LSSU Travel's to South Bend to Open CCHA Season

SAULT STE. MARIE – Establishing momentum and obtaining an early lead will be a priority for Lake Superior State coach Jim Roque and Notre Dame coach Jeff Jackson when the Lakers take on 13th-ranked Notre Dame in their Central Collegiate Hockey Association opener. The Lakers (1-2-1 overall, 0-0-0 CCHA) and Fighting Irish (4-3-0 overall, 2-1-0 CCHA) are playing a rare Thursday-Friday series, and both games begin at 7:35 p.m. at the Joyce Center. The games will be broadcast live on Rock 101 FM with a live feed on www.lssulakers.com. Comcast Local will televise them for South Bend, Ind., viewers. Scoring the first goal of the game happened for the first time this season for Lake Superior State and only the second time for Notre Dame when the respective teams were playing at home last weekend. After losing 4-0 to eighth-ranked Clarkson last Friday, Sophomore Nathan Perkovich scored LSSU’s first power-play goal of the season at 18:39 of the first period Saturday, giving the Lakers a 1-0 lead. LSSU continued to dominate the game and won 5-1. When Notre Dame’s Evan Rankin scored in the first period of Friday’s 3-2 win at Ferris State, it marked the first time this season that the Irish scored the first goal of the game in the opening stanza and just the second time all season that they had the game’s first goal. Last season, UND outscored the opposition 43-13 in the first period and tallied the game’s first goal in 32 of 42 contests. The Irish were 26-4-2 in those games. The Lakers were 15-2-1 when scoring first last season. Notre Dame, which played three games last week, including a midweek 4-3 win at Bowling Green State, lost 3-0 to FSU last Saturday for their first shutout loss since November, 2006. In that outing, Ferris State killed all 10 of UND’s power-play chances and scored two short-handed goals. Despite the loss, the Irish successfully killed off 15 straight opponent power plays in the series. In fact, they haven’t given up a power-play goal since the final minute of their season opener – 31 consecutive chances. Jackson was quoted as saying that he’d like to see the same aggressiveness when his team is playing five-on-five that he sees when the Irish are killing penalties. Roque has been more focused on limiting costly penalties, and he hasn’t dwelled on the power play. He is pleased with the progress his young squad is making with special teams play. The Lakers went 3-for-8 with the man-advantage against Clarkson on Saturday and snapped an 0-for-17 power-play drought. LSSU is led in scoring by linemates Dan Eves and Chad Nehring, a senior and freshman who both have two goals and three assists this season, while Perkovich leads the Lakers in goals scored with three. Sophomore goaltender Pat Inglis (0-2-1) has a 3.49 goals-against average and .882 save percentage. Freshman netminder Brian Mahoney-Wilson, who was credited with Saturday’s win in his first career start, so far has a perfect save percentage and 0.00 GAA. He left the game with 4:37 remaining to go due to a severe cramp and his team leading 5-0, but could not be credited for a shutout. Notre Dame is led in scoring by freshman forward Ben Ryan (2-5-7), sophomore forward Ryan Thang (4-0—4) and senior forward Mark Van Guilder (4-0—4). Junior goaltender Jordan Pearce has played all seven games, and has a 2.16 GAA and .916 save percentage. Pearce is currently ranked fourth in the CCHA in those categories. LSSU has lost four straight to the Fighting Irish, including all three games last season. Notre Dame was the nation’s No. 1-ranked team when it shut out the Lakers, 3-0, during the CCHA Semifinals at Joe Louis Arena last March.

