Lake Superior Cup

Next season Lake Superior State University will participate in an event named the Lake Superior Cup, along with the University of Minnesota-Duluth, Northern Michigan, and Michigan Tech. From the Duluth News Tribune: UMD opens next season at home Oct. 12 and 14 in a tournament tentatively called the Lake Superior Cup. The inaugural event, set for Friday night and Sunday afternoon, includes Northern Michigan of Marquette, Mich.; Lake Superior State of Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.; and Michigan Tech. The plan is for UMD and Michigan Tech to be home against Lake Superior State and Northern Michigan. The following season (2008-09) will open with UMD and Michigan Tech on the road at Lake Superior State and Northern Michigan. Michigan Tech coach Jamie Russell and Northern Michigan coach Walt Kyle came up with the idea and then involved the other Lake Superior teams, Sandelin said. The tournament has a two-year contract.

Lakers Recieve Three Letters of Intent

Rumor out of the Sault is that Lake Superior State University has received three Letters of Intent for next season. The three players are Stouffville Spirit center Will Acton, the Omaha Lancers right wing Zach MacVoy as previously reported by LSSUHockey.com and right wing Tyson Hobbins from Nipawin of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. Stouffville Spirit center Will Acton is a 6’-2”, 185 pound, Stouffville native who has played with the Spirit for three years including playing last season with LSSU freshman Simon Gysbers. Action attended camp in 2004 with the Petrborough Petes, where his father had played junior hockey, scoring 2 goals. Acton is currently attending York University in Toronto.Will has 11 goals and 20 points in 21 games this season, he had 11 goals and 31 points last season in 48 games before amassing 9 goals and 17 assists in 30 playoff games. Will is the son of Toronto Maple Leafs assistant coach Keith Acton. Keith Action enjoyed a 15 year NHL career with stops in Montreal, Minnesota (where Will was born) Edmonton, Philly, Washington, and with the Islanders, before finishing his career with former Laker player and coach Paul Jerrard in Hershey of the AHL. Zach MacVoy, is a 6-foot 1-inch 210 pound right wing from Livonia who played for the University of Michigan in 2005-06 scoring 1 goal and recording 4 points in 20 games will come in as a sophomore next season for the Lakers.MacVoy who saw his playing time diminish at Michigan, getting into only 3 games in the Wolverines final 15 contests and just once in their final 11 games, opted to leave U of M for Omaha with the hopes of landing with another college team that would afford him a better chance to get playing time. This season for the Lancers MacVoy has 4 goals and 9 points in 14 games.Prior to attending Michigan MacVoy spent two seasons with USA Hockey’s developmental program, putting up 10 goals and 34 points in 62 games in 2004-05, and 8 goals and 22 points in 63 games in 2003-04. While playing with team USA MacVoy won gold medals at the 2005 Five Nations Tournament in Sweden, and at the 2004 Compuware Four Nations Cup in Ann Arbor. Tyson Hobbins is a 6-foot 3-inch 190 pound right wing who is a native of Napawin Saskatchewan. Tyson has posted 12 goals and 35 points in 23 games this season after posting 20 goals and 37 points in 51 games last season for the Napawin Hawks after compiling 23 goals and 33 assists for the Prince Albert Mintos of the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League

