SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. — The Northern Michigan hockey team skated to a 2-2 draw with Lake Superior State in the Cappo Cup finale Saturday night at Taffy Abel Arena.

Mathias Dahlstrom made 15 of his 31 saves in the third period and overtime to preserve the tie for the Wildcats, earning them a crucial point in the race for home ice in the WCHA playoffs.

In the game's first seven minutes, Northern Michigan raced out to a 2-0 lead. At 3:16, John Siemer won a battle along the boards and banked a pass off of the side of the net to Zach Diamantoni, who beat Gordon Defiel top shelf to give Northern Michigan its first lead of the weekend.

The Wildcats then converted on their first power play at 6:03, with Darren Nowick burying a booming Dominik Shine rebound from the edge of the crease.

The Lakers cut the Northern Michigan advantage to one by capitalizing on a man advantage of their own at 15:34. Heavily screened, Dahlstrom kicked Anthony Nellis's point shot out to Gage Torrel, and Torrel one-timed the puck inside the right post.

In a scoreless second period, Cohen Adair generated one of the Wildcats' better scoring opportunities with 14:30 on the clock, outracing the Laker defense to a loose puck and firing a shot that Defiel managed to smother.

Lake Superior State began to press in the frame's final five minutes, but Dahlstrom held fast, most notably on a 2-on-1 rush with 32.5 seconds to go. After stopping Josh Nenadal's initial shot, Dahlstrom pounced on his follow-up bid to keep the puck from squirting over the line. 

The Lakers solved Dahlstrom at 4:53 of the third to tie the game at two apiece. Seconds after Defiel denied a Siemer breakaway, Lake Superior State rushed back the other way, and Diego Cuglietta tapped C.J. Hayes's cross-ice feed into an open net.

With 9:30 to go, Gerard Hanson was sprung on a breakaway, but Defiel wasn't fooled into opening up the five-hole and sent his shot to the boards.

Cuglietta's goal proved to be the final frame's only score, but the Lakers had a chance to complete their comeback with just five seconds remaining in regulation after a Wildcat turnover. But Dahlstrom was able to get across the crease in time to deny Nellis and send Northern Michigan to overtime for the first time in February.

In bonus time, Dahlstrom made six saves, including three in the final two minutes. With the result, Northern Michigan moves to 15-12-7 (12-9-5 WCHA) on the season.

The Wildcats, who can now only finish fourth or fifth in the WCHA standings, close out the regular season next weekend against rival Michigan Tech in a home-and-home series. With Bowling Green's sweep of Ferris State, Northern Michigan controls its destiny in sealing the final home ice slot.

NOTES: Northern Michigan leads the all-time series, 66-40-11 ... Lake Superior State won the 2015-16 Cappo Cup, taking the season series, 2-1-1 ... Dahlstrom reached the 30-save plateau for the third time this season ... Nowick's goal was his 30th point of the season; his 13 goals and 17 assists are both career-best totals ... Shine stretched his point streak to nine games, over which he has 12 points (4g-8a) ... After going 19 games without a goal, Diamantoni has two in the past three ... The Wildcats last skated to a draw at Alabama Huntsville Dec. 5 (1-1) ... Northern Michigan has only posted at least seven ties in a single season three other times in program history: 2000-01 (7), 2004-05 (7) and 2009-10 (8).