LSSU Splits during the Pink in the Rink Promotion

Lake Superior State University’s men’s hockey teams dominate first period on Friday night gives them 1 point on the weekend pink in the rink action. LSSU took a 2 goal lead in the first period in which they put 25 shots on visiting Robert Morris University. Fred Cassiani scored his 4th goal of the season just 2:17 into the first period with Josh Sim and Troy Schwab assisting. The Lakers added another goal near the midpoint of the period with Sim scoring shorthanded at 9:03 of the period with Will Acton assisting. A scoreless second period saw a resurgent Robert Morris team carry the majority of the action limiting the Lakers to only 7 shots on goal. In the third period Robert Morris was able to pull to within one goal with Scott Kobialko scoring his first goal of the season 4:20 into the period. Robert Morris was able to limit LSSU to only 2 shots on goal in the period before Troy Schwab was able to score on the empty net with Steven Kaunisto assisting. LSSU went 0-for-8 on the power play, recording a 14 shots while RMU went 0-for-5 with 10 shots with the power play. LSSU goaltender Brian Mahoney-Wilson recorded 34 saves in the game, while RMU’s Wes Russell allowed 2 goals on the 34 LSSU shots he faced. On Saturday evening LSSU again took the lead with Dan Barczuk scoring his second goal of the season at 7:08 of the first period with Steven Oleksy and Chad Nehring assisting. Robert Morris tied the game up at 13:57 of the period with Brandon Blandina scoring unassisted. In the second period Robert Morris pulled away from the Lakers with RMU’s Jason Towsley scoring two goals in a less than 2 minute span to give the Colonials a 3-1 lead. LSSU’s Cassiani was able to pull the Lakers to within one goal scoring his second goal of the weekend with just 23 seconds remaining in the period, with Josh Sim and Simon Gysbers assisting. After playing 19 minutes of scoreless hockey in the third period Nathan Perkovich tied the game up at 3-3 (19:04) scoring with the extra man after coach Jim Roque pulled Mahoney-Wilson in favor of the extra attacker. The tie game didn’t last long as RMU’s Chris Margott scored the game winning goal just under 30 seconds later (19:32) to give Robert Morris the upset win. Lake Superior went 0-for-7 on the power play, 0-for-15 on the weekend, while Robert Morris went 0-for-5 with the extra attacker, 0-for-10 on the weekend. LSSU goaltender Brian Mahoney-Wilson made 26 saves in the game, recording the loss, after allowing 4 goals. RMU’s Wes Russell allowed 3 goals on the 39 LSSU shots he faced.

LSSU Lakers go Pink in the Rink

It will be “Pink in the Rink” when the Lake Superior State hockey team takes on Robert Morris in a non-conference hockey series at Taffy Abel Arena. The hockey series will run in conjunction with a women’s health event featuring local vendors, prizes and a free Skate with the Lakers following Saturday’s game. The Lakers (3-4-3) play Robert Morris at 7:05 p.m. Friday and 5:05 p.m. Saturday. Both games will be broadcast live on Rock 101 FM with a free audio webcast on www.rock101.net. A pay-per-view video webcast is available on the B2 network via www.lssulakers.com. Stan and Ann Jakaitis came up with the “Pink in the Rink” idea in order to thank the Sault Ste. Marie community for their kindness towards their son, former Laker goaltender Jeff Jakaitis, when he played at LSSU. Ann is a breast cancer survivor. Several volunteers, including Danna Sanderson of Leitz Sports Center, Julia Roque, Dave Thomas, local media outlets and LSSU staff members, helped the idea blossom into a unique event. All 24 vendors in the rink this weekend are raffling off a gift basket. Fans who attend Friday’s game will receive one free raffle ticket, and additional tickets will be sold both nights. Custom Laker hockey jerseys with the breast cancer ribbon will be sold during a silent auction, and bids on the jerseys will close at the start of the third period Saturday. Other special features of the weekend series include “Pink in the Rink” t-shirts for sale, pink popcorn and pink chocolate chip cookies, and free refills on pop with the purchase of a pink souvenir cup. A free goodie bag will be given to the first 500 women to arrive at Saturday’s game. Souvenir team photos of the Lakers wearing their pink jerseys will be available, and LSSU players will sign autographs during the Skate with the Lakers. All “Pink in the Rink” proceeds will be donated to local women’s organization and health care providers. The Lakers, who are playing three of their next four series at home, are taking a break from Central Collegiate Hockey Association action when they take on College Hockey of America opponent Robert Morris. They are 2-0 all-time against the Colonials, having swept them during a home series in 2005-06. Last weekend, the Lakers picked up one point in the CCHA standings after tying ninth-ranked Notre Dame 3-3 on Friday and losing 5-2 on Saturday. Two of their last three games have gone to a shootout, and they suffered a 2-1 shootout loss last Friday. LSSU is 3-3-2 and tied for fourth in the CCHA with nine points.