LSSU to Play Home and Home with NMU

Lake Superior State University (8-5-1, 3-4-1 CCHA), who where only able to salvage one point last weekend at Alaska Fairbanks, is set to play a home and home series this weekend with Northern Michigan University (7-6-2, 4-3-1 CCHA). NMU is coming off of a split last weekend at Western Michigan, both teams split earlier this season with Ohio State and Miami, but NMU was able to garner 3 points in their home series against UAF. LSSU will start the weekend at home, and then travel to Marquette to finish off the home-and-home series at the Berry Events Center LSSU has lost their last seven games to NMU, and have not won the season series since the 1999-2000 season, going 4-17-3 since then. LSSU trails the all-time series, 23-49-7, including a terrible 8-29-3 record in Marquette and 15-20-4 record at home. LSSU lost all four games to NMU last season. On paper this weekend's match-up will pit two closely matched teams against one another. Northern Michigan's offense this season has been averaging 2.60 goals per game, eleventh in the CCHA, while allowing 2.47 goals per game, ranking them 4th in the CCHA. The Lakers are currently averaging 2.93 goals per game this season, 8th in the CCHA, while allowing only 2.36 goals per game, ranking them second in the CCHA. NMU's power play is ranked 7th in the CCHA connecting 18.3 percent of the time giving them an average of one power play goals per game. The Wildcats penalty kill is ranked 4th in the CCHA with a .860 penalty kill percentage, and they are the 8th most penalized team in the CCHA averaging almost 18 minutes per game. The Lakers power play has slipped to 6th in the CCHA scoring a goal 18.4% of the time, scoring 16 goals in 87 opportunities, after going 3-for-42 in their past 7 games, they did score 2 power play goals last Friday in Alaska. The Lakers penalty kill is ranked 3th in the CCHA, allowing 10 goals in 75 opportunities, for a .867 penalty kill percentage, the Lakers have also scored 3 short handed goals this season. LSSU is also among the least penalized teams in the CCHA averaging only 14.50 minutes in the box each game. This weekend also marks the begining of a Kaunisto family feud between freshman cousins from Sault Ste. Marie Steven (LSSU) and Ray Kaunisto (NMU). The Kaunisto's were teammates last season in Cedar Rapids and throughout youth hockey. LSSU assistant coach Joe Shawhan is an Uncle to the Kaunistos. Northern Michigan is offensively lead by, Mike Santorelli and Daren Oliver while former Soo Indian goaltender Bill Zaniboni has played in 14 of NMU games posting 6 wins with a 2.33 Goals Against Average and .920 Save Percentage. Santorelli has posted 12 goals and 21 points this season, while Oliver has 14 points on 5 goals and 9 assists. LSSU is riding senior goaltender Jeff Jakaitis while they still have him. Jakaitis’ .944 saves percentage is second in the nation while his 1.89 goals against average, is ranked 7th in the nation and second in the CCHA. The Lakers offensively are lead by Trent Campbell who has amassed 5 goals and 14 points this season appearing in all 14 of LSSU's games. Freshman Nathan Perkovich leads the Lakers with 8 goals on the season to give him 12 points on the season. Derek A. Smith also has 12 points on the season after scoring 2 goals in LSSU’s past 4 games to go with his 10 assists that tie him for second in the leagues for assists by defensemen.

Lakers Salvage 1 point in Alaska Trip

Lake Superior State University was only able to earn one point in their trip to Alaska Fairbanks this weekend tying 2-2 on Friday night before falling 3-1 in Saturday’s finally. The Lakers are now 3-4-0 in Saturday contests, with wins against Wayne State and American International, but are only 1-3 in CCHA play including losing their past three CCHA games played on Saturday evenings. Friday night the Lakers jumped out to a 2-0 lead on the Nanooks with Josh Sim and Derek A. Smith each scoring on the power play. Dominic Osman, Smith, Troy Schwab, and Trent Campbell all recorded assists on the two goals. Senior goaltender Jeff Jakaitis allowed Alaska two even strength goals 41 seconds apart just after the midpoint of the second period by Ryan Muspratt and Darcy Campbell to give the Nanooks a 2-2 tie. For the game LSSU goaltender Jeff Jakaitis had 31 saves while Alaska goalie Wylie Rogers recorded 21 saves. Lake Superior State University found themselves down early in the game Saturday night with the Nanooks Kyle Greentree slipping a goal past Laker goalie Jeff Jakaitis just 52 seconds into the game. Greentree added a second goal just past the midpoint of the first period and then completed the hat trick with under 4 minutes remaining in the second period on the power play after a frustrated LSSU team was called for three consecutive penalties. The lone bright spot for the Lakers was Josh Sim scoring his second goal of the weekend and 6th of the season at 13:07 of the third period, Nathan Perkovich got the only assist on the play. In Saturday's game Jakaitis had 28 saves while allowing all three UAF goals, while UAF's Chad Johnson made 27 stops to record the win. LSSU went 2-for-13 on the power play and held UAF to 1-for-11 with the extra man on the weekend. Next weekend the Lakers play a home-and-home series against Northern Michigan University. Photos of the UAF game can be found here

Lakers Fail to Show Up for Second Meeting in Fairbanks

Lake Superior State University’s Saturday night woes continued this weekend with the Lakers falling 3-1 in Saturday’s series finally against the University of Alaska Fairbanks. LSSU came out drowsy in the 11:05 EST start time allowing the Nanooks Kyle Greentree to slip a goal past Laker goalie Jeff Jakaitis just 52 seconds into the game. Greentree added a second goal just past the midpoint of the first period and then completed the hat trick with under 4 minutes remaining in the second period on the power play after a frustrated LSSU team was called for three consecutive penalties. The lone bright spot for the Lakers was Josh Sim scoring his second goal of the weekend and 6th of the season at 13:07 of the third period, Nathan Perkovich got the only assist on the play. For the game LSSU went 0-for-6 on the power play and held UAF to 1-for-5 with the extra man. The Lakers won the faceoff battle going 32-for-55 on the night. Next weekend the Lakers play a home-and-home series against Northern Michigan University.

