Sometimes, you just give the artist the paint brush and get out of their way.

Branden Piku held the puck inside Northern Michigan's blue line for several seconds midway through overtime of Lake Superior State's CCHA clash against the 'Cats. He held it for so long, you could accurately describe it as an "awkward pause." By the blue line, late in a shift, in 3-on-3, defender closing in on him. We're not starting with the most favorable conditions here.

But just hand da Vinci the brush, sit back and enjoy the magic.

Piku's patience paid off for Lake State, as he waited for defenseman Adam Barone to fade off another defender's back shoulder. The pass hit Barone in stride, and a lovely finish earned a 2-1 overtime win for Lake Superior State (7-13-1, 4-9-0 CCHA) over NMU (1-20-0, 1-12-0 CCHA).

"What a cerebral, poised, veteran play there to hang on, hang on, hang on," said Damon Whitten, extending his sentence like the junior forward extended the winning play. "He's stationary for many seconds, and as a coach, you don't love a guy staying at the offensive blue line like that. But it was great vision to hang on to it and test them. Then Adam Barone has to make the read away from the puck. It's a great sequence for the OT winner."

The goal took sublime skill from both Barone, the finisher, and Piku, the distributor. Evan Bushy earned the secondary assist, after winning a board battle in the Laker zone to control the puck. His grit and toughness paved the way for Piku's phenomenal play, and the Lakers cashed in for the OT victory.

"I thought it was a heck of a college hockey game, a great rivalry game," Whitten said postgame. The Lakers took the first of four between the two teams this season in the battle for the Cappo Cup, awarded annually to the winner of the season series between Lake Superior State and Northern Michigan. The Lakers hold the trophy, and have won it four of the last five years.

Rorke Applebee, in goal for LSSU, made 29 saves on 30 shots. His opposite, Oliver Auyeung-Ashton, saved 28 pucks on 30 shots. Both goaltenders were magnificent, making several dazzling saves on high-quality chances. Whitten praised both netminders after the game, saying that Applebee gave, "Another stellar performance, like we get every single night from him." He also pointed out that NMU "Gets great goaltending every night." Both showed their top-class abilities in a game that took its time developing.

Calem Mangone opened the scoring at 14:03 of the second period, his eighth goal of the year. The freshman is enjoying a stellar first year at LSSU and finds his way to the scoresheet nearly every night.

Whitten said, "He's getting better each and every night as a first year player. We rely on him in so many scenarios. We love having him and what he brings to our team, not only with the offense, but the compete, the passion, how much he cares, and his championship mindset."

But it was Mangone's childhood friend, Adam Barone, who starred with the OT finish on Saturday. Barone also assisted on Mangone's goal, along with freshman Hunter Ramos, another young player enjoying a fantastic first campaign at LSSU. Barone scored his first career goal last week at the Kwik Trip Holiday Faceoff against Wisconsin. The second-year player has piled up assists by shooting into traffic and creating chances off of deflections. But both of his goals came on the breakaway, showing his superb skating ability.

"Adam is really impactful for us, playing in all situations," Whitten said, praising the sophomore. "As a coach, I think it's still tip of the iceberg. What we're seeing from Adam Barone right now, as much as we like it and appreciate what he does, he's going to get better. He's going to continue to provide offense and defend well. He's a great teammate. We love the way he's playing, and we love the future of Adam Barone. Not only tonight and next month, but down the road as well."

Caiden Gault scored his 11th of the season for NMU, from Girts Silkalns and Kyle Bettens. Whitten said, "We saw it in person tonight - that's a good hockey team. They've got some real difference makers offensively, they've got some great size and can skate."

The game was physical, but fair. A few hard hits were thrown, but this was a very clean hockey game, with both teams jamming lanes to block shots and players continually placing themselves in the path of heavy shots. NMU blocked eight pucks, while the Lakers blocked an incredible 17. While two coincidental minor penalties were called in the second period, the game only saw one powerplay for each team each coming in the first period. While neither team backed down from the other, plenty of players on both sides walked up to the line, faced their rival and refused to back down. It made for an entertaining, compelling  rivalry game where hockey skill, teamwork and courage dictated the play, instead of rough stuff between the whistles. Colin Kronforst and Derek Berkebile refereed, while Jamie Grace and Kyle Bushee worked the lines.

The Lakers head coach praised their work postgame. He said, "I like the way the refs called the game. There was a consistency there. Getting consistent officiating, knowing what you're going to get helps the game play out as well."

Saturday's clash entertained a good crowd at Taffy Abel Arena, as locals braved the kind of climate that would give a Siberian husky pause, while NMU fans traveled in solid numbers as well. The pace and quality of the game captured the attention, with moments of tremendous skill thrilling those in attendance. The goaltending drew the biggest cheers from both sides, with Applebee and Auyeung-Ashton each stealing sure goals with incredible saves.

It all sets up a tremendous Sunday, packed full of action at the Norris Center. At noon, Laker Women's Basketball hosts Wayne State at Bud Cooper Gymnasium to open up a Laker tripleheader. followed by Men's Basketball shortly after the conclusion of that game. Then Laker Hockey hosts NMU at 6:07 PM across the hall at Taffy Abel Arena. Buy your tickets at the Norris Center or online and wrap the long holiday break up with a fantastic slate of college sports at Lake Superior State.

We'll see what fantastic art tomorrow brings.