LSSU to host Ferris State in the Soo

For the second time in three weeks, the Lake Superior State hockey team is taking on an opponent that it knocked out of last year’s Central Collegiate Hockey Association Playoffs. Upcoming opponent Ferris State (10-11-3 overall, 7-9-2 CCHA), which took only one point from Western Michigan last weekend, is currently seventh in the CCHA standings, but trails fifth-place Nebraska-Omaha by only three points. LSSU (4-16-4 overall, 2-13-3 CCHA) is tied for 11th with WMU and trails 10th-place Ohio State by only two points. Although the playoff picture will unfold during the next five weekends, LSSU and FSU could wind up being CCHA first-round playoff opponents for the second straight year. The Lakers’ and Bulldogs’ regular-season series is this Friday and Saturday at 7:05 p.m. at Taffy Abel Arena. Both games will be broadcast live on Rock 101 FM and simulcast on www.lssulakers.com. A pay-per-view video feed is available on the B2 Network. Friday is “Gordie Howe Poster Night,” and the first 2,000 fans who enter the gate will receive a free poster commemorating Mr. Hockey’s visit to Sault Ste. Marie in September. The Lakers’ 3-1-1 record against the Bulldogs in 2006-07 included back-to-back one-goal victories in Games 2 and 3 of the CCHA First-Round Playoffs. LSSU went on to upset Miami in the second round to earn its first trip to Joe Louis Arena for league semifinals since 1996. Six of the Lakers’ last 11 games against the Bulldogs have been decided in overtime, including last season’s 1-1 tie in Big Rapids and 4-3 FSU victory in Sault Ste. Marie during Game 1 of the playoff series. LSSU also won 4-1 in Big Rapids to take three of four points during the regular season. The Lakers’ home split with Ohio State last weekend included a heartbreaking 4-3 loss on Friday and a thrilling 6-5 overtime victory on Saturday. Late-game power plays were a deciding factor in both games, and LSSU mustered a season-best .625 conversion rate (5-for-8) to beat the Buckeyes. Junior forward Troy Schwab contributed 2-1—3 and sophomore forward Zac MacVoy added 1-2—3 including his first career game-winning goal to lead the Lakers to victory. MacVoy also scored a goal on Friday and totaled 2-2—4 for the weekend. Senior forward Dan Eves contributed an assist on Friday and a goal on Saturday. Junior defenseman Steve Oleksy led the team in blocked shots with seven for the series. Sophomore forward Nathan Perkovich scored his team-leading 13th goal of the season on Saturday. He is two goals away from last year’s total of 15, which was the best by a Laker since 1997-98. Perkovich, with 13-3—16, is tied for ninth in the CCHA in overall goals scored and is tied for fourth in power-play goals with eight. The Lakers are 2-2-0 in their last two home series. After this weekend’s series, the Lakers travel to Western Michigan and Michigan, and only three of their final eight games are at home.

