The Daily News, Iron Mtn. , The Daily Mining Gazette , 02/20/14, 8:00AM EST

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IRON MOUNTAIN - A second straight game against Hancock resulted in a second straight 8-0 loss for the Flivver hockey team Tuesday evening in Great Lakes Hockey Conference action at Mountain View Ice Arena.

The Flivvers were mercied by the Bulldogs 8-0 up in Hancock on Friday night. Tuesday's game nearly went full time, with Hancock (15-6-3) getting its final goal with just 21 seconds left to play in the third period.

"We skated better than we did up there but its the same story, turnovers at the blue line and being able to recognize, in our zone, who to pick up," Flivvers head coach Jim Peterson said. "We wait until they have the puck and then we react. We can't read and react well enough."

Hancock, with Hunter Kero netting the first tally just 1:30 into the game, put up four first-period goals. Zach Ahola took a nice drop pass from Tanner Kearly and fired from the high slot to make it 2-0 at 12:29. Alex Hill got in on the Flivvers shorthanded at 14:17, and Kearly put in the fourth at 15:19.

Hancock was unable to add to its lead in the second, as Flivver netminder Joe Berglund stopped 19 of 19 shots in the frame. Berglund finished with 43 saves in the game.

The Flivvers had a decent chance to break William Lucier's shutout near the end of the second period by gaining a two-man advantage for a full two minutes. Kingsford peppered Lucier with several shots but couldn't get one past.

Fact Box

Hancock 4 0 4 - 8

Kingsford 0 0 0 - 0

First period - 1, H - Hunter Kero (Brett Lepisto, Jack Fenton), 1:30; 2, H - Zach Ahola (Tanner Kearly), 12:29; 3, H - Alex Hill (Matthew Sanregret), SH, 14:17; 4, H - Kearly (Larry Fallon, Fenton), 15:19.

Second period - No scoring.

Third period - 5, H - Ahola (Danny Hill, Kyle Hauswirth), 9:42; 6, H - Danny Hill (Alex Hill, Hauswirth), 11:27; 7, H - Lepisto (unassisted), PP, 14:12; 8 - H - Hayden Heikkinen (Cory Tourtillott, Kearly), 16:39.

Goalie saves - H: William Lucier 7-9-7 - 23; K: Joe Berglund 12-19-12 - 43.

"He did what he had to do," Hancock coach Dan Rouleau said of Lucier. "He made some nice saves. He didn't see a lot of quality shots, but he did what he had to do."

In third, Hancock reasserted itself and put the game out of reach, dominating possession the whole way.

Ahola scored at 9:42. That was followed by a Danny Hill tally at 11:27. Brett Lepisto deposited an unassisted power play tally at 14:12, and Hayden Heikkinen ended the contest at 16:39.

"We got off to good start," Rouleau said. "I thought we had a lull in the second period there, took a few penalties and kind of lost the flow of the game a little bit. But we picked it back up in the third. Getting off to the four-goal lead right away, things can get a little sloppy sometimes. And it did al little in that middle period."

Kingsford, which is scheduled to wrap up regular season play Thursday at home against Escanaba, slipped to 4-18-0.

"We've got some kids who don't want the puck, and its got to be something inside you that you want it. We skated harder, but still, it's hockey IQ. It's something you have to have."

Hancock hosts Houghton Thursday night.