D1 Hockey Finish Strong, Capture Inaugural Mid-Michigan Meltdown Trophy

OVERVIEW – Saginaw Valley 

SCORE: Northwood Timberwolves 6, Saginaw Valley Cardinals 1 / Northwood 3, Saginaw Valley 0 

RECORDS: Northwood (23-7-1-1, 12-0-0-0 GLCHL), Saginaw Valley (13-17-2-0, 7-5-0-0 GLCHL)  

LOCATION: Midland Civic Center – Midland, Michigan / Dow Event Center – Saginaw, Michigan 

RECAP: The Division 1 hockey team had two wins over the weekend against Saginaw Valley State University, with a 6-1 home win on Friday night (February 13) followed by a 3-0 away win on Saturday afternoon (February 14), claiming the inaugural Mid-Michigan Meltdown trophy. 

GAME ONE HIGHLIGHTS  

• Saginaw Valley struck first, scoring on a power play midway through the first period to take a 1-0 lead. Northwood answered quickly, scoring three goals to close out the period and take a 3-1 advantage. Collin Baker got things started, with assists from Cameron Duffany and Owen Croston. Croston then found the net, with Baker and Chase Temple assisting. Duffany added another goal before the break, assisted by Croston and Leo Crawford. 

• The Timberwolves pushed their lead to 4-1 in the second period when Bryce Garber scored, with assists from Alex Bedenko and Teagan Scheurer. 

• Northwood sealed the win in the third period with two more goals. Scheurer scored off passes from Garber and Bedenko, and Trevor Stenglein added the final goal with assists from Temple and Nathan Ayuyu. Northwood earned a 6-1 victory and carried momentum into game two of the series. 

GAME ONE STATS  

• Shots: Northwood 41, Saginaw Valley 21 

• Saves: Northwood 20 (Mason Matthew), Saginaw Valley 35 

• Power Plays: Northwood 0/4, Saginaw Valley 1/2 

TOP NU PERFORMERS 

• Croston: Goal (1) Assists (2) 

• Baker: Goal (1) Assist (1) 

• Duffany: Goal (1) Assist (1) 

• Garber: Goal (1) Assist (1) 

• Scheurer: Goal (1) Assist (1) 

GAME TWO HIGHLIGHTS  

• The first period was tightly contested, with both teams battling hard. However, strong goaltending on both sides kept the game scoreless. 

• Northwood broke through in the second period to take a 2-0 lead. Duffany scored the first goal, assisted by Garber and Adam Moule. Lukas Nies added the second, with Crawford and Moule picking up assists. 

• The Timberwolves sealed the win late with an empty-net goal from Bedenko, set up by Garber. Goaltender Mason Matthew stopped every shot he faced, earning the shutout. Northwood secured a 3-0 victory and a 9-1 aggregate win, claiming the inaugural Mid-Michigan Meltdown trophy. 

GAME TWO STATS  

• Shots: Northwood 56, Saginaw Valley 24 

• Saves: Northwood 24 (Mason Matthew), Saginaw Valley 53 

• Power Plays: Northwood 1/3, Saginaw Valley 0/3 

TOP NU PERFORMERS 

• Matthew: Shutout (1) 

• Bedenko: Goal (1) 

• Duffany: Goal (1) 

• Nies: Goal (1) 

• Garber: Assists (2) 

• Moule: Assists (2) 

UP NEXT  

Northwood will travel to Toledo on Friday (February 20) to face Saginaw Valley State University in the GLCHL Playoff Semifinal at 4:30 p.m. at the Team Toledo Ice House.