Lakers Hold on for a 2-2 Tie

For the fourth time in five meetings in Fairbanks, the Lake Superior State and Alaska hockey teams skated to a draw. LSSU (8-4-1 overall, 3-3-1 Central Collegiate Hockey Association) and 16th-ranked Alaska tied 2-2 in overtime Friday at the Carlson Center as neither team could score in the third period or the extra session. The Lakers' string of ties with the Nanooks dates back to Jan. 17, 2003, and includes three straight. Junior defenseman Derek A. Smith led LSSU with a goal and an assist as the Lakers took a 2-0 lead on two power-play goals through 27 1/2 minutes of play. Alaska scored two even-strength goals 41 seconds apart, tying the game 2-2 at 12:20 of the second period. The Nanooks (5-2-4 overall, 3-1-3 CCHA) out-shot LSSU, 13-4, in the middle stanza and 33-23 for the game. Josh Sim scored LSSU's first goal at 13:23 of the first period, and Dominic Osman and Smith drew assists. Troy Schwab and Trent Campbell assisted on Smith's goal at 7:26 of the second period. The Lakers finished 2-for-7 on the power play and held Alaska to 0-for-6. LSSU goaltender Jeff Jakaitis (5-3-1) totaled 31 saves. Alaska netminder Wylie Rogers (1-1-2) totaled 21 saves.

Lake Superior State set to Spend Thanksgiving in Alaska

Lake Superior State University's (8-4-0, 3-3-0 CCHA) hockey team will take travel to Alaska this weekend to take on the University of Alaska Fairbanks (5-2-3, 3-1-2 CCHA) over the Thanksgiving break with games on Friday and Saturday night. The Nanooks swept Ferris State, beat and tied at Nebraska-Omaha, and tied one game with Northern Michigan earlier this season The Lakers trip to Alaska marks the start to the hart of CCHA season for the Lakers, the only non-conference action that they Lakers will see will be an exhibition game against the US Under-18 team and then their appearance at the Badger Showdown all occurring in December. Lake Superior is looking for their third sweep of the season and first in conference action. LSSU is coming off of a sweep over Wayne State last weekend while UAF is coming off of a loss and tie against Northern Michigan last weekend. LSSU leads the all-time series against UAF, 21-9-3, including going 4-2-4 in their past 10 meetings. Last season the Lakers swept the Nanooks 4-2, and 3-2 in Sault Ste. Marie. This is the only scheduled meeting of the two teams this season. Alaska Fairbanks is in eigth place in the CCHA with a conference record of 3-1-2, the Warriors are ranked fifth in the CCHA in offensive output averaging 3.60 goals per game while giving up only 2.70 goals per game. UAF's power play is tops in the CCHA with a 23.9 Power Play Percentage, while their penalty kill is 7th in the CCHA with an 82.3 penalty kill percentage. Alaska is averaging a league low 15.60 penalty minutes per game. LSSU's power play is has slipped to seventh in the CCHA averaging 1.17 PPG a game and a 18.9 power play percentage, after going 1-for-29 with the extra man in their past 5 games. The Lakers are currently fifth in the CCHA in penalty killing giving up 9 goals in 12 games with a kill rating of .859. LSSU goaltender Jeff Jakaitis is currently tied for first in the CCHA, with Notre Dame's David Brown, with a .950 SV%. LSSU freshman Pat Inglis has a .898 SV% and has recorded a 3.00 GAA while spitting time with Jakaitis. The Lakers are ranked third in the CCHA with a goals against average of 2.33. LSSU is offensively lead by Trent Campbell (5-8-13), Nathan Perkovich (8-3-11), and Derek A. Smith (1-9-10), who have 13, 11, and 10 points respectively. UAF is led offensively by junior Kyle Greentree who has 8 goals and 17 points in 10 games this year, after going 8-19-27 all of last year. The Nanooks Curtis Fraser has 6 goals and 11 points this season while defenseman Tyler Eckford has 9 assists and 13 points this season. Dion Knelson has posted 4 goals and 9 points in only 6 appearances this season. Alaska Fairbanks has seen sophomore goaltender Chad Johnson play the majority of the teams games this season recording 4 wins and 2 ties in 8 appearances posting a 2.09 GAA, and .918 SV%, junior Wylie Rogers has played in three games posting one win and one tie in 3 appearances posting a 4.14 GGA and .890 SV%.

Perkovich is named CCHA Rookie of the Week

FARMINGTON HILLS – Lake Superior State freshman forward Nathan Perkovich was named Central Collegiate Hockey Association Rookie of the Week after picking up two goals and an assist in last weekend’s 3-0 and 4-2 victories over Wayne State. Perkovich scored the winning goal on Friday, and was named the game’s first star Saturday after notching a goal and an assist. He drew the assist on Troy Schwab’s 4-on-4 game-winning goal at 17:17 of the third period. Perkovich, a 6-5, 200-pounder from Canton, Mich., is leading the Lakers (8-4-0) in goals scored with eight and has three assists so far this season. He is tied for first in the CCHA in power-play goals with five. He is tied for sixth in the league in goals scored and is ranked No. 1 among freshmen in that category. Other CCHA Player of the Week honors went to Miami’s Ryan Jones (offensive), Ohio State’s Sean Collins (defensive) and Michigan’s Billy Sauer (goaltender). The Lakers resume CCHA play on Friday and Saturday at Alaska.