LSSU Salvages 1 Point from Notre Dame

Lake Superior State University’s men’s hockey where able to garner one point in the CCHA standings tying Notre Dame on Friday night before falling in the shootout. LSSU fell behind in the first period with ND’s Christiaan Minella scoring his second goal of the season at 7:25 of the first period. Lake Superior battled back early in the second period scoring two power play goals with Simon Gysbers tying the game up at 1-1 with his second goal of the season 55 seconds into the period with Zac MacVoy and Matt Cowie assisting. Just over two minutes later Nathan Perkovich scored his third goal of the season, at 3:03, on the power play with Steven Kaunisto assisting. Less than two minutes following Perkovich’s goal ND’s Ben Ryan tied the game up at 2-2, at the 5:36 mark of the second period. LSSU retook the lead at 3-2 with Josh Sim scoring at 9:17 of the third period with Fred Cassiani assisting. ND again tied the game up just over a minute later with Ryan Guentzel scoring. LSSU managed 4 shots in the overtime period while Brian Mahoney-Wilson turned back all three ND shots he faced. In the shootout Kaunisto gave LSSU an early lead before ND’s made their final two shots while Schofield and Perkovich saw both of their shots stopped by Notre Dame’s Jordan Pearce. LSSU went 2-for-5 on the power play, recording a whopping 17 shots while Notre Dame went 0-for-5 with 10 shots with the power play. LSSU goaltender Brian Mahoney-Wilson recorded 35 saves in the game, while ND’s Jordan Pearce allowed 3 goals on 43 LSSU shots. On Saturday evening LSSU jumped out to an early lead with Josh Sim scoring his third goal of the season at 5:06 of the first period with Tyson Hobbins assisting. Notre Dame tied the game up at 7:47 of the period with Billy Maday scoring. LSSU retook the lead with Zac MacVoy scoring LSSU’s first shorthanded goal of the season at 15:09 of the first period. The Lakers where unable to maintain the lead again allowing ND to tie up the game at 2-2 with just 16 seconds remaining in the opening period. Notre Dame added one goal in the second period and two more in the third period to garner a 5-2 win in the game. Lake Superior went 0-for-4 on the power play, 2-for-9 on the weekend, while Notre Dame went 2-for-7 with the extra attacker, 2-for-12 on the weekend. LSSU goaltender Brian Mahoney-Wilson made 34 saves in the game, recording the loss, after allowing 5 goals. ND’s Jordan Pearce allowed 2 goals on the 22 LSSU shots he faced, after facing 43 shots on Friday night.