Lake Superior Splits with 8/9th Ranked Clarkson

After a disappointing showing Friday night in which Lake Superior State suffered a shutout and also gave up 3 special teams goals, 2 on the power play and one shorthanded to fall 0-4 to Clarkson, LSSU dominated Clarkson Saturday to top the Golden Knights 5-1. Lake Superior gave up two goals in the first and two goals in the third periods on Friday night falling to Clarkson 0-4 on Friday night. Sophomore goaltender Pat Inglis gave up 4 goals on 25 shots in a losing performance, while the Laker offense was unable to put any of their 19 shots past Clarkson goaltender David Leggio. LSSU went 0-for-5 on the power play, and gave up 2 goal on 7 opportunities with the extra man to the Golden Knights. Saturday night saw Freshman goaltender Brian Mahoney-Wilson starting and seeing his first collegiate action. LSSU opened the scoring Saturday night with Sophomore Nathan Perkovich scoring his third goal of the season on the power play at 18:39 of the first period, Simon Gysbers and Troy Schwab each recorded their first assists of the season on the play. Perkovich’s goal was his third in four games this season. LSSU was able to jump on Clarkson with Chad Nehring scoring his first collegiate goal 24 seconds into second period with Josh Sim getting his second assist of the season. Steven Kaunisto added his first goal of the season just over two minutes later, at 3:54 of the second period, with Dan Eves recording the assist. The Lakers added a third 2nd period goal on the power play with Eves scoring his second goal of the season with Nehring and Kaunisto each recording assists on the play. Nehring added a second goal and third point scoring on the power play at 14:32 of the third period, Eves and Nik Sellers received assists on the goal. Mahoney-Wilson fell victim to what is being reported as a leg cramp after getting knocked into the net during a scrum for the puck in front of the Laker net at 15: 23 of the third period, denying him the opportunity to record his first shutout as a Laker. A cold Inglis replaced Mahoney-Wilson in goal and ended up giving up a goal to Clarkson’s David Cayer at 19:12 of the third period. Mahoney-Wilson recorded 32 saves in just over 55 minutes in his first collegiate outing for the Lakers, while Inglis recorded 3 saves on 4 shots in short relief in the third period. Clarkson goaltender Tim Potter posted 31 saves on the 36 Laker shots he faced, in his first NCAA appearance. LSSU went 3-for-8 on the power play (3-for-13 on the weekend), and killed all three opportunities that Clarkson had (2-for-10 on the weekend). For the fourth game this season LSSU held the faceoff edge winning 53% of the time. LSSU travels to South Bend next weekend to open the CCHA season defending CCHA champion Notre Dame both games start at 7:35 p.m. Thursday and Friday.

Lake Superior State to Play Host to Clarkson

SAULT STE. MARIE - Lake Superior State will play its first hockey home series of the season when it takes on eighth-ranked Clarkson at 7:05 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Taffy Abel Arena. The Lakers (0-1-1) are playing eight of their next 12 games against nationally-ranked teams. The Golden Knights (3-1-0) dropped a spot in the rankings despite avenging an Oct. 7 loss at 15th-ranked St. Lawrence with a 5-4 overtime home victory last Saturday. Both non-conference games will be broadcast live on Rock 101 FM and simulcast on www.lssulakers.com. A video feed is available on the B2 Network. Friday is Thunderstick Night, and the first 2,000 fans who come through the door will receive free thundersticks. "Believe in Blue" wristbands will be given away on Saturday. Clarkson is visiting Sault Ste. Marie for the first time since the 1991 NCAA Regional, but the Golden Knights and Lakers met three times last season. During an early-season series played in Potsdam, N.Y., LSSU won the first game, 5-1, and Clarkson turned the tables with a 7-1 victory in Game 2. Clarkson also claimed a 3-2 victory over the Lakers at the Badger Showdown in Madison, Wis., on Dec. 30, 2006. The Lakers' split at Clarkson was the most lop-sided of their nine series splits during the 2006-07 season. Despite the roller-coaster outcomes, several Laker players had good performances against the Golden Knights. Junior forward Josh Sim was the standout among returning players with four goals, while sophomore Nathan Perkovich had two goals and an assist. Juniors Troy Schwab and Marty Gurnoe contributed two assists each. Clarkson returns seven of their top eight scorers (including four NHL Draft picks) from last year's 25-9-5 team that won the ECAC Tournament title and earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA East Regional. The Golden Knights have turned their program around after finishing 13-23-3 in 2004-05. The Lakers return three of their top eight scorers from last year's squad that finished 21-19-3 for their most-successful season since 1995-96. LSSU and Clarkson both lost their top scorers from last season (Derek A. Smith of LSSU and Shawn Weller of CU) to the Ottawa Senators' organization. Smith and Weller are currently Binghamton Senators teammates. LSSU is coming off a 3-3 overtime tie last Saturday in an exhibition game against Western Ontario. The Lakers rallied back from a 3-1 deficit, getting goals from Nathan Perkovich and Chad Nehring, and more than 35 shutout minutes from goaltender Pat Inglis. Perkovich has scored a goal in all three LSSU games in 2007-08. Lake Superior State fans who were around during the era when the Lakers had the nation's most-successful hockey program will remember the 1991 NCAA Regional series in Sault Ste. Marie that Clarkson won, two games to one. LSSU won a school-record 36 games that season, including the league playoffs, but their season ended with a hard-fought 4-3 loss to the Golden Knights. LSSU leads the all-time series against CU, 5-4-0. Notes: LSSU is celebrating Parents Weekend during the Clarkson series...Through Nov. 17, the Laker Hockey Preview Show airs daily at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Charter on Demand, Mainstreet Channel 6 in Sault Ste. Marie or Mainstreet Channel 11 in Gaylord/Petoskey.

