Over the weekend, the NMU men’s hockey team traveled east to face rival Lake Superior State in Sault Ste. Marie. The team fought hard all weekend, and it paid off for the Cats with a win on Saturday.
“I thought it was a hard-fought weekend… I liked our game on both nights, except for Friday night. I thought we had a real good start, playing the game on our toes, got after it and then we took—I didn’t like our penalties. They capitalized on two in about a two-minute span,” Head Coach Dave Shyiak said.
In the first game of the series, NMU kept it close all game long, but ultimately fell 3-2. Two different Wildcats scored: first, freshman Grayden Slipec, followed by senior Jesse Tucker.
“I think we had two or three really good looks where we could have extended the lead, so I thought it was anybody’s game. I thought we were the better team five-on-five. I thought we out-chanced them, and the score is indicative—it was 3-2. They made a play, got to give them credit, they found a way to win,” Shyiak said.
The Wildcats were eager to get back on the ice the following night, this time hoping for a different outcome.
After three hard-fought periods, NMU came away with a 3-2 overtime victory.
“The next night, another hard-fought battle… again, it was special teams. We had the upper hand. They didn’t score on the power play, and we did. But I thought overall, for the weekend, for us to come away with a win was awesome… we’ve grown a lot as a team and come so far from the last time we played Lake Superior. I’m happy for the guys—we found a way to get a win. I thought we deserved a win,” Shyiak said.
In the Wildcats’ win over Lake State, three different players had a hand in scoring. Slipec scored his second goal of the weekend in overtime to secure the victory. Freshman Anthony Cliche also added a goal, as did freshman Rasmus Larsson. This marks Larsson’s third goal in the last four games.
“We’re a much better team in the second half. Let’s continue to win, let’s continue to get better, and that’s part of the process of a growing program,” Shyiak said.
The team has a bye week this weekend, but will be back in action next weekend in the Berry Events Center.
“It’s going to be another hard-fought battle, and it’s our job as coaches to prepare them the right way…let’s be the spoiler here, let’s play at our best and see if we can get a win against a very good opponent,” Shyiak said.
NMU will face St. Thomas next Friday and Saturday. St. Thomas is currently 12-13 on the season.
Fans can watch the Wildcats at home next weekend, with the puck dropping at 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 21 and 6 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 22.