Lake Superior State Completes Sweep of Wayne State

Lake Superior State University was able to overcome their Saturday doldrums to complete the home sweep of Wayne State with a 4-2 win. Nathan Perkovich was able to get the Lakers on the board first with a power play goal at 8:26 of their first period knocking in a rebound off of a Josh Sim shot with Ryan Baird getting his first point of the season with an assist on the play; Sim got the other assist on the play. The power play goal ended a 0-for-23 goalless streak with the extra man for the Lakers. Wayne State tied the game with just 30 seconds remaining in the first period with Derek Bachynski scoring in an even strength situation. Lake Superior’s Nik Sellers was able to give the Lakers a 2-to-1 lead with a goal at 3:05 of the second period Trent Campbell and Dominic Osman had assists on the goal. Freshman goalie Pat Inglis kept Wayne State off the board the second period before giving up the game tying goal early in the third with the Warriors Nate Higgins knocking in a rebound 5:07 into the third period. LSSU’s Troy Schwab was able to score the game winning goal with a wrist shot finding the goal off of the goalie, his second goal of the season at 17:17 of the third period by putting in a pass from Perkovich from behind the goal, Marty Gurnoe got the other assist on the play. Trent Campbell was able to cement the game with an empty net goal with 9 seconds remaining, to give him his 5th goal of the season, Schwab and Inglis where given the assists on the goal. The Lakers out-shot Wayne State 26-to-21 in the game, buoyed by a 15-to-5 shot second period, LSSU found themselves on the short end in the faceoff battle again but ended the game with a surprisingly close 28-for-58 record. LSSU held Wayne State to 0-for-4, 0-for-10 on the weekend, on the power play. Lake Superior was 1-for-7, 1-for-15 on the weekend, with the extra man, ending their goalless power play streak at 23 opportunities. Next weekend Lake Superior State will travel to Alaska to take on the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Jakaitis Shines in Tying Career Record in Shutouts

Three second period goals were all that Lake Superior State University goaltender Jeff Jakaitis needed to record his second shutout of season and ninth of his career to tie Blaine Lacher (1991-94) with career shutouts, with a Laker 3-0 win. After an uneventful first period in which a lackluster Laker team was out shot by the Warriors 11-to-8, freshman Nathan Perkovich banked in his team leading seventh goal of the season off of Wayne State goaltender Will Hooper on a shot from the side of the net. Barnabas Birkeland got the only assist on Perkovich’s even strength goal at 4:43 of the second period. Sault native Jason Blain took a hooking penalty at 9:38 of the second period to put the Lakers one player down for the third time in the game. On the ensuing short handed situation Trent Campbell was able to notch his 4th goal of the season, at 10:14, with Josh Sim getting his first assist of the season on the play. Just over a minute, 11:28, later Derek A. Smith was able to put in a shot for his first goal of the season with Jeff Rainville getting his second assist of the season on the play, Smiths two goals last weekend were redistributed after video review, he now is 1-9-10 on the season. The two goals that LSSU scored in the 2 minute short handed situation is potentially a school record. The Lakers out-shot Wayne State 29-to-22 in the game, but found themselves on the short end in the faceoff battle again this game going 25-for-54 in the game. LSSU held Wayne State to 0-for-6 on the power play and scored 2 short handed goals while down a man. Lake Superior was 0-for-8 with the extra man, putting them 0-for-22 on the power play in their last 4 games. These same two teams faceoff again Saturday night, look for freshman Pat Inglis to get his 4th start in goal this season.