LSSU Splits with Ohio State to Pick up Second CCHA win of the Season

Lake Superior State University’s hockey team picked up 2 points in CCHA play with a win on Saturday after a heartbreaking loss on Friday night. LSSU found themselves tied at 1-1 after the first period after Carter Lee scored his first goal as a Laker at 11:52, assisted by John Scrymgeour, to offset OSU’s Mathieu Picard’s goal earlier in the period. LSSU took the 1-2 lead on a Pat Aubry goal at 5:51 of the second period with Scrymgeour and Steve Olesky getting the assists. Ohio State was able to tied the game back up at 2-2 scoring a goal in the last minute of the second, with Tommy Goebel slipping on bye LSSU starting goaltender Brian Mahoney-Wilson. The Lakers took the lead again at 6:15 of the third period with Zac MacVoy scoring his 4th goal of the season, with Dan Eves and Chad Nehring assisting. Ohio State tied the game up again, at 3-3, on the power play at 9:59 of the third with Goebel’s second goal of the game. Matt Cowie took a hooking penalty at 17:53 and Ohio State’s Peter Boyd put in the game winner with 8 seconds remaining in the game, after Nathan Perkovich broke his stick trying to clear the puck from the zone. Machoney-Wilson made 35 saves on the 39 shots he faced. While Ohio State’s Joseph Palmer made 25 saves on LSSU’s 28 shots to record the win. LSSU went 0-for-3 on the power play while OSU was 2-for-4 with the extra man. Saturday night LSSU was able to pull off an overtime win after getting physical with Ohio State. LSSU was able to take a 0-3 lead into second period after Troy Schwab scored two goals (5:33 PP and 11:19) in the first period and Dan Eves added another on the power play at 14:43. Steven Kaunisto, Perkovich, Will Action and MacVoy garnered the assists on the goals. The first period also saw the first of 4 sets of coincidental roughing minors called at 16:24 with Lee and OSU’s Johann Kroll being whistled. Ohio State scored their first goal of the game less than a minute into the second period with Jason Desantis scoring unassisted on the power play. OSU was able to pull the game to 2-3 with Corey Toy scoring at 5:56 of the period. LSSU was able to garner back a 2 goal lead with Will Acton scoring his second goal of the season at 9:06 with MacVoy and Matt Cowie assisting. OSU’s Goebel scored his 15th goal of the season to pull the buckeyes to within one goal again at 3-4. Nathan Perkovich notched his 13th goal of the season at 14:52 of the second period with Schwab assisting to give LSSU a 3-5 lead, and resulting in OSU starting goaltender Joseph Palmer being chased after the end of the second period. The second period also saw a second set of coincidental roughing minors being called on Josh Sim and OSU’s Shane Sims at 5:20. Ohio State was able to score two unanswered goals with Kyle Reed and Goebel putting the puck past Mahoney-Wilson at 3:26 and 7:12 respectively of the third period to tie the game up at 5-5. The third period also saw coincidental roughing minors going to Will Acton, Perkovich and OSU’s Corey Toy and Nick Biondo all at 15:04. OSU’s Goebel was also whistled for contacting LSSU’s goaltender Mahoney-Wilson at 18:44 of the third. LSSU’s Zac MacVoy was able to take advantage of the resulting power play scoring the game winner 42 seconds into the overtime period with Matt Cowie and Simon Gysbers getting assists on the game winning goal. Mahoney-Wilson made 31 saves on the 36 shots he faced to record his third win of the season, Ohio State’s Joseph Palmer gave up 5 goals on the 16 Laker shots he faced before he was relieved by Dustin Carlson after two periods, Carlson had 5 saves in the third period before giving up the game winning goal on LSSU’s only shot in the overtime period. LSSU went 5-for-8 on the power play (5-for-11 on the weekend), while Ohio State scored one power play goal on their 4 opportunities (going 3-for-8 on the weekend). Next weekend LSSU plays host to Ferris State University (10-11-3, 7-9-2 CCHA).

