It looked like the visiting Lakeland Thunderbirds had every intention of walking out of Ice Hawks Arena in Stevens Point with a win Tuesday night over the host Point-Rapids Red Panthers.

They scored the first goal of the game just 15 seconds in, and it looked like the defending Great Northern Conference champion Red Panthers were on their heels, reeling from a preliminary blow.

Despite trailing by a goal after 17 minutes of play, the home team rallied and scored six unanswered goals in 24 minutes to coast to a 9-2 win over the Thunderbirds.

After Rachel McNamara's unplanned version of the National Anthem, the home team had the puck behind its net in the early going, only to see it squirt free and end up in the crease where Cali Hunter knocked it into the net for an early 1-0 lead.

The period ended with that same 1-0 score, with the hosts holding a 9-3 shot edge in the stanza.

Rachel Metz scored twice in the first two minutes of the middle period to give the Red Panthers a lead they would not relinquish.

Three minutes later, the Red Panthers scored a short-handed goal when Amanda Milanowski connected from the top of the right circle to make it 3-1 at the 5:29 mark.

Two minutes later, the home team scored on the power play after Brina Trapp's checking from behind penalty with a goal from Rachel Nolan, who was credited with the score when a T-Bird player knocked the puck into her own net.

The second period ended with the Red Panthers holding a 22-1 shot margin in the period.

Sarah Peplinski opened the third period scoring with a nice deke and backhander past goalie Megan Hudy, who started the third period in relief of starter Tori Parus.

Two minutes later, Metz scored her third at the 6:59 mark.

Lakeland cut the lead to 6-2 at the 10:54 mark when freshman Kelli Straubel scored from the left circle on a shot that beat Red Panther goalie Emily Bubla high on the glove side, rattling off the inside top right corner of the cage.

The last six minutes was all Point-Rapids, as they scored three times on goals by Milanowski, Metz, and Hannah Beilke to account for the final 9-2 margin.

The Red Panthers outshot the T-Birds 21-3 in the period.

McNamara and Peplinski each had two assists for the Red Panthers.

Bubla stopped six shots in earning the win, while Parus (27) and Hudy (16) combined for 43 saves.

The Red Panthers improve to 4-4 (3-1 GNC), while Lakeland drops to 1-3-1 (1-2-1 GNC).