Box Score

Lake Superior St. LSS 10-19-2, 7-15-1

Northern Mich. NMU 3-27-1, 3-19-1

Lake Superior St. LSS

10-19-2, 7-15-1

Final

Feb. 20, 2026

Northern Mich. NMU

3-27-1, 3-19-1

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	3	F
Lake Superior St. LSS	0	3	4	7
Northern Mich. NMU	2	0	3	5

Game Recap: Hockey | 2/20/2026 10:33:00 PM | Braden Golisek - Assistant Director of Sports Information

Lakers Edge Wildcats in High-Scoring Affair

LSSU wins 7-5 on an empty net goal, securing the Cappo Cup by going ahead 3-0 in the season-series.

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Lake Superior State

2/21/2026 | 6:07 PM

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Feb. 21 (Sat) / 6:07 PM

Lake Superior State

History

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MARQUETTE, Mich. -- The Wildcats fell 7-5 to the Lake Superior State Lakers in a high-scoring special-teams outing on Friday night.

With the Wildcat loss, the Lakers (10-19-2, 7-15-1 CCHA) move to 3-0 on the in-season Cappo Cup series, securing the trophy will stay in Sault Ste. Marie for another season. The Wildcats (3-27-1, 3-19-1 CCHA) still remain six points back of Ferris State for the final CCHA playoff spot.

For the game, the Lakers outshot NMU 34-28, went 3-8 on the power play compared to the 'Cats 2-5, both teams recorded a short-handed goal, and the Wildcats held advantages in the faceoff dot (37-24) and blocked shots (17-15).

Five Wildcats recorded multi-point games, all of whom registered a goal and assist: Michael Burchill, Tynan Ewart, Mathew Ward, Joe Schiller, and Peter Cisar.

The Wildcats were awarded the games first power play, and the first unit was able to connect as Burchill fired a wrist shot to the far side after some good puck movement. There were a pair of goals called back for goalie interference after coaches challenge, one for both side, and Ewart picked up his first of the season to give NMU a 2-0 lead after one period.

The Lakers got a quick strike from Hunter Ramos after a fortunate Laker bounce off the end wall 24 seconds into the second period, and Ramos would make a nice pass to teammate Calem Mangone to even the score at two apiece. Connor Millburn gave Lake State its first lead of the night directly off a faceoff, and Aidyn Hutchinson was called for a five-minute major that saw two and a half minutes carry over into the third period. The Lakers outshot the Wildcats 13-4 in the middle section.

It was a fast and furious opening to the third period, as Ward stole the puck and scored a short-handed goal to notch the game even at 3-3 just 19 seconds into the period. The Lakers would respond with three-straight, including a pair just 18 seconds apart, to give LSSU a 6-3 lead less than six minutes into the frame. Schiller struck on the power play and Cisar scored with the net empty to bring the 'Cats within one, but an empty net goal with 27 seconds left would seal the deal, and LSSU would escape with a 7-5 win.

'Cat Nips

Burchill (5-3--8) notched his second-career multi-point game with a goal and an assist. His first was the same stat line against Ohio State on October 5, 2025.
Ewart (1-9--10) tallied his first goal of the season, and first goal since October 19, 2024.
Ward (2-6--8) registered his third-career multi-point game, as the freshman has five points in his last seven games.
Schiller (3-5--8) notched a goal and assist, giving the sophomore blueliner four points in his last six games.
Cisar (3-5--8) registered his third multi-point game of the season, and the freshman now has six points in his last seven games.
Jakub Altrichter (4-7--11) recorded his first assist in 13 games, with his last helper coming on November 29, 2025.
Kyle Bettens (1-10--11) now has three points in his last three games with a goal and two assists.
Tobias Pitka (5-5--10) now has four points in his last four games with two goals and two assists after not recording a point in six-straight.
William Gramme (23 saves, .793 SV%) started the contest before being replaced by Max Weilandt in the third period, who stopped all three shots against that were on target.
The Wildcats set season highs in points (13), goals (5), assists (8), and power play goals (2).
The Wildcats are 127-5-6 when scoring 5+ goals, dating back to the 2002 season. The last time NMU lost when scoring five or more was the 5-8 loss to UMD two seasons ago, and the last instance before that was October 8, 2016, a 5-6 loss to Wisconsin.