Lakers on the Road Again, to South Bend

Lake Superior State split Central Collegiate Hockey Association road series at Ohio State and Ferris State, and took four points during last week’s CCHA home series against Bowling Green State. OSU and FSU proved to be worthy opponents as the Buckeyes came back to sweep Michigan State and the Bulldogs took three of four points from Miami last weekend. BGSU nearly ruined a near perfect weekend for LSSU by scoring four goals in the second period Saturday, but the Lakers salvaged the tie and won their first CCHA shootout of the season. LSSU’s next challenge is a CCHA opponent ranked among the nation’s top 10 teams. The Lakers head to South Bend, Ind., for a series against ninth-ranked Notre Dame. LSSU (3-3-2 overall, 3-2-1-1 CCHA) and the Fighting Irish (6-3-0 overall, 2-2-0-0 CCHA) play at 7:35 p.m. Friday and 7:05 p.m. Saturday at the Joyce Center. Both games will be broadcast live on Rock 101 FM with a live audio feed on www.rock101.net. Notre Dame is 1-3-0 against top-10 opponents so far this season, but considered to be a CCHA contender. Last weekend, the Fighting Irish beat sixth-ranked Boston College and Providence with back-to-back 4-1 decisions. Their losses were to third-ranked Denver (5-2) and 10th-ranked Miami (2-0 and 3-2). UND, which also swept an Oct. 31-Nov. 1 series at Northern Michigan, has a four-game win streak heading into this weekend and hasn’t given up a power-play goal since its loss to Miami on Oct. 25. The last time the Lakers won at the Joyce Center was Dec. 17, 2005, which was also their last win over the Irish. UND swept last year’s home series, 7-3 and 4-1, to improve to 2-7-1 in the last 10 games against LSSU. Last year’s losses at UND occurred during a frustrating 2-11-1 start for the Lakers, who are showing much more confidence during the early stages of the 2008-09 season. Through their first eight games, the Lakers are 3-3-2 while averaging 3.0 goals scored per game and 2.6 goals against. At this time last year, they were 2-5-1, averaging 2.5 goals for and 3.3 goals against. They are currently ranked 19th nationally and fourth in the CCHA in average goals scored per game. LSSU’s offensive production is spread out, but the clear leader right now is junior forward Zac MacVoy (5-5—10) with at least a point in every game this season. He is currently ranked seventh in the CCHA in points, while junior Steven Kaunisto (1-5—6) is ranked sixth in points by a defenseman and leads the Lakers in plus/minus at +7. Sophomore goaltender Brian Mahoney-Wilson reached personal milestones while playing in both games against BGSU. He stopped all 28 shots on goal during Friday’s 2-0 win to record his first collegiate shutout and notched his first shootout victory on Saturday. Junior goaltender Pat Inglis missed last weekend’s series due to an ankle injury. The Irish line of seniors Garrett Regan (3-0—3) and Justin White (0-3—3), and sophomore Ryan Guentzel (0-2—2) combined for 3-5—8 during last weekend’s road sweep at Boston College and Providence. The trio came into the weekend with one goal among them in the first seven games of the season. UND’s points leaders are freshman Billy Maday (4-4—8), sophomore Ian Cole (3-5—8) and junior Kevin Deeth (2-6—8). After this weekend’s series, the Lakers play six of their next eight games at home, and invite fans to participate in “Pink in the Rink” during the Robert Morris home series Nov. 21-22.

LSSU take 4 points from BGSU

Lake Superior State University’s men’s hockey team opened the CCHA regular season home portion of their schedule with a bang against schedule cluster mate Bowling Green State University. LSSU took an early lead as many spectators at the Taffy Abel Arena were still finding their seats on the first night of parent’s weekend with Josh Sim scoring his first goal of the season with Troy Schwab assisting just 1:17 into the first period. Both teams battled scoreless for the remainder of the first period and second period with LSSU taking 3 straight penalities in the first period and BGSU taking 3 straight in the second period. Lake Superior’s Zac MacVoy notiched his 5th goal of the short season at 9:17 of the third period battling for the puck in front of the Bowling Green net with Rick Schofield and Simon Gysbers assisting to give LSSU a 0-2 lead. LSSU’s Will Acton appeared to add another goal later in the period on a shot that appeared to beat Bowling Green’s Jimmy Spratt go through the net and hit the glass behind the goal. Lake Superior goaltender Brian Mahoney-Wilson turned back 9 Falcon shots in the third period to conserve the first shutout of the season for the Lakers. LSSU went 0-for-4 on the power play, recording 3 shots while Ferris State went 0-for-5 with 7 shots with the power play. LSSU goaltender Brian Mahoney-Wilson recorded 28 saves to record his first collegiate shutout and third win of the season, while BGSU’s Jimmy Spratt allowed 2 goals on 20 LSSU shots. On Saturday evening LSSU jumped out to a big first period lead scoring three goals in the opening 20 minutes of the game. Freshman Kyle Haines scoring his first collegiate goal 6:04 into the first period with Nathan Perkovich and Brad Cooper assisting. Will Acton got in on the scoring, notching his first of the season at 12:19 of the first period with MacVoy and John Scrymgeour assisting. Troy Schwab gave LSSU a 0-3 lead with a power play goal with under 30 seconds remaining in the period with Steven Kaunisto and Simon Gysbers assisting. After LSSU mounted a seemingly insurmountable 3 goal lead Bowling Green put in 4 goals in a less than a 10 minute span late in the second period including one on the power play and one shorthanded. Bowling Green’s Dan Sexton (PP), David Solway, Jacob Cepis, and Brandon Svendsen (SH) each scored in the Falcon’s offensive flurry, which included 14 shots. Schwab tied the game up at 4-4 at 3:30 of the third period with Josh Sim and Fred Cassiani assisting. After playing the remainder of the third period and overtime scoreless LSSU was set to see their first shootout of the CCHA season. BGSU’s James Perkin scored as the first shooter in the shootout putting the puck past Mahoney-Wilson. LSSU responded with Steven Kaunisto notching a goal on his first shootout try. Mahoney-Wilson stopped the next BGSU shooter and LSSU took a 1-2 lead with Rick Schofield making his attempt. LSSU earned their second point on the night with Mahoney-Wilson stopping BGSU’s Jacaob Cepis shot. Lake Superior went 1-for-6 on the power play, 1-for-10 on the weekend, while BGSU went 1-for-4 with the extra attacker, 1-for-9 on the weekend. LSSU goaltender Brian Mahoney-Wilson made 33 saves in the game including 3 in overtime, plus two in the shootout. BGSU’s Jimmy Spratt allowed 4 goals on the 36 LSSU shots he faced. Pat Inglis did not see action this weekend suffering from what was reported as a high ankle sprain.

