LSSU Hockey.com

Lakers Land Defenseman for 2012-13 season

2011-11-01T21:08:00.001-04:00

Lake Superior State University has received a verbal commitment from Eric Drapluk for the 2012-13 season. Drapluk a 6'-1" defenseman from Pembrook Pines, FL has spent the past two seasons with the Coulee Region Chill of the NAHL, posting 3 goals and 24 assists in 55 games last season, and adding 3 goals and an assist in last season's 9 playoff games.

http://lacrossetribune.com/sports/hockey/amateur/article_de033594-050d-11e1-b9e5-001cc4c002e0.html

Good Bye CCHA

2011-08-26T13:05:00.000-04:00

It is with great sadness that we are saying good bye to the CCHA, it is amazing to me how quickly one of the preeminent conferences in college hockey has fallen. The Lakers joined the CCHA in 1972, its second year of existence, and dominated the league in the late 80’s and early 90’s, being the regular season championship in 1974, 1988, 1991, and 1996, and the CCHA tournament in 1991, 1992, 1993, and 1995, but the change was inevitable once the National Collegiate Hockey Conference formed and the WCHA poached Northern Michigan out of the CCHA. It appeared that the CCHA, without the Big Ten teams wasn’t desirable to Notre Dame, and for some reason Western Michigan seems to lead by the bit by the Irish. So with only 4 teams committed to the CCHA for the 2013-14 season it was obvious that the Lakers needed to find a new home.

I have to commend the leadership at LSSU to stepping up and doing what was best for the school and the program. Joining in a league with Bemidji, Minnesota State, St. Cloud State, Northern Michigan, and Michigan Tech maintains the regional strength that the Lakers enjoyed in the CCHA. Travel to Alaska will remain difficult, with it looking like the Alaska trip will become an annual expedition, unless it can be somehow worked out that teams will play in both Fairbanks and Anchorage over the course of a long weekend, but the 6 plus hour drive between the two cities may prevent this from happening.

“Without fully knowing the final outcome, if everything realigns as we have it on paper today, I think this will be a better conference for Lake Superior State Hockey long-term than the CCHA was, and I thought the CCHA was pretty good,” said McLain.

“This will be a great step for our program – to find a league with teams that are similar to ours,” Dunbar said. “We will be in a conference with similar schools and good hockey traditions. This should be appealing to fans, alumni and recruits. Our fans will continue to see good college hockey played in Taffy Abel Arena for years to come.”

The move to the WCHA is will increase the Lakers chances to regaining National prominence, although the Lakers are moving from arguably one of the top conferences in College hockey to a conference that nobody will argue is better than 4^th among all conferences in NCAA hockey. Look for the Lakers to contend immediately in the new WCHA, and to reappear in the NCAA tournament, and anything can happen with a single elimination tournament, as we saw Bemidji State advance to the Frozen Four in 2009.

Defenseman TJ Wees to LSSU

2011-05-28T09:29:00.000-04:00

Lake Superior State University has added another defenseman for the 2011-12 season, bringing in TJ Wees from the Weyburn Red Wings of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. The 6’-2”, 210 pound defenseman halls from Golden Colorado. Wees posted 3 goals, 28 points, and 165 penalty minutes in 56 games in his third season with Weyburn last winter. Wees had zero goals and 19 assists in 2009-10, and 1 assist in 12 appearances during the 2008-09 season in which he also appeared in 4 games with the Wenatchee Wild of the North American Hockey League.

Hockey great Doug Weight announces retirement - Lake Superior

2011-05-26T14:21:00.002-04:00

New York Islanders captain Doug Weight announced his retirement today from the National Hockey League. He will remain with the Islanders organization as an Assistant Coach and Senior Advisor to the General Manager.

"It was an honor to be a member of the NHL for the 19 years I laced up my skates," Weight said. "I have a lifetime of memories from playing this game and cherish them all. I am excited to begin this next phase of my professional career and help the Islanders continue to climb the ladder to winning the Stanley Cup."

Weight, a Lake Superior State University standout from 1989-91 and veteran of 1,335 NHL games, finished his career, placing 65th place on the NHL's all time scoring list with 1,033 points. The Detroit, Mich., native's 748 career assists rank 40th all time, while his 1,238 regular season games played are the 76th highest total in NHL history.

"Doug is the ultimate leader," said Islanders General Manager Garth Snow. "He has taken our young core of players, over the past three years, and helped elevate their game to a point where we now see our franchise competing with the top teams in the league. On behalf of the organization, I'd like to thank Doug for his commitment to the New York Islanders and we are excited to have him join our Hockey Operations Department in seeing through with our goal of winning the Stanley Cup."

Weight, a four-time NHL All-Star, was named the 12th captain in Islanders history on October 2, 2009. Originally drafted by the New York Rangers in the second round (34th overall) of the 1990 NHL Entry Draft, Weight's career included stints with the Rangers, Edmonton Oilers, St. Louis Blues, Carolina Hurricanes, Anaheim Ducks and the Islanders.

The 5-11, 196-pound center played in 97 NHL Playoff games, posting 23 goals and 49 assists. He won his first and only Stanley Cup with Carolina in 2006. Weight reached the 1,000 point milestone with the Islanders on January 2, 2009, becoming the eighth American-born player and 73rd NHL player to reach 1,000 points.

On the international stage, Weight won a silver medal with the United States at the 2002 Winter Olympics and also skated with the 1998 and 2002 United States Olympic Teams. He also represented the U.S. in the World Cup of Hockey in 2004 and in 1996, helping Team USA win the championship in 1996. Weight appeared in one World Junior Championship in 1991, leading the entire tournament in scoring, and he also played in the 1993, 1994 and 2005 World Championships for the United States.

Lakers add four players to recruiting class

2011-05-24T13:04:00.002-04:00

Lake Superior State has signed centers Chris Ciotti and Stephen Perfetto to National Letters of Intent to play hockey. LSSU also tendered transfer goaltender Kevin Murdock, while defenseman T.J. Wees is a recruited walk-on.

They join fall 2010 signees Kevin Czuczman, Andrew Dommett and Buddy Robinson, along with 2009 signee Kelin Ainsworth, who deferred enrollment in 2010-11.

“This class has big shoes to fill,” LSSU coach Jim Roque cautiously said. “The senior class going out included tremendous leaders and high-end players. At the same time, we expect them to progress like the freshman did last year. We have a lot of older guys who can fill key roles so these guys can find their way at their own pace. I expect three or four of the forwards and one or two of the ‘D’ to play right away. Murdock will give Kevin Kapalka a challenge.”

Ciotti, a 5-10, 180-pound center from Washington, Mich., ranked fifth in the North American Hockey League in regular-season points with 31-37—68 in 57 games. He helped lead the St. Louis Bandits to a 41-13-4 record and first-place finish in the North Division. He led his team in playoff points with 2-6—8 in 10 games. Ciotti is the nephew of former Laker center and team captain Bob Ciotti ’81, who is tied for 17^th in career points at LSSU with 55-91—146. His father, John, played at Miami from 1982-85.

“Chris is clever, a real smart center,” Roque said. “He was always a point producer in junior hockey.”

Perfetto, a 5-8, 170-pound center from Woodbridge, Ont., totaled 16-17—33 during 31 regular-season games, and added 9-10—19 and two game-winning goals during 19 playoff games for the Kingston Voyageurs of the Ontario Junior Hockey League in 2010-11. Kingston was 31-11-8-3 during the regular season and 11-8 in the playoffs, losing in the semifinal round to the Oakville Blades. Perfetto also totaled 26-46—72 in 54 games for the OJHL’s Georgetown Raiders in 2009-10.

“He’s the same player as Freddy Cassiani,” Roque said of Perfetto. “He’s a dynamic centerman, a good skater, competes hard and plays with a lot of heart.”

Murdock, a transfer from Minnesota State-Mankato, ranked third in the United States Hockey League in games played at 52, and he finished 29-15-4 with a 2.91 goals-against average and .907 save percentage for the Lincoln Stars in 2010-11. Lincoln was 33-22-5 overall. Murdock appeared in five games for Minnesota State in 2009-10. He also played for Lincoln in 2007-08, and 2008-09.

“He’s a left-handed goalie like Kapalka,” Roque said. “He had really good numbers in the USHL and already has experience in the college game.”

Wees, a 6-2, 210-pound defenseman from Golden, Colo., compiled 3-25—28 and 165 penalty minutes for the Weyburn Red Wings of the SJHL. The Red Wings were 30-24-4 during the regular season, and 1-3 in the playoffs.

“Wees and (sophomore defenseman) Andrew Perrault are former teammates,” Roque noted. “He’s a big, strong, physical defenseman. We’re hoping he turns into the type of player that (sophomore defenseman) Matt Bruneteau is. Matt competed for playing time right away. We hope he gives us the same thing, and gives us a physical presence.”

Czuczman, a 6-0, 200-pounder from Port Elgin, Ont., was the Newmarket Hurricanes’ top defenseman in 2010-11 after totaling 4-19—23 and contributing to his team’s first-place finish in the OJHL North Division. Newmarket was 34-7-9-5 during the regular season and 7-5 in the playoffs.

Dommett, a 5-11, 185-pound left wing from Major, Sask., finished the 2010-11 regular-season with 22-24—46 in 34 games for the Kindersley Klippers of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. Dommett was named SJHL Player of the Week for the week of Jan. 24-30. Kindersley finished 35-20-3 during the regular season and 4-5 in the playoffs.

Ainsworth, a 5-10, 175-pound left wing from Thunder Bay, Ont., helped lead the Traverse City North Stars to a second-place finish in the NAHL North Division. He totaled 26-21—47 during 53 regular-season games. He was the team’s No. 3 scorer, increasing his point production from the previous season by 17 points. The North Stars were 40-17-1 during the regular-season and 1-3 in the playoffs.

Robinson, a 6-5, 225-pound right wing from Bellmaur, N.J., totaled 15-23--38 while playing 32 games with the Hamilton Red Wings of the OJHL and played his last 19 games with the Nepean Raiders of the Central Canada Hockey League. He compiled 5-19--24 for Nepean, which was 27-25-6 for the year.

Lake Superior State adds Goaltender

2011-04-27T15:03:00.003-04:00

Lake Superior State has landed a commitment from Kevin Murdock, goaltender of the United States Hockey League's Lincoln Stars. Murdock will play for the Laker's starting in the fall of 2011. Murdock played for Lincoln from 2007-2009 making 50 appearances over two years before going to Minnesota State Mankato during the 2009-10 season where he posted a 1-3-1 record in 5 games and posting a 3.46 GAA, 0.895 SV%. Murdock returned to Lincoln in this past season earning team MVP honors while appearing in 52 games and posting a 2.91 GAA, and 0.907 SV%. Murdock was second in the USHL with 29 wins this season.

Murdock coming to LSSU probably brings into question the development of Traverse City North Stars Tyler Marble and current LSSU goaltender Niels-Erik Ravn. Marble was 25-14-1 for the North Stars this season with a 2.88 GAA and 0.891 SV% before being replaced as Traverse City's number one goaltender after they acquired Steve Bolton from Amarillo who went 11-1 with a .931 save percentage, 1.79 GAA and two shutouts in 13 games with the North Stars after being acquired from Amarillo.

Big Ten College Hockey Conference

2011-03-23T08:24:00.001-04:00

Earlier this week it was announced that Michigan, Michigan State, and Ohio State would be defecting from the CCHA beginning in the 2013-14 season. There is mass speculation circling the college hockey world on what the impact of this move will be. Rumors are that the CCHA and WCHA may merge to form a 18 team conference, the Big Ten teams will continue to play a nonconference schedule against instate teams from the CCHA, and even speculation that the formation of the Big Ten Conference will cause several of the CCHA teams to fold.

My take on the Big Ten adding hockey is that it is completely driven by money and the Big Ten Network. This will add several games each season to the Big Ten Networks scheduling, and increase television revenue for the schools. There are really no negatives for the Big Ten schools when it comes to adding hockey to their league. Some have even argued that the level of play in the Big Ten will increase as players choose schools with television contracts for the desire to increase their personal exposure.

The Big Ten schools leaving the CCHA will have a negative impact on its member schools, but probably not as big as initially expected. I do not expect the quality of play to drop in the CCHA, college hockey in general is going to get better with the proliferation of junior leagues throughout the United States. Michigan and Michigan State travel well and increase the attendance at the Taffy Abel Arena when they come to the Soo, so their leaving the CCHA will have an economic impact on the Lakers. Games against Michigan and Michigan State bring in 500+ more people to each game which translates to $5000 +/- each game, a nice sum but not enough to make or break any team in the CCHA. The Big Ten schools have said that they will continue to play nonconference games against the CCHA teams, but I would expect that they will want games on their home ice, as they have shown in the scheduling of MAC teams in football. Maybe LSSU will host MSU or UM once every other year, but I suspect that knowing that Michigan or Michigan State will be in town every season is a thing of the past.

I suspect that losing Michigan and Michigan State will also have a negative impact on the CCHA’s contract with Fox Sports Network Detroit. FSN may drop the CCHA all together or may just choose to cover playoff games. Also will Michigan leaving prompt the CCHA to move the championship from Detroit to Grand Rapids? Where will the Big Ten hold their championship?

My take is that the WCHA and the CCHA are not going to merge. Any league that has a minimum of 6 teams gets an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. If they merge, they would be one league and would only get one automatic bid, which alone is reason enough for me to be suspect of any rumors of a merger into a super conference, let alone looking at the increased travel costs for a conference with this large of a footprint.

Lastly the Big Ten formation really clears up why the CCHA rejected The University of Alabama, Huntsville as a member; the league saw the Big Ten coming and would rather play a few years with 11 teams than be saddled with 9 teams for the long haul. Having an even number of teams makes life really easy when it comes to scheduling and having a tournament.