LSSU to Attempt to Right Ship against OSU

This weekend’s Central Collegiate Hockey Association series between Lake Superior State and Ohio State pits the freshmen-sophomore dominated Lakers against the freshman-senior dominated Buckeyes. LSSU (3-15-4 overall, 1-12-3 CCHA) and OSU (7-17-2 overall, 3-12-1 CCHA) play at 7:05 p.m. on Friday and Saturday at Taffy Abel Arena. Friday is “Rally Towel Night,” and the first 2,000 spectators who enter the gate will receive a free Laker Hockey rally towel. Both games will be broadcast live on ROCK 101 FM and simulcast on www.lssulakers.com. Pay-per-view video webcasts are available on the B2 Network. Both teams are coming off a pair of one-sided losses against nationally-ranked opponents. LSSU fell to 2-12-2 against teams receiving votes in the national polls after losing 6-1 and 5-0 at No. 2 Miami last weekend. Ohio State lost 4-1 and 4-0 at home to No. 5/6 Michigan State on Jan. 18-19. Against common opponents Miami, Nebraska-Omaha, Michigan and Michigan State this season, Lake Superior State has a record of 0-6-2 including two ties against UNO, while Ohio State’s mark is 1-8-0 including a split at Michigan. Ohio State’s roster includes nine seniors and 12 freshmen, while the remaining five players are sophomores and juniors. The Buckeyes matched a season high last Saturday when 11 freshmen suited up against Michigan State. They also played with 11 rookies on Jan. 5 against Alaska. LSSU’s roster includes 17 freshmen and sophomores, including 16 who play regularly. Senior Dan Eves (5-7--12) and junior Troy Schwab (1-10--11) are the only upperclassmen among the Lakers’ top 10 in scoring. Sophomore Nathan Perkovich, who leads the team in points with 12-2--14, drew an assist last weekend at Miami, but was shut out of the goal-scoring column in a series for the first time since Nov. 23-24 against Northern Michigan. Four of OSU’s top five scorers are seniors, including Tommy Goebel (12-8--20), Tom Fritsche (4-10--14), Matt McIlvane (4-9--13) and Jason DeSantis (2-9--11). Ohio State’s top-scoring freshman is Peter Boyd (4-8--12), while rookie Sergio Somma is second on the team in goals scored (7-3--10). LSSU’s top scoring freshman is Rick Schofield, who is fourth on the team in points with 6-4--10.

LSSU Struggling Through Season

With three wins through 22 games this season LSSU looks set to post their worst season in the school’s 41 year history of playing ice hockey, the previous worst was a 6 win season in 2002-03. Following a strong finish last season which included LSSU winning two CCHA playoff series, Laker fans had high hopes heading into this season. But as the losses mount Laker fans across the country are getting increasingly frustrated with seeing Lake Superior’s once proud and feared legacy tarnished, with many asking for heads to roll. Hold your horses Laker fans. We all knew it could be a long season with the departure of the likes of Jeff Jakaitis and Derek A. Smith, and a touch schedule being clustered with The University of Michigan, Michigan State, and Northern Michigan. The lack of a number one goaltender has been the most glaring problem for the Lakers this season it appears evident following Hoffort, Madeley, Lacher, Grahame, Platt, Violin and Jakaitis that neither Inglis nor Mahoney-Wilson is the heir apparent. Inglis has gone 1-8-2 with a .854 SV%, and 4.48 GAA during his sophomore year while, while Mahoney-Wilson is 2-7-2 with a .896 SV% and 3.02 GAA during his freshman run. LSSU has played 12 games against teams that are currently ranked in the top 10 winning only one of these games, against Clarkson. Glaring losses include a 1-2 loss to Wayne State, and being swept by Northern Michigan in November. Still on the Lakers schedule are Ohio State, Ferris State, Western Michigan, Alaska, and a rematch against Northern Michigan. Scoring is down again this season about a half a goal a game to 1.88 goals per game in CCHA action while the Lakers are allowing over 1.5 more goals per game up to 4.25 goals per game. Sophomore Nathan Perkovich has scored 12 goals for 14 points through 21 games to lead the Lakers while Dan Eves, Troy Schwab and Zach MacVoy are the only other Lakers averaging more than 0.5 points per game. The defense has also been struggling this season as evident in the elevated goals against averages weighing down the Laker goaltenders. The loss of Birkeland and Smith are evident but the loss of Ryan Baird prior to the season also compounds to the defensive woes for the Lakers. The loss of Baird is seen in that his replacement Ben Kitzmiller has only seen action in only 5 games this season after Ryan Baird saw action in 34 games for the Lakers last season as a freshman after missing 9 games after recovering from a shoulder injury that led to his retirement before this season. The loss of Birkeland and Smith also compounds to the defensive woes for the Lakers. A strong finish could push LSSU as high as 8th in the CCHA and drastically increase their chances of a strong playoff push like last season.

