The Northern Lakes Lightning took advantage of a thin Otter bench and used balanced scoring to avenge a earlier loss to Fergus Falls Saturday.  Josef Slepica closed out the year on a bang netting a hat trick to pace the Lightning attack while Hunter Nybakken and Landon Huber each tallied twice for the Lightning who started fast and never looked back defeating the Otters 9-4.

Slepica got things going quickly for the hometown Lightning scoring 15 seconds in off a turnover created by the Lightning fore-check.  With the quick goal the ice tilted in the Lightning favor early as their fore-check put constant pressure on the Otters.  Hunter Nybakken pushed the Lightning lead to three scoring the next two goals of the period.  The thin Otter bench of eight skaters did not give up, Ethan Danner gave them hope scoring late in the period on a wrist shot from the blue line cutting the margin to 3-1.

The hope of a comeback did not last long however.  Landon Huber got the Lightning going quickly scoring an unassisted goal early in the second and Slepica's second goal of the game pushed the lead to 5-1 in favor of the Lightning.  Fergus Falls did not go quietly however as Col Zierden and Ian Richards tallied back to back goals cutting the margin to 5-3 and giving the Otters some momentum.  The Lightnings  Erik Larsen halted any gained momentum when his wrist shot from the point found the net in the  waning seconds of the period giving the Lightning three goals for the period and a 6-3 lead.

Once again it was a fast start for Lightning with Zechariah Trenkenshuh lighting the lamp just five seconds into the third.  Landon Huber's second goal of the game pushed the lead to 8-3 before Ian Richards tallied his second of the day for the Otters to stop the string of Lightning goals.  Slepica would close out the scoring in this one collecting his third of the day to give him a New Years Eve Hatty and the Lightning a 9-4 district win over the Otters.

Northern Lakes Lighting scored quickly in the first and second period to skate to a 8-4 win over district foe Brainerd at Spalj Arena in Crosby on Saturday.  Wyatt Balmer, Drew Paulbeck, and Logan Fogarty each lit the lamp twice in a dominant performance for the home town Lightning.

Wyatt Balmer struck quickly for the Lightning scoring a nifty goal less than a minute into the game to get things started for the Lightning.  Brainerd responded with several scoring opportunities of their own however Balmer's second goal of the game put the Lightning up 2-0 over the visiting Warriors.  A late first period goal by Brainerd's Ryan Kennedy cut the Lightning lead to 2-1 and gave the Warriors hope that this would be a battle to the finish.

Drew Paulbeck got things rolling for the Lightning to start the second scoring on a breakaway goal early and then moments later collected his second goal of the game to push the Lightning lead to 4-1 early in the second.  Three more unanswered goals by the Lightning pushed the score to 7-1 until Martin Timmons of Brainerd lit the lamp cutting the margin to 7-2 giving Brainerd hopes of a rally.  

The third period provided back and forth action with the Lightning holding a five goal lead until Brainerd's Olaf Aus would score midway through the frame keeping the Warrior comeback hopes alive.  Logan Fogarty dashed those hopes when he scored his second goal of the game with Taylor Berg and Paulbeck collecting assists on the Lightning final goal that pushed the lead back to five.  Brainerd would score one more time but it was too little too late as the hometown Lightning prevailed 8-4 over their district foe.