LSSU to host Wayne State

Lake Superior State University (6-4-0, 3-3-0 CCHA) hockey team will take play host to Wayne State University (2-7-0) this weekend in non-conference action. This is the first meeting between the two teams since the 2001-02 season in which the Lakers where swept by the Warriors. LSSU has an all time record of 2-2-0 against Wayne State. This is the Lakers only appearance this season against College Hockey America opponents, last season LSSU was 3-0-1 against CHA opponents. This season the Lakers are 3-1-0 in non-conference play. The Lakers only other non-conference opponents coming up this season are Providence and Clarkson or Wisconsin at the Badger Showdown, and then whoever LSSU will face in the NCAA tournament. Lake Superior is looking for their second sweep of the season and second in non-conference action. LSSU is coming off of a disappointing split against Miami of Ohio last weekend while Wayne State is coming off of a split last weekend at Brown. Wayne State is in last place in the CHA with a conference record of 1-1-0, the Warriors are ranked last in the CHA in offensive output averaging 2.33 goals per game while giving up 4.67 goals per game. WSU's power play is ranked 3nd in College Hockey America with a 15.5 Power Play Percentage, while their penalty kill is 4th in the CHA with a 76.6 penalty kill percentage. Wayne State is averaging 20.0 penalty minutes per game. LSSU’s power play is ranked third in the CCHA averaging 1.30 PPG a game and a 21.7 power play percentage. The Lakers are currently sixth in the CCHA in penalty killing giving up 9 goals in 10 games with a kill rating of 83.6. LSSU goaltender Jeff Jakaitis is currently ranked second in the CCHA with a .945 SV%. LSSU freshman Pat Inglis has a .897 SV% and has recorded a 3.25 GAA while spitting time with Jakaitis, expect Inglis to play one or both games this weekend. With the Lakers Jekyll and Hyde play from Friday to Saturday, I would expect to see Roque play Inglis Friday night and follow up with Jakaitis on Saturday. The Lakers are ranked third in the CCHA with a goals against average of 2.60. LSSU is offensively lead by Trent Campbell (3-7-10), Derek A. Smith (0-9-0), and Nathan Perkovich (6-2-0) who have 10, 9, and 8 points respectively. Wayne State is led offensively by senior Jason Bloomingburg who has 3 goals and 8 points in 9 games this year, after finishing last year 10-7-17. Wayne State’s roster also includes former Laker John Nogatch, who played at LSSU during the 2004-05 campaign. Wayne State has used two goaltenders this season with senior Will Hooper recording 5 losses in 5 appearances posting a 4.82 GAA, and .843 SV%, and freshman Brett Bothwell who has two wins in 4 appearances posting a 4.50 GGA and .904 SV%. Look for Lake Superior State to travel to Detroit next season to play at Wayne State.

LSSU’s Saturday Struggles Continue

With Saturday’s 4-2 loss Lake Superior State University has seen them selves fail to complete sweeps on three of their past four opportunities. LSSU was unable to capitalize on a five minute power play midway through the first period after Miami of Ohio’s Joe Cooper took a major and a game misconduct for checking from behind. Miami of Ohio was then unable to capitalize on a 2man power play late in their first period when Trent Campbell and Simon Gysbers where both sent off with less than 2 minutes remaining in the period. Miami of Ohio took the lead in the game with Nathan Davis scoring his 10th goal of the season 2:51into the second period. LSSU’s Jeff Rainville scored his 6th goal of the season just over 2 minutes later, at 5:05, to give the Lakers a 1-1 tie, Dan Eves and Steven Kaunisto had assists on the Rainville goal. The Redhawks Justin Mercier scored on the power play to Miami a 2-1 lead at 13:50 in the second period while Nik Sellers was serving 2 for hooking. Troy Schwab was able to tie the game back up for the Lakers less than a minute later, 14:47, scoring a shorthanded goal with Campbell getting the assist. Miami was able to take a one goal lead at 6:01 of the third period with Marty Guerin putting the puck past LSSU goaltender Pat Inglis. LSSU was unable to capitalize on any opportunities in the third period. Nathan Perkovich put a shot off the post of the Miami goal and Matt Martello saw the puck just skip by him as he saw the open net, both failing to tie the game up at 3-3. LSSU pulled Inglis with just under a minute remaining and Miami of Ohio was able to add an empty net goal with 13 seconds remaining in the game to give them the 4-2 win. The story of the game was Lake Superior State’s inability to score on the power play, LSSU was 0-for-6, 0-for-9 on the weekend. Most notably LSSU was unable to score on a 5 minute power play in the first period and they where also unable to capitalize on a two minute two man advantage midway through the second period. The lone bright spot for LSSU’s special teams was Schwab’s short handed goal, LSSU’s first of the season. LSSU played 2 good periods of hockey but where only able to muster 3 shots on goal in the third period as they watched Miami of Ohio elevate their game to the next level. LSSU did win the faceoff battle going 27-to-24 for the game. Next week the Lakers play host to Wayne State University.

