Marquette, MI – February 5th, 2026 – The two teams first met back in November to open the hockey season, when the Sentinels dominated the Miners with an 8–0 shutout. Since then, Negaunee hasn’t found the success they hoped for, but they have shown steady improvement throughout the season, relying on the development of their underclassmen.
Marquette entered the night playing its best hockey of the year, winning five of its last seven games and riding a three-game winning streak. While the Sentinels have controlled the rivalry in recent seasons, the Miners looked to change that trend on the road.
Marquette struck first at 15:31 of the opening period, as Skylar Blackburn scored a highlight-reel between-the-legs goal, assisted by Jacob Spagnuolo. Negaunee responded on the power play at 10:06, with Josh Dubord tying the game at one. The Sentinels answered quickly with a short-handed goal from Brody Sheldon just 10 seconds later, then added another late in the period as Jameson Sandstrom scored top shelf off a Blackburn assist to take a 3–1 lead into the first intermission.
Luke Bressette extended the lead in the second period with his first varsity goal, and Blackburn added his second of the night in the third. Negaunee’s Cash Karvonen scored late, but Marquette pulled away for a 5–2 victory, outshooting the Miners 42–19.
The Sentinels return to the ice tomorrow night, hosting the Calumet Copper Kings in a ranked showdown at 6:30. If you can’t make it to the rink you can catch every moment live on Fox Sports Marquette, 105.1 and 99.9.
The evening will also be a special one, as the program honors the life of Derrick William Fries, who tragically passed away last weekend. Proceeds from the 50/50 raffle will benefit the Fries family, and the Marquette community is encouraged to come out and show its support.
