Zelenak’s hat trick leads Eisenhower to win over Troy United

The Utica Eisenhower Eagles got a hat trick from Michael Zelenak and rolled to an 8-3 win over Troy United Monday afternoon in the MAC Showcase at Mount Clemens Ice Arena.

Zelenak got the scoring started early, firing a shot in from a sharp angle just 3:39 into the game to make it 1-0 Eisenhower. Just 20 seconds later, Andrew Granata doubled the Eagles’ lead on a one timer from the slot, and Eisenhower was off and running.

“We had four or five days off,” Troy United head coach Jason Messer said. “They jumped on us. They played hard. They’re a good team over there, and we just weren’t ready to go,” he added.

The Eagles scored most of their goals from in close, crashing the slot to get rebounds, set screens, and generally cause problems in front of the Troy United net.

Zelenak finished with three goals, while Granata had two goals and two assists to lead the way. But the MAC Red Division Eagles got contributions up and down lineup. Eleven different players got at least one point, and all three goalies got a turn in net for Eisenhower.

“It was a good team effort all across the board. Our young guys are really stepping up and playing, and I love it. It means the future is bright,” Eagles head coach Bob Hall said. “That (balance) is kind of what we’re aiming for. We’re aiming for having a well-rounded team, and like I said it was a total team effort,” he added.

Eisenhower was also solid defensively, limiting Troy United’s ability to convert possession into opportunities. United had their share of puck possession in the first period, but the Eagles were able to keep them wide and limit their scoring chances, which translated into an 18-5 edge in shots on goal in the period and, more importantly, a 3-0 Eisenhower lead after the first period.

“Our defense was exceptional in terms of stepping up and taking away space, gap control. Again, we’re working on that and we’re getting more confident doing that,” Hall said.

Troy United two goals from Zach LaRochelle and one from Jacob Gortat, but after a slow start that left them down 3-0 at the end of the first period and 7-1 after two periods, they just were not able to fight their way back into the game on the scoreboard, though they did play better as the game went on. Troy United’s best period was the third period where they got two quick goals early to cut the deficit to 7-3 and went on to outshoot the Eagles in the period.

“We were trying to capitalize and to mix guys with each other trying to spark something and looking for somebody to be the energy out there,” Messer said.

With the win, Eisenhower improves to 7-6-1 overall. The Eagles have a couple days off before facing L’Anse Creuse Unified on Thursday in a MAC Red game.

Troy United is now 6-8. United’s next game is Saturday when they host the Tri-Valley Titans in another non-league matchup.