Lakers Swept by Miami of Ohio

LSSU was swept over the weekend by Miami of Ohio 6-1 and 5-0. The lone goal for the Lakers was scored by Josh Sim on the 5-on-3 power play at 19:11 of the third period on Friday night with Nathan Perkovich and Troy Schwab getting the assists. Pat Inglis recorded the loss on Friday night totaling 27 saves, while Brian Mahoney-Wilson recorded the loss for the Lakers on Saturday making 26 saves in the loss.

Lakers head to Miami of Ohio

Lake Superior State has lately been the underdog at Miami’s Steve Cady Arena, but the Lakers will have targets on their backs during this weekend’s Central Collegiate Hockey Association series in Oxford, Ohio. LSSU (3-13-4 overall, 1-10-3 CCHA) plays second-ranked Miami (21-3-0 overall, 13-3-0 CCHA) at 7:35 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Both games will be broadcast live on Rock 101 FM and simulcast on www.lssulakers.com. Last season’s 3-3-0 record against the RedHawks included back-to-back 2-1 victories during the second round of the CCHA Playoffs. LSSU, which was the eighth seed, earned a trip to the CCHA semifinals at Joe Louis Arena with the upset sweep. Those wins highlighted the Lakers’ best season in a decade, but crushed Miami’s hopes for a first-ever CCHA Playoff title. The RedHawks went on to beat New Hampshire and lose to Boston College at the NCAA Tournament. Miami, a third-place finisher in the CCHA last season, seems to have picked up where it left off and became the nation’s first team to reach the 20-win milestone in 2007-08. The RedHawks’ 6-3 and 4-1 victories at Nebraska-Omaha last weekend accounted for their eighth sweep in 11 series this season. They split series with Notre Dame, Alaska and Bowling Green State. They have yet to play No. 1 Michigan, with which they are tied in CCHA points with 26. With Lake Superior State’s home split with BGSU last weekend, the Lakers moved out of the CCHA basement and improved to 2-10-2 against teams receiving votes in the national polls. They are currently one point ahead of last-place Western Michigan and trail 10th-place Ohio State by two points. Saturday’s 4-1 victory over the Falcons was a stellar defensive effort by LSSU. Despite getting out-shot 29-18, the Lakers rarely forced goaltender Brian Mahoney-Wilson to face a rebound shot. Defenseman Simon Gysbers also led at the offensive end, finishing with a goal and three assists. Sophomore forward Nathan Perkovich (12-1—13) leads LSSU in points, while senior Dan Eves (5-7—12) is second. Perkovich scored his team-leading seventh power-play goal of the season Friday against BGSU. He is tied for fourth in the CCHA in power-play goals and eighth in overall goals scored. Miami, which is averaging a potent 4.29 goals per game, has scored an amazing 46 third-period goals to LSSU’s 11. The RedHawks lead the nation in goals-scored and goals-allowed (1.67), and are ranked second nationally in penalty kill (.905).

Gysbers Garners Weekly CCHA Award

Lake Superior State sophomore Defenseman Simon Gysbers was named Central Collegiate Hockey Association Defenseman of the Week after totaling a goal and three assists to lead the Lakers to their first conference win of the season. Gysbers, a 6-4, 195-pounder from Richmond Hill, Ont., scored LSSU's first goal during Saturday's 4-1 victory over Bowling Green State, and assisted on the Lakers' other three goals. He also blocked five shots over the weekend. Gysbers has three goals and seven assists through 20 games this season. Last season Gysbers shared the Soo Blueliners Outstanding Freshman Award with teammate nathan Perkovich after finishing second among Laker rookies in points with 12 and second among all defensemen with a +5 rating. Prior to attending LSSU Gysbers was the Ontario Provincial Junior Hockey League's Defenseman of the Year during the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons.