Lakers Land Big Defenseman

Chris Heisenberg is reporting that LSSU has received a verbal commitment from Wichita Falls Wildcats, of the NAHL, defenseman Zachary Trotman. The 6’3”, 190 pound, Novi native has 19 penalty minutes and has posted a minus 1 with no points in 10 appearances with Wichita this season. Prior to landing in Wichita this season Zach played for Detroit Victory Honda where he posted 3 goals and 9 points in 26 games in the U18 division in the 2007-08 season and 7 assists in 25 games in the U16 division in 2005-06. In other recruiting news Traverse City forward Kyle Jean tallied two game-winning goals as the North Stars fashioned a 2-1 record against Mahoning Valley. On Friday, the Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., native scored the only goal of the game in a 1-0 triumph. After being held scoreless the next night, the 18-year-old Lake Superior State recruit scored the overtime game-winner on Sunday as the North Stars bested the Phantoms, 5-4. "Kyle is so highly-skilled, and that's why he's going to a Division I college," said North Stars head coach Anthony Palumbo. “We needed big plays this weekend, and Kyle was right there to provide them."

Lakers Set to Open Home CCHA Slate Against Bowling Green

Lake Superior State played its first two conference hockey series on the road, and both times the Lakers returned home with splits. The only two Central Collegiate Hockey Association teams that have fared better than the Lakers on the road so far this season are Notre Dame, which is 2-0, and Miami, which is 2-0-1-0. The Lakers (2-3-1 overall, 2-2-0-0 CCHA) finally get to play a CCHA series at home and entertain Bowling Green State at 7:05 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Taffy Abel Arena. Both games will be broadcast live on Rock 101 FM with free audio web streaming on www.rock101.net. A pay-per-view video webcast is available on the B2 Network via www.lssulakers.com. BGSU (3-4-1 overall, 2-2-0-0 CCHA) ended the Lakers’ 2007-08 season with a 4-3 overtime victory during Game 3 of the CCHA First-Round Playoffs. LSSU was 2-3-0 against the Falcons last season with every game being close except a 6-1 LSSU win during Game 2 of the playoff series. Several returning Lakers posted impressive numbers during last season’s five games against Bowling Green State. Junior defenseman Simon Gysbers led the way with two goals and six assists. Three players had six points – junior defenseman Steven Kaunisto (2-4—6), junior forward Nathan Perkovich (3-3—6) and senior forward Troy Schwab (1-5—6), and junior forward Zac MacVoy contributed five points (1-4—5). MacVoy assisted on both Laker goals during last Friday’s 2-1 victory at Ferris State and scored two goals during last Saturday’s 4-3 loss in Big Rapids. He currently leads LSSU in points with 4-4—8. Against CCHA competition, he is tied for sixth in the league in points with 3-3—6. Kaunisto is tied for second in the league in total points by defensemen against CCHA opponents with 1-3—4, and he has 1-4—5 overall. Freshman forward Fred Cassiani is tied for fourth in freshman scoring with 3-0—3. Sophomore goaltender Brian Mahoney-Wilson is currently ranked third in the CCHA and 15th nationally in save percentage at .932. Bowling Green State split a home series with Nebraska-Omaha last weekend, winning 3-2 on Friday and losing 5-3 on Saturday. Falcons sophomore forward Dan Sexton is tied for fourth in overall CCHA points with 3-8—11, while sophomore forward