PETOSKEY - Charlie Thomas’s goal early in overtime set off a wild on-field celebration as the Petoskey Northmen scored an impressive 5-4 victory over Port Huron on Friday night.
For the Northmen (7-1), it was a big measuring stick game against one of the top ranked teams in the state power rankings.
Port Huron started the game strong, leading 2-0 after one quarter of play, and 3-1 early in the second quarter before a Petoskey timeout. The Northmen picked up their play from there, only trailing 4-3 at halftime.
Thomas scored the only goal for either team in the second half early in the third quarter to tie the game up at 4-4, which would be the score heading into overtime.
For the game, Thomas scored three goals, including the overtime game-winner, and added an assist for the Northmen.
“You definitely dream about that moment,” Thomas said after the game. “It was really exciting to be able to cheer up with the boys, and just have a great win. I’m just happy that we put it together and we finished a great game.”
Brandon Klingelsmith and Will Mastin notched the other Petoskey goals. Austin Klingelsmith earned the win in net for the Northmen with a number of key saves.
“This was the most intense game we’ve had, for sure,” Petoskey head coach Brian Main said. “This was certainly the best team we’ve played, a top 20 team in the state. For us, to beat a team like this is huge. I don’t think we’ve ever had that happen in the program, so that’s a big step for us.”
Petoskey will face Vicksburg at home on Saturday afternoon.