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SAULT STE. MARIE — Two similar storylines ended with different results for the Northern Michigan University hockey team over the weekend, resulting in a split of a series at Lake Superior State.

The Wildcats fell behind in both games, only to tie it up before the winning goal was scored for a 3-2 final score.

The difference? The host Lakers bagged that game-winner on Friday night in the early part of the third period, while NMU pocketed the deciding goal with only a handful of ticks remaining in overtime on Saturday.

Northern Michigan University’s Jesse Tucker, top right, tries to get the puck past Minnesota State-Mankato goalie Alex Tracy, lower right, during a CCHA game played at the Berry Events Center in Marquette on Jan. 11. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

Northern freshman Grayden Slipec finished off a two-goal weekend with the OT game winner on Saturday, his second game-winner and first overtime goal as a collegian.

The split allowed Northern to improve to 5-24-1 overall and 4-17-1 in the CCHA, while the Lakers are now 10-16-2 overall and 8-11-1 in the league.

LSSU also clinched the Cappo Cup by winning three of the four games between the teams this season after the Lakers swept NMU 5-0 and 5-1 in Marquette in the first half of November.

Though the Wildcats are still mired in the conference basement, they have improved their points percentage since the calendar turned to 2025. That number officially determines the league standings this season.

The points percentage is the number of points earned divided into the total number of possible points, since new CCHA member Augustana is playing barely half the number of games that other league teams are.

After being stuck below .100 for awhile in the early part of the season, NMU has risen to .212, the result of having 14 points out of a possible 66. Minnesota State-Mankato leads the league at .697 (46 of 66), while Bemidji State is just above the Wildcats at .439 (29 of 66).

Northern is off this weekend before beginning its final four-game stretch of the season on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 21-22, at the Berry Events Center against St. Thomas. After that will be the season finale at Ferris State on Feb. 28 and March 1.

Here are details from the Lake State series:

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Lake Superior State 3, Northern Michigan University 2

On Friday, the Wildcats spotted their hosts a 2-0 lead before charging back with goals 59 seconds apart in the middle of the second period.

But the Lakers got the last laugh when Grant Hindman scored the game winner with 14:10 left in the third.

LSSU also netted its first two goals close together, about a minute and a half apart and each on a power play late in the opening period.

After what NMU Sports Information termed a great opening 15 minutes of play from NMU, Lake State took advantage of its first two power plays on penalties whistled 104 seconds apart in the final four minutes of the first.

Connor Milburn netted LSSU’s first goal with 3:46 left in the first, with goaltender Easton Hesse getting the second assist, then Timo Bakos scored on the subsequent power play, with Milburn getting one of the assists.

The Wildcats were called for two more minors in the first nine minutes of the second, but NMU penalty killers took care of them without damage.

After those were killed, Northern got on the scoreboard with 9:38 remaining in the second on an odd-man rush. Grayden Daul made a spectacular defensive play to knock the puck off a Laker stick and fed Slipec and Medrick Bolduc on a 2-on-1. Slipec, the left-hand shot on the right side, walked in and roofed a wicked wrister past the ear of Hesse on the short side.

Then just one tick short of a minute later, teammate Jesse Tucker capped off a hard-working forecheck. NMU’s Tynan Ewart gained the zone and fired a puck around the end wall to Tanner Latsch on the right-wing boards. Latsch played a pass to Ryan Duguay, who turned quickly to Anthony Cliche at the right point. Cliche made a pass back low to Latsch who one-touched a pass to Tucker, who while spinning around beat Hesse through his five-hole to tie it.

Slipec took the team goal-scoring lead with his marker, his seventh goal to give him 14 points, with his eighth goal and 15th point coming to end the series Saturday night.

Tucker notched his second goal of the season, while Daul, who assisted on Slipec’s goal, earned his first collegiate point. Latsch, now at seven points, and Cliche, at six points, earned assists on Tucker’s tally.

Unfortunately, though, the Wildcats couldn’t get the go-ahead goal, but Lake State did, not quite six minutes into the third on a mad scramble in front of the Wildcat net. NMU goalie Ryan Ouellette made a terrific save on a Laker from in tight, but his defense couldn’t clear the rebound as LSSU’s Grant Hindman walked down the slot and fired a wrister through traffic.

With the Lakers holding a narrow 37-34 shots on goal advantage, Ouellette made 34 saves, including 14 in the opening period. He gave up just one 5-on-5 goal, the game winner.

NMU also controlled the faceoff circle, holding a 40-26 advantage on winning draws, including 12 of 15 for 80% for Northern’s Danny Ciccarello and 11 of 19 for 58% for Tucker. The Wildcats also blocked 16 shots, their 15th straight game with double digits in that statistic, as Nicolas Ardanaz and Rasmus Larsson had three apiece.

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Northern Michigan University 3, Lake Superior State 2 (OT)

On Saturday, Slipec made it a two-point night for Northern in the league standings after he scored on a power play with 14.1 seconds remaining before the teams would’ve had to go to a shootout.

He has a three-game point streak while scoring six goals and two assists for eight points in his last nine games.

On this night, Wildcats’ defensemen scored to tie the game at 1-1 and 2-2 before Slipec gave them their only lead of the weekend.

Larsson scored the first goal, his third goal and point of the season, all in the last four games, while Cliche got the second, giving him four goals and eight points for the campaign while also extending his point streak to four games.

Team top point producer Jakub Altrichter had a real flourish to end the weekend, assisting on each of NMU’s final two goals to give him 14 assists and 17 points for the year. He also drew the penalty that set up Northern’s OT power play.

Duguay had an assist to give him two of those and eight points this season, while Tucker also had an assist, his third for a total of five points.

Ouellette allowed NMU being outshot 44-30 no big deal as he made 42 saves, a .955 saves percentage and his fourth-highest save total of the season. He stopped at least 11 shots in each regulation period, plus another three in OT to give Slipec his chance to get the winner. Lake State’s Rorke Applebee made 27 stops, including 11 in the second and four in OT before he allowed the final goal.

Northern also had more blocks, 18-13, led by Ewart and Cliche with four each.

This marked NMU’s first win this season when giving up the first goal, now a 1-22-1 record in that stat, and first win when trailing after the first period, now 1-18-1 in that department.

Lake State opened the scoring in the same minute it did the night before, Milburn potting one with 3:04 left in the first when a shot from the point was deflected through traffic.

This time, however, NMU got the tying tally much more quickly as Larsson made it 1-1 with 7:17 left in the second when Duguay drove down the right wing boards before hitting the brakes and spinning off his defender. Taking a look, he saw Larsson streaking down the middle on the opposite side point. The latter moved around his defender to the forehand and fired home a wicked wrist shot over the glove hand of Applebee on the far side.

On what was termed a strange goal by NMU SI, the Lakers retook the lead just over five minutes into the third on a 4-on-4. An initial shot was blocked and everyone thought it went out of play except for LSSU’s Dawson Tritt, who found the loose puck and scored without anyone else noticing the puck was still in play.

The Wildcats let that deficit stand for less than 3 1/2 minutes when they retied it on another 4-on-4. The Lakers cleared the puck, but Cliche knocked it down at center and made a play to Altrichter, who gained the zone and drove the middle before kicking a pass to Cliche on the right circle. Cliche then stepped into a wrist shot that beat Applebee far on the stick side.

On the OT winner, after Altrichter made a great play to drive the net and draw the decisive penalty, he carried the puck atop the circle and drifted to the left side before sliding a perfect seam pass to Slipec, who buried a one-timer from the right circle.

Story contents based on Northern Michigan University Sports Information press release reviewing the games. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee’s email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.