Photo Gallery: Hornets Sting Eagles at Yost

Captain James Olson scored twice and Wyatt Ford had a goal and two assists as Saline defeated Skyline 4-1 at Yost Arena Saturday.

Saline won its second straight game to improve to 7-4-1 overall and 3-0 in the SEC.

Saline dominated territorially but didn't have a lot to show for it early in the game. The game was scoreless after one period, despite the fact that most of the period was played in Skyline's end. Early in the second period, Saline struck first. Wyatt Ford deflected a Tyler Baker point shot past the goalie for a 1-0 lead. Tyler Gross also assisted.

The period ended with Saline holding a 1-0 lead.

In the third, coach Drew Denzin mixed up the lines, in part because forward Trevor Carey had been ejected for arguing too exuberantly about a crosschecking call he'd received late in the second. But Denzin was also looking to put away the pesky Eagles.

"I normally like to spread the talent through the lines so we can balance the attack. But I didn't like the idea that we were just a bad bounce away from a tie game," Denzin said.

So he added skilled Wyatt Ford with DJ Aben and Olson on the top line.

It paid dividends immediately. Just 24 seconds into the period the Hornets struck on a tic-tac-toe passing play, with Olson finishing it off for a 2-0 lead. Ford and Baker drew assists.

Down by two, the Eagles started cherry picking for the breakaway pass, but the Hornets defense and goalie Neil Flavin were equal to the task.

With 2:24 to go, Olson beat the Skyline goalie with wristshot from the slot for a 3-0 lead. Ford drew the assist.

Just seven seconds later, Skyline made it interesting. Nate Wegryn, streaking down the right wing, centered a pass into the slot for Kyle Hagen, who chipped it past Flavin to make it 2-1.

Just a few seconds later, however, Dino Tzavaras put any comeback hopes to rest when his wristshot from the point eluded the Skyline goalie.

Denzin wasn't displeased by his team's effort, but he said they weren't firing on all cylinders.

"I think maybe we see Skyline as this new school who should be easy to beat. Some of the kids viewed this as a stats game and didn't bear down," Denzin said.

Wednesday the Hornets travel to Woodhaven, who beat Saline 5-0 on Dec. 20.