Derek A. Smith's Offensive Explosion Sparks LSSU to win over Miam of Ohio

A pair of goals from Derek A. Smith was all that they Lakers need to cement a 2-1 win over Miami of Ohio in Friday night’s opening contest of the weekend series. LSSU is 2-1-0 in thier last 3 games against Miami. After weathering a strong offensive push by the Redhawks in the first period, with saw Miami take an 8-3 shot lead into the locker room for the first intermission, the Lakers where able to shift momentum in their favor with the help of an early second period power play. The Lakers where able to get on the board first with junior defenseman Derek A. Smith scoring his first goal of the season banking it off of a Miami of Ohio defenseman in front of the net at 6:20 of the second period, assists on the play went to Nathan Perkovich and Trent Campbell. Miami was able to tie the game up at 1-1 three minutes later, at 9:33, with Brian Kaufman putting a shot behind Laker goaltender Jeff Jakaitis. Smith added his second goal of the game two minutes later, at 11:44, off of a faceoff win by freshman Matt Martello. Both teams failed to score a goal in the third period, giving the Lakers a 2-1 win over 4th ranked Miami of Ohio. Derek A. Smith’s two goal night was the first multiple goal game of his college career. His 2 goals and 7 assists for 9 points on the season tie him for the point lead on the team with Trent Campbell. Last season Smith had 2 goals and 10 points in 36 games, following his freshman campaign in which he had 1 goal and 5 points in 38 games. Campbell, Perkovich, and Martello continued to impress with each recording an assist in the game. Campbell has 7 assists and 9 points in 9 games this season after putting up 12 assists and 26 points last season. Perkovich’s assist gives him 8 points on the season for a 0.89 points per game clip, last season he scored 0.92 points per game for the Chicago Steel in the USHL. Martello’s assist puts him at a scoring rate of 0.78 points per game, last season he posted 1.40 points per game with the Vaughan Vipers of the Ontario Provincial Junior “A” Hockey League. Jakaitis recorded 25 saves on the 26 saves that he faced; Redhawks goaltender Charlie Effinger had 20 saves while giving up 2 goals in the game. LSSU went 0-3 on the power play recording only 2 shots while holding Miami of Ohio to 0-for-2 with zero shots on the power play. LSSU lost the faceoff battle 27-to-34 despite going 7-0 early in the first period. These same two teams face off again Saturday night in Sault Ste. Marie at 7:05. Ryan Baird is expected to see his first action of the season in Saturday's contest. Bill Crawford interviewed Bud Cooper, the father of Laker atheletics, between the second and third periods. ****CORRECTION**** Junior defenseman Derek A. Smith was originally credited with both Laker goals in last Friday’s win, but it was later determined that the goals were tipped by Trent Campbell and Matt Martello, respectively. ****CORRECTION****

Lake Superior State to Open Home CCHA Season Against Miami of Ohio

The Lake Superior State University (5-2-0, 2-2-0 CCHA) hockey team will take on the #4 ranked Miami University RedHawks (7-3-0, 4-2-0 CCHA) team at the Norris Center’s Taffy Abel Arena this weekend. LSSU is coming off of a split last weekend at Bowling Green while Miami of Ohio split last weekend with Northern Michigan after sweeping Bowling Green the previous weekend. Miami was picked to finish third in the CCHA in the preseason media and coaches polls, after finishing first in the league last season. Miami's penalty kill was successful last weekend holding NMU to 1 for 10 on the power play, and scoring one shorthanded goal. Miami’s power play went 5-for-17 for the weekend; giving them a season total to .198, tied for sixth in the CCHA, Miami’s power play also surrendered a short handed goal to OSU. LSSU went 2-10 on the power play against BGSU, and held BGSU goalless in 8 power play opportunities. The Lakers have the second best power play in the CCHA scoring 26.0% of the time. The Lakers are sixth in the CCHA in penalty killing with a giving up one goal per game with a kill rating of .830. LSSU leads the all-time series against Miami, 51-25-10, including a 32-7-4 advantage at in the Sault. Last season, the Lakers and RedHawks split their series in the Sault. The Lakers have struggled as of late against the RedHawks, going 3-11-0, in the last 14 meetings. The Redhawks and Lakers are in the same CCHA cluster this season, with LSSU traveling to Miami the second weekend in Feburary. LSSU saw freshman Nathan Perkovich’s goal scoring streak come to an end at 6 games last weekend, a school record for freshmen. Jeff Rainville has a point in each of the Lakers past 4 games including scoring 4 goals, Rainville has 5 goals on the season. Trent Campbell leads the Lakers with 8 points on 6 assists, followed closely by Derek A. Smith who has 7 assists on the season. LSSU goaltender Jeff Jakaitis stopped 34 out of 35 shots on Friday night but only managed 22 saves on 25 shots before being pulled midway through Saturday’s game after allowing 2 goals in 23 seconds. Jakaitis is currently the CCHA’s third rated goaltender with a .942 save percentage, Jeff saw his goals against average raise to 2.21 on Saturday’s performance. Miami of Ohio is led offensively by junior Nathan Davis who has 21 points, 9 goals and 12 assists, in 10 games this year. Ryan Jones has 6 goals and 6 assists on the season, and defenseman Alec Martinez has 5 goals and 9 points on the season. Miami goalies Jeff Zatkoff and Charlie Effinger have spit time in goal this season with Zatkoff posting a .931 save percentage and 1.81 goals against average, while Effinger has a .897 save percentage and 2.41 goals against average.

