Lakers to tackle bucking Broncos

The Lake Superior State University (1-2-3, 0-2-2 CCHA) hockey team will make its first true road trip of the year this weekend when they travel to Kalamazoo to take on an upstart Western Michigan University (2-2-0 overall, 2-0-0 CCHA) team at Lawson Arena. LSSU is still looking for its first conference win after suffering 3-1 and 2-1 losses during last weekend against Northern Michigan, and only being able to salvage a pair of ties the previous weekend against Ferris State University. WMU is in the Lakers' scheduling cluster, along with Ferris and NMU, this year and will play the in the Sault January 6-7. Western Michigan, picked to finish last in the CCHA in the preseason coaches poll, is coming off a 5-1 and 5-4 home sweep against No. 4 Ohio State, earning them one point USCHO.com/CSTV Division I Men's Poll while dropping Ohio State to 13th in the poll. Overall the Broncos are 2-2 for the season after suffering earlier losses to Robert Morris and Niagara. Western Michigan's special teams were extremely successful last weekend holding OSU to 0 for 18 on the power play, and scoring a shorthanded goal. WMU’s power play went 7-for-17 during the weekend; bring their season total to .310, first in the CCHA. LSSU by contrast has not scored a power play goal in their past three games. The Lakers were 0-for-16 against Northern Michigan University and were a combined 0-for-24 in their last three games, giving them a season total of .149, 8th in the CCHA. The Lakers are also second to last in the CCHA in penalty killing with a giving up more than one per game with a kill rating of .771. The Lakers are averaging 1.75 goals per game through their first 6 games this season. The Lakers are still out-shooting their opponents by over three shots per game. WMU is looking to extend their winning streak to 4 games this weekend. Under former coach Frank Anzalone the Lakers where 3-4-1 against WMU. LSSU lead the all-time series 60-37-11. WMU is lead by, Junior center Paul Szczechura and sophomore goaltender Daniel Bellissimo the reigning Offensive Player of the week and Goaltender of the week in the CCHA. Szczechura scored a power play goal and had six assists leading the Broncos to a weekend sweep over Ohio State University Last weekend. Bellissimo stopped 73 of 78 shots (.936 percentage) finishing the weekend with a 2.50 goals against average.