Michigan Tech's Logan Morrel, center, protects goalie Derek Mullahy, right, as Northern Michigan University’s Colby Browne goes in for a rebound during their CCHA game played at the MacInnes Student Ice Arena in Houghton on Saturday. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

MARQUETTE — A pair of one-win teams collide at the Berry Events Center beginning tonight to kick off the annual Cappo Cup series.

Northern Michigan University is 1-7 and Lake Superior State is 1-5 with games at 7:07 p.m. today and 6:07 p.m. Saturday in Marquette. Both will be broadcast on radio station WUPT 100.3 FM The Point with streaming coverage on Midco Sports Plus.

And fans can follow @NMUHockey on X (formerly Twitter) to get updates leading up to games and for live updates during contests. Or visit the NMU athletics website at nmuwildcats.com and look under the hockey schedule for links to live video, live audio, live statistics, ticket information and a series preview and history.

NMU Sports Information also wants to inform fans they can join them after Saturday’s game for a fourth-period party hosted and sponsored by Slabz Bar and Grill. Located inside the Ramada Inn on West Washington Street in Marquette, Slabz is a relaxed bar and restaurant offering “big” local food.

The Cappo Cup, decided annually between these Upper Peninsula rivals since the 1994-95 season, is given to the series winner. The return series will be in Sault Ste. Marie in early February.

Despite splitting the season series 2-2 last year, Northern lost the Cappo Cup 17-13 on goal differential.

Between them, this season the two U.P. teams have played just two league games, Northern’s 3-0 and 6-3 home-and-home sweep by Michigan Tech last weekend.

“(Lake Superior State) is in the U.P., it’s bragging rights and we should have good crowds again,” NMU head coach Dave Shyiak said in an NMU SI news release previewing the series. “They’re league … games and we’ve got to find a way to continue to get better, as we have been; but at the same time, you want to be able to fit some wins in (the schedule).

“This is an opportunity for us to build on some of our mistakes last weekend, but still be able to create the offense like we did.”

Shyiak found positives from his group despite the losses to MTU, which included two empty-net goals by the Huskies on Saturday in Houghton.

“I gotta give Tech credit, they found (a way) in their building to come back and win it,” he said about the Wildcats’ building a 3-1 lead after one period on Saturday. “We had chances, I thought, to make it a three-goal lead and we didn’t convert; nonetheless, I thought it was a great game on Saturday night.

“The positives were we got three goals, won the special teams battle and won the faceoff battle.”

Despite not denting the scoresheet at the BEC on Friday, Shyiak gave his players props for their offense.

“I think that was the most chances we’ve generated this year,” the coach said. “I think the chances were 18 to 18, I think we had 12 in the third (period) with a chance to convert, and they had two power-play goals and only one 5-on-5 goal.”

NMU’s Grayden Slipec scored two goals and added an assist on Saturday to earn himself CCHA Rookie of the Week honors. His linemates also found success, as Jakub Altrichter recorded three assists and Medrick Bolduc picked up a goal.

“When you have a young group, you’re always tinkering to find chemistry, and that (line) was probably one of the best lines on the ice that night,” Shyiak said. “They all bring a different element, and it was nice to see them rewarded.

“You gotta be able to finish plays off, and all three of them did.”

Over their past dozen games in this rivalry, NMU is 8-4 and outscored LSSU 41-35, going 4-2 both at home and in Sault Ste. Marie.

Slipec leads all CCHA freshmen with two power play goals and five points, while teammate Tynan Ewart leads league defensemen with four assists and five points, also coming in fourth in blocked shots with 20. Slipec and Ewart are Northern’s top scorers each with their five points.

Wildcats’ goaltender Ryan Ouellette is second in the CCHA with 268 saves and third with a .934 saves percentage, a particularly important stat as NMU is still being outshot more than 2-to-1, 328-156.

Northern leads the nation in blocks with 160, and in the CCHA, is third in faceoffs won with 249 and fourth in several other categories — faceoff percentage won at 51.2%, power play conversions at 15.8% and penalty kill at 86.2%.

Meanwhile, the Lakers only have a single win, a 3-0 decision against Stonehill, a Massachusetts school in its third year of playing NCAA Division I hockey. They were also swept at Michigan State, one game going to overtime, and allowed 15 goals in two games while being swept at Ohio State last weekend.

Reagan Milburn leads LSSU in scoring, matching NMU’s leaders with five points, including two goals. He has a four-game point streak.

Goalie Rorke Applebee has backstopped the past four Lakers’ contests and started another, too, sporting a 3.78 goals-against average and .891 saves percentage with 165 saves and the Rockhill shutout.

The Lakers are a conference-worst in allowing 4.3 goals per game while only averaging 1.8, but also have the CCHA’s best penalty kill at 100%, which doesn’t even take into account their shorthanded goal. Applebee has 43 saves while his team is shorthanded, a perfect 1.000 saves percentage.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.