MiHockey takes you on a trip around the state to see how our teams did this weekend.
Red Wings fall to Lightning in overtime
An overtime goal by Teddy Purcell gave the Tampa Bay Lightning their first win at Joe Louis Arena since 1994. Read MiHockey’s recap of the game right here or click here to see our photo gallery.
PLUS: Steve Yzerman talked to the media before the game, see what he had to say here.
Griffins record 6-1 win Friday night
The Griffins went on the road Friday, only to beat the Hamilton Bulldogs 6-1 at Copps Coliseum. Petr Mrazek turned aside 30 of the 31 shots he saw to record his second consecutive win. Meanwhile, Calle Jarnkrok scored twice, while Cory Emmerton, Andrej Nestrasil, Mitch Callahan and Teemu Pulkkinen also scored for the Griffins.
The win improves the Griffins’ record to 9-2-1-1, which keeps them in first place in the Midwest Division. Grand Rapids’ road record improved to 12-0-1-1 dating back to last year’s playoffs.
Wildcats beat, tie Broncos in Lawson
MiHockey was in Lawson this weekend to see the Northern Michigan Wildcats beat the Western Michigan Broncos on Friday, then tie them on Saturday. Click here for Saturday’s recap, and click here for Sunday’s.
Huskies take both against Spartans
Michigan State made their first trip to Houghton since 1984, and they might not want to return any time soon. The Spartans dropped Friday night’s contest by a score of 3-0, while the Huskies recorded the sweep in overtime fashion Saturday.
David Johnstone, Tanner Kero and Alex Petan scored for the Huskies in the series opener, while Pheonix Copley stopped all 19 shots he face for the 3-0 shutout win.
On Saturday, David Bondra and Lee Reimer both scored game-tying goals for the Spartans, but they couldn’t find the game-winner in overtime. That accomplishment went to Petan, who scored at the 3:52 mark of the extra frame to give MTU a 3-2 win against MSU.
Michigan Tech is now 3-6-1 on the season, while Michigan State is 3-5-0.
Bulldogs take two against Bemidji State
The Ferris State Bulldogs recorded a pair of conference wins this weekend, beating Bemidji State 5-4 in overtime on Friday and 5-3 on Saturday.
The Bulldogs received goals from Chad McDonald, Andy Huff, Kyle Schempp, Justin Buzzeo and Jason Binkley (OT winner) on Friday. C.J. Motte stopped 22 of 26 shots between the pipes for FSU.
On Saturday, Ferris State scored four first-period goals, thanks to Gerald Mayhew, Zach Dorer and a pair from Scott Czarnowczan. After three from Bemidji in the second, Andy Huff put a stop to the rally with his third goal of the season.
A scoreless third period gave C.J. Motte another win; he now holds a 7-0-0 record after stopping 20 shots on Saturday.
Ferris State is now 7-2-0, while Bemidji State is 3-6-1.
Lakers split with Alaska
The Lake Superior State Lakers picked up a 4-1 win against Alaska Friday night. Alex Globke scored twice, while Eric Drapluk and Andrew Dommett also added goals for Lakers. Kevin Kapalka stopped 29 of the 30 shots he faced.
On Saturday, things played out differently for the Lakers. Despite goals from Drapluk and Globke, LSSU was taken to overtime by the visitors, and Joey Davies gave the Nanooks a 3-2 win.
Whalers split weekend games
The Plymouth Whalers went on the road Friday, and came back home with a 3-2 shootout win over the Guelph Storm. Connor Chatham and Carter Sandlak scored in regulation, and Zach Bowman stopped 41 of the 43 shots he faced. Chatham and Zach Lorentz scored in the shootout to lead the Whalers to victory.
On Saturday, while the Whalers honored the late Pat Peake Sr., they ended up falling to the Windsor Spitfires. Mitch Jones, Victor Crus Rydberg and Mathieu Henderson scored for Plymouth, and Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 31 of 34, but it wasn’t enough in the 4-3 loss.
Plymouth now holds an 8-12-0-1 season record.
Spirit win three in three days
It was a great weekend for the Saginaw Spirit, who won games Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
On Friday, the Spirit scored seven on Ottawa, cruising to a 7-3 win. Sean Callaghan, Andrey Alexeev, Dylan Sadowy, Eric Locke, Cody Payne, Jacob Ringuette and Nick Moutrey scored for Saginaw, while Jake Paterson stopped 27 of the 30 shots he faced.
Saturday, the Spirit beat Belleville 5-3, thanks to goals from Alexeev, Justin Kea, Mitchell Stephens, Payne and Moutrey. Nikita Serebryakov stopped 37 of 40.
On Sunday, the Spirit’s offense erupted for a 9-4 win over Kingston. Kea had two goals and an assist, Sadowy had two goals, and Locke had four points. Paterson stopped 37 of 41.
Saginaw is now 11-7-1-1.
Lumberjacks split with Fighting Saints
The Muskegon Lumberjacks took on the defending USHL champion Dubuque Fighting Saints this weekend, and they split the weekend series.
On Friday, first-period goals from Steven Spinner and Matt Iacopelli weren’t enough, as the Fighting Saints fallied for a 3-2 overtime win. Jordan Uhelski stopped 33 of the 36 shots he faced.
On Saturday, Muskegon beat the Fighting Saints 3-1. Scott Pooley and Trevor Morbeck recorded first-period goals for the Lumberjacks, while Spinner added an empty-netter in the third. Uhelski stopped 36 of 37.
Muskegon is now 8-6-3 on the season.
International recaps to come later today…