Zach MacVoy to play for LSSU in 2007-08

Lake Superior State University has received a verbal commitment for the 2007-08 season from Zach MacVoy, of the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey League. A 6-foot 1-inch 210 pound right wing from Livonia played for the University of Michigan in 2005-06 scoring 1 goal and recording 4 points in 20 games will come in as a sophomore next season for the Lakers. MacVoy who saw his playing time diminish at Michigan, getting into only 3 games in the Wolverines final 15 contests and just once in their final 11 games, opted to leave U of M for Omaha with the hopes of landing with another college team that would afford him a better chance to get playing time. This season for the Lancers MacVoy has three assists in 7 games. Prior to attending Michigan MacVoy spent two seasons with USA Hockey’s developmental program, putting up 10 goals and 34 points in 62 games in 2004-05, and 8 goals and 22 points in 63 games in 2003-04. While playing with team USA MacVoy won gold medals at the 2005 Five Nations Tournament in Sweden, and at the 2004 Compuware Four Nations Cup in Ann Arbor.

Inconsistent Play Dooms Lakers

Poor play Saturday night on the road again cost Lake Superior State University the opportunity to sweep Bowling Green in CCHA action. The Lakers spotted BGSU 3 in the first half of the game before seeing their third period rally fall short, eventually losing the game 4-2. Despite the Lakers strong play in the first few minutes of the game the Falcons got on the board first with Derek Whitmore putting a backhand shot behind Laker goalie Jeff Jakaitis, 2:53 into the first period, on the short (glove) side. Bowling Green’s Tomas Petruska gave the Falcon’s a 2-0 lead at 9:39 of the second period, after catching Jakaitis mishandling the puck and then giving up a big rebound. Rich Meloche added a third goal for the Falcon’s 23 seconds (10:02) later to give the Faclon’s a 3-0 lead, after Jakaitis juggled the long shot and gave up a rebound right to Meloche. LSSU head coach pulled Jakaitis after BGSU’s third goal of the game in favor of freshman Pat Inglis. Jim Roque was very upset with Jakaitis’ play feeling that he may have cost the Lakers the game as evidenced by the quotes he provided the media after the game. The Lakers came out strong in the third period and where rewarded early with Trent Campbell scoring his second goal of the season on a long wrist shot that went off of the BGSU goalies glove and into the net, giving him a team leading 8 points, early in the third period, 3:08, to give the Lakers some life. Marty Gurnoe and Jeff Rainville received assists on the Campbell goal. Dominic Osman pulled the Lakers to within one, 3-2, with a goal at 9:08 of the third period with Jason Blain getting the only assist on the play. Bowling green was able to put the Lakers away with James Perkin scoring his first goal of the season at 14:21 of the third period to give the Falcons the 4-2 lead over LSSU. Jakaitis made 22 saves on the 25 shots he faced before being pulled at 10:02 of the second period. Inglis made 17 saves on the 18 shots that he faced in relief of Jakaitis. BGSU’s goaltender Jimmy Spratt made 26 saves and gave up 2 goals in the game. The Lakers went 0-for-5 on the power play, mustering only 2 shots on goal. BGSU went 0-for-6 with the extra man, putting 9 shots on goal. LSSU has now scored on the power play in their past 6 games. The Lakers where dominated in the faceoff circle by the Falcons winning only 26 of 69 faceoffs. Perkovich was kept off the scorer’s sheet for only the second time in his college career meaning that he fell one game short of Mike deCarle’s school record for consecutive games with a goal. Although official records are missing to provide complete confirmation, we can be confident is saying that Perkovich has set or tied a record for freshman in this category. The Lakers where even with the Falcons in the faceoff circle with the Lakers holding a slim 31-30 lead. Notes: Bill Crawford and LSSU assistant coach Joe Shawhan drove Justin Gutwald’s car back to the Sault after Justin drove down to Bowling Green on Friday to fill in for Marty Gurnoe and Steven Kaunisto who fell ill on the bus ride down from the Sault.

