Negaunee’s Trevor Borlace, front center, battles for the puck against Kingsford’s Alek Shanks, left, on Monday in Iron Mountain. (Iron Mountain Daily News photo by Adam Niemi)

IRON MOUNTAIN — A slapshot late in the third period by Kingsford defenseman Trent Juul was the one that broke Negaunee’s back on Monday.

A cleared puck rode the boards as Juul wound up and released a slapshot that hit the back of the net and broke a 3-3 tie with less than two minutes left in the game. Up to that point, the Miners had survived shot after shot by Kingsford’s attack.

And up to that point, it was anybody’s game, Negaunee coach Josh Chapman said.

“It was a hard-fought game,” Chapman said. “Whoever scored next was the team that was going to win that game.”

Hard-fought puts it nicely. The teams combined for 56 penalty minutes, including two Kingsford misconduct penalties and a 5-and-10 checking from behind.

“We wound up basically running two lines again. We have to stay out of the box,” Kingsford coach Jim Peterson said. “Games with Negaunee usually get a little rougher. We can’t lose our heads.

“I thought we did a nice job killing off our five-minute penalty but that wears you down. It gets you out of the flow of a game, but we battled back. We’ll take it. It’s a win.”

Penalties nearly cost the Flivvers (4-1-1).

Shane Ring put Negaunee (3-3) ahead to start the game with a short-handed goal about halfway through the first period. Kingsford answered with a goal of its own by Daunte Fortner, assisted by Alek Shanks and Austin VanPembrook.

The Flivvers made up for the penalties with a steady offensive attack led by Joe Murvich’s two goals and Alek Shanks’ goal and assist. Murvich’s first goal gave Kingsford a 3-2 lead in the second period. The Miners tied the game early in the third of a more sustained attack. With Kingsford spending a significant chunk of time killing penalties, the Flivvers got fatigued.

“That would’ve been a difference in the game if we scored on that five-minute power-play. It probably would’ve shifted in our favor and got the momentum going,” Chapman said. “Lots of quality chances. We were getting on it pretty aggressive in the third. It was a fun game.”

The Flivvers also killed a 5-on-3 in the second period after VanPembrook was called for a check from behind and Sawyer Perpich was called for hooking.

Kingsford peppered Negaunee goaltender Nolan Corwin with 58 shots, including 21 and 20 shots in the first and second periods, respectively. Corwin made 19 saves in each. The Flivvers hounded the Negaunee goal with 17 more shots in the third period.

Kingsford goalie Trevor Anderson stopped 20 of 23 shots.

Peterson knows with the penalties and individualistic play style, his team won’t have the same outcome against Great Lakes Conference powerhouses like Calumet and Marquette, whom the Flivvers face in their upcoming games.

“We’re getting caught with some odd-man rushes,” Peterson said. “We have to keep a guy high. A lot of that too is one guy trying to beat three in a corner. We have to start using our points. We’re not using our points for the shots.

Negaunee plays in a tournament in Petoskey this weekend.