CEC Boys Back In Heritage Cup Finals

Click here for the complete game box score

Dec 28, 2011

Kerry Rodd-NSO

For the second season in a row the Cloquet-Esko-Carlton boys hockey team will be in the championship game of the Heritage Classic Hockey Tournament in Duluth. The Lumberjacks gained entrance to the title game by defeating the New Prague Trojans 5-1 in semi-final action late Wednesday afternoon.

Karson Kuhlman helped lead the Jacks back to the final with a one goal, three assist effort in a game that saw the Lumberjacks play tight defensively and opportunistic on the offensive end of the rink.

Things were scoreless in the first period until the 9:49 mark when senior Adam Hanson pounced on a chance from Kuhlman and Beau Michaud as he got a puck past Trojan netminder Evan Bisek. Just over a minute later the Jacks went ahead 2-0 on a Westin Michaud goal with Beau Michaud and Kuhlman adding assists and that’s how the first period ended. Through one period the Jacks outshot the Trojans 11-5.

Colton Schmidt gave the Trojans a ray of hope with a goal at 6:58 of the second period, but CEC responded at 12:57 when Ryan Holte tallied with Kellin Lamirande notching the assist. Through two periods CEC was up 3-1 and had outshot the Trojans 22-12.

New Prague picked up their shot total in the third period, but the only goals belonged to CEC. The first was a pretty shorthanded goal from Kuhlman with Hanson assisting at 4:21. The second goal in the period came from Beau Michaud with Westin Michaud and Kuhlman adding the assists. The Trojans did outshoot CEC in the period 13-5, but Jacks goalie John Scheuer stopped any plan of a comeback with solid netminding.

For the game the Jacks tossed 27 shots on Bisek who finished with 22 saves. CEC went 0-for-3 on the power play, while the Trojans were 0-for-4 and also gave the shorthanded goal up to Kuhlman in the third period.

The Jacks will play Andover at 6:00pm on Thursday for the chance to stake claim on the heritage cup for the second straight year.

Kerry Rodd can be reached at kerry@northlandsportsonline.com