BY MICHAEL DAVID

The Sun Valley Suns found themselves in an unusual and unfavorable position as the Michigan Sting came to town this weekend.

But, while coming in with a four-game home losing streak, the Suns tasted victory twice. They took advantage of an undermanned Michigan squad and swept the two-game series with an 8-3 victory on Friday and a 9-4 triumph Saturday night.

On Saturday the Suns wasted little time taking control of the contest, as Tyler Lovejoy scored four minutes into the game to put the home team up 1-0. Soon after, Eli Conrad scored off a beautiful centering pass from Spencer Brendel to put the Suns ahead by two goals.

Dylan Shamburger scored at the 7:23 mark, assisted by Niels McMahon, to give the Suns a 3-0 lead. Goalkeeper Matt Cooper turned back everything in the first period as the Suns took that lead into the first intermission.

The second period looked much like the first as Sun Valley kept the pressure and the puck in the Sting end of the ice, resulting in a Steven Inman goal 3:11 into the period to make the score  4-0.  The Suns’ Steve McCaw scored two minutes later to give the home team a commanding five goal margin.

The Sting finally managed to put one past Cooper at the 12:25 mark of the second, but DJ Robinson scored late in the period to regain the five-goal cushion.

Derek Grimes scored an unassisted, short-handed goal 41 seconds into the third stanza to put the Suns up 7-1, and following a Sting score, Ryan Enrico added a power play goal to push the score to 8-2. Two more late Sting scores cut the margin to four, but Doug Yates scored late, providing the final tally of 9-4.

Next week, in their final tune-up before the Black Diamond Hockey League playoffs, the Suns welcome the Vermont Switchbacks to the Campion Ice House. The uck drops at 7 p.m. both Friday and Saturday, March 2 and 3.