TRENTON — The Hancock Bulldogs hockey team were looking for a way to bounce back from a 3-2 loss to the Calumet Copper Kings on Saturday, Jan. 24. They dropped their first game of the weekend, a 3-2 loss to Lakes Area United, then they followed that up with a pair of wins over Brother Rice and Chippewa Valley United to go 2-0 at the MIHL Showcase in Trenton.

With the wins, the Bulldogs improved to 12-8-2 overall on the season.

Lakes Area 3, Bulldogs 2

The Bulldogs trailed 3-0 going into the third period Thursday, but scored twice in the first 10:38 of the frame. However, they could not find one more before the final buzzer sounded in a 3-2 loss at the Lakeland Ice Arena.

Trailing 3-0, Hancock got on the board when junior forward Ben Keranen scored his sixth goal of the season at 5:35. Junior defenseman Ted Heinonen picked up the lone assist on the goal.

Junior forward Brady Axford then scored at 10:38 to make it 3-2. The goal, Axford’s 12th of the season, was unassisted.

Lakes Area got a goal from Logan Scheidt just 43 seconds into the game. Then Scheidt scored again 2:04 later.

He added his hat trick goal with 49 seconds left in the middle frame.

Senior goaltender Brian Ponnikas stopped 15 of 18 shots in the loss for the Bulldogs.

Bulldogs 4, Warriors 2

Alternate captain Kirby Storm scored a hat trick, which helped the Bulldogs overcome a pair of goals from Zac Staelgraeve in a 4-2 win over the Warriors Friday in Trenton.

Staelgraeve scored first 9:54 into the game.

Sophomore forward Nolan Hanner then scored his 10th goal of the season to answer at 15:26. Keranen had the lone assist on the goal.

Storm got going in the second period. He struck first at 4:27 when he buried his 10th of the season. Sophomore forward Ted Kilpela picked up an assist on the goal.

Storm then struck for the second time at 15:14. Keranen had the lone assist on the tally.

Staelgraeve scored his second of the night to break up Storm’s momentum at the 10:41 mark of the third period and make it 3-2 Hancock.

Storm answered with just 1:52 left in the game to close out the scoring. Hanner and Keranen earned assists on the goal.

Senior goaltender Adam Mikkola made 19 saves on 21 Warriors’ shots to earn the win for the Bulldogs.

Bulldogs 8, Cougars 4

Sophomore forward Connor Helminen drove the Bulldogs’ offense with three goals and an assist as Hancock defeated the Chippewa Valley United Cougars, 8-4, Saturday.

Helminen’s first goal came with the Bulldogs trailing 4-2 in the second period. He scored his 13th goal of the season at 12:36. Kilpela and sophomore forward Luciano Paoli both assisted on the goal.

Helminen’s second came with the game tied at 4-4 in third. He scored at 10:11 off a feed from Heinonen.

His third goal came shorthanded with 1:27 left in regulation, this time unassisted.

Helminen’s assist came on Kilpela’s first-period tally at 7:31. The goal was Kilpela’s third of the season and tied the game at that point, 1-1.

Down 2-1, Hancock tied the game again when Keranen buried his seventh goal of the season at 11:15. Storm and Heinonen both earned assists on the goal.

With the Bulldogs trailing 4-3 after two periods, Hanner evened things just 3:38 into the third. His 11th goal of the season was assisted by Storm and junior defenseman Tyler Axford.

Storm extended the Bulldogs’ lead to 6-4 when he scored his 13th of the season at 11:53. Junior forward Forrest LaCourt and Heinonen had the assists on the goal.

Kilpela scored the eight Hancock goal with just 15 seconds left in the contest. Paoli assisted on the goal, Kilpela’s fourth of the season.

Mikkola and senior goaltender Isaac Johnson combined to make 24 saves to earn the win.

Up next

The Bulldogs travel Tuesday to face the Negaunee Miners. Opening faceoff is set for 6 p.m.