Lakers add center for 2011-12 season

2011-03-15T09:54:00.002-04:00

The St Louis Bandits of the NAHL have announced that forward Chris Ciotti has committed to Lake Superior State University to play hockey beginning next season. Ciotti, the Bandits’ captain, ranks second on the team in scoring with 64 points on 27 goals through 50 games. "Chris has worked hard to earn an opportunity to play college hockey in the CCHA and for a competitive program like Lake State,” Bandits assistant coach Trevor Stewart said of the 20-year-old from Romeo, Mich. “Lake Superior will be getting a good hockey player who’ll only get better.”

Ciotti recorded 14 goals and 37 points in 2009-10, and 6 goals and 17 points in 2008-09 for the St. Louis Bandits.

Kapalka named to 2011 CCHA All-Rookie Team

2011-03-08T12:45:00.001-05:00

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. – Lake Superior State freshman goaltender Kevin Kapalka was unanimously named to the Central Collegiate Hockey Association’s 2011 All-Rookie Team.

Kapalka, from Mississauga, Ont., took over as LSSU’s number one goaltender after senior goalie Brian Mahoney-Wilson suffered a season-ending injury in November. He made his collegiate debut against Michigan Tech during the season-opening Superior Cup and suffered a 6-2 loss. He recorded his first victory as a Laker by stopping 26 of 30 shots at home against Colgate. Kapalka played to a 2-2 tie at Miami on Oct. 30, which led to his first collegiate shootout. He lost that shootout 3-2 in five rounds, but went on to finish 5-3 in shootouts for the season.

Two CCHA Goaltender of the Week awards and one CCHA Rookie of the Week honor are part of Kapalka’s impressive first-year resume. His first honor was the result of 1-0 and 4-0 victories over Ferris State Nov. 11-12. His second honor came from back-to-back shootout victories over Bowling Green State Dec. 3-4. He was named rookie of the week Feb. 7 after the Lakers swept Northern Michigan on the road, 4-1 and 2-0.

Kapalka is seventh nationally and second in the CCHA in overall save percentage (.926). He is 15th nationally in goals-against average (2.25). When playing CCHA competition, he is ranked third in save percentage (.928) and sixth in goals-against average (2.16).

Michigan State’s Will Yanakeff is ranked first among freshman on the national save percentage list, while Kapalka is second. Yanakeff played in 12 games compared to Kapalka’s 29. Kapalka is third among freshmen on the nation’s goals-against list and first in shutouts with four.

Kapalka totaled career high of 48 saves to lead LSSU to a 4-0 victory over Ohio State during Friday’s opening game of the CCHA First-Round Playoffs. He stopped 76-of-78 shots for the weekend as the Lakers swept the first round series for the first time since 1996.

Lakers face Buckeyes in first round of playoffs

2011-03-03T10:18:00.000-05:00

Lakers face Buckeyes in first round of playoffs: "Friday's game will be live on CBS College Sports Network at 7:36 p.m."

Lakers play final regular-season series with home ice bid on the line

2011-02-24T13:16:00.001-05:00

Lakers play final regular-season series with home ice bid on the line: "Lake Superior State, which plays its last regular-season series at home this weekend against 11th-ranked Miami, is still in a Central Collegiate Hockey Association race that’s too close to call"

Lakers add Forward for 2011-12

2011-02-21T10:08:00.001-05:00

Forward Steve Perfetto of the Kingston Voyageurs of the Ontario Junior Hockey League has confirmed his commitment to play for Lake Superior State beginning with the 2011-12 CCHA season. The 5-8, 170 pound native of Woodbridge Ontario is the 5th player confirmed for the Lakers next season. Perfetto recorded 16 goals and 33 points this scoring this season.

LSSU relinquishes early two-goal lead

2011-02-19T22:36:00.000-05:00

LSSU relinquishes early two-goal lead: "Lakers fall 5-2"

Jean tallies another shootout winner

2011-02-18T22:36:00.000-05:00

Jean tallies another shootout winner: "LSSU sets a school record of nine single-season ties"

Lakers head to OSU for final regular-season road series

2011-02-17T07:50:00.000-05:00

Lakers head to OSU for final regular-season road series: "Lake Superior State, which was winless on the road until mid-December, is 3-1-0 during its last three road games heading into its final regular-season road series this weekend at Ohio State"

Lakers snap string of home ties with a 4-2 win

2011-02-14T07:33:00.001-05:00

Lakers snap string of home ties with a 4-2 win: "LSSU moves into a three-way tie for sixth place in CCHA"

Lakers play to fourth straight shootout at home

2011-02-14T07:33:00.000-05:00

Lakers play to fourth straight shootout at home: "LSSU notches its eight tie of the season, tying a school record for single-season ties"

Sophomore forward relishes his part in Lakers' home-ice fortunes

2011-02-11T19:19:00.001-05:00

Sophomore forward relishes his part in Lakers' home-ice fortunes

Lakers sweep Northern Michigan

2011-02-06T10:52:00.000-05:00

Lakers sweep Northern Michigan: "Kapalka records third CCHA shutout of the season"

Lakers Add Offensive Punch for 2011-12

2010-11-30T19:21:00.003-05:00

Lake Superior has once again dipped into the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) to pull in a new recruit. Kindersley Klippers captain Andrew Dommett will continue his hockey career next season in the NCAA. Dommett has signed a committment to play hockey at Lake Superior State next season. The 20 year old from Major, Saskatchewan has five goals and two assists in six games with the Klippers this year. He missed a good portion of the season due to injury.

Last year, Dommett tied for the league lead in goals with 36. He had 60 points.

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Lakers Add Defenseman for 2011-12

2010-11-12T21:04:00.002-05:00

Lake Superior State University has received a letter of intent from defenseman Kevin Czuczman (pronounced Church-man) Newmarket Hurricaes of the Ontario Junior Hockey League. The 6’3”, 200 pound, Port Elgin, Ontario native has 10 assists and 11 points in 22 games this season, after playing last season for the Junior B Waterloo Siskins posting 23 assists and 25 points in 49 games. Czuczman is a late bloomer who apparently almost gave up hockey after last season.

Lakers receives verbal commitment from Buddy Robinson for 2011

2010-10-30T12:15:00.001-04:00

Lake Superior State University has received a verbal commitment from forward Buddy Robinson from the Hamilton Red Wings of the Ontario Junior Hockey League. The 6’5”, 222 pound, Bellmaur, New Jersey native has 5 goals and 13 assists in 17 games this season, after posting 11 goals and 23 points in 49 games last season.

Prior to joining Hamilton Robinson played at Gloucester Catholic High School in New Jersey.

Chris Garner (UMD Equipment Manager) Online Benefit Auction (College & Pro Jerseys)

2010-10-19T19:09:00.003-04:00

STARTING OCTOBER 24th AT WWW.OBERMANAUCTION.COM TO RAISE FUNDS TO HELP OFFSET CHRIS'S MEDICAL COSTS NOT COVERED BY INSURANCE. TO DATE WE HAVE COLLECTED 82 COLLEGE AND PRO JERSEYS, OVER 20 AUTOGRAPHED STICKS AND MANY OTHER ITEMS THAT WERE GRACIOUSLY DONATED.

BELOW IS THE LIST OF JERSEYS AND STICKS AVAILABLE ON THE AUCTION:

DALLAS STARS PRACTICE BLUE JERSEY AUTOGRAPHED BY MODANO
WASHINGTON CAPITALS RED REPLICA PREMIERE JERSEY AUTOGRAPGHED BY TEAM
COLORADO AVALANCHE WHITE GAME JERSEY AUTHENTIC & AUTOGRAPHED BY SAKIC
CHICAGO BLAWKHAWKS RED REPLICA JERSEY AUTOGRAPHED BY BYFUGLIEN
MINNESOTA WILD RED GAME JERSEY AUTHENTIC & AUTOGRAPHED BY TEAM
MINNESOTA WILD NAVY PRACTICE JERSEY & AUTOGRAPHED BY TEAM
AIR FORCE WHITE JERSEY
AMERICAN INTL WHITE JERSEY
ARMY GOLD JERSEY
CANISIUS WHITE JERSEY
UCONN WHITE JERSEY
UCONN (WOMENS) BLUE JERSEY
UCONN BLUE JERSEY
HOLY CROSS PURPLE JERSEY
MERCYHURST GREEN JERSEY
MERCYHURST (WOMENS) WHITE JERSEY
NIAGARA BLACK JERSEY
RIT ORANGE JERSEY
ALASKA BLUE JERSEY , ALASKA WHITE JERSEY
BOWLING GREEN ORANGE JERSEY
BOWLING GREEN WHITE JERSEY
FERRIS STATE CRIMSON JERSEY
MIAMI WHITE JERSEY
MICHIGAN WHITE JERSEY
MICHIGAN STATE GREEN JERSEY
MICHIGAN STATE GREEN JERSEY
NORTHERN MICHIGAN GREEN JERSEY
NOTRE DAME GREEN JERSEY
NOTRE DAME GOLD JERSEY
OHIO STATE WHITE JERSEY
OHIO STATE RED JERSEY
OHIO STATE GRAY JERSEY
WESTERN MICHIGAN BLACK JERSEY
BROWN WHITE JERSEY
BROWN (WOMENS) WHITE JERSEY
CLARKSON WHITE JERSEY
COLGATE WHITE JERSEY
CORNELL WHITE JERSEYS
HARVARD WHITE JERSEY
RENSSELAER RED JERSEY
ST. LAWRENCE RED JERSEY
UNION GARNET JERSEY
BOSTON COLLEGE WHITE JERSEY
BOSTON U. RED JERSEY
BOSTON U. WHITE JERSEY
MAINE BLUE JERSEY
UMASS LOWELL RED JERSEY
UMASS LOWELL RED JERSEY
MASSACHUSETTS MAROON JERSEY
MERRIMACK YELLOW JERSEY
NEW HAMPSHIRE WHITE JERSEY
NORTHEASTERN BLACK JERSEY
PROVIDENCE BLACK JERSEY
PROVIDENCE (WOMENS) BLACK JERSEY
VERMONT GREEN JERSEY
ALASKA-ANCHORAGE GREY JERSEY
ALASKA-ANCHORAGE WHITE JERSEY
ALASKA-ANCHORAGE YELLOW JERSEY
BEMIDJI STATE WHITE JERSEY
COLORADO COLLEGE WHITE JERSEY
COLORADO COLLEGE WHITE JERSEY
DENVER WHITE JERSEY
DENVER WHITE JERSEY
MICHIGAN TECH BLACK JERSEY
MINNESOTA WHITE JERSEY
MINNESOTA (WOMENS) WHITE JERSEY
MINNESOTA STATE MANKATO PURPLE JERSEY
MINNESOTA-DULUTH MAROON JERSEY AUTOGRAPHED
BY STALOCK
UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA OMAHA WHITE JERSEY
UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA OMAHA RED JERSEY
NORTH DAKOTA BLACK JERSEY
NORTH DAKOTA (WOMENS) WHITE JERSEY
ST. CLOUD STATE RED JERSEY
ST. CLOUD STATE WHITE JERSEY
WISCONSIN WHITE JERSEY
SOUTHERN MINNESOTA EXPRESS BLACK JERSEY (NAHL)
NAVAL ACADEMY GOLD JERSEY (ACHA CLUB)
PORTLAND WINTERHAWKS WHITE JERSEY(WHL)
AUTOGRAPHED BY TEAM
PEORIA RIVERMEN WHITE JERSEY (AHL)
PEORIA RIVERMEN BLUE PRACTICE JERSEY (AHL)

ZACH PARISE BAUER SUPREME ONE95 STICK LEFT 95FLX AUTOGRAPHED, NEW JERSEY DEVILS (NHL)
PAUL STASTNY SHERWOOD SOP 7000 WOOD STICK LEFT AUTOGRAPGHED, COLORADO AVALANCHE (NHL)
DUSTIN BYFUGLIEN CCM VECTOR STICK RIGHT AUTOGRAPHED RBK BLADE 110FLX, ATLANTA THRASHERS (NHL)
T.J. OSHIE WARRIOR DOLOMITE SPYNE STICK RIGHT AUTOGRAPHED, ST. LOUIS BLUS (NHL)
DREW STAFFORD BAUER VAPOR X60 STICK RIGHT 102 FLX AUTOGRAPHED, BUFFALO SABRES (NHL)
KYLE QUINCEY BAUER VAPOR X60 STICK LEFT 117 FLX AUTOGRAPHED, COLORADO AVALANCHE (NHL)
TYLER BOZAK REEBOK 10K STICK RIGHT 85 FLX AUTOGRAPHED, TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (NHL)
CHRIS BUTLER BAUER SUPREME ONE95 STICK LEFT 107FLX AUTOGRAPHED, BUFFALO SABRES (NHL)
CASEY BORER REEBOK 10K STICK LEFT AUTOGRAPHED, CAROLINA HURRICANES (NHL) /CHARLOTTE CHECKERS (AHL)
ALEX STALOCK REEBOK GOAL STICK LEFT AUTOGRAPHED, WORCESTER SHARKS (AHL)
ERIKA LAWLER BAUER VAPOR X60 STICK RIGHT 67 FLX, AUTOGRAPHED BY THE 2010 WOMENS OLYMPIC TEAM, 20 AUTOGRAPHS
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA FIGHTING SIOUX CHRISTIAN WOOD STICK 2009-2010 TEAM AUTOGRAPHED
CALVIN PICKARD RBK GOAL STICK LEFT AUTOGRAPHED SEATTLE THUNDERBIRDS (WHL) 2ND ROUND 47TH OVERALL 2010 DRAFT
TYLER JOHNSON BAUER SUPREME ONE95 STICK RIGHT AUTOGRAPHED SPOKANE CHIEFS(WHL), MEMBER OF 2010 TEAM USA WORLD JUNIOR GOLD MEDAL
NICKLAS LIDSTROM WARRIOR DOLOMITE SPYNE LEFT 85 FLEX AUTOGRAPHED, DETROIT RED WINGS (NHL)
MIKE MODANO WARRIOR DOLOMITE SPYNE LEFT AUTOGRAPHED, DETROIT RED WINGS (NHL)
BRENT BURNS WARRIOR DOLOMITE RIGHT AUTOGRAPHED TEAM CANADA, MINNESOTA WILD (NHL)
BRAD LUKOWICH EASTON SE16 GRIP LEFT AUTOGRAPHED WON 2 STANLEY CUPS W/ DALLAS & TAMPA, DALLAS STARS (NHL)
MATT CULLEN WARRIOR AK27 LEFT AUTOGRAPHED, MINNESOTA WILD (NHL)
NIKLAS BACKSTROM WARRIOR GOAL STICK GAME USED AUTOGRAPHED MINNESOTA WILD TEAM (NHL)

2010-11 Schedule finalized

2010-06-29T14:17:00.003-04:00

On the surface the 2010-11 schedule looks favorable for the Lake Superior State University Lakers. Highlights include the opening weekend at home hosting the Superior Cup vs. Minnesota-Duluth and Michigan Tech.