Lakers Win First Game in CCHA Action

Lake Superior State University’s hockey team won their first game in CCHA action on Saturday night to giving the Lakers a 1-10-3 record in league games, 3-13-4 overall. On Friday night LSSU took an early lead on a Nathan Perkovich powerplay goal at 2:47 of the first period, with Troy Schwab and Steven Kaunisto recording the assists on the goal. Perkovich’s power play goal was LSSU’s first with the extra man in the past three games. Bowling Green’s Jacob Cepis put a goal past LSSU starting goaltender Pat Inglis at 15:02 of the second period to tie the game up at 1-1. LSSU’s Pat Aubry was able to pick up his first goal of the season 1:35 into the third period with John Scrymgeour and Chad Nehring getting the assists on the Aubry goal. LSSU was able to maintain the 1-2 lead for five minutes before BGSU’s David Solway was able to tie it up at 2-2, at 6:51 of the third period. Bowling Green was able to take the lead for good just over a minute later, at 7:53, on a Derek Whitmore goal, and added an insurance goal at 11:25 with Brandon Svendson getting his second goal of the season. The Lakers have failed to maintain the lead 13 times this season. Inglis recorded 19 saves on the 23 shots he faced, while LSSU was able to get 2 of their 27 shots past BGSU goaltender Nick Eno. LSSU went 1-for-4 on the power play while they where able to hold BGSU scoreless on 3 power play opportunities. Saturday night the Lakers where able to record their first win in CCHA action this season. LSSU’s Simon Gysbers started the scoring, with is first of four points on the night, for the Lakers with Nehring and Scrymgeour recording assists for the second night in a row. Dan Eves gave LSSU a 0-2 lead on the power play with seven seconds remaining in the first period on his fifth goal of the season with Zac MacVoy and Gysbers. LSSU was able to take a 0-3 lead on the power play in the second period, 12:49, with Rick Schofield scoring his 5th goal of the season with Gysbers and Mat Cowie receiving the assists on LSSU’s goal. Bowling Green was able to score on Derek Whitmore power play goal at 16:19 of the second period. LSSU was able to take a 1-3 lead into the locker room with Brian Mahoney-Wilson turning back 14-of-15 BGSU shots in the second period. Zac MacVoy added an empty net goal at 19:27 of the third period, with Gysbers adding his 3rd assist to give LSSU the 1-4 victory.Mahoney-Wilson made 28 saves on the 29 shots he faced while BGSU’s Jimmy Spratt recorded 14 saves on the 17 Laker shots he faced. LSSU went 2-for-7 on the power play (3-for-11 on the weekend), while BGSU scored 1 power play goal on their 8 opportunities (going 1-for-11 on the weekend). Next weekend Lake Superior travels to Oxford, Ohio to take on #3 Miami.

