Wolverines, Spartans, Lakers pick up wins on first night of playoffs

Here is a quick look at the three Friday night CCHA playoff games featuring Michigan Teams.

Wolverines 3, Wildcats 2

The Wolverines raced to a 3-0 lead in the first period of their Friday night contest with the Wildcats. Brighton native Jon Merrill scored the game’s first goal, followed by both a power-play goal and a shorthanded goal by Grosse Pointe native Kevin Lynch. Northern Michigan made a comeback bid possible with two goals in the second period, courtesy of Sault Ste. Marie native Kory Kaunisto and Darren Nowick. However, that’s how the score would stay, as neither team could find the back of the net in the third and final period. Freshman goaltender made 26 saves for his fifth consecutive win for the Wolverines, while Jared Coreau stopped 22 for the Wildcats.

See MiHockey’s recap/photo gallery of the game right here.

Spartans 2, Nanooks 1 (OT)

Chesterfield native Matt DeBlouw’s goal at the 3:02 mark of overtime to give the Michigan State Spartans a 2-1 win over Alaska on Friday night. Tanner Sorenson scored in the game’s first minute, and then the only goal in regulation came from Alaska’s Cody Kunyk later in the first period. Jerome native Will Yanakeff made 34 saves to earn the win for the Spartans. Alaska freshman goaltender John Keeney only saw 15 shots.

Lakers 2, Falcons 0

Kevin Kapalka stopped every shot the Falcons fired his way – 31 in total – to lead Lake Superior to a 2-0 win over Bowling Green on Friday night. Senior captain Domenic Monardo scored for the Lakers, as did Bryce Schmitt. Andrew Hammond made 26 saves for the Falcons in the loss.