The Lakers are will play Miami, Northern, Bowling Green and Western Michigan, 4 times each this season as the CCHA goes down to 11 teams. Last season Bowling Green and Western combined for a 13-45-14 record, with the Lakers going 2-1-1 against these two teams last season, while also going 2-4-0 combined. against Miami and NMU.

2010-11 LSSU Hockey Regular-Season Schedule

Sat., Oct. 2 Western Ontario (exhibition) 7:05 p.m.

Fri., Oct. 8 Minnesota-Duluth^ 7:05 p.m.

Sat., Oct. 9 Michigan Tech^ 7:05 p.m.

Thur., Oct. 14 at Notre Dame 7:35 p.m.

Fri., Oct. 15 at Notre Dame 7:35 p.m.

Fri., Oct. 22 Colgate 7:05 p.m.

Sat., Oct. 23 Colgate 5:05 p.m.

Fri., Oct. 29 at Miami 7:35 p.m.

Sat., Oct. 30 at Miami 7:05 p.m.

Fri., Nov. 5 Northern Michigan 7:05 p.m.

Sat., Nov. 6 Northern Michigan 7:05 p.m.

Fri., Nov. 12 Ferris State 7:05 p.m.

Sat., Nov. 13 Ferris State 7:05 p.m.

Fri., Nov. 19 at Michigan 7:35 p.m.

Sat., Nov. 20 at Michigan 7:35 p.m.

Fri., Nov. 26 at Denver* 9:35 p.m.

Sat., Nov. 27 vs Clarkson* 6:35 p.m.

Fri., Dec. 3 Bowling Green State 7:05 p.m.

Sat., Dec. 4 Bowling Green State 7:05 p.m.

Fri., Dec. 10 at Western Michigan 7:35 p.m.

Sat., Dec. 11 at Western Michigan 7:35 p.m.

Fri., Jan. 14 Michigan State 7:05 p.m.

Sat., Jan. 15 Michigan State 7:05 p.m.

Fri., Jan. 21 Western Michigan 7:05 p.m.

Sat., Jan. 22 Western Michigan 7:05 p.m.

Fri., Jan. 28 at Bowling Green State 7:05 p.m.

Sat., Jan. 29 at Bowling Green State 7:05 p.m.

Fri., Feb. 4 at Northern Michigan 7:35 p.m.

Sat., Feb. 5 at Northern Michigan 7:35 p.m.

Fri., Feb. 11 Alaska 7:05 p.m.

Sat., Feb. 12 Alaska 7:05 p.m.

Fri., Feb. 18 at Ohio State 7:05 p.m.

Sat., Feb. 19 at Ohio State 7:05 p.m.

Fri., Feb. 25 Miami 7:05 p.m.

Sat., Feb. 26 Miami 7:05 p.m.

All times EST

^Superior Cup

*Denver Cup

Lakers add another defenseman for 2010-11 season

2010-05-21T11:52:00.001-04:00

Reports out of Lincoln, Nebraska have the USHL’s Stars’ captain from last season, Matt Bruneteau committed to attend Lake Superior State University next season. The Omaha Nebraska native posted 2 goals and 6 points last season, and was minus -11 in 59 games.

Lake Superior adds another forward for 2010-11

2010-05-17T15:05:00.001-04:00

Nick Shkreli's northern progression has officially reached the nation's boundaries.

The North Stars forward, who has skated his way from Wichita Falls, Tex. to Youngstown, Ohio to Traverse City over the past three seasons, will continue his equatorial flight next year, heading to Sault. Ste. Marie to ply his trade for Lake Superior State University.

Shkreli, who came to the North Stars last summer after a season with the North Division rival Mahoning Valley Phantoms, was sidelined for the first month of the season with a broken wrist - suffered during a playoff series against Traverse City the season before. Upon his return, the Romeo, Mich. product reeled off 42 points in 45 games, bagged 13 goals - including four game-winners - and was a +9 with a mere 22 penalty minutes. He earned a spot on the All-North team at the NAHL Top Prospects all-star event in January, and dished out five assists over ten playoff games.

"Really, the first 15 games or so after he came back, he probably was at 70 percent or so," Traverse City head coach/GM Anthony Palumbo assessed. "But the last two-thirds of the season, once he really started to get healthy and get into his rhythm, he became a point-a-game guy and one of our top offensive options."

Shkreli started heating up in December, cranking out 19 points in 17 games, and finished the regular season with seven points in his final five. He had 11 multi-point games, including a pair of three-point outings.

"Lake State was looking for a kid with the talent, but also with the work ethic to go with it, and that's exactly what they got with Nick," said Palumbo, who won a national title while captain at Lake Superior State in 1989 and another as an assistant coach in 1992. "He has all the qualities to be an impact player at the next level."

Shkreli is one of eight players from the Stars 2009-10 roster to commit to an NCAA Div. I school - about 1/3 of the roster. A ninth, David Chaney, joined the team at Western Michigan University before the season, ending his stint with the North Stars before it officially began. In all, nearly 40 current and former North Stars players have committed or played NCAA hockey in the team's first five years. Two - Joe Greener and Steven Oleksy - have gone on to the professional ranks.

"We didn't have a lot of individual accolades this year as far as being All-North Division or All-NAHL or any of the postseason awards and stuff," Palumbo said. "But we did put as many of our own kids into Div. I programs as any team in the league. To me, that's as telling as all the team successes we had on the ice this year. It says you have a high caliber of player in your program."

Lakers Add another Goaltender

2010-04-20T11:25:00.000-04:00

The much speculated Niels-Erik Ravn, is reporting that he will be attending Lake Superior State University this fall. The 6’-1” goaltender from Aix-En Provence France has spent the last three seasons with the Ottawa Junior Senators of the Canadian Junior Hockey League, going 26-14-3 this season with a 2.74 GAA and posting a .920 SV%. Before going 4-3 in the playoffs with a 3.50 GAA and .902 SV%.

Lakers Fade Down the Stretch

2010-03-07T08:01:00.000-05:00

Going 1-10-1 down the stretch for the Lakers dropped to their third straight losing season. The 12 game stretch to end the season was the worst finish for the Lakers since posting the same 1-10-1 in their final 12 games under Frank Anzalone in 2001-02.

The Lakers peaked January 18th, jumping into 18th in the USCHO.com poll and 4th place in the CCHA standings after going 8-1-3 in 12 games spanning from November to mid January. The Lakers were shutout 4 times during this 12 game stretch, averaging just 1.25 goals per game, while allowing over 4 goals per game.

For the season the Lakers were 6-3-3 against sub .500 teams, and 9-15-2 against plus .500 teams. The Lakers concluded the season averaging 2.45 goals per game while allowing 2.95 goals per game.

The Lakers will graduate Zac MacVoy (28-45-73), Simon Gysbers (19-49-68), Steven Kaunisto (14-45-59), John Scrymgeour (12-19-31) and Brad Cooper (7-10-17), as well as goaltenders Pat Inglis (15-26-6) and Mitch Edmondson (0-0-0).

What looked to be a very promising season at the midway point has fallen into the history books once again for the Lakers. But the recently announced expansion at the Norris Center brings great hope for the future.

LSSU announces $5 million expansion to Norris Center complex

2010-03-02T15:11:00.001-05:00

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – Lake Superior State University has announced a $5 million project that will renovate and/or expand 36,000 square feet to serve the James Norris Center's Taffy Abel Arena, Bud Cooper Gymnasium and Robert Arbuckle Student Activity Center.

The privately funded project will add services and areas that will enhance the environment for athletes, fans, and students who use the Norris Center for classroom or recreation daily, while adding critical support to the LSSU Athletics Dept. Construction is projected for completion in fall 2012.

"We're very happy to announce this project," said LSSU President Tony McLain. "With all of the bad news and challenging times around the state and nation, it's great to have some good news happening right here. This expanded facility will serve our students for many decades. The best part is that it's being made possible through private donation. This illustrates the strong support we have in the Laker community and it allows the university to continue to focus its resources on academics."

Built in 1976, with a renovation of the Taffy Abel Arena in 1995, the James Norris Center has served generations of LSSU students and student athletes. The latest expansion will provide an expansion to LSSU Athletics Dept. offices that are currently spread around the complex, as well as several other features, including an athletic/academic center, new locker rooms in the Student Activity Center, a dining/meeting area called The Laker Club and expanded facilities for Laker hockey, including a lounge and strength and conditioning area.

"It has been a great privilege for our Foundation to be able to work with this donor group throughout the entire development process of this exciting project," said Tom Coates, executive director of the LSSU Foundation. "Their commitment to advance LSSU this way is truly appreciated and we look forward to collaborating through completion of this project and beyond."

Renovated and expanded to 3,400 sq. ft., the new office space portion of the project will house all Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) coaches and Athletics Dept. staff, and will provide a reception area for recruits and families to meet coaches and other staff members.

On the second floor, an athletic/academic center will feature 800 sq. ft. of quiet study space with team study tables for tutoring and individual studies, along with two group study rooms. Adjacent to the center, the new "Laker Club," a 1,200 sq. ft. dining/meeting facility, will seat 75 for a BlueLiner luncheon or provide space for BlueLiner, Laker Club and Laker hockey functions on game nights. It will feature a full kitchen facility operated by LSSU Food Service, flat screen televisions and a fireplace, all overlooking the wooded area on the southwest side of the facility.

Also on the west side of the Norris complex, the Student Activity Center will see a 4,000 sq. ft. expansion that will provide locker rooms and facilities to create a new home for the LSSU track, cross country, tennis and softball teams.

A new atrium – a new front door for Laker athletics -- will welcome students, visitors and fans. The atrium will wrap in two new entrances to Taffy Abel Arena, a new ticket/fan shop, and a redesigned Cooper Gym lobby, all of which will provide improved comfort and flow for Laker fans.

A second-floor "bridge" will offer expanded concessions on game nights and a comfortable space for students to take a break during the week, with seating for 50-60 and relocated vending services connected to the Norris Center classrooms. The exterior of the atrium will feature a great visual entrance to all athletic venues.

"This is an exciting endeavor for our athletics department," said LSSU Director of Athletics Kris Dunbar. "The Norris Center has served our student-athletes well for the past 34 years, but many areas need major renovations and upgrades. It is so exciting to be a part of a project that will enhance the competitive and academic experiences for our Division II athletes and keep our hockey facility on par with big Division 1 programs. And we're filling a desperate need for more locker room space for our track, tennis and softball teams. This building brings in hundreds, sometimes thousands of people every day. It will be more inviting than ever before."

The Hockey Center will include 12,000 sq. ft. of renovated or newly constructed space on the west side of Taffy Abel Arena to provide the hockey team with facilities and services equal to the best the CCHA has to offer. While maintaining the tradition of the locker room, the project totally renovates the surrounding space to provide for expanded coaches offices and facilities, a training room featuring more space, equipment, and offices for athletic training, as well as a modern equipment room.

The area will also contain a 2,800 sq. ft. strength and conditioning area, the team lounge and supporting facilities, for a total of 4,000 sq. ft. The area will include a hockey treadmill, goalie training area, and expanded plyometric and speed-training areas, as well as a great variety of aerobic and weight-training equipment. The facilities, as well as plans for improved strength and conditioning coaching, will provide the Lakers with one of the elite training facilities in college hockey.

"Private donors are doing something pretty awesome for us," said LSSU Hockey Coach Jim Roque. "It's something we never could have done on our own. It's enabling us to keep pace, show progress – not just for hockey, but for all of the Laker teams. This will energize our players, staff, fans and alumni."

The project is completely privately financed, however LSSU will conduct a personalized "Brick Campaign" for the plaza area, and there will be several naming opportunities in specific areas to further support LSSU through the LSSU Foundation. The Norris Center will remain in use throughout the project, which will be constructed/renovated in two phases. The Hockey Center, Laker Club and academic center are scheduled for completion in 2012 and the SAC addition/atrium/Athletics Dept. offices are scheduled to be wrapped up in 2013.

Larry Westby, member of the LSSU Foundation's board of directors and chair of its Norris Center Project Committee said he is looking forward to moving the project along.

"The addition of these facilities and programming will not only create an elite hockey setting equal to the best in college hockey, but it will also benefit the entire campus. The Norris Center will again be a jewel on the LSSU campus with this design, which improves the facility for everyone – students, LSSU employees and fans."