LSSU to Play Host to BGSU

The Lake Superior State hockey team has picked up points in three of its last four games, but is still seeking its first Central Collegiate Hockey Association win of the season as it heads into this weekend’s home series against Bowling Green State. The Lakers (2-12-4 overall, 0-9-3 CCHA) play host to the Falcons (9-9-0 overall, 6-6-0 CCHA) at 7:05 p.m. Friday and 5:05 p.m. Saturday at Taffy Abel Arena. Fans are encouraged to bring their skates Saturday and participate in a free “Skate with the Lakers” following the matinee game. Saturday is also “Youth Hockey Night,” and all area youth hockey players will receive free admission to the game if they are wearing their game jersey and are accompanied by an adult who purchases a ticket. Both games will be broadcast live on Rock 101 FM and simulcast on www.lssulakers.com. A pay-per-view video webcast of the games are available on the B2 Network. LSSU, playing at home for the first time since early December, has recorded ties in three of its last four games to garner much-needed points in the CCHA standings. The Lakers lost 8-2 and tied 3-3 during last weekend’s series at No. 9/10 Michigan State and now have a 1-9-2 record against teams receiving votes in the national polls. BGSU, which is coming off a split with CCHA co-leader Miami, received honorable mention in both polls this week. LSSU took several positives from last weekend’s series as sophomore Zac MacVoy scored the Lakers’ first short-handed goal of the season, sophomore Nathan Perkovich scored his team-leading 11th goal of the season, and freshman goaltender Brian Mahoney-Wilson was impressive during the four periods in which he played. The Lakers drew praise from MSU standout goalie Jeff Lerg following Saturday’s 3-3 overtime tie. LSSU dominated the second and third periods after being outshot 22-10 in the first. “Give them credit,” Lerg said. “They’re a good team. They could’ve folded after the first period. They came out, took it to us and got back on the board. They got a little fluky bounce and ran with it. But they played hard, and they played well. They’re going to beat some teams in the second half. They’re getting some confidence here and becoming the team that they want to be.” LSSU coach Jim Roque was pleased with his team’s comeback from Friday’s 8-2 loss, which was the Lakers’ first game since Dec. 8. “Obviously it was a lot better,” Roque said. “Brian played outstanding in net. You’ve got to give Michigan State some credit for (Friday) night. I thought they were real good. I knew our guys would bounce back (Saturday). It was just a great effort all around. I’m really happy with how we came back.” While the Falcons will keep their eye on Perkovich, LSSU will have to contend with BGSU senior Derek Whitmore (13-5—18), who is tied for fourth in the CCHA in goals scored and is third in power-play goals with eight. The Lakers will also have to stop freshmen Jacob Cepis (9-8—17) and Dan Sexton (5-3—8), who has two short-handed goals this season. BGSU’s goaltenders, junior Jimmy Spratt (Calgary) and freshman Nick Eno (Buffalo), are both NHL draft picks with 2.92 and 2.64 goals-against averages, respectively. Bowling Green State is coming off a 4-2 win and 5-2 loss at home against No. 2/3-ranked Miami, which was the nation’s top-ranked team prior to the series. BGSU was the first team to score four goals against the RedHawks this season. It was the Falcons’ first victory over a No. 1 team since they beat No. 1 LSSU on Nov. 6, 1993.

Lakers Salvage 1 Point in East Lansing

Lake Superior State University’s hockey team was able to pick up their first point in cluster play this season and third point in league play with a tie against Michigan State on Saturday night. On Friday night LSSU fell to MSU in their most lopsided loss of the season giving up 8 goals in the game including 3 on the power play. LSSU found themselves down 1-4 after the first period after letting in two first period power play goals on 11 shots. LSSU’s lone bright spot in the first period wad Zac MacVoy’s shorthanded goal to tie the game at 1-1 just under 5 minutes into the game. After taking the 1-0 lead into the locker room after 2 periods LSSU gave up a power play goal to UNO’s Tomas Klempa less than one minute into the third period. LSSU and starting goaltender Pat Inglis gave up two more goals in the second period including an additional power play goal, LSSU’s Justin Gutwald was able to score his first goal of the season with just over a minute remaining in the second period (18:57) with Josh Sim getting the assist on the goal. Coach Jim Roque replaced Inglis with Brian Mahoney-Wilson in the third period who subsequently gave up 2 additional goals to the Spartans resulting in a 2-8 final score. LSSU’s goaltender Pat Inglis recorded 19 saves on the 26 shots he faced, while Mahoney-Wilson posted 8 saves on the 10 shots he faced in relief. LSSU was able to get 2 of their 34 shots past MSU goaltender Jeff Lerg, while Bobby Jarosz recorded 3 saves in relief. LSSU went 0-for-5 on the power play while MSU scored 3 goals on 4 opportunities in the game.Saturday night again saw a much better outing from the Laker’s skaters who managed to hold a one goal lead in the third period before settling for a 3-3 tie. LSSU took an early lead with Nathan Perkovich scoring his team leading 11th goal of the season just 24 seconds into the game with Simon Gysbers and goaltender Brian Mahoney-Wilson tallying the assists on the goal. MSU was able to tie up the game and take the lead with Bryan Lerg and Chris Mueller scoring goals at 14:12 and 15:23 of the first period respectively. The only scoring of the second period came from Steven Kaunisto, with Dillin Stonehouse receiving the assist. LSSU took the 3-2 lead 1:12 into third period with Rick Schofield scoring his 5th goal of the season, with MacVoy and Dan Eves tallying the assists on the goal. MSU was able to tie the game up 3-to-3 with a power play tally at 4:16 of the third period. Neither team was able to capitalize in overtime with was highlighted with a scuffle in the final 30 seconds of the game that sent Gysbers, Perkovich, Josh Sim and Troy Schwab of as well as 4 Spartans to the locker room early with roughing minors.Mahoney-Wilson made 36 saves on the 39shots he faced while Lerg recorded 34 saves on the 37 Laker shots he faced. LSSU went 0-for-3 on the power play (0-for-8 on the weekend), while MSU scored 1 power play goal on their 7 opportunities (going 4-for-11 on the weekend). Next weekend Lake Superior returns home to play host to Bowling Green State University. The Lakers are still in search of their first win in CCHA action.

