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Griffin Loughran hat trick lifts Northern Michigan University hockey team to 6-4 win, sweep at Ferris State

Griffin Loughran

By Journal Sports Staff

BIG RAPIDS — To say Saturday night’s college hockey game between Northern Michigan University and Ferris State was a wild one might be an understatement.

The Wildcats scored four goals in the first period, coughed up a three-goal lead and then got two late goals from Griffin Loughran to earn a 6-4 win over the Bulldogs and a series sweep.

Loughran also scored during that first-period offensive surge to finish with his first career hat trick. Nolan Kent made 39 saves to get his second victory in net for the Wildcats (4-1-1, 2-0 WCHA).

In the fast first frame, NMU got on the scoreboard just 42 seconds in when Mitch Slattery collected a rebound off a Luke Voltin shot and tapped it past Ferris goalie Roni Salmenkangas.

At 8:44, NMU made it 2-0 when Adam Roeder got a pass from Caleb Schroer in the slot and one-timed it in.

Northern may have been leading on the board, but the Bulldogs (2-3, 0-2) were doing more offensively as Kent had to make some nice blocker saves in the first few minutes of the period.

With four minutes left, the sophomore came up big again with a kick save on Coale Norris, then made a sprawling cover during a scrum in front of the net seconds later.

Kent couldn’t hold off Ferris for the whole period, though, as the Bulldogs got one past him at the 16:36 mark on a wrister by Nate Kallen.

NMU answered back quickly as Loughran tapped in his own rebound at 17:50, and just 35 seconds later, after a Bulldogs turnover, Ty Readman sent a puck over to Vincent de Mey. The sophomore winger then snapped a shot over Salmenkangas’ glove and the Wildcats went to the break up 4-1.

De Mey’s goal also ended Salmenkangas’ night with three saves as he was replaced at the start of the second period by Carter McPhail.

While the first period was energetic, the second was a sloppy one for the Wildcats, especially on special teams. Northern managed to kill off a 5-on-3 power play, but when it got its own power play on a Bulldogs’ slashing penalty, the Wildcats gave up a shorthanded tally to Jason Tackett.

The Bulldogs struck again on special teams midway through the period. With Ferris on the power play, Marshall Moise tapped a rebound past Kent.

With a little more than three minutes left in the second, Andren got a short breakaway and had a chance to tie it, but Kent made a good kick save to keep the Wildcats ahead 4-3 headed into the third period.

The final period was similar to the second in that Ferris continued to put pressure on Kent and the Wildcats kept shooting themselves in the foot.

As the clock ticked down, Loughran made his presence felt three times. The first one was a negative one, though, as he was called for tripping that led to a Ferris power play goal by Moise that tied it 4-4.

However, Loughran more than made up for that mistake. A little more than a minute after the Bulldogs tied it, Wildcats forward Darien Craighead caused Ferris to turn the puck over at center ice and passed the puck up to a streaking Loughran. The sophomore than snapped the puck over McPhail’s glove and NMU took a 5-4 lead.

With 42 seconds left in the game, Loughran capped off his crazy night with an empty-net goal to clinch the win.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Writer Ryan Stieg. His email address is rstieg@miningjournal.net.

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