Calumet's top line scored all four of its goals, with senior Ryan Nelson notching his first-career hat trick, as the Copper Kings defeated the Cranbrook-Kingswood Cranes 4-3 Friday at the Coliseum.

"I thought we played an excellent hockey game," Calumet head coach Dan Giachino said. "I thought we had some really good spurts in the first two periods, but in the third period, we kind of took over the hockey game, completely, and we got some luck around the net."

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Daily Mining?Gazette/Bryce Derouin
Calumet players celebrate after Robert Erkkila’s go-ahead goal in the third period against Cranbrook Friday in Calumet.

 

 

 

Calumet outshot the Cranes 37-27, including a 19-5 advantage in the third period.

"I don't think we played hard on the puck for most of the game," Weidenbach said. "They (Calumet) came out with a lot of energy. They had more determination than we did. They looked a half-step quicker.

"In most instances, they won most of the battles on the boards and controlled the good majority of the play. I have to give them some credit. I thought they played very well and I thought we played too passive."

The Copper Kings also took advantage of fortuitous late penalties by Cranbrook.

Leading 3-2, Cranbrook senior C.J. Regula was sent off at the 13 minute, 4 second mark. Forty-four seconds later, junior Alex Lycett was sent to the penalty box for hooking, giving Calumet a five-on-three advantage.

"The penalties made a big difference," Cranbrook head coach Andy Weidenbach said. "We were five-on-three for two full minutes. That hurts. You give a good team a power play like that, they're eventually going to score, and they did."

During the power play, Calumet junior Rory Anderson put a shot on net, allowing Nelson to redirect it over Cranbrook senior goalie Stephen Friedland for the equalizer.

"I was sitting in front (of the net), and Rory Anderson shot it and I tipped it in over the goalie," Nelson said about his third goal.

The Calumet faithful showered the rink with the hats they wore into the Coliseum. Once the rink was cleared, the game's outcome was to be decided. Calumet senior Robert Erkkila then completed the comeback.

Under a minute to play, Erkkila located a pass off the boards from Anderson and managed to snipe the go-ahead goal past Friedland for a 4-3 advantage at the 16:16 mark of the final period.

"I saw Rory Anderson come down and go down to dump the puck," Erkkila said. "The board gave me a nice pass. It hit off the boards and went right in the middle and the defense had no idea where it was. He (Friedland) went one way, I went the other, and I kind of just threw it on net."

With Erkkila's goal, Calumet's top line was responsible for all four of its goals. A stark contrast to last Saturday where the Copper Kings' top unit was a minus-3 in a disappointing 3-2 loss to the Hancock Bulldogs last Saturday.

"Kind of challenged him and his entire line after last Saturday's game," Giachino said about what he told Nelson.

Anderson's first two goals tied the score after Cranbrook went ahead each time. Cranbrook junior Dawson Zahorian opened the scoring with a power-play goal off an assist by senior C.J. Regula and sophomore Alec Regula at 2:28 of the first period.

Then Nelson answered with his first goal at the 10:44 mark.

"Me and Rory came down on a two-on-one and he shot the puck and the rebound came back to me," Nelson said. "I shot it in on my backhand. I kind of did a spin-o-rama."

Nelson's second goal came at 7:37 of the second period when he took advantage of a three-on-two and tapped the puck into the back of the net from the crease.

C.J. Regula scored with 11 seconds left in the first period when he fired a shot from outside the right faceoff circle that found the back of the net to put the Cranes ahead 2-1. He would score another late goal in the second period with 2:28 left to give Cranbrook a 3-2 lead.

"Both the first two periods we got to the four-five minute mark and we kind of let our foot off the gas a little bit," Giachino said. "They controlled those ends of the period. We got to do a better job of closing out those periods."

Friedman had 33 saves, while Calumet senior goalie Ian Carroll stopped 18 of 21 shots.

Calumet and Cranbrook will face each other today at 1 p.m. at the Coliseum.