Lakers to Open Second Half in East Lansing

SAULT STE. MARIE – Lake Superior State picked up its first two Central Collegiate Hockey Association points of the season with two ties at Nebraska-Omaha in early December and has waited almost a month for a chance to add to that total. The Lakers (2-11-3 overall, 0-8-2 CCHA) return from a 3 ½ week break to take on Michigan State (12-5-2 overall, 8-2-0 CCHA) at 7:05 p.m. Friday and 5:05 p.m. Saturday at Munn Arena in East Lansing. Saturday’s game will be televised live on FSN Detroit. Both games will be broadcast live on Rock 101 and simulcast on www.lssulakers.com. A week before tying UNO 1-1 and 3-3 in Omaha, the Lakers lost a home series to Michigan State, 3-2 and 5-2. During the Friday contest, MSU jumped to a 3-0 lead, but LSSU closed the gap on a power-play goal by Nathan Perkovich and an extra-attacker goal by Rick Schofield. The Lakers out-shot the Spartans, 27-22. During the Saturday game, MSU pulled away from a 2-2 tie with three unanswered goals during the final 25 minutes of play. Five of the Spartans’ eight power-play chances occurred in the third period. Sophomore forward Nathan Perkovich, who has a goal in three of the Lakers’ last four games, leads LSSU in points with 10-1—11. He is ranked 10th in the CCHA in average goals per game, tied for sixth in power-play goals with six and second in game-winning goals with five. Senior forward Dan Eves is second on the team in scoring with 4-6—10, while junior forward Troy Schwab, with 1-8—9, leads in assists. Highlighting LSSU’s recent effort is the improved play of sophomore goaltender Pat Inglis. After getting off to a rough start, he has made strong showings in back-to-back games, totaling 36 saves in the 1-1 tie with UNO and 5-2 loss to MSU. He is 1-5-2 with a 3.93 goals-against average. Freshman Brian Mahoney-Wilson, who has been fairly consistent in net all season, is 1-6-1 with a 2.94 gaa. Michigan State ended a six-game unbeaten streak by losing both games at last weekend’s Great Lakes Invitational. The Spartans dropped a 4-1 decision to Michigan Tech in the semifinals and lost 5-3 to Providence in the consolation game. MSU is led in scoring by junior forward Tim Kennedy (13-8—21), who is ranked 10th in the CCHA in overall scoring and tied for fourth in power-play points with 7-4—11. MSU has two high-scoring defensemen in sophomore Mike Ratchuk (3-11—14) and senior Daniel Vukovic (2-12—14). Michigan State is ranked 10th and LSSU 12th in the CCHA in penalty killing, so look for special teams to be a factor in this weekend’s series. Both teams, however, are among the least-penalized teams in the league along with Notre Dame. With the GLI losses, MSU will likely drop down in the rankings from its No. 5 spot. The Spartans, however, are the first of three straight nationally-ranked opponents the Lakers will play in 2008. LSSU, which is 1-8-1 against nationally-ranked teams this season, returns from its trip to East Lansing and plays host to Bowling Green State on Jan. 11-12, then travels to Miami Jan. 18-19.