David Solway is tied for seventh with 4-4—8. Sexton and senior forward Brandon Svendsen both have 2-3—5 against CCHA competition. The line of Svendsen, Solway and Sexton is responsible for 11 of the Falcons’ 20 goals this season. The threesome accounted for all but one point Friday and five of eight points Saturday against UNO. This weekend’s series is the Falcons’ only two-game road series between Oct. 31 and Jan. 30. BGSU has single road games at Notre Dame on Nov. 21 and Dec. 13, and at Michigan on Jan. 6, and plays 15 home games during that stretch. Notes: LSSU welcomes the Yes-FM Fan Box winners to Friday’s game. The group sitting in the alumni box is receiving V.I.P. treatment courtesy of Northern Star Broadcasting, Balloons ‘N Moore, Bordertown Chiropractic and Soo Line Limo Service…LSSU also welcomes the parents of the 2008-09 hockey team to this weekend’s series. They will be introduced during second intermission Saturday.

LSSU Splits on the Road

Lake Superior State University’s men’s hockey team split series at Ferris State over Halloween weekend, making them 2-2 on the road in CCHA play this season. LSSU fell behind midway through the first period (10:58) with FSU’s Justin Lewandowski scoring his fourth goal of the season on the power play while Kyle Haines was serving two minutes for tripping. Lake Superior battled back from the early deficient scoring twice in the second period. Matt Cowie scored his first goal of the season at 11:19 of the second period on the power play with Zac MacVoy and Rick Schofield assisting. Troy Schwab put scored the game winning goal in the closing minute of the second period (19:29), his first goal of the season with Nathan Perkovich and MacVoy assiting. LSSU went 1-for-9 on the power play, recording 6 shots while Ferris State went 1-for-11 with 18 shots on over 18 minutes of power play time. LSSU goaltender Brian Mahoney-Wilson recorded 33 saves for the win, while FSU’s Pat Nagle allowed 2 goals on 31 LSSU shots. On Saturday evening LSSU jumped out to an early lead with Fred Cassiani scoring his 3rd collegiate goal at 1:07 of the first period with Schwab assisting. Ferris scored just over 5 minutes later, at 6:26, to tie the game up at 1-1. MacVoy scored his third goal of the season and third point of the weekend at 15:01 with Brad Cooper and Tyson Hobbins assisting. In the second period FSU tied the game up on a power play goal at 4:58 with just one second left on Rick Schofield’s tripping penalty. LSSU’s Jim Roque replaced starting goaltender Pat Inglis with Brian Mahoney-Wilson just 6 minutes into the second period after Inglis was still suffering an apparent lower body injury suffered during the first period. FSU’s Blair Riley scored gave FSU their first lead of the game at 17:28 of the third period. Ferris State added another goal, the eventual game winner, 2:23 into the third period to give FSU a 2-4 lead. MacVoy scored at 13:14 of the third period with Cooper getting his second assist in the game, to bring the game to 3-4. LSSU was unable to score again. Lake Superior went 0-for-5 on the power play, 1-for-14 on the weekend, while the FSU went 1-for-8 with the extra attacker, 2-for-19 on the weekend. LSSU goaltenders Pat Inglis and Brian Mahoney-Wilson combined for 16 saves and 19 saves respectively, with both goaltenders allowing two goals, Mahoney-Wilson was given the loss. FSU’s Pat Nagle 3 goals on the 26 LSSU shots he faced. LSSU spent over 30 minutes on the weekend playing shorthanded.