During the weekend, the Grand Valley State University men’s Division II hockey club (8-2-1) continued their strong play by taking out the University of Michigan Wolverines (8-4) with a final score of 5-1.

“This was a strong game for us,” said GVSU head coach Mike Forbes. “I was a little disappointed in our third period performance; it seemed like the team backed off since we were ahead for most of the game, so I would have liked to see a little more consistency. Overall, I was very satisfied with our performance, and if our team comes out like we did during the first period, we should be prepared for anything.”

At their first home game in nearly a month, the Lakers were able to squash the Wolverines’ seven-game winning streak, while adding to their own, which is now up to seven. The team agrees that they have just begun to hit their stride, and the rhythm that they are working at for the past few months is beginning to pay off.

“It was one of the better games our team has played,” said junior defender Craig Marrett. “Everything just seemed to go right. Everyone was playing hard and sharing the puck. There was a lot of good teamwork and flow. Every game we’re building confidence. The rankings are out and we’re No. 1 in our region, so we’ve got an even bigger target on our back now.”

From the moment the puck dropped in the first quarter, the Lakers began their systematic domination of the Wolverines, and a strong offense and defense allowed them to score back-to-back-to-back goals, ending the first period 3-0.

In the third period, the Lakers’ defense backed off, allowing the Wolverines to rally for a goal in the final moments of the game. However, the Lakers came away with the commanding 5-1 victory.

“We just came out with a lot of intensity and stuck to our system, and everything just played out,” said senior forward Brad Keough. “We dominated most of the game; we had a lot of control.”

This weekend, the Lakers will go up against the No. 4-ranked Lindenwood University Lions in what Marrett said will be “the biggest weekend of our year so far.”

“They’re always a really strong team,” he said. “We always have close games with them, so the game should be a big deal, especially for the rankings.”

Friday and Saturday’s games will be at Georgetown Ice Arena, and will begin at 9 and 8 p.m., respectively.

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