LSSU and UWO Skate to 3-3 Tie

Lake Superior State University’s men’s hockey team battled back, in the second half of Saturday’s game, to post a 3-3 tie against Western Ontario. LSSU fell behind at 12:34 of the first period on a power play goal by Jeff Martens. The Lakers went down 2-0 when OHL veteran Sal Peralta scored an even strength goal 1:26 into the second period. Simon Gysbers took a 5 minute checking from behind penalty 3:22 into the second period, with was accompanied by a game misconduct penalty. Just past the 5 minute mark UWO’s Adam Nemeth and Ryan Martinelli, and LSSU’s Nathan Perkovich where each assessed 2 minutes in the penalty box following a skirmish after the whistle instigated by a cross check by Martinelli. Pat Aubry brought the Lakers back to 2-1 scoring a 4-on-4 goal with Dillin Stonehouse getting the assist at 6:33 into the second. Martens scored his second goal of the game to give Western Ontario the 3-1 lead at 9:26 of the second period. Following the second Martens goal, LSSU Head Coach Jim Roque decided to pull freshman starter Brian Mahoney-Wilson after giving up 3 goals on 13 shots in just under 30 minutes played. With LSSU having two relatively inexperienced goaltenders this move was probably predetermined rather than a result of Mahoney-Wilson’s performance. Perkovich was able to grab momentum for the Lakers scoring 54 seconds into the third period with Troy Schwab getting the assist. Chad Nehring was able to tie the game at 3-3 with an even strength goal at 16:14 with Nik Sellers and Dan Eves getting the assists on the Freshman’s goal. Neither team was able to capitalize on any attempts during overtime with Western Ontario posting 4 shots against LSSU’s 1 shot. Both teams utilized goaltender tandems in goal with LSSU’s Mahoney Wilson posting 3 goals against and 10 saves in just under 30 minutes and Pat Inglis saved all 7 shots he faced in regulation and recorded 4 saves during overtime, while UWO's Keyvan Hunt allowed 1 goal on 24 shots in the first two periods. LSSU was able to put in two goals against OHL veteran Brad Topping in the third period on 14 shots, but Topping made a save on the only shot he faced in the overtime period.LSSU went 0-for-4 on the power play, and gave up 1 goal on 4 opportunities with the extra man to UWO. For the third game this season LSSU held the faceoff edge winning 60% of the time.LSSU remains home next weekend to play the home season opener against #7 Clarkson University at 7:05 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Taffy Abel Arena.

