SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. - The Lake Superior State (LSSU) hockey team (10-15-2, 8-10-1 CCHA) came away with a 3-2 victory over the Northern Michigan Wildcats (4-24-1, 3-17-1 CCHA) to clinch the Cappo Cup Series on Friday.

Both teams battled throughout the opening period with neither side giving an inch, but the Lakers were able to seize momentum late, capitalizing on a pair of NMU penalties in the final minutes of the period to take a 2-0 lead into the intermission. Connor Milburn (Kamloops, B.C.) sped past defenders on his way to the goal before netting the opening score, and Timo Bakos (Augsburg, Germany) doubled up the score nearly a minute and a half later.

The Wildcats were not ready to go down so easily, tying up the score at 2-2 midway through the second period with goals from Grayden Slipec and Jesse Tucker, but neither side was able to claim the advantage by the end of the stanza. 

At the 5:50 mark of the third period, senior Captain Grant Hindman (Oakland, Mich.) scored the third goal of his career, all of which have been scored against NMU, to put the Lakers back on top after Dawson Tritt (Spokane, Wash.) and Luke Levandowski (Rosemount, Minn.) helped guide the puck around the front of the net to their captain.

The Lakers would then lock down defensively for the remainder of the game to secure the victory and another year with the Cappo Cup in Sault Ste. Marie.

The Lakers will close out the series on Saturday, Feb. 8 with puck drop scheduled for 6:07 p.m., and the game will be followed by the presentation of the Cappo Cup to the Lake Superior State Lakers by LSSU Director of Athletics, Tory Lindley.