Hockey: Skyline opens with two wins, face rival Pioneer on Thursday
The Skyline and Pioneer hockey teams are off to quick starts to the late start of the 2021 hockey season. And they are headed on a collision course as the two clubs will face each other at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday at the Arctic Coliseum in Chelsea in a city rivalry matchup.
Skyline opened over the weekend win wins over South Lyon and Temperance Bedford.
On Friday night, the Eagles travelled to face off against South Lyon Unified. Twelve minutes into the game, junior Peter Shellhaas scored the first goal of the season for the Eagles. Senior Victor Bian soon found the back of the net to take the lead to 2-0, but the SLU squad answered, scoring with only 10 seconds remaining to end the first period 2-1.
The Eagles took charge in the second, with senior captain Jamie Newton and senior Sei Nakamura both lighting the lamp for Skyline to take the score to 4-1. Although the SLU team scored again in the third, Skyline advanced its lead, scoring three more goals: two from junior A.J Schmunk and another from Nakamura, to take a 7-2 win.
Schmunk led the Eagles in scoring with two goals and two assists followed by Nakamura (one goal, two assists), Newton (one goal, two assists), Bian (one goal, one assist), Shellhaas (one goal) and Bazzani (one assist).
Senior goalie Tommy Letke had an outstanding performance in net. Senior defenseman Sam Begosso and sophomore Lian Reichbart provided solid defense for the Eagles. Making their first appearance on the ice for the Eagles that night were freshmen Shane Roberts, Max Stevens and Aidan Moran.
On Saturday, the Eagles played Bedford on their home ice with the Eagles’ veteran players leading the way to a 5-2 win.
The first period was marked by back and forth action until Newton opened the scoring to make it 1-0 at the end of one. Bedford came back strong at the start of the second, scoring to tie it up 1-1, but Newton quickly struck again, taking back the lead for Skyline.
Newton scored a third goal and Skyline ended the period 3-1. The third period opened with another Newton goal from Schmunk to give the Eagles a 4-1 lead, but Bedford kept fighting, scoring to narrow the Eagles’ lead, 4-2. The Eagles didn’t allow any more errors in the third with Nakamura scoring the fifth and final goal for the Eagles.
Newton led the Eagles with four goals and an assist. Nakamura had a goal and two assists, Schmunk had three assists and Begosso and Bazzani each had assists.
Before Pioneer, the Eagles play on Tuesday night when they host the Plymouth Wildcats at 7 p.m. at the Arctic Coliseum.
