BIG RAPIDS, Mich. - The Lake Superior State (LSSU) hockey program (9-9-1, 6-6-1 CCHA) pulled ahead in the second period to come away with a 5-1 victory over the Ferris State Bulldogs (5-11-1, 3-8-0 CCHA) to close out the first half of the season, on Saturday.

Both teams were able to battle to keep the game scoreless through the opening period, but 36 seconds into the second, Jason Brancheau broke the scoreless drought for the Bulldogs. The Lakers would fight back with even more desperation after going down 1-0, creating several scoring chances. Then, at the 9:07 mark, Cam Kungle (Red Deer, Alta.) tied up the scoring, sniping the puck past Ferris State goaltender Logan Stein with assists from Evan Bushy (Thief River Falls, Minn.) and Timo Bakos (Augsburg, Germany), and after the Lakers drew a penalty shortly thereafter, Laker Captain Harrison Roy (Lakeville, Mass.) put his team in front less than 30 seconds later after being set up by Bakos and John Herrington (Hudson's Hope, B.C.). Connor Milburn (Kamloops, B.C.) would then deflect in another powerful shot from Kungle late in the period, capping off an emphatic second period of action.

Both teams would continue battling in the third period, but at the 14:45 mark, Dawson Tritt (Spokane, Wash.) took advantage of a power play opportunity, finding the back of the net with help from Roy and Bakos, and a few minutes later, Branden Piku (Harrison Twp., Mich.) found Milburn for his second goal of the night to cap off a dominant performance from the Lakers to take three more points into the holiday break.

Laker goaltender Ethan Langenegger (Kamloops, B.C.) picked up his eighth win between the pipes, finishing with a save percentage of .960.

The Lakers will now turn their attention to the Ledyard Holiday Classic, hosted by Dartmouth, where they will first face the host team on Friday, Dec. 29 at 7:30 p.m. before taking on either Maine or RIT the following day.