One game after surrendering a 3-1 lead to Northland Pines in Thursday’s 7-4 loss, the Hatchet boys hockey team returned the favor in Saturday’s home 5-4 overtime thriller over perennially-strong SPASH.

“It was a nail-biter for sure,” THS coach Jake Flohr said.

SPASH led 3-1 in the third, and after Tomahawk tied it up the Panthers boosted it to 4-3 with just 2:52 remaining. But Matt Gerber completed a third-period hattrick with just 1:45 left in regulation to send it into overtime.

“Gerber’s averaging almost 3-1/2-4 points a game,” Flohr said. “He’s quite a leader. When he gets rolling it’s unbelievable. (Goaltender) Ole Hanson played a great game, too, with 41 saves.”

All but 91 ticks of the 8-minute overtime had elapsed when Gerber set up Quinn Gortetzky for the gamewinner. Luke Schoone offered 2 assists and Craig Swan and Sam Hein also set up goals.

SPASH outshot Tomahawk 45-31 in the game.

Rally Pines

The Hatchets led 3-1 in the 2nd period, but the Eagles out-scored them 6-1 the rest of the way for the win.

“We let ourselves down,” Flohr said. “We had a couple of dumb penalties that let them back in it. Pines got all the momentum and they ran with it.”

Other details were unavailable.