Timm shuts out Gaylord as Petoskey picks up another conference win
GAYLORD ― It may be a new year, but the Gaylord vs. Petoskey rivalry remains as firey and competitive as ever.
The two Northern Michigan rivals met on the ice for the first time in 2024 on Wednesday, Jan. 11 and played as expected when these two teams meet in any sport, physically and passionately.
In the end, it was Petoskey that executed better overall and finished their opportunities, taking home a 4-0 victory over their rivals to improve to 8-5-1 overall.
Here are takeaways from another Gaylord/Petoskey battle:
Timm battles through physical night for shutout
Despite the physicality that the sport has to offer, hockey goaltenders usually aren't put through the most physical parts of the game. Though they're wearing more pads than anyone on the ice, a goaltender has to worry more about the pucks being shot at them, more so than an errant elbow or knee. At least in most cases.
That was not the case for Petoskey goaltender Nick Timm on Wednesday night.
Timm was on the receiving end of multiple incidental collisions in the crease, including one hit that sent him to the ice and drew a Gaylord penalty. Still, the sophomore was able to finish an outstanding game, completing a shutout in a road rivalry victory.
Power play opportunities favor Petoskey
Like many hockey games, the power play told the story on Wednesday night.
Petoskey not only took advantage of their odd-man advantages, with Kameron Horn's powerplay goal in the second period highlighting the team's efforts, but also found ways to be aggressive during Gaylord's powerplays, with Noah Borduka and Thomas Guiney both scoring shorthanded goals in the second and third periods respectively. That ballooned the lead to four goals and sealed the eighth win of the season for a streaky Northmen team.
Gaylord still searching for first BNC goal
Gaylord has proven they can put the puck in the back of the net; the Blue Devils started the year with back-to-back eight-goal performances while both Bryton Thaxton and Brody Sorenson have scored 10+ goals in the first 12 games of the season.
The problem; that hasn't translated into goals in conference play.
The 4-0 loss on Wednesday marks the fifth shutout in five conference games for the Blue Devils, falling to the bottom of the league with a 0-5 BNC record. Halfway through the conference slate, something needs to change if the Blue Devils hope to find a win in their final five conference matchups.
Contact GHT Sports Editor Dylan Jespersen at Djespersen@gaylordheraldtimes.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @dylanjespersen, and Instagram, @dylanjespersen
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Petoskey hockey beats Gaylord thanks to Nick Timm's shutout in goal
