Hockey Notebook: Lakers earn first sweep

In what has been a tough season, there were some positives for the Lake Superior State Lakers hockey team over the weekend.

The Lakers picked up a sweep, their first since February 2014, picking up a pair of home-ice wins over the Bemidji State Beavers over the weekend.

On Friday night, Alex Globke scored with less than a second left in regulation time to lift the Lakers to a 1-0 series-opening win. Globke’s power play goal came in a contest that saw just two power plays, one to each team.

Lakers goaltender Gordon Defiel stopped all 44 shots he faced in the win while Bemidji goaltender Michael Bitzer stopped 25 shots.

On Saturday night, Luke Sandler scored a pair of goals as the Lakers doubled-up Bemidji State 4-2. Globke and Stephen Perfetto also scored in the win. Eric Drapluk set up two goals for the Lakers. Defeil stopped 32 shots for Lake State.

Markus Gerbrandt and Cory Ward scored for Bemidji while Bitzer stopped 14 shots in the loss.

The Lakers head on the road to take on Bowling Green State for a pair of games beginning on Jan. 23.

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MIDGET THUNDERBIRDS HOST NICKEL CITY

The Soo Thunderbirds Great North Midget League team took two of three over the Nickel City Sons on home-ice over the weekend.

On Friday night, Isaac Lennox scored the shootout winner in an 8-7 Thunderbirds win. Jared Fanti had two goals and two assists in the win while Brendan Gillis also scored a pair of goals. Zach Senecal had a goal and two assists in the win. Matt MacKay chipped in with a goal and an assist. Jason Bednarski also scored.

MacKenzie MacMillan scored three times for Nickel City in Friday’s loss. Joel Grandbois added two goals and an assist in the loss.

On Saturday night, Noah Serre scored twice for the Thunderbirds in a 6-4 victory. Fanti, Bednarski, Jakob Porco and Lucas Miller also scored in the win.

Nickolas Godin had a goal and two assists for Nickel City in the loss.

On Sunday, Grandbois had a goal and three assists to lead Nickel City to a 6-2 win. Thomas Hayden added a pair of goals in the win.

Gillis and Bednarski scored for the Thunderbirds in the loss.

The Thunderbirds return to GNML action on Jan. 28 when they travel to Sudbury to take on the Nickel Capital Wolves.

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EAGLES SWEPT ON ROAD

The Soo Eagles suffered a pair of losses on the road in weekend action in the North American Hockey League.

On Friday night the Eagles dropped a 4-2 decision to the Janesville Jets. Grant Hutton and Mitch Fossier had a goal and two assists each for the Jets in the win while Zach Lavalle set up two goals in the win.

Keegan Miller had a goal and an assist for the Eagles in the loss. Chase Gamelin also scored for the Eagles.

On Saturday night, Lavalle set up four goals in a 5-1 Jets win to complete the weekend sweep. Evan Feno had a goal and two assists in the win while Brandon Schultz scored twice for the Jets.

Brad Pung had the lone goal for the Eagles in Saturday’s loss.

The Eagles return to action on Jan. 23 when they travel to Flint, Mich. to take on the Michigan Warriors.