GLSW Features LSSU Versus Western Ontario

Lake Superior State will celebrate Great Lake State Weekend with an exhibition hockey game against Western Ontario at 7:05 p.m. Saturday at Taffy Abel Arena. The Lakers, who are playing their home opener after finishing 0-1-1 at last weekend’s inaugural Superior Showcase, will be taking on a team dominated by former OHL players. The average age of the players on Western Ontario’s roster is 22.7 years old, while the average age of the players on LSSU’s team is 21.0 years old. Lake Superior State has lost their past three games versus Canadian universities, their first losses to Canadian schools since 1997, LSSU is 12-2-0 all time against Western Ontario. Despite an opening loss to to Lakehead last season LSSU posted their second straight winning season under head coach Jim Roque. Last weekend, coach Roque dressed seven freshmen and 13 underclassmen as the Lakers tied Minnesota-Duluth 2-2 and lost 4-3 to Michigan Tech. Western Ontario, coached by Clarke Singer, is 6-2-0 overall and 3-1-0 in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Far West Division heading into Thursday’s home conference game against Laurier. The Mustangs lost 5-1 to sixth-ranked Michigan on Oct. 7, but trailed only 1-0 until the Wolverines’ Carl Hagelin notched a third-period hat trick to put the game out of reach. UWO’s roster includes 10 former OHL players, including former Soo Greyhounds forward Jacob King of Thessalon, Ont. Lake Superior State and UWO last met in an exhibition game on Oct. 4, 2002. LSSU scored three unanswered goals in the third period to win that game, 4-1. The Lakers have an all-time record of 12-2-0 against the Mustangs. LSSU’s top line so far this season includes a mix of young and old. The line of senior Dan Eves, sophomore Nik Sellers and freshman Chad Nehring scored a goal in both games last weekend. Sophomore Nathan Perkovich is enjoying another productive October, starting off the season with a goal in both games. Last year, from Oct. 14 through Nov. 3, Perkovich scored goals in six straight games. Notes: The first 2,000 fans at Saturday’s hockey game will receive “Believe in Blue” wrist bands…LSSU’s 2-2 tie at Minnesota-Duluth last Friday was the Lakers’ first tie since Jan. 5, 2007, at home against Nebraska-Omaha (4-4) and their first tie on the road since Dec. 8, 2006, at Ferris State (1-1)…LSSU will recognize alumni award honorees during first intermission of Saturday’s game. Among those being introduced are Outstanding Alumnus Jim Knight, Don Wilson of the Hudson Foundation, Shouldice Achievement Award winner Kevin Borseth, and the LSSU Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2007 inductees: the 1978 volleyball team, John Gilbert and Teresa (Watwood) Gilbert. LSSU Game Notes

LSSU Opens Season with Superior Showcase

Lake Superior State opened the season this past weekend with a tie and a loss against Minnesota Duluth and Michigan Tech respectively in the inaugural Superior Showcase. On Friday night LSSU fell behind late in the first period with a goal by University of Minnesota Duluth’s Trent Palm at 18:48. LSSU sophomore Nathan Perkovich tied the game up at 1-1 at the 5:19 mark of the second period, with his first goal of the season, unassisted. LSSU took the lead early in the third period with Senior Dan Eves scoring 3:52 in, off of a pass by Sophomore Nik Sellers. Minnesota Duluth rallied back scoring a power play goal less than 3 minutes later on the power play 15 seconds after Simon Gysbers was called for hooking. LSSU was unable to score in overtime despite putting up 6 shots to UMD’s 3 shots. For the game Inglis had 37 saves while allowing two goals, while UMD's Alex Stalock made 23 stops in the night. LSSU went 0-for-5 on the power play and held UMD to 1-for-5 with the extra man. On Saturday night LSSU found themselves coming from behind for the second night in a row after spotting Michigan Tech a 2-0 lead on goals by Tyler Shelast and Ryan Angelow in the first 8 minutes of the game, the first coming on the powerplay. LSSU’s Simon Gysbers was able to cut MTU’s lead in half by beating MTU’s goaltender Rob Nolan with a long slapshot in the final second of the first period. LSSU was able to tie the game up in the second period with Nik Sellers scoring his first goal of the season at 7:41 of the second period with Chad Nehring and Eves tallying the assists. LSSU was able to take the 3-2 lead at 9:50 of the second period with Perkovich scoring his second goal of the season with assists going to Josh Sim and Rick Schofield. For the second time this season LSSU was unable to maintain a lead giving up a power play goal to MTU’s Jordan Foote with only 2 seconds left in Perkovich’s slashing penalty. MTU scored again early in the third period to take the 4-3 lead that they held on to for the remainder of the game. For the game Inglis had 21 saves on 25 shots, while MTU's Rob Nolan made 14 stops on the night. LSSU went 0-for-4 on the power play, 0-for-9 on the weekend, and gave up 2 goals on 6 opportunities with the extra man to MTU. LSSU returns home next weekend to play an exhibition game against Western Ontario at 7:05 p.m. Saturday at Taffy Abel Arena.

