Prep boys hockey: CEC slips past Marshall in double OT

CLOQUET - From his stomach inside the Duluth Marshall net, Jon Baker glanced toward the referee, awaiting an indication that his goal was good.

The call came - good goal - and Baker joined his Cloquet-Esko-Carlton teammates in celebration on the glass directly in front of their whited-out student section.

What a wild night of playoff hockey in Cloquet.

With Andy Acers readying a wrist shot from just inside the the blue line, Baker drifted out front and was there to punch in the rebound while collapsing to the ice 6:31 into the second overtime of a Section 7AA quarterfinal at Northwoods Arena.

"I thought it was a good goal, but I looked back at the ref to see if it was good," Baker, a sophomore forward, explained. "He gave me the sign. The heart was pumping."

So was Acers'. Another sophomore, the defenseman keyed the season-saving play by putting the puck on net. He had a clear crack at it, and figured "I might as well give it a try."

"Once I saw the red light go on, I was pretty hyped," Acers said.

For most of the night, it didn't look like either team would score. That's precisely how last year's section quarterfinal between these clubs unfolded, when it took 44 minutes to snap a scoreless tie. That's nothing compared to Tuesday. Marshall registered the first goal with 45 seconds remaining in the third period, on a desperate attempt from the blue line by Peter Hansen, whose shot knuckleballed through traffic and past Lumberjacks goalie Eric Newman.

Hansen, a sophomore defenseman, was in the lineup for the first time since Jan. 13, the result of a broken collarbone. He was set to be the hero until Branden Matteen came to the rescue for CEC, cleaning up a rebound from a mob of white jerseys at the 16:47 mark.

It was the first of two blue-collar goals for the Lumberjacks.

"Against good teams, not everything is going to be pretty," Acers said. "You have to get dirty goals."

Said Marshall coach Brendan Flaherty: "Two goals where Cloquet just drove to the net hard. Classic Cloquet goals."

Flaherty wasn't sure either one should have counted. Matteen's came after the puck appeared to be trapped. Rather than a whistle to blow the play dead, however, the puck slipped free. Matteen capitalized.

Considering Baker ended up in the back of the net on his game-winner, that one also could have been debated. But Baker looked to be shoved by a Marshall player while teeing up Acers' rebound, the momentum propelling him forward.

"I'll have to watch the tape to see," said Flaherty, who was hot on the ice afterward.

Ahead of Tuesday's game, CEC coach Dave Esse recalled the old adage about it being difficult to defeat a team three times in one season - the Lumberjacks beat Marshall twice in the regular season. He'll get to test that theory again in Saturday's semifinals at Amsoil Arena, where third-seeded CEC (16-8-2) faces Duluth East for the third time this winter. The Greyhounds won the first two matchups handily.

Newman finished with 27 saves for CEC. Cam Brandt had 32 for the sixth-seeded Hilltoppers (13-12-1).

This one was a plodding affair throughout - before the late drama, that is. There were 50 shots on goal through the first 51 minutes, but few provided true quality chances. The Lumberjacks, especially, were careless with the puck at times. It nearly cost them.

"I was not happy the way we played, but give them credit," Esse said. "I thought they played really well."

Esse, though, wasn't giving the victory back. The Lumberjacks escaped with their season still intact. That's better than the alternative.

"Sometimes, I'd rather be lucky than good," he said.

Duluth Marshall 0-0-1-0-1-1

Cloquet-EC 0-0-1-0-0-2

First period - No scoring.

Second period - No scoring.

Third period - 1. DM, Peter Hansen (Levi Stauber, George Grannis), 16:15; 2. CEC, Branden Matteen, 16:47.

First overtime - No scoring.

Second overtime - 3. CEC, Jon Baker (Andy Acers), 6:31.

Saves - Eric Newman, CEC, 27; Cam Brandt, DM, 32.

1/2: CEC's Ryan Nelson (left) and goalie Eric Newman and Marshall's Willy Stauber all go down by the Lumberjacks' goal during Tuesday's game at Northwoods Arena in Cloquet. (Steve Kuchera / skuchera@duluthnews.com)

2/2: Duluth Marshall goalie Cam Brandt blocks a shot by CEC's Dylan Johnson during the second period Tuesday at Northwoods Arena in Cloquet. Marshall's Peter Hansen (No. 22) later scored the game's first goal. CEC won 2-1 in double overtime. (Steve Kuchera / skuchera@duluthnews.com )