By Journal Sports Staff

CHELSEA — When is a loss not a loss? Maybe when it keeps an undefeated streak going.

The Marquette Senior High School hockey team had their 12-game winning streak snapped Friday night with a 4-3 loss to Plymouth Salem to open its schedule at the Michigan Public High School Hockey Showcase downstate on Thursday night.

But because of tight time constraints with numerous games scheduled at the event, no overtime was played with the outcome instead determined by a shootout that the Redmen lost 1-0.

That meant it counts as a tie in the official standings, according to MSHS head coach Doug Garrow.

Combined with Friday’s 5-3 victory over Davison, the Redmen’s dozen-game win streak has turned into a 14-game undefeated string as they improved to 15-3-2 this season.

“These were real good tests for us,” Garrow said. “Salem played at a very fast pace, which after having 11 days off was hard for us, at least at first.

“Even though we didn’t give up any goals in the first (period), we had to battle back. We were in full retreat mode a few times.”

Actually, the Redmen got the only goal of the opening period, coming with 32 seconds left as senior Tanner Phillips scored with an assist going to junior Brent Kroll.

The Redmen made it 2-0 less than four minutes into the middle period on a goal by senior Sean O’Connor before Salem battled back to tie it on goals 31 seconds apart just past the midpoint of the period. Junior Gaetanno Cammarata and senior Kobie Guidebeck assisted on O’Connor’s tally.

Marquette retook the lead 47 seconds before the second intermission on a goal by junior Hogan Nemetz with assists going to sophomore Evan Kroll along with Brent Kroll.

Senior Tyler Bergwall worked in the MSHS net, though shots and saves information wasn’t available.

On Friday, the Redmen needed some time to adjust to Davison’s high-flying Gage Thrall, who Garrow estimated had 75 to 80 points through 20 games this season.

After a scoreless first period, each team scored three times in the second.

Thrall scored about 2 1/2 minutes into the period, then assisted on a Luke Pastor goal 1:10 later to make it 2-0, both goals coming on power plays.

Guidebeck needed just 8 seconds after the second goal to pull the Redmen back within one on a score assisted by Phillips.

Thrall reopened a two-goal lead for the Flint-area team just over 10 minutes later, but again, Marquette answered just 47 seconds later on a goal by sophomore Ansel Frost.

Frost scored again with 18 seconds left in the period to knot the score at 3-3 on a power play. Cammarata and junior Jakob Peterson assisted on both of Frost’s goals.

But Marquette needed most of the final period to take its first lead. Guidebeck scored an unassisted tally with 3:55 left, then Phillips added insurance with an empty-netter with 1 tick remaining, getting an assist from Cammarata.

Sophomore Brennen Hakkola worked in the Redman net.

MSHS concludes its stay at the showcase with a game at noon today vs. Birmingham Unified.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.