Lakers travel to UMD and MTU for Superior Showcase

SAULT STE. MARIE – The Lake Superior State hockey team resumes old rivalries when it opens the 2007-08 season with non-conference games at Minnesota-Duluth on Friday and Michigan Tech on Sunday. The games are part of the inaugural Superior Showcase, which also includes Upper Peninsula rival Northern Michigan. LSSU and UMD face off at 8:07 EST Friday at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center. LSSU and MTU play at 5:37 p.m. Sunday at the MacInnis Student Ice Arena, and the game will be televised live on ESPNU. Both Laker contests will be broadcast live on Rock 101 and simulcast on http://www.lssulakers.com/. The other half of the bracket includes NMU at MTU on Friday, and NMU at UMD on Saturday. LSSU and Minnesota-Duluth are meeting for the first time since March 27, 1993. The Bulldogs lead the all-time series, 6-3-2, but have had the luxury of playing 10 of 11 games against the Lakers at the DECC. The Lakers won the only game played on neutral ice – a 4-3 victory during the 1993 NCAA West Regional held at Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena. That win vaulted the Lakers into the Frozen Four in Milwaukee. The last game between LSSU and MTU also took place at Joe Louis Arena during the 1999 Great Lakes Invitational. The Huskies won, 5-4, to take a 29-17-4 lead in the all-time series. The teams met three times that season, but have not played each other since. Michigan Tech was a member of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association from 1981-82 through 1983-84, and the Lakers and Huskies were 6-6-0 against each other during that span. MTU went on to join the Western Collegiate Hockey Association and have been underdogs to national powers North Dakota and Wisconsin. The Huskies, like the Lakers, have a proud tradition and have enjoyed resurgence. Last season, they were 18-17-5 overall and finished sixth in the WCHA. It was their best record since they were 18-18-6 in 1995-96. LSSU has been on a similar upward path, finishing 21-19-3 last season for the program’s best record since 1996-97 and advancing to the CCHA semifinals at Joe Louis Arena for the first time since 1995-96. The Lakers’ 2006-07 season ended with a 7-6 overtime loss to Michigan State, a team on the selection committee’s bubble that went on to win the 2007 NCAA title. Top returnees for LSSU third-year coach Jim Roque’s squad include senior forward Dan Eves (6-8—14), junior forwards Troy Schwab (6-24—30) and Josh Sim (15-11—26), and sophomore forward Nathan Perkovich (15-7—22). Schwab was among LSSU’s co-leaders in points, while Sim and Perkovich were co-leaders in goals scored. Minnesota-Duluth returns 18 letter winners, including six defensemen, from last year’s team, which finished 13-21-5 overall and ninth in the WCHA. The Bulldogs enjoyed a successful stretch during the new millennium, posting records of 22-15-5 in 2002-03, 28-13-4 in 2003-04 and 15-17-6 in 2004-05. They participated in the 2004 NCAA Frozen Four. LSSU Hockey Notes

