The Grand Valley State Division II men’s hockey club brought out the big brooms in its weekend series against Eastern Michigan. The Lakers (26-4-1) swept EMU in blowout fashion, winning 11-0 and 10-2 in the two-game series over the weekend.

GVSU came out firing in the first game, scoring five goals in the first period. Troy Marrett initiated the scoring for the Lakers in the sixth minute of the game and added another goal four minutes later. Marrett’s line produced two more goals throughout the game.

“We have been playing together all year now and we just seem to find each other out there. We all play our own game and it works,” Marrett said.

The offense continued to put the pressure on, scoring three goals in each of the remaining periods. Laker forward Corbin Rainey continued the offensive explosion he started in 2016, scoring a goal in all three periods for a hat trick.

GVSU spread the wealth around offensively. Eight different players scored goals and 14 Lakers tallied a point.

“I think everyone played good. We played as a group and we played our system,” Marrett said.

The Lakers dominated puck possession from the opening faceoff, partly because of the defensive pressure put on EMU. The defense held the Eagles to 19 shots, compared to GVSU’s 87, making it a quiet night for GVSU goaltender Jared Maddock.

“Our defense took a lot of their scoring opportunities away and they played their positions really well,” Maddock said.

Maddock pitched his second shutout of the season, improving on his already-low goals against average. His average of a 1.89 is the eighth-best average in the nation among ACHA Division II goaltenders.

“My team has been playing really well lately and they make it really easy on me. They give me easy shots whenever the team gets shots off,” Maddock said.

Even with the large lead late in the game, the Lakers never slowed down. The offense continued to push and try to find ways to score.

“It’s hard in a game like today; sometimes they let off the gas and develop some bad habits,” said GVSU head coach Mike Forbes. “I was just happy that we continued to move the puck around, show some creativity offensively and continue to skate.”

With playoffs soon approaching, the idea of resting players is not something that Forbes considered for game two of the series.

“The hard part about (sitting guys) is the time in our season. We are preparing for nationals and you can sit and rest guys, but the minute you let the players know the game isn’t important, they don’t think it is important either,” Forbes said.

The possibility of the Lakers playing lackadaisical for game two of the series was shut down quickly. Game two was much like the first, with the Lakers dominating in all facets of the game.

The offense lit up the scoreboard again. Forward Alex Ostrowski netted a hat trick and freshman Thomas Lusynski added two goals. Goaltender Jiri Aberle and the defense kept the Eagles in check, allowing only two goals, keeping the game out of reach.

GVSU will look to expand its eight game win streak in the last series of the year against Davenport University. The Lakers will travel across town on Feb. 19 to face the Panthers and finish up the series on home ice Feb. 20 at 8 p.m.