Take a look at what the finished product will look like and follow new developments at norriscenterproject.com

NORRIS EXPANSION IN A NUTSHELL:
-- privately financed
-- renovate and/or expand 36,000 sq. ft.
-- a new dining/meeting area: The Laker Club
-- expanded lounge and strength and conditioning area for Laker Hockey
-- 3,400 sq. ft. office space for coaches and Athletics Dept. staff
-- 4,000 sq. ft. locker rooms and facilities in Arbuckle Student Activities Center for the LSSU track, cross-country, tennis and softball teams
-- main entrance atrium with ticket/fan shop, and a redesigned Cooper Gym lobby; second-floor "bridge" with expanded concessions on game nights and a comfortable space for students, with seating for 50-60 and relocated vending services connected to the Norris Center classrooms
-- 12,000 sq. ft. of renovated or newly constructed space on the west side of Taffy Abel Arena

http://www.norriscenterproject.com/

Goaltender of the Future?

2010-03-02T07:58:00.001-05:00

Hoffort, Madeley, Lacher, Grahame, Platt, Violin, Jakaitis, Kapalka???

LSSU has landed their goaltender, Kevin Kapalka of the Vaughan Vipers of the OJAHL. The 6-1, 185lb goaltender from Mississauga, ON was recently named the OJAHL Goaltender of the Year, leading the league in goalie for minutes played and total saves. Kevin was second in the league with a 0.923 SV%, posted a 2.84 GAA, Kapalka was 5^th in the league in wins with 22 of Vaughan’s 27 wins.

Look for Kapalka to compete with Mahoney-Wilson who is entering his senior season next year.

Lakers add Defenseman

2010-01-28T15:04:00.003-05:00

Weyburn Red Wings defenseman Andrew Perrault has verbally committed to Lake Superior State. The 6'-2", 190 lbs defenseman from Grand Coulee, Saskatchewan is scheduled to play for the Lakers next season.

Perrault has posted 25 assists and 30 points in 47 games this season. After posting 18 assists and 23 points in 53 games last season.

Perault is the former defense partner of the Lakers Kyle Haines.

Lakers Jump to #18 in USCHO.com Poll

2010-01-18T21:04:00.000-05:00

For the first time since the 2006-07 season the Lake Superior Stat e University Lakers have jumped into the national polls, after climbing to 4^th in the CCHA standings following a sweep of Nebraska-Omaha this past weekend. Hitting the USCHO.com poll at number 18 in January 18^thspoll, and are tied for 17^th with Cornell and Michigan in the PairWise Rankings.

Lake Superior is 2-1-1 in their last 4 games and 8-1-3 in their last 12 games, with only 10 games left in the season.

The season to this point has been the most successful since Head Coach Jim Roque’s second season behind the bench in 2006-07. The Lakers improved offensive output is one of the main reasons behind the team’s turnaround, the Lakers are currently third in the CCHA in scoring with 78 goals scored in 26 games, averaging 3.00 goals a game, their highest average since Scott Borek’s first season when the Lakers averaged over 4.00 goals a game.

The Lakers are set to embark on arguably the hardest stretch of their season with their 10 remaining games are all against teams with plus .500 records, including Notre Dame, #2 Miami, and #8 Ferris State. The remaining series will be a trip to Alaska and at Northern.

Father of LSSU Athletics Passes Away

2009-12-01T08:38:00.001-05:00

Bud Cooper, longtime athletic director at Lake Superior State, died November 29th from cancer. He was 80.

Bud a former athlete, coach and athletic director at Lake Superior State University is commonly know at the father of LSSU Athletics after serving as LSSU’s athletic director for 26 years. Cooper was instrumental in bringing Hockey to LSSU in 1966.

LSSU’s gymnasium bears the Cooper name in his honor.

https://www.lssu.edu/whats_new/articles.php?articleid=1893

Sternberg commits to LSSU

2009-11-20T06:57:00.000-05:00

Chris Heisenberg is reporting that Lake Superior State University has received a verbal commitment from Zach Sternberg the high scoring defenseman from the Nepean Raiders of the Central Junior Hockey League. The 19 year old defenseman has 19 assists and 21 points in 28 games this season for the Raiders, after posting 3 assists in 3 appearances for Nepean last season.

Lakers Picked for Bottom Third

2009-10-01T08:39:00.003-04:00

Laker Superior State was picked to be in the bottom third of the CCHA this season, 10th and 11th respectively in the CCHA's coaches and media polls.

CCHA Coaches Poll:

Team (first-place votes) Points
1. Michigan (5) 114
2. Notre Dame (4) 111
3. Miami (2) 104
4. Ohio State 90
5. Northern Michigan (1) 85
6. Nebraska-Omaha 63
7. Alaska 61
8. Ferris State 50
9. Michigan State 46
10. Lake Superior State 29
11. Western Michigan 28
12. Bowling Green 11

CCHA Media poll:

Team (first-place votes) Points
1. Michigan (24) 731
2. Notre Dame (20) 712
3. Miami (20) 707
4. Ohio State (1) 547
5. Northern Michigan 502
6. Alaska 386
7. Nebraska-Omaha 377
8. Michigan State (1) 332
9. Ferris State 314
10. Western Michigan 256
11. Lake Superior State 189
12. Bowling Green 95

2009-10 Season Preview

2009-09-28T08:21:00.001-04:00

After back to back 20 loss seasons Lake Superior State will try to return to glory this season. Success this season will once again depend on the Lakers getting off to a good start as they will conclude the season with games against, Michigan State, Nebraska-Omaha, Notre Dame, Miami, and Northern Michigan.

Last season LSSU’s team struggled, going 1-10-7 against plus-.500 teams, and went 10-10-1 against sub-.500 teams. The schedule does get a little bit easier this season with LSSU finding themselves in a cluster with Northern Michigan, Nebraska-Omaha, and Alaska, even though they did go 0-5-3 against these teams last season.

Offense. Scoring this season will be a major question mark for the Lakers as it has been for the past 10 plus years. Zac MacVoy and Fred Cassiani are the only returning Lakers who scored more than 10 goals last season, with 14 and 11 respectively. Key losses on the offensive side of the ice include is Troy Schwab, Nathan Perkovich, and Josh Sim. Look for freshman Dominic Monardo to be relied upon to contribute in the attacking zone. LSSU will look to improve on the 2.82 goals per game that they averaged over 39 games last season and the 12.9% success on the powerplay.

Defense. LSSU will have an experienced defensive corps this season. The defense will be anchored this season by Steven Kaunisto, Simon Gysbers, Matt Cowie, and Dillin Stonehouse, with incoming defenseman Zach Trotman expected to contribute early. Last season LSSU’s defense allowed 2.95 goals per games killing an improved but not great 82.8% of their shorthanded opportunities.

Goaltending. Junior Pat Inglis and Sophomore Brian Mahoney-Wilson again split time in goal for the Lakers, with neither one stepping up to take the coveted spot as the Lakers number one goaltender, with Inglis posting a 3.01 GAA with a .903 SV% and Mahoney-Wilson posting a 2.66 GAA and a .915 SV%. Both goaltenders dropped their GAA by approximately 0.5. It looked as if Mahoney-Wilson would take the reigns as the No.1 goaltender before being injured at the end of January, and never had time to get his legs back under him, so look for both goalies to contribute again this year.

Due to economic conditions, LSSUHockey.com has had to reduce staff and time commitments. For the 2009-10 season LSSUHockey.com will not carry game previews or recaps. It will still be your premiere source for other LSSU Hockey news, including recruiting, and one of a kind commentary.

Hockey News ranks LSSU jersey 9th in CCHA

2009-08-25T07:15:00.008-04:00

The Hockey News ranked Lake Superior State's jersey 9th in the CCHA. I have to admitt that I like the old jersey better than the new style. What do you think?

11 Teams is better than 12?

2009-08-13T05:39:00.001-04:00

Huntsville get screwed by the CCHA not admitting them. 9 out of the 11 teams in the CCHA had to vote yes for Huntsville to be admitted. But why would UM, MSU, ND, and Ohio State want to travel to AL, when the Chargers are not going to bring a positive draw into their buildings? Does this tell us something about the true health of BGSU? I don’t want to speculate on their health, but why would you rather have an 11 team league instead of a 12 team league? The 11 team league is going to force the CCHA to alter their playoff format. I believe that the current financial crisis facing several schools and programs in the CCHA have put them in the situation where they are not looking for a school to replace UNO, they were probably happy to see UNO defect to the WCHA to reduce travel costs.

Although Danton Cole didn't put up good numbers at UAH the past two seasons, should the team fold in Huntsville, I would expect to see him at the top of anyone's list of candidates for any coaching openings that turn up in the CCHA following the 2009-10 season.

In other LSSU related news former Laker head coach Frank Anzalone has been named head coach of the expansion franchise Quad City Mallards of the IHL.

Campbell commits to Lake Superior State University for 2010

2009-08-05T11:33:00.001-04:00

Pickering, Ontario native Colin Campbell, not that Colin Campbell, from the Vaughan Vipers of the OJHL has given Lake Superior State University a verbal commitment to attend LSSU starting in 2010. In his rookie season last year with Vaughan Campbell compiled 24 goals and 42 assists in 47 regular season games, and 7 goals and 9 points in 9 playoff games. Campbell has recently been named Team Captain of the Vipers for the 2009-10 season.

Bring on Alabama Huntsville

2009-07-29T08:41:00.002-04:00

With the defection of Nebraska Omaha for the WCHA there the CCHA is mulling over bringing in Alabama Huntsville into the fold starting in the 2010-2011 season. In my opinion the CCHA blundered drastically when they voted not to allow Wayne State in 2007 which essentially forced the Warriors to fold their team following the 2007-08 season. I understand not wanting Wayne State due to the school having no commitment to the team. They played in at 5 different arenas over their 8 years of existence, they was always a rumor of an on campus arena but it never materialized, and they regularly averaged under 1000 fans each game, usually visiting fans outnumbering those rooting for the home team. The one major positive was location. Being in Detroit and CCHA teams regularly playing in the Detroit metropolitan area, where a tremendous number of alumni from CCHA teams reside, would have a positive effect for alumni involvement in the schools and their hockey programs.

The bus trip from Lake Superior State University to the University of Nebraska Omaha was 909 miles and 14 hours and 14 minutes, while the trip to the University of Alabama Huntsville is 949 miles, 14 hours and 12 minutes. So the travel costs will not be much different from regularly traveling to Omaha. The Chargers have a strong history of performing well on the ice since being led by former Laker Doug Ross for 25 years. Alabama Huntsville averages over 2500 in attendance for their home games, despite having the completion of a professional team in town, the Havoc of the SPHL, which averaged over 3800 at each home game last season. Community support in Huntsville would be buoyed by admission into the CCHA. Huntsville is not your typical southern city, it’s home to NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and the Army’s Redstone Arsenal. These institutions have attracted people from around the world to Huntsville; you will additionally find a good number of CCHA alumni that live in the Huntsville area working in various high tech positions.

UAH’s strong institutional support, community backing, strong on ice performance, and having similar travel expense to UNO make them a good option for the CCHA to consider for admission into the league for the 2010-11 season.

2009-10 schedule

2009-06-22T20:40:00.000-04:00

The 2009-10 Lake Superior State University schedule is out. The Lakers will be in a cluster with Northern Michigan (19-17-5), Nebraska-Omaha (15-17-8) and Alaska Fairbanks (17-16-6) this season, a group they where winless against last season going 0-5-3, including losing all three shootouts.

The Lakers will participate in the Superior Cup for the third straight season still looking to garner their first win after posting a tie and a loss in each of the first two seasons. The much rumored holiday tournament doesn’t show up on the schedule, but the Lakers will be playing in the RPI Tournament at Thanksgiving. Other nonconference play will feature LSSU hosting Canisius during Great Lake State Weekend on October 16 &17, and at Robert Morris, who the Lakers split with last season, on January 3rd and 4th.

2009-10 Laker Hockey Schedule (all times EST)
Friday, Oct. 3, Nipissing (Ex.), 7:05 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 9, at Minnesota-Duluth, 8:05 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 11, at Michigan Tech, TBA
Friday, Oct. 16, Canisius, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 17, Canisius, 7:05 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 23, Ohio State, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 24, Ohio State, 7:05 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 30, Michigan, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 31, Michigan, 7:05 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 6, at Western Michigan, 7:35 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 7, at Western Michigan, 7:35 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 13, at Nebraska-Omaha, 8:05 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 14, at Nebraska-Omaha, 8:05 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 20, Alaska, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 21, Alaska, 7:05 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 27, vs. Union*, 4 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 28, vs. RPI/Bentley*, TBA
Friday, Dec. 4, at Bowling Green, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 5, at Bowling Green, 5:05 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 11, Northern Michigan, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 12, Northern Michigan, 7:05 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 3, at Robert Morris, TBA
Monday, Jan. 4, at Robert Morris, TBA
Friday, Jan. 8, at Michigan State, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 9, at Michigan State, 5:05 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 15, Nebraska-Omaha, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 16, Nebraska-Omaha, 7:05 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 22, Notre Dame, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 23, Notre Dame, 7:05 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 5, at Miami, 7:35 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 6, at Miami, 7:05 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 12, Ferris State, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 13, Ferris State, 7:05 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 19, at Alaska, 11:05 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 20, at Alaska, 11:05 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 26, at Northern Michigan, 7:35 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 27, at Northern Michigan, 7:35 p.m.
*RPI Tournament at Troy, N.Y.

Lakers Add another Forward

2009-05-28T13:42:00.002-04:00

Eric Kraft from the Fairbanks Ice Dogs of the North American Hockey League will reportedly attend Lake Superior State University this fall. The 5-foot, 11-inch, 180 pound, forward recorded 17 goals and 41 points this past season for the Ice Dogs. The Wayzata, Minnesota native also added 3 goals in 7 playoff game appearances for Fairbanks.

Recruiting news

2009-05-13T15:17:00.001-04:00

SAULT STE. MARIE - Aurora Tigers right wing Domenic Monardo and Traverse City North Stars center Dan Radke have signed National Letters of Intent to play hockey at Lake Superior State, and former Oakville Blades left wing Nick McParland has joined the recruiting class for 2009.

