Junior forward Alec Elkin scored once in each period to lead the Neenah/Hortonville/Menasha Rockets to a 4-3 win over the Fond du Lac Cardinals in the Badgerland Conference championship game on Saturday night in Fond du Lac.

In the opening frame, while skating 4 on 4, Elkin charged the net along the left side and fired a shot at Cardinals goalie William Shober. Shober made a pad save, but Elkin followed his shot, picked up the rebound and stepped around Shober to tuck the puck into the net. Time had just expired on the Fondy penalty, so it went down as a short-handed goal.

With about 30 seconds left in the first Elkin sneaked behind the Fondy defense and took a long pass from his own end. He had to wait at the blue line, but then charged in and fired a shot that clanked off the post.

Shober recorded 7 saves in the first period, while Rocket netminder Preston Long stopped all 6 shots he faced.

Two minutes into the second period, the Rockets pulled the trick again, this time with Blake Hackbarth getting behind the Cardinals defense and catching the long pass. Hackbarth tried to deke Shober, but got shut down.

The Rockets make it 2-0 with a power play goal from Elkin. NHM worked the puck around the zone and got it in front of the net to Carter Grishaber, who got Shober to go down, then passed to Elkin in the left face off circle. A hard one-timer by Elkin put the puck deep into the back of the Fondy net.

Saves in the second period were 12 for Shober and 4 for Long.

The Cardinals came out in the third period with comeback on their minds. An early Rockets penalty set Fondy up with a power play, and they wasted no time cashing in. Making quick passes around the zone, the Cardinals got a quick pass to Friday night’s hero, Caylen Dyni, who hammered home a one-timer from the right face-off circle just 1:20 into the period.

The Rockets answered right back when Max Hackinson carried the puck into the slot in front of Shober. Hackinson was stripped of the puck by the Fondy defense, but Tyler Hafeman was right behind him to pick it up and roof a shot over Shober to put NHM up 3-1.

Fondy responded with a carbon copy power play goal by Dyni, cutting the NHM lead to one.

Late in the period, Elkin completed his hattrick with a backhander from the left faceoff circle, over Shober’s left shoulder.

Down two goals, the Cardinals pulled Shober with about three minutes to go. NHM clanked one off the pipe early on, but Fondy got the puck back down to the Rockets zone. And cashed in with 1:02 to go. Tick-tack-toe passing in front of Long, with Henry Lange completing the play to pull Fondy within one. But that was as close as they could get, and the Rockets claimed the Badgerland Championship.

Final shots were 31-22 in favor of NHM.