Whites Win

Lake Superior State transfer Zac MacVoy scored two goals to lead the White Team to a 7-4 victory over the Blue Team during the Lakers' annual Blue-White scrimmage held Saturday at Taffy Abel Arena. Troy Schwab, Matt Cowie, Jason Blain, Steve Oleksy and Josh Sim added goals for the White Team, which pulled away from a 3-3 tie by outscoring the Blue Team 4-1 during the second half (two 25-minute halves were played). Two assists were credited to Schwab and Sim, while walk-on candidate Johan Wistrom, Will Acton and Ben Kitzmiller had one each. Cowie's goal was a short-handed marker scored at 15:24 of the first half. MacVoy is a sophomore transfer from the University of Michigan. Senior Dan Eves scored two goals for the Blue Team, while Providence College transfer Brad Cooper, as in Bud Cooper, and walk-on candidate Kyle Waisanen added one each. Senior Justin Gutwald and Nik Sellers had two assists each, and Marty Gurnoe, Steven Kaunisto, Chad Nehring and Eves had one apiece. LSSU goaltenders Pat Inglis, Mitch Edmondston and Brian Mahoney-Wilson appeared in net for both teams. Inglis led in saves with 15, followed by Edmondson with 12 and Mahoney-Wilson with nine. The Blue Team was 2-for-6 on the power play, while the White Team had no power-play chances. The Lakers officially open their season Oct. 12 at Minnesota-Duluth. Brad Cooper played at Providence College the past two seasons posting 1 goal and 4 points in his freshman season but saw limited action (10 games) last season due to suffering a broken jaw prior to the start of the season. From 2003-2005 Cooper played for the Texas Tornado of the NAHL capturing the 2004-05 NAHL championship and leading the NAHL in scoring with 88 points (28 goals, 60 assists), including 11 power-play goals. Cooper was named All-NAHL First Team honors in 2004-05 after being named to the NAHL All-Rookie Team in 2003-04. Kyle Waisanen is a Sault Native and 2005 graduate of Sault Area High School where he lettered in hockey and baseball, Waisanen also played AAA hockey for the Ojibwa Eagles. Waisanen played for LSSU’s club hockey team last season posting 13 goals and 24 points in 14 games in ACHA play. Last year Waisanen played sixth singles and third doubles for LSSU’s tennis team. http://www.achahockey.org/player_profile.php?player_id=55579&schedule_id=5436&team_id=15713

Lakers offer LSSU student promos during Blue-White Game

SAULT STE. MARIE – The Lake Superior State hockey team will kick off the 2007-08 season with its annual Blue-White Game at 7:05 p.m. Saturday at Taffy Abel Arena. The game, which features walk-on candidates in the lineup and special promotions for LSSU students, will include two 25-minute halves. Admission is free. The first 400 LSSU students who show up at the game will receive a free Blue Crew T-shirt. The Laker hockey team will also provide free pizza to the LSSU student section. And, one lucky LSSU student has the chance to win the opportunity to be a coach on the bench during the Lakers’ season-opening exhibition game on Oct. 20 against Western Ontario. The Norris Center Ticket Office will be open from 6-7 p.m. for individuals who wish to pick up season-ticket packages. LSSU returns 15 letter winners from last year’s squad, which finished 21-19-3 for its best record since 1995-96 and also advanced to the Central Collegiate Hockey Association semifinals for the first time in 11 years. Among the Lakers’ returnees are junior forward Troy Schwab, who was the team’s co-leader in points with 6-24—30 and will serve as captain in 2007-08. Junior Josh Sim and sophomore Nathan Perkovich led the Lakers in goals scored with 15 each. The Blue-White Game will be a chance for the Lakers to test their relatively new goaltending staff, which includes sophomores Pat Inglis (5-3-0) and Mitch Edmondson (0-0-0), and freshman Brian Mahoney-Wilson. LSSU’s roster also includes newcomers Carter Lee (Jr., F, 6-2, 200), Zac MacVoy (So., F, 6-2, 215), Dillin Stonehouse (Fr., D, 6-0, 185), Matt Cowie (Fr., D, 5-8-181), Chad Nehring (Fr., F, 6-0, 201), Rick Schofield (Fr., F, 6-2, 190), Ben Kitzmiller (Fr., D, 6-1, 208) and Tyson Hobbins (Fr., F, 6-3, 192). The Lakers’ only seniors are forwards Dan Eves, who will be a co-captain this season, Jason Blain and Justin Gutwald. Sim will be the Lakers’ other co-captain. The first Laker Hockey Show of the season will be broadcast from Moloney’s Alley at 6:05 p.m. Tuesday on WSOO 1230 AM.