Laker Hockey's recruiting class also includes fall signees Ben Power, Kyle Jean, Kelin Ainsworth and Zach Trotman, along with Kellan Lain, who signed in the spring of 2008.

Radke and Ainsworth will defer enrollment until 2010-11.

Monardo (Oakville, Ontario) led the Tigers in scoring during the regular season with 39 goals and 40 assists in 39 games and was the team's No. 2 scorer during the playoffs with six goals and five assists in 11 games. The 5-11, 175-pound right wing also had a goal and an assist during the Ontario Junior Hockey League All-Star Game. Aurora was third in the OJHL Phillips Division with a 34-11 record and finished 5-5 in the playoffs.

"He had a great 20-year-old season and was one of the top scorers on the Provincial League," LSSU hockey coach Jim Roque said. "He will bring some energy, grit and toughness. He plays a lot like Freddy Cassiani. And he already has some friends on the team. He played with Lain and McParland in Oakville."

Radke (Orinda, Cal.), a 5-10, 180-pound center, is former member of the Soo Indians AAA midget hockey team. He totaled eight goals and 15 assists in 38 games for Traverse City, which set a franchise record for wins in 2008-09 after finishing 34-17-7 for third place in the North American Hockey League North Division. He was teammates with Jean, a 6-3, 200-pound left wing from Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., who is recovering from post-season surgery. Jean was the North Stars' No. 2 scorer with 22-21-43 in 58 games and six game-winning goals.

"He was one of the top scorers in the midget league when he played for the Soo Indians," Roque said of Radke. "He had some good moments as a junior and is expected to be one of the top players in the North American League next year. He's a lot like Troy Schwab - strong on his skates and very clever."

Radke's father is originally from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. His mother, Susan, teaches classes at LSSU to be near their younger son, who plays bantam hockey in Canada.

McParland (Schreiber, Ontario), a 6-0, 195-pound left wing, totaled a team-leading 29 goals and 48 assists in 49 games at Oakville, which won the RBC Cup in 2007-08. He failed to get through the NCAA Clearinghouse that year and attended LSSU as a full-time student in 2008-09.

"It's going to take him some time," Roque said. "He hasn't played a game since the RBC Cup two years ago, when he led his team in scoring. "We were fortunate to get him. He has a real good stick. It will be a matter of adjusting his timing and being patient. It will be a ‘game shape' type of thing."

Power (Montreal, Quebec) helped lead the Kingston Voyageurs to the Dudley Hewitt Cup title and an appearance in the 2009 RBC Cup (Canadian Nationals). Power, a 5-11, 170-pound forward, finished third on the team in scoring during the regular season with 22-36-49 in 49 games and was fourth with 10-12-22 during 20 OJHL playoff games. Kingston was 34-9-0-2 during the regular season and 19-6 in the playoffs. The Vees defeated Oakville in a six-game series for the OJHL playoff title and eventually defeated the Fort William North Stars 4-1 to win the Dudley Hewitt Cup (Central Canada Junior A Championship). They lost to the Vernon Vipers during the RBC Cup semifinal round.

Lain (Oakville, Ontario), a 6-4, 190-pound forward, finished the 2008-09 season with 19-23-42 during 47 regular-season games. He totaled 10-6-16 as the Blades went 17-11 in the playoffs.

Trotman (Novi, Mich.), a 6-2, 210-pound defenseman, played for the Wichita Falls Wildcats (24-25-0-9). He totaled two goals and four assists during 47 regular-season games. After having a plus-minus rating of -4 during the regular season, he was +7 with a goal and an assist during five playoff games.

Ainsworth (Thunder Bay, Ontario), a 5-11, 180-pound left wing, totaled nine goals and 13 assists in 37 games for the Superior International Junior Hockey League champion Fort William North Stars. He did not appear in the playoffs.

Voice of Laker Hockey Retiring

2009-04-23T12:48:00.001-04:00

Bill Crawford has confirmed with the Soo Evening News that he is retiring from Lake Superior State University after being with the school for 21 years. Crawford has been the voice of the Lakers for 28 seasons in two stints dating back to 1973. It will be hard to imagine LSSU without Bill Crawford; it is still up in the air as to whether he will be back behind the mike for the Lakers this season.

Perkovich leaves LSSU for ECHL

2009-04-08T19:30:00.000-04:00

Lake Superior State junior forward Nathan Perkovich (Canton, Mich.) has signed a contract to play in the Kelly Cup Playoffs with the Trenton Devils of the East Coast Hockey League.

The Devils, whose lineup includes former Laker forward Dan Eves '07, placed second in the East Coast Hockey League American Division North. They open a best-of-seven playoff series at home Friday against the Elmira Jackals. Perkovich, a 2004 eighth-round draft pick of the New Jersey Devils, will play for ECHL Coach of the Year Rick Kowalsky.

Perkovich totaled 12 goals and 12 assists to finish fourth in scoring for LSSU in 2008-09. His team-leading seven power-play goals ranks seventh in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. Perkovich missed four games in December due to an injury, but finished strong. He totaled 4-1-5 during the Lakers' last four games.

Perkovich was one of the Lakers' most-consistent playoff contributors throughout his collegiate career. He contributed 9-4-13 in 13 post-season games.

Through three seasons at LSSU, Perkovich totaled 44-27-71 with 25 power-play goals and five game-winning goals. He was named the Lakers' outstanding freshman in 2006-07 and most-valuable forward and most-valuable player in 2007-08. He was LSSU's Perani Cup points leader in 2008-09.

"Perk will be a great addition in Trenton," said Eves, who has been a consistent contributor for the Devils since being traded from Idaho early in the 2008-09 season. "We already have a really strong team heading into the post-season, but Perk's size and skill should be a big asset for us. Our division alone has been real though and physical all season, and it's only going to get more intense. I'm looking forward to playing with Perk again. He was one of my best friends at school over my four years, and I'm sure he's going to help us make a long playoff run towards the Kelly Cup."

North Stars Forward to Play At LSSU in 2010

2009-03-19T07:49:00.004-04:00

TRAVERSE CITY - It's a long way from northern California to the Upper Peninsula, but Dan Radke has always felt right at home in the Soo.

The Traverse City North Stars center and Orinda, Calif. native spent the previous two seasons plying his trade for the midget major Soo (Mich.) Indians - just across the river from his father's hometown. Now Radke will be able to keep the home fires burning for at least four more years, having committed to play collegiately at Lake Superior State University.

"The Soo is like a second home to me," said Radke, who is tentatively slated to join the CCHA's Lakers in 2010-11 along with fellow Stars forward Kyle Jean. "Lots of aunts, uncles, cousins and friends there. Growing up in California I never got to play in front of them, but when I got to the Indians, they were very supportive, always coming out to the games. My brother is playing in Soo, Ont. and my mom even is teaching a class there (LSSU) this year.

"When I came to the Soo, the goal was to earn a college scholarship. It's been a bit of a journey, but it all seems worth it now that college hockey is a reality. It's pretty exciting to get the chance to do that so close to family and friends."

North Stars head coach/GM Anthony Palumbo - an LSSU alum and two-time national champion with the Lakers - says his alma mater is getting a dynamic contributor.

"I think they (LSSU) saw what we saw as a midget major - and that was the day-in, day-out best player on the rink," Palumbo opined. "He has great vision and great skill - he sees the entire ice. With his great sense of anticipation, he's an offensive performer and is really starting to come into his own at the junior level."

Radke has six goals and 19 assists through 33 games this year for Traverse City, but has 11 points in his last 11 games - including three in a 3-1 win at Alpena on Feb. 28 where he bagged the game-winning tally. The recent increase in statsheet ink coincides with a more frequent shift - something that Radke had grown accustomed to playing in sport-diverse California.

"Out there, playing time was never really an issue," said the Traverse City Central H.S. senior.

"The term 'healthy scratch' was a whole new thing when I got to the Soo, and again when I got to Traverse City. It's tough, and no competitor likes it. I just tried to keep working hard and to make the most of my opportunities when they came along."

Radke led the Indians in scoring last season, with 32 goals and 31 assists in 58 games, including six multiple-point outings in the Soo's 26 league contests. He was tendered along with fellow Indians stalwart and current North Stars defenseman Bo Jacobs.

"I try to be a complete player at both ends of the ice, but like most guys it's fun to try to score goals, to make plays," Radke explained. "Things were a lot faster and a lot more physical when I got here (to juniors) - you have to do everything out there a little bit faster at this level."

While his formidable acumen has emerged at the junior strata, Radke may well have caught the eye of Lake State coach Jim Roque as a midget.

"We practiced in the same rink, right after them, all the time," he explained. "Their staff would see us practice, see our games. I thought maybe someday there'd be a chance of going there, given all that exposure."

Radke and the North Stars have a critical weekend ahead of them, with the U.S. National Team Development Program's Under-17 squad coming into Centre ICE arena for a Friday-Saturday series that will go a long way in determining playoff position in the NAHL North Division. The teams are currently tied for second place - and the final home-ice postseason slot - but USA has three games in hand.

"It's a big weekend, no doubt," Radke admitted. "That's who were fighting it out with for second place right now. Of course, we'd like to get the home ice, it's where we seem to be most comfortable, record-wise."

Radke, who sports a 3.71 grade-point average and scored a 28 on the ACT, plans to major in math at Lake Superior with an eye on graduate school. His father is a professor of geographic information sciences at Cal-Berkley, and mother an adjunct faculty member at LSSU. While there are sure to be many happy homecomings for the Radke family, Dan's Soo relations will almost certainly help slake his college-caliber appetite.

"I have one aunt who's an especially awesome cook," he added. "My favorite is this lemon-poppy loaf - and she makes a mean bean salad, too."

Lakers Eliminated From Playoffs

2009-03-09T05:16:00.000-04:00

Lake Superior State University took a 1 game to none lead winning Friday night but were unable to close out the series against Western Michigan University and where eliminated from the CCHA playoffs, ending the 2008-09 season on Sunday evening.

Friday night LSSU jumped out to a 5-0 lead. Nathan Perkovich opened the scoring for the Lakers with Troy Schwab and Brad Cooper assisting at the 3:47 mark of the first period on the power play. Troy Schwab scored his 11th goal of the season at 8:26 to give LSSU a 2 goal lead with Josh Sim recording the assist on the Lakers second marker. Matt Cowie scored his scored his second goal at 12:01 of the first period with Tyson Hobbins and Dan Barczuk recording assists. LSSU added two goals early in the second period to take a 5-0 lead with Fred Cassiani and Brad Cooper scoring at 0:27 and 2:34 respectively in the period. Sim assisted on the Cassiani goal while Brent Wall and Kyle Haines assisted on the cooper goal.

Western Michigan broke up Brian Mahoney-Wilson’s bid for a shutout scoring at 4:08 of the second period. LSSU’s Nathan Perkovich scored his second power play goal at 10:32 of the second period Matt Cowie and Sim recording assists on the tally.

WMU scored two power play goals in the third period but were unable to come back from the five goal deficit that LSSU was able to put them in early.

Western Michigan outshot LSSU 42-to-39 in the game. Lake Superior’s Brian Mahoney-Wilson allowed WMU’s three goals while making 39 saves. WMU’s Riley Gill recorded the loss allowing all 6 of the Laker goals in just over 30 minutes of playing time, backup Jerry Kuhn shutout the Lakers in the 29-plus minutes of action he saw. Both teams where 2-for-5 on the power play.

Saturday night saw LSSU and Western Michigan battle into the second overtime period before WMU finally stunned the Lakers to tie up the first round series 1-to-1.

WMU took a 1 goal lead midway through the first period with Greg Squires scoring unassisted against Mahoney-Wilson. LSSU’s Dan Barczuk scored his 6th of the season at 13:19 of the first period with Oleksy and Nehring assisting. WMU added a power play goal just over 3 minutes later to take a 2-1 lead into the first intermission.

WUM took a two goal lead on the heals of a goal by Jared Katz, which Nathan Perkovich cut back down to 1 goal with his third goal of the weekend and 11th of the season at 17:17 of the second period.

After over 20 minutes of scoreless hockey Matt Cowie scored the game tying goal at 17:30 of the third period with Zac MacVoy getting the only assist on the play.

Following a scoreless first overtime period in which WMU outshot LSSU 12-to-8, the two team battled into a second overtime period before WMU’s Kevin Connauton scored the game winner for the Bronco’s at 7:57 of the second overtime period.

LSSU put 57 shots on WMU goaltender Riley Gill, while LSSU’s Brian Mahoney-Wilson stopped 41 of the 45 shots he faced. WMU was 1-for-4 on the power play, including one chance in the first overtime period, while LSSU’s power play went 0-for-6.

Sunday evening Western and Lake Superior swapped power play goals in the first period, highlighted by Nathan Perkovich’s 4th goal of the weekend, and 12th of the season, with Troy Schwab and Simon Gysbers assisting.

Western scored twice in the second to put away the Lakers for the season including back breaking goal with just 14 seconds remaining in the period, to take down the Lakers 3-to-1. LSSU was unable to score in the third period despite putting 11 shots on WMU’s Riley Gill. Ending their season with a 11-20-8 record.

Lake Superior put up 30 shots in the game while WMU recorded 28 shots. Each team was 1-for-3 on the power play. Lake Superior ended the season going 27-for-209 on the power play.

Playoff Season

2009-03-05T06:17:00.000-05:00

From LSSU's Alumni Association:

After splitting their regular season series with Western Michigan University two weeks ago in Sault Ste. Marie, the Lakers are heading to Kalamazoo for the first round of the CCHA playoffs this weekend. The hockey Lakers will taken on WMU’s Broncos in a best of three series this Friday, Saturday and Sunday (if necessary) at 7:35pm each night in Lawson Arena. Tickets to the game are $33 for the three-game series or $16 per game and can be purchased online at www.wmubroncos.com or by calling 888-4WMU-TIX. For more on the upcoming series, click here http://www.lssulakers.com/sports/m-hockey/2008-09/news/lssu-wmu_playoff_preview.

