On Friday night the Merrill/Wausau East hockey team hosted Altoona in their first home game of the season. The Bluejacks came out of the gates hot, grabbing a two goal lead in the first period and going on to win by a score of 7-4.
The first period saw the Bluejacks score three unanswered goals early, however Altoona would strike late in the period to bring the score to 3-1. Altoona would then score the first goal of the second period to make it a one score game, but the Bluejacks would then go on a hot streak and score three more goals to take a 6-2 lead into the final period.
“We led 6-2 after two periods despite having six penalties to their one,” comments Bluejacks head coach Chris Marlowe. “That gives you an indication of how well we played. We looked really fast and moved the puck well.”
In the final period the Bluejack would be outscored 2-1, however would hold on to their lead and take the 7-4 victory.
Coach Marlowe later added, “We have a ton of potential. We have four forward lines and three defensive pairings. We are deeper than we have been in years. This along with our senior leadership should propel us to wins. We have some younger players contributing which is a great sign. We have to keep things in perspective and remain focused.”
The Bluejacks will be back on the ice tomorrow as they head to Greenheck Fieldhouse in D.C. Everest for a conference match up with the Evergreens, starting at 7:30 p.m.