LSSU Defensive Corps Shine

Lake Superior State University defensemen Barnabas Birkeland, Derek A. Smith, Simon Gysbers, Steven Oleksy, and Justin Gutwald where the stars of the game on Friday night after Marty Gurnoe and Steven Kaunisto fell ill on the bus ride down from the Sault. Gutwald drove down to Bowling Green from the Sault on Friday to give LSSU a fifth defenseman, Gutwald saw action for the second time this season after being a healthy scratch for all 36 games last season. The Lakers scored the first goal of the game with, of all people, Nathan Perkovich scoring his 6th goal of the season, at 7:33, on the power play off of a nice pass from Matt Martello with Trent Campbell getting the other assist on the play. If Perkovich scores Saturday night he will tie Mike deCarle’s school record for consecutive games with a goal record with 7 straight games, which deCarle did in 1988-89. There is a good chance that Perkovich has set a school record for consecutive games scoring a goal by a freshman, I am currently checking with LSSU’s Sporting Information Department on this. Bowling Green’s Brandon Svendsen scored his first goal of the season midway through the first period to tie the game at 1-1. Jeff Rainville scored his 5th goal of the season and 4th goal in the past 3 games to give the Lakers a 2-1 lead midway though the second period, 11:11, with Simon Gysbers getting the only assist on the goal. This is Rainville’s CCHA leading 3rd game winning goal of the season. Barnabas Birkeland gave the Lakers an insurance goal, to give the Lakers a final score win of 3-1, on the power play at 17:20 of the third period with Campbell and Justin Gutwald getting assists on the goal. Laker goaltender Jeff Jakaitis saved 34 of 35 shots on the game, while BGSU’s goaltender Eddie Neville saved 29 shots while giving up 3 goals. Bowling Green’s hometown media named Jakaitis first star of the game, and Campbell with his 2 assists second star, BGSU’s Svendsen was named third star for scoring the falcons lone goal in a losing effort. Perkovich, Martello, and Rainville have yet to receive any points in the Perani Cup Three-Star Standings. The Lakers went 2-for-6 on the power play, putting 7 shots on goal, and held BGSU to 0-for-3 with the extra man. LSSU has now scored on the power play in their past 6 games. The Lakers where dominated in the faceoff circle by the Falcons winning only 26 of 69 faceoffs. These same two teams faceoff again Saturday night at 7:05.

LSSU makes Second Trip to Ohio this Season to take on Bowling Green in CCHA action

This weekend Lake Superior State University's (4-2-0, 1-1-0 CCHA) hockey team will travel to Bowling Green Ohio to take on Bowling Green State University (2-3-1, 0-2-0 CCHA). LSSU is 2-2-0 on the road this season while Bowling Green is 1-0-1 at home. LSSU is coming off of a sweep this past weekend over American International College while Bowling Green was swept last weekend by Miami and has lost their last three games. Bowling Green was predicted to finish 11th in both the CCHA coaches and media preseason polls. This weekend's match up against Bowling Green will mark the 131st and 132nd times that these two teams have met since 1970. Lake Superior State University has an all time record against BGSU of 57-67-7. Including a 6-5-3 record in their past 14 meetings, last season the Lakers swept the Falcons in Sault Ste Marie. BGSU' offence has struggled early this season with the Falcons averaging 2.50 goals per game. The Falcon's power play is 10th in the CCHA with a 10.8 power play percentage, while Lake Superior State's power play connecting 27.5 percent of the time. BGSU' penalty kill is ranked 7th in the CCHA with a .828 penalty kill percentage, and have been averaging a league low 10.33 penalty minutes a game. The Lakers top ranked power play is has 11 goals in 40 opportunities, with 2 short handed goals against. Nathan Perkovich, Josh Sim, and Jeff Rainville each have 3 power play goals which gives them each a share of first in the CCHA in power play goals. The Lakers penalty kill is ranked 11th in the CCHA, allowing 8 goals in 39 opportunities, for a .795 penalty kill percentage. The Lakers are averaging 3.67 goals per game this season while allowing 2.67 goals per game. Bowling Green is lead by junior forwards Derek Whitmore, Jonathan Matsumoto, while freshman Eddie Neville, and sophomore Jimmy Spratt have spit time in goal. Whitmore has 6 goals and 7 points in 6 games this season, Matsumoto has 3 goals and 8 points in 6 games this season. Last season Matsumoto had 48 points on 20 goals and 28 assists. BGSU's leading goal scorer from last season Alex Foster has split time with the Columbia Inferno of the East Coast Hockey League and the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League, after forgoing his final two years at BGSU. Neville has played in 3 of BGSU games this season recording a .915 SV% and a 2.66 Goals Against Average, while Spratt has a .862 SV% and 3.91 GAA in his 4 games this season. Lake Superior has now seen 11 different players score goals this season, with Nathan Perkovich leading the way with 5 goals, third in the CCHA, and 6 points and Josh Sim and Jeff Rainville putting in 4 goals each. Derek A. Smith has recorded 7 assists, 4th most in the CCHA and 13th best in the country, while Troy Schwab has recorded assists on 6 goals. Senior goaltender Jeff Jakaitis and freshman Pat Inglis have shared time in goal this season with Jakaitis going 2-2-0 with a .947 SV%, third in the country, and 2.01 GAA, while Inglis is 1-1-0 with a .877 SV% and 3.54 GAA.