Join Laker alumni and hockey fans at Gallaghers Eatery and Pub located at 4210 Stadium Drive in Kalamazoo!The LSSU Alumni Association will be sponsoring a pre-game social for alumni and fans from 5 – 7pm on Saturday, March 7. Laker students, alumni, fans and friends are all invited to Gallaghers before the game for free appetizers and great LSSU door prizes.

Please RSVP to alumnirelations@lssu.edu no later than March 6 to ensure that we have enough tables to accommodate Laker fans.

For more information on your LSSU Alumni Association go to http://alumni.lssu.edu/ or email alumnirelations@lssu.edu.

Go Lakers!

Lakers Magic Number of 6

2009-03-03T13:31:00.003-05:00

SAULT STE. MARIE – Lake Superior needs to post six wins in their next 8 contests to make the NCAA tournament.

After splitting their regular-season series two weeks ago in Sault Ste. Marie, the Lakers (10-18-8 overall, 7-15-6-1 Central Collegiate Hockey Association) are heading to Kalamazoo for the first round of the CCHA Playoffs. No. 10 seed LSSU plays No. 7 seed WMU (12-17-7 overall, 9-13-6-2 CCHA) in a best-of-three series at 7:35 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday (if-necessary).

Friday’s game will be televised live on FSN Plus, and Saturday’s contest will be televised live on Comcast Local. Satellite and cable channel numbers for FSN Plus are listed below. Both games will also be broadcast on Rock 101 with audio streaming on http://www.rock101.net/.

The LSSU Alumni Association is sponsoring a pre-game social for alumni and fans from 5-7 p.m. Saturday in the Endzone Room of Gallagher’s Eatery & Pub, which is located at 4210 Stadium Drive in Kalamazoo. Tickets to the game are $33 for bench seats for the three-game series or $16 per game and can be purchased online (http://www.wmubroncos.com/) or by calling 888-4WMU-TIX.

LSSU won the first game of its Feb. 20-21 series against WMU, 7-4, but the Broncos came back to win the second game, 4-1. Junior forward Zac MacVoy scored a goal in both games. MacVoy, who leads the Lakers in goals scored with 14, also tallied two goals at Northern Michigan last weekend. He has five goals in the Lakers’ last seven games and is tied for seventh in the CCHA in goals scored.

Junior forward Nathan Perkovich and freshman forward Dan Barczuk both had a goal and two assists during the Lakers’ 7-4 victory over WMU. LSSU stormed to a 6-0 lead during the first 24:12 of that game. WMU turned the tables on the Lakers and took a 3-0 lead in the second game of the series. NMU picked up where the Broncos left off and built early three-goal leads in both games of last weekend’s 7-3 and 4-3 sweep. Barczuk did not play in the NMU series.

Lake Superior State and Western Michigan last met in the CCHA Playoffs in 2005-06 during a first-round series played in Sault Ste. Marie. The Broncos won 3-2 in overtime and 1-0. LSSU has an all-time CCHA Playoffs record of 5-2 against the Broncos dating back to the 1973-74 season, which was the second year of the league tournament.

Last year, LSSU was eliminated by Bowling Green State in three games during the first round, while WMU was swept by Ferris State, 4-3 in overtime and 6-3.

Senior forward Patrick Galivan leads the Broncos in playoff points with 1-2—3. Junior defenseman Kevin O’Connor, sophomore forward Travis Paeth and junior forward Cam Watson are the only other WMU players who have scored a goal in the playoffs.

Senior forward Troy Schwab is LSSU’s points leader in the playoffs with 1-10—11, followed by Perkovich at 5-4—9 and junior defenseman Simon Gysbers at 4-4—8.

Other first-round matchups include Bowling Green at Ohio State, Ferris State at Nebraska-Omaha and Michigan State at Northern Michigan.

FOX SPORTS DETROIT PLUS CHANNEL NUMBERS

Below is the list of FOX Sports Detroit Plus channel numbers for Friday, March 6, 2009 (Lake Superior State at Western Michigan) as designated by the video providers:

SATELLITE Channel

DIRECTV 664

DISH NETWORK 453

CABLE Channel

ACR AUBURN HILLS 64

ALLENDALE COMMUNICATIONS 56

AT&T U-VERSE 738

BLOOMINGDALE 56

BRIGHT HOUSE NETWORKS 77

BROADSTRIPE 18, 19 or 97

BUCKEYE CABLEVISION 8 or 13

CABLE AMERICA 48, 49, 65 or 96 (varies by community)

CARR 212

CEBRIDGE Channel varies by location

CHARTER 88

CITY OF NEGAUNEE 51

COLDWATER CATV 95

CTS 46

COMCAST 901

D&P CABLE 21

EDWARD ROSE PROPERTIES 3

PARISH COMMUNICATIONS 24, 26, 97 or 98

SOUTHWEST MI COMMUNICATIONS 56

SPRINGCOM 50

T2TV 144

TVC 97

VOGTMANN ENGINEERING 97

WESTPHALIA 56

WOW! 195

WYANDOTTE MUNICIPAL 17

Swept again.

2009-03-01T07:33:00.000-05:00

Goaltending continued to haunt Lake Superior State on Friday night with Pat Inglis being pulled in the third straight game allowing 3 goals on 7 shots, giving up 9 goal on the past 21 shots he has faced over three games.

LSSU jumped out to a quick 3-1 lead in the first period forcing Lakers Head Coach Jim Roque to pull Pat Inglis at 13:42 of the first period with the Lakers lone goal coming from Laker Senior Carter Lee, unassisted at 13:21, his second goal in three games, seeing action in just his 12th game of the season. NMU added a second power play goal in the period against backup goaltender Brian Mahoney-Wilson.

Northern Michigan added two more goals in the second period to take a 6-to-1 lead into the third period.

LSSU managed to pull the game to within three goals with Zac MacVoy scoring his 13th goal of the season at 2:04 of the third period with Will Acton and Steven Kaunisto assisting. Josh Sim added his 11th goal of the season at 3:34 with Will Acton and Steven Kaunisto assisting. NMU was able to stifle the lakers comeback scoring a goal less than 30 seconds later to take back a 4 goal lead, with a final score of 7-to-3.

LSSU put 28 shots on NMU goaltender Brian Stewart, while LSSU’s goaltending tandem faced 27 shots with Inglis recording 4 saves and Mahoney-Wilson stopping 16 of the 20 shots he faced in relief. NMU was 3-for-6 on the power while LSSU’s power play went 0-for-9.Saturday night Brian Mahoney-Wilson started for the first time since January due to a concussion. LSSU fell behind 3-0 before MacVoy notched his 14th goal of the season with Simon Gysbers assisting with just 1:54 remaining in the second period.

NMU added a 4th goal, the eventual game winner at 12:37 of the third period. LSSU’s Will Acton scored his 7th of the season less than 20 seconds later with Schofiel and Kaunisto assisting. With Brian Mahoney-Wilson pulled in favor of an extra attacker LSSU was able to score a third goal with MacVoy netting his team leading 15th goal of the season with Troy Schwab and Nathan Perkovich assisting with 48 seconds remaining in the game. LSSU was unable to net another goal falling 4-3 to the Wildcats.

Both teams put up 23 shots in the game, NMU was 1-for-5, 4-for-11 for the weekend, on the power play while LSSU’s power play went 1-for-7, 1-for-18 on the weekend. Carter Lee who has scored 2 goals in the past three games was a scratch.

With the sweep by NMU, Lake Superior finished 10th in the CCHA tied with 21 points with Michigan State. Lake Superior will travel to Kalamazoo to take on Western Michigan in the first round of the CCHA playoffs.

Lakers wrap up regular season at Northern Michigan

2009-02-24T12:14:00.000-05:00

Lake Superior State, a team looking for momentum heading into the Central Collegiate Hockey Association Playoffs, closes out the regular season with a series at Northern Michigan, which is 11-3-2 since January.

The Lakers (10-16-8 overall, 7-13-6-1 CCHA) play the Wildcats (12-15-5 overall, 9-12-5-3 CCHA) at 7:35 p.m. on Friday and Saturday at the Berry Events Center. Both games will be broadcast live on Rock 101 FM with web streaming on www.rock101.net.

A top-eight finish in the CCHA standings and home ice for the first round of the playoffs are still possibilities for the Lakers, who are currently tied for 10th with Michigan State with 21 points. The scenario calls for LSSU to sweep NMU, third-ranked Michigan to sweep Ferris State, and Bowling Green to split with Western Michigan. LSSU appears to own the tie-breaker advantage against WMU, FSU and MSU.

Notre Dame, Miami and Michigan have secured first-round byes. Fifth-place Ohio State trails fourth-place Alaska by three points. The Nanooks are playing a non-conference series this weekend and can’t pick up any more points, while OSU plays home-and-home against the RedHawks.

Lake Superior State is playing back-to-back games in Marquette for the first time since October, 1997. When the teams met in Sault Ste. Marie in December, they tied 1-1 and 2-2, and the Wildcats won both shootouts. The Lakers are 1-5 in CCHA shootouts, while NMU is 3-2.

Northern Michigan, which started out the season 2-9-1 in the CCHA, has climbed out of the league cellar to the middle of the pack. Last weekend, they took three points at seventh-ranked Miami despite getting out-shot in the series, 91-27. The return of junior goaltender Brian Stewart, who had both knees operated on last summer, has been a key to their recent success. When the Wildcats played the Lakers in December, they dressed on two walk-on goaltenders.

LSSU split with Western Michigan last weekend, winning 7-4 Friday and losing 4-1 Saturday. Junior forward Zac MacVoy scored a goal in both games for the Lakers, while junior Nathan Perkovich and freshman Dan Barczuk had a goal and two assists each during Friday’s win. MacVoy has three goals during the Lakers’ last five games after enduring a seven-game scoring drought. He leads the team in goals scored with 12 and is third in points behind seniors Troy Schwab (9-17—26) and Josh Sim (10-14—24).

Schwab and NMU points leader Gregor Hanson (10-16—26) are both tied for 16th in the CCHA in scoring. NMU’s Mark Olver (10-15—25) is tied for 19th, while Sim and Erik Gustafsson (2-22—24) are tied for 24th.

Sophomore goaltender Brian Mahoney-Wilson played the final 10:32 of Friday’s game and the last 44:33 of Saturday’s game against the Broncos. He allowed one goal and totaled 19 saves during his first weekend of action since suffering an injury at Bowling Green State on Jan. 24.

Lakers Split

2009-02-22T07:34:00.001-05:00

Goaltending, Goaltending, Goaltending...

Lake Superior State University was unable to gain ground in the CCHA standing after splitting with Western Michigan University this weekend, despite a 7-4 win on Friday night. Friday night Lake Superior jumped out to a 6 goal lead in the first two periods with scoring three goals in each of the first two periods. Nathan Perkovich opened the scoring with an even strength goal at 2:58 of the first period with Pat Inglis and Dan Barczuk assisting. Barczuk added a goal of his own with Perkovich assisting less than 5 minutes later at 7:11 of the period. Josh Sim netted his 10th goal of the season at 12:04 of the period with Will Acton garnering the only assist his goal that gave the lakers a 3-0 lead after the end of the first period.

Lake Superior continued the onslaught in the second period with Kyle Haines scoring 2:29 into the second period with Fred Cassiani and Troy Schwab assisting. Zac MacVoy netted his 11th goal of the season one minute later, on the power play, at 3:39 of the second period with Simon Gysbers and Cassiani assisting. The Lakers 4th goal chased Western Michigan Starting goaltender Riley Gill. Senior Carter Lee, playing in just his 10th game of the season, welcomed Western Michigan backup Jerry Kuhn, scoring his first goal of the season, just 33 seconds later with John Scrymgeour and Brad Cooper assisting.

Following the second intermission in which LSSU had a 6-0 lead Western Michigan came out and scored 4 straight goals in under 10 minutes, prompting Laker head coach Jim Roque to pull LSSU starting goaltender Pat Inglis, replacing him with Brian Mahoney-Wilson seeing his first action since being injured on January 24th. Mahoney-Wilson stopped all 5 shots he faced while Chad Nehring netted an insurance goal for the Lakers at 10:09 to give LSSU he 7-to-4 win. Barczuk and Perkovich assisted on the Nehring goal.
LSSU managed 37 shots in the game, while LSSU goaltender Pat Inglis recorded 13 saves in the first two periods of the game before allowing 4 goals on 7 shots in the 3rd period. Mahoney-Wilson stopped all 5 shots he faced in relief. WMU was 2-for-5 on the power while LSSU’s power play went 1-for-4.

The Lakers didn’t fare as well on Senior Night Saturday as they did on Friday night, falling 4-to-1. Pat Inglis was pulled by for the second night in a row after giving up 2 goals after facing only 7 shots in the first 15:27 of the game.

After 40 minutes of scoreless play the Broncos notched a power play goal, at 16:04, marking the first time Brian Mahoney-Wilson had been scored on in almost a month. Lake Superior’s Zac MacVoy scored for the Lakers after Manoney-Wilson was pulled in favor of the extra attacker at 17:08 of the third period. WMU netted an empty net goal with 59 seconds remaining to seal the 4-to-1 win.

LSSU dominated in the shot department for the second night in a row recording 38 shots in the game, while Pat Inglis recorded only 5 saves on the 7 shots he faced. Mahoney-Wilson stopped 14 of the 15 shots he faced in relief. WMU was 1-for-4, 3-for-9 for the weekend, on the power while LSSU’s power play went 0-for-4, 1-for-8 on the weekend.

