Berry Events Center | Northern Michigan University Athletics
Berry Events Center | Northern Michigan University Athletics
The NMU hockey team secured a crucial 3-2 overtime victory against Lake Superior State, earning a weekend split and important conference points. This win marked the Wildcats' first overtime triumph of the season, improving their record to 1-3-1 in games extending beyond regulation.
Grayden Slipec emerged as the hero for NMU by scoring his second career game-winning goal, which was also his first in overtime. His performance extended his point streak to three games, contributing eight points over the last nine matches.
Two defensemen contributed to NMU's goals: Rasmus Larsson scored his third goal in four games, while Anthony Cliche maintained a four-game point streak with five points in that span. Jakub Altrichter played a pivotal role by assisting on both the game-tying and game-winning goals and drawing a penalty that led to an advantage in overtime.
Ryan Ouellette had an outstanding night as goaltender, making 42 saves for a .955 save percentage. This was his ninth game achieving over a .950 save percentage this season and marked another instance where he recorded 40+ saves alongside such a high save percentage.
The Wildcats demonstrated strong defensive play with an 18-13 lead in blocks, supported by notable performances from Tynan Ewartand and Cliche. They also recorded their third consecutive game with at least 30 shots on goal and showed dominance in faceoffs, winning 35 out of 62 attempts.
This victory is significant as it marks NMU's first win of the season when trailing after the first period or when the opponent scores first. The Wildcats now have time off before facing St. Thomas on February 21 and 22 at The Berry Events Center.
In terms of gameplay dynamics, both teams initially missed opportunities during power plays before Lake Superior State took an early lead late in the first period. NMU equalized midway through the second period with Larsson’s wrist shot assisted by Ryan Duguay. Despite falling behind again due to an unusual goal by Lake State early in the third period, Cliche leveled the score minutes later following assistance from Altrichter.
Ultimately, Slipec clinched victory for NMU during overtime after receiving a pass from Altrichter during another power-play opportunity created through Altrichter’s drawn penalty.
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