Senior Night Saturday

2009-02-17T10:16:00.001-05:00

Only one point separates Lake Superior State and Western Michigan heading into this weekend’s Central Collegiate Hockey Association series, which happens to be the Lakers’ final regular-season home series of the season.

The Lakers (9-15-8 overall, 6-12-6-1 CCHA) play host to WMU (9-16-7 overall, 6-12-6-2 CCHA) at 7:05 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Taffy Abel Arena. Both games will be broadcast live on Rock 101 and simulcast on www.rock101.net. A pay-per-view video feed is available on the B2 Network.

Only one shootout victory separates the ninth-place Broncos (9-16-7 overall, 6-12-6-2 CCHA) and 10th-place Lakers (9-15-8 overall, 6-12-6-1 CCHA). LSSU claimed a shootout victory over Bowling Green State, while WMU beat Nebraska-Omaha and Ferris State in shootouts.

Mathematically, LSSU and WMU are among six schools that can still finish anywhere from sixth through 12th place in the CCHA standings. Many are predicting that home ice for the first round of the CCHA Playoffs will come down to the Lakers’ final regular-season game at Northern Michigan.

Other schools involved in that mix are sixth-place UNO, which plays host to first-place Notre Dame, seventh-place Ferris State, which travels to Alaska, and eighth-place Northern Michigan, which travels to second-place Miami. Michigan State, which is tied for 10th with LSSU, plays a home-and-home series against 12th-place BGSU.

Notre Dame and Miami have both clinched first-round byes in the CCHA Playoffs.

LSSU will pay tribute to seniors Troy Schwab, Josh Sim, Carter Lee and Steve Oleksy following Saturday’s game.

Schwab, the team’s points leader with 9-16—25, is one of only three LSSU players to have worn the “C” for two years and he is the first Laker in 11 years to reach the 100-point career scoring milestone. He is on track to lead the Lakers in assists for four straight seasons. Sim, who is the Lakers’ No. 2 scorer with 9-14—23 this season, has over 60 points during his career. He was the team’s co-leader in goals scored as a sophomore with 15. This season he has been a leader at both ends of the ice. He is second on the team in plus-minus at +9. That’s his best rating since he was +3 as a freshman.

Lee, who played two seasons at LSSU after transferring from Northeastern, has seen limited playing time. He has contributed two assists in nine appearances. Oleksy, a transfer in his third season at LSSU, is having his best season so far with seven assists and a +3 rating.

Lakers Swept by Miami

2009-02-15T06:53:00.000-05:00

Most hockey pundits Lake Superior State counted on the second half of the Lakers season to make or break their season, facing Michigan State, Michigan, and Miami on consecutive weekends. Back to back sweeps at the hands of Michigan and Miami have pushed LSSU into the bottom third and cemented LSSU in the bottom half of the CCHA standings. Upcoming series against Western and Northern will be huge for the Lakers with LSSU making a last push for home ice in the CCHA playoffs.

Friday night sixth-ranked Miami out-scored Lake Superior State 2-1 in the first period, and the score held during Friday's Central Collegiate Hockey Association game at Taffy Abel Arena.
Miami's Tommy Wingels and Vincent LoVerde scored even-strength goals at 14:57 and 17:18 of the opening period to give the RedHawks a 2-0 lead.

During that 2:21 stretch, LSSU's Chad Nehring hit the post and Nathan Perkovich fired at Miami goaltender Cody Reichard from close range. LSSU's Dillin Stonehouse cut the RedHawks' lead in half by scoring on a shot from the point at 17:35. Josh Sim and Dan Barczuk had the assists.

Lake Superior State (9-14-8 overall, 6-11-6-1 CCHA) was scoreless during its only two power-play chances, both of which occurred in the second period. Miami (17-8-4 overall, 15-5-3-1 CCHA) was 0-for-3 with the man advantage for the night. The Lakers were short-handed from 16:42 to 18:42 of the third period, and pulled goaltender Pat Inglis in favor of an extra attacker during the final minute.

Inglis totaled 27 saves, including 12 in the third period. Reichard finished with 26 saves, inlcuding 10 in the third period. One of Reichard's best saves stopped a Laker line rush led by Perkovich and Steven Kaunisto late in the game.

Saturday night Miami took advantage of a steady stream of whistles and kept Lake Superior State off-balance to win Saturday's Central Collegiate Hockey Association game, 4-0.

The RedHawks (18-8-4 overall, 16-5-3-1 CCHA) extended their unbeaten streak to seven games with their fourth shutout victory of the season. They handed the Lakers (9-15-8 overall, 6-12-6-1 CCHA) their first shutout loss of the year.

Miami took a 1-0 lead at 2:22 of the first period when a Laker defenseman inadvertently deflected a puck into LSSU's net. Carter Camper took the initial shot and was credited with the power-play goal.

RedHawks Gary Steffes and Andy Miele scored second-period goals, and Bill Loupee made it 4-0 with an empty-net goal at 18:32 of the third period. Steffes and Miele both had a goal and an assist for the night.

Miami was 2-for-8 on the power play, including 1-for-4 in the first period and 1-for-3 in the second. LSSU was 0-for-7 on the power play.

LSSU goaltender Pat Inglis totaled 33 saves, while Miami's Connor Knapp had 27 saves while improving to 12-3-2.

Lakers home against Miami this Weekend

2009-02-10T10:01:00.001-05:00

Two of Lake Superior State’s last three regular-season series are at home, and all will be tough tests as the Lakers continue their quest for a top-eight spot in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association standings.

After this weekend’s series against Miami (16-8-4 overall, 14-5-3-1 CCHA), which is ranked in the top 10 in both national polls, the Lakers (9-13-8 overall, 6-10-6-1 CCHA) play host to Western Michigan and travel to Northern Michigan to close out the regular season.

Ferris State and NMU are tied for seventh place with 23 points each, while LSSU is ninth with 19 points and leads 10th-place WMU by a mere point. Miami, which is second in the league standings with 32 points and trails first-place Notre Dame by four, is hoping to close the gap on the Fighting Irish during the final stretch of the regular season.

Fourth-ranked Michigan snapped LSSU’s three-game win streak with a 6-2 victory last Friday at Yost Arena, and the Wolverines won 2-1 Saturday to sweep the series. Only Michigan and Nebraska-Omaha have swept the Lakers in 2008-09. LSSU fell to 1-9 in games decided by one goal.

LSSU was 1-for-10 on the power play at Michigan, which leads the CCHA in penalty killing when playing league opponents. Miami is ranked second in the league in both power play and penalty killing, so the Lakers hope to play as much five-on-five hockey as possible. Against all opponents, Miami leads the CCHA in combined special teams, while LSSU is ranked eighth.

Miami, which was idle last weekend, is 4-0-1 in its last five games, including 6-1 and 3-2 victories over Bowling Green State on Jan. 30-31. Miami sophomore forward Carter Camper leads the CCHA in points with 17-18—35, while teammate Pat Cannone, also a sophomore, is tied for sixth with 11-18—29. Camper and Cannone are ranked first and second in the CCHA in power-play points with a combined total 14-23—37.

Miami’s top scorers may be underclassmen, but the team’s senior class is the winningest in school history with 99 victories. The RedHawks have two freshman goaltenders – Connor Knapp (1.90, .913) and Cody Reichard (2.31, .908).

LSSU sophomore Rick Schofield continues to have the scoring touch for LSSU. He scored a goal against U-M last Friday to improve his point totals to 9-11—20 overall and 8-7—15 during the Lakers’ last 14 games. Junior forward Zac MacVoy, who leads the Lakers in scoring during the first half of the season, scored LSSU’s lone goal Saturday at U-M to snap a seven-game scoring drought. Junior goaltender Pat Inglis is 2-2 with a 2.51 goals-against average and .923 save percentage while filling in for injured netminder Brian Mahoney-Wilson. Overall, Inglis is 3-5-2 with a 2.64 gaa and .917 save percentage.

Valentine’s Day Special: LSSU Concessions is offering a meal deal for couples attending Saturday’s hockey game. Anyone who purchases two tickets to the game will receive a coupon good for two hot subs, two sodas and two bags of chips for $12 – a $4 savings.

Lakers add 2009 OPJHL Div. MVP

2009-02-09T12:26:00.002-05:00

Lake Superior State has received a verbal commitment from Oakville Ontario native Domenic Monardo from the Aurora Tigers of the Ontatio Junior Hockey League for the 2009 season. The 5'10, 180 pound forward has scored 39 goals and 79 points in 49 games this season to lead Aurora in scoring tying him for 16th in the league, to be named MVP of the OJHL’s Phillips Division.

Monardo has rallied back to have a spectacular season this year for the Tigers after having his neck broken in a game early last season while playing for the Oakville Blades. Monardo’s broken neck kept him off the ice the remainder of the 2007-08 season, finishing the season with 8 goals and 17 points in 14 games. Prior to his injury shortened season Monardo had 14 goals and 34 points in 2006-07 for Oakville, and 12 goals and 23 points for Collingwood in 2005-06.

http://www.oakvillebeaver.com/news/article/231333

Lakers Swept by Michigan

2009-02-08T06:31:00.001-05:00

Friday night the University of Michigan scored a short-handed goal with six seconds remaining in the first period and tallied two more goals during the first two minutes of the second period to take control of the first game of this weekend's Central Collegiate Hockey Association series against Lake Superior State.

Michigan (20-9-0 overall, 14-7-0-0 CCHA) scored three unanswered goals in the second period to take a 4-1 lead and went on to beat LSSU, 6-2, in front of 6,847 fans Friday at Yost Arena. It was the most goals given up by the Lakers this season.

U-M's Matt Rust tallied the short-handed marker that tied the game, 1-1, late in the opening period and scored an even-strength goal at 2:54 of the third period. Louie Coporusso also scored twice for U-M to bring his season goal total to 22.

Will Acton gave LSSU a 1-0 lead with an even-strength goal at 6:05 of the first period. Matt Cowie and Josh Sim were credited with the assists. It was Acton's third goal in four games.

Laker Rick Schofield cut the lead to 5-2 with a power-play goal at 6:39 of the third period. Nathan Perkovich and Acton had the assists as Schofield increased his point total to 8-6--14 in the Lakers' last 11 games. Perkovich picked up his seventh point in four games.

LSSU (9-12-8 overall, 6-9-6-1 CCHA) was 1-for-7 on the power play, while Michigan finished 1-for-3.

LSSU goaltender Pat Inglis totaled 35 saves, including 14 in the second period and 13 in the third. U-M netminder Bryan Hogan had 19 saves.

Saturday night Lake Superior State tightened its defense following Friday's four-goal loss to fourth-ranked Michigan, but the Wolverines also played a strong defensive game to win 2-1 Saturday at Yost Arena.

Michigan swept the series and improved to 21-9-0 overall and 15-7-0 in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. LSSU (9-13-8 overall, 6-10-6-1 in the CCHA) fell to 1-9 in games decided by one goal.

Junior Zac MacVoy, who is currently third on the team in points, snapped his seven-game scoring drought and scored LSSU's only goal at 19:14 of the first period. Simon Gysbers was credited with the assist as the Lakers took a short-lived one-goal lead.

Michigan tied it 18 seconds later with an even-strength goal by Carl Hagelin. U-M's Brian Lebler tallied the game winner at 6:25 of the second period. Aaron Palushaj assisted on both Michigan goals.

LSSU was short-handed throughout most of the first five minutes and during the last 4 1/2 minutes of the third period. The Lakers were 0-for-3 on the power play and held Michigan scoreless on seven power-play chances.

Pat Inglis totaled 29 saves for Lake Superior State. Winning goalie Bryan Hogan had 26 saves.

Lakers Play Michigan in Ann Arbor this Weekend

2009-02-03T18:41:00.000-05:00

The Lake Superior State hockey team just completed its most-successful month of the season so far and will take a three-game win streak into this weekend’s series against fourth-ranked Michigan.

LSSU (9-11-8 overall, 6-8-6-1 CCHA) plays Michigan (19-9-0 overall, 13-7-0-0 CCHA) at 7:35 p.m. on Friday and Saturday at Yost Arena. Both games will be broadcast live on Rock 101 and simulcast on www.rock101.net. Saturday’s game will be televised on Comcast 900 and the NHL Network (live in Canada and tape-delayed in the United States).

The Lakers, who won 2-0 and 4-2 last weekend to sweep Michigan State for the first time since 1989, were 4-3-1 during the month of January. They are tied for eighth in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association with 19 points. It was also around this same time last season that they hit their stride, but they had only 10 points in league play heading into the final four weeks of the 2007-08 regular season. In 2008-09, they have nearly doubled their point total.

LSSU is playing a talented opponent that has also steadily gained steam. Michigan is tied for fourth in the league standings with 26 points after splitting last weekend’s series with No. 1-ranked Notre Dame. The Wolverines are 10-2 in their last 12 games.

Michigan, the only CCHA team that does not have a tie this season, is playing the team that leads the nation in tied games. Little else separates the Lakers and Wolverines statisically. U-M is ranked third in the league and LSSU fifth in goals-for, and the teams are fourth and sixth, respectively in goals-against. Michigan is sixth and LSSU eighth in power play, and they are fifth and seventh, respectively, in penalty killing.

Michigan’s penalty killing rate has improved dramatically during its current streak of 25 straight penalty kills, including all seven against the Fighting Irish.

LSSU will be looking to close the gap after getting outscored 19-7 during four losses to Michigan last season. U-M won 5-1 and 6-2 on Nov. 16-17, 2007, in Sault Ste. Marie, and won both games by a 4-2 count on Feb. 15-16, 2008, in Ann Arbor. Sophomore forward Rick Schofield and junior forward Zac MacVoy both had a goal and two assists to pace the Lakers last season against the Wolverines.

Schofield was the CCHA’s fourth-leading scorer during the month of January with 6-5—11, and he has 7-6—13 in the Lakers’ last 10 games. He is also leading the Lakers in plus-minus at plus-16.

Senior forward Troy Schwab recorded an assist during LSSU’s 2-0 victory over MSU last Friday, but his seven-game point streak came to an end on Saturday. He leads the Lakers and is tied for 11^th in the CCHA in points with 9-16—25. Junior forward Nathan Perkovich has 3-3—6 during the Lakers’ last three games.

Michigan sophomore forward Aaron Palushaj, with 9-24—33, is ranked second in the CCHA in points and leads the league in assists, and while sophomore forward Louie Caporusso, with 20-11—31, is ranked fourth in points and leads the league in goals scored. U-M sophomore goaltender Bryan Hogan is fourth in the CCHA in goals-against at 1.92 and eighth in save percentage at .917.

Lake Superior Sweeps Michigan State

2009-02-01T06:53:00.001-05:00

Lake Superior State University was able to take advantage of a down Michigan State University team to take their first sweep of the Spartans since 1989.

Friday night Lake Superior took a first period lead behind Tyson Hobbins’ second goal of the season, at 8:18, with Fred Cassiani and Troy Schwab assisting.

Nathan Perkovich was able to add an insurance goal, shorthanded, at 15:06 of the second period with Matt Cowie assisting.

LSSU goaltender Pat Inglis turned away all 20 Spartan shots he faced to record his first career shutout. While the Lakers put 32 shots on the Michigan State’s Jeff Lerg, the Spartans were 0-for-3 with the extra man, only mustering 1 shot, while LSSU’s power play went 0-for-2, with only 2 shots on goal.

Saturday night Lake Superior’s fell into a 2 goal deficit in the first period with MSU scoring two special teams goal, Kurt Kivisto shorthanded at 13:34, and Matt Schepke at 19:08 on the power play 6 seconds after Josh Sim took a hooking penalty.

LSSU was able to steal away the momentum from the Spartans with Steven Kaunisto scoring a power play goal, with just 30 seconds remaining in the period, with Perkovich and Brad Cooper assisting.

Brad Cooper tied the game up for the Lakers with his second goal of the season at 11:27 of the second period with Schofield and Perkovich assisting. Lake Superior’s Will Acton was able to score what turned out to be the game winning goal at 17:41 of the period with Dillin Stonehouse and Schofield assisting.

Nathan Perkovich was again able to add an insurance goal for the lakers on the power play, at 7:36 of the third period, with Cooper and Schofield assisting.

LSSU managed only 39 shots in the game, while LSSU goaltender Pat Inglis recorded 36 saves to record his 3rd win of the season and second of the weekend. There were 18 penalties call on Saturday after only 7 where called on Friday night, MSU was 1-for-8 on the power play 1-for-11 on the weekend while LSSU’s power play went 2-for-8, 2-for-10 on the weekend.

Lakers to Host Down Michigan State Spartans

2009-01-28T12:43:00.003-05:00

This weekend Lake Superior State University will look to take advantage of a down Michigan State University, rocked this week by the suspensions and departure of Corey Tropp and Andrew Conboy. Currently LSSU and MSU are separated in the CCHA standing by only 3 points, so the 4-to-6 points up for grabs this weekend could push the Lakers up to 7th or down to 12th in the standings.

Lake Superior State (7-11-8 overall, 4-8-6-1 Central Collegiate Hockey Association) plays host to Michigan State (7-16-3 overall, 4-12-2-2 CCHA) at 7:05 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Both games will be broadcast live on Rock 101 and simulcast on http://www.rock101.net/. A pay-per-view video feed is available on the B2 Network.

With five weeks remaining in the regular season, Ferris State is seventh in the CCHA with 17 points, while the Lakers have 15 points and are tied for eighth place with Northern Michigan. Western Michigan is 10th with 14 points, followed by Bowling Green State with 13 and Michigan State with 12.

The Lakers have a chance to control their own destiny with this weekend's series against the Spartans and upcoming series at home against WMU on Feb. 20-21 and at NMU on Feb. 27-28. They also have upcoming series against seventh-ranked Michigan and 10th-ranked Miami.
The rest of this weekend's slate includes Ohio State at Alaska, Nebraska-Omaha at Ferris State, Bowling Green at Miami, Northern Michigan at Western Michigan, and Michigan home-and-home with Notre Dame.

Michigan State, which last lost three games in a row, is in a similar situation. The Spartans still have to play Ferris State and BGSU. Last weekend they lost twice to Michigan, 6-2 and 5-3. U-M extended its win streak against MSU to six games - the longest run since the 1960-61 and 1961-62 campaigns.

MSU struggled through an 11-game freefall shortly after starting out the 2008-09 season ranked 11th in the nation. However, the Spartans have some quality wins, including a three-point weekend against Northern Michigan, and splits with Alaska and Miami. Then there's senior goalie Jeff Lerg, who leads the CCHA in saves with 683 and is regarded as the most-respected player in the league by team captains.

LSSU rebounded from last Friday's 4-3 loss at Bowling Green with an 8-4 victory. The Lakers scored the most goals in a game since beating Western Michigan 10-0 on Nov. 4, 2005. Sophomore forward Rick Schofield led the way with two goals and two assists. He was voted CCHA Offensive Player of the Week after totaling 3-2-5 for the weekend.

Schofield, who has seven goals and three assists in the Lakers' last eight games, and senior Troy Schwab, with one goal and six assists in his last six games, are leading two hot lines for LSSU. Junior defensemen Steven Kaunisto and Simon Gysbers are enjoying point streaks of three and four games, respectively, and are both ranked among the top 10 in the league defenseman scoring. Senior Josh Sim has 5-5--10 during the Lakers' last eight games.

LSSU is ranked fifth in the CCHA in scoring, averaging 2.92 goals per game, while MSU is 12th at 1.73. The Lakers and Spartans are ranked seventh and 11th, respectively, in average goals allowed per game, and are nearly even in penalty killing.

Lakers Split with BGSU

2009-01-26T09:15:00.001-05:00

Friday night Lake Superior State overcame a two-goal deficit midway through Friday's Central Collegiate Hockey Association game at Bowling Green, but came up one goal short of repeating the feat during the third period.

Bowling Green improved to 1-1-1-1 this season against LSSU with the 4-3 victory. It was the fifth time in six games that the Lakers (6-11-8 overall, 3-8-6-1 CCHA) played in a game decided by one goal or less.

The Falcons (9-13-3 overall, 6-10-1-0 CCHA) built a 2-0 lead on goals by Tommy Dee at 1:29 of the first period and James Perkin at 12:02 of the second period. LSSU's momentum was slowed during that stretch when freshman Dan Barczuk was whistled for a five-minute major penalty and game misconduct at 16:41 of the opening period.

LSSU's Troy Schwab scored at 14:18 of the second period to cut the Falcons' lead in half. Simon Gysbers and Josh Sim had the assists.

Pat Aubry tied it, 2-2, with another Laker goal at 16:56. Tyson Hobbins had the only assist.

Bowling Green regained the two-goal lead in the third period when Brandon Svendsen scored a power-play goal at 7:35 and Kyle Page added an even-strength goal at 11:10. Dan Sexton assisted on both BGSU goals.

Rick Schofield scored LSSU's final goal two minutes later. Steven Kaunisto had the only assist on the power-play marker.

Both teams were 1-for-4 on the power play. BGSU goaltender Jimmy Spratt picked up the win as LSSU out-shot the Falcons, 34-20. Brian Mahoney-Wilson was in net for the Lakers.

Saturday night Lake Superior State hockey team defeated the Falcons convincingly Saturday.
Sophomore forward Rick Schofield scored two power-play goals and had two assists to lead the Lakers to an 8-4 win. LSSU split the weekend series and finished 2-1-1-1 against BGSU during the 2008-09 regular season.

Schofield scored a 5-on-3 power-play goal at 16:04 of the first period and tallied a 5-on-4 goal 27 seconds later to give the Lakers a 3-1 lead. LSSU went on to lead 4-1 at the end of a penalty-ridden first period and 6-3 after two periods.

Josh Sim, with a power-play marker, and Dan Barczuk also scored first-period goals for the Lakers. Freshman Kyle Pobur tallied his first collegiate goal at 2:04 of the second period. Pat Aubry and Will Acton rounded out the even-strength scoring, and Nathan Perkovich finished it off for LSSU with an empty-net goal at 18:31 of the third period.

LSSU's Steven Kaunisto, Simon Gysbers and Steve Oleksy also had two assists each, while Perkovich, Matt Cowie, Troy Schwab, Chad Nehring, Acton and Tyson Hobbins had one each.

Lake Superior State (7-11-8 overall, 4-8-6-1 Central Collegiate Hockey Association) out-shot BGSU 36-34 and held the Falcons to 1-for-5 on the power play. The Lakers were 3-for-5 with the man-advantage, including 3-for-4 in the opening period. They gave up a short-handed goal to Falcon Brandon Svendsen in the second period.

Laker goalie Brian Mahoney-Wilson allowed three goals and totaled 16 saves before leaving the game with an injury at 16:23 of the second period. Pat Inglis totaled 14 saves, including 12 in the third period, and gave up one goal.

David Solway led BGSU (9-14-3 overall, 6-11-1-0 CCHA) with two goals and one assist. Falcon starting goalie Jimmy Spratt stopped 12 of 16 shots in the first period. Nick Eno had 16 saves during the final two periods.

BGSU was 0-for-3 on the power play in the third period. LSSU had no power-play chances during the final stanza.

Lakers travel to Bowling Green

2009-01-20T16:28:00.000-05:00

Lake Superior State will take a 4-5-3 road record into this weekend's Central Collegiate Hockey Association series at Bowling Green State, a team from whom the Lakers took four points during an early November home series.

LSSU (6-10-8 overall, 3-7-6-1 CCHA) plays at BGSU (8-13-3 overall, 5-10-1-0 CCHA) at 7:05 p.m. Friday and 7:08 p.m. Saturday at the BGSU Ice Arena. Both games will be broadcast live on Rock 101 and simulcast on www.rock101.net. Saturday's game will be broadcast live on the Buckeye CableSystem Sports Network.

Lake Superior State blanked Bowling Green State 2-0 and won a shootout following a 4-4 tie on Nov. 7-8 in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. LSSU hasn't taken four points in a series or won a shootout in six tries since then. But, the Lakers have been in the hunt in just about every game they've played this season.

The Lakers have a +0.2 goal differential in 11 games since losing 4-1 at Alaska on Nov. 29. The only games decided by more than one goal during that stretch were a 6-2 victory over Harvard and a 6-1 win at Colgate. For the season, LSSU has a goal differential of +0.13.

LSSU played two thrillers at home against No. 1-ranked Notre Dame last weekend, losing 3-2 on Friday and tying 3-3 on Saturday with a 2-1 shootout loss. Bowling Green State is coming off a split with eighth-ranked Michigan. The Falcons shut out the Wolverines 3-0 in Ann Arbor on Friday and lost 1-0 at home on Saturday.

Senior Troy Schwab had two goals and an assist, senior Josh Sim and junior Zac MacVoy both contributed a goal and an assist, and junior Simon Gysbers added two assists to lead the Lakers during their November series against the Falcons. Last weekend, Schwab notched an assist in both games against Notre Dame and reached the 100-point career scoring milestone. He has 8-14-22 for the season and 28-72-100 for his career. He is tied for 11^th in CCHA scoring this season.

BGSU senior forward Brandon Svendsen had a goal and two assists in the 4-4 tie against LSSU and is ranked 14^th in the CCHA in scoring with 6-15-21. His potent line includes sophomore forward Dan Sexton (11-15-26), who is tied for fourth in the CCHA in overall points, and sophomore forward David Solway (10-7-17).

LSSU and BGSU have struggled on the power play this season, but had moderate success against last weekend's opponents. LSSU was 2-for-11 with the man-advantage last weekend against Notre Dame, whose penalty killing is ranked fourth in the CCHA and seventh nationally. BGSU was 1-for-10 against Michigan, whose penalty killing is ranked seventh in the league. The Lakers are ranked sixth (.862) and the Falcons ninth (.827) in penalty killing.

Lakers take 1 Point from First Ranked Notre Dame

2009-01-18T07:20:00.000-05:00

Friday night Notre Dame came from behind scoring three unanswered goals in the first and second period to take the 3-2 win.

LSSU took the lead on the #1 ranked Irish with a Josh Sim power play goal (9:56) in the opening period with Simon Gysbers and Troy Schwab assisting.

Notre Dame then took over with Justin White, Calle Ridderwall, and Christiaan Minella each scored for Notre Dame in a 18 minute span split between the first and second periods. LSSU’s Will Acton scored his third goal of the season to bring the game back to a one goal game while the Lakers where unable to score with the 6th attacker in a scoreless third period.

LSSU goaltender Brian Mahoney-Wilson recorded 24 saves in his 7th loss of the season while the Lakers put 33 shots on the Notre Dame’s Jordan Pearce, the Irish were 1-for-5 with the extra man while LSSU’s power play went 1-for-7.
Saturday night Lake Superior’s jumped out to an early two goal lead on the back of a shorthanded Steven Kaunisto goal at 12:03 of the first period and Chad Nehring’s 5th goal of the season with Dan Barczuk and Dillin Stonehouse assisting.

Lake Superior was again unable to maintain the lead giving up two goals to Notre Dame in a 4 minute span including a shorthanded goal of their own, which saw Laker Head Coach Jim Roque pull starting goaltender Pat Inglis. LSSU retook the lead with Fred Cassiani scoring his 10th goal of the season on the power play at 8:50 of the second period with assists by Simon Gysbers and Troy Schwab. Notre Dame tied it back up at 3-to-3 with a power play goal of their own at 13:15 of the second period.

After a scoreless third period and overtime, the Lakers again headed to the shootout seeing Rick Schofield score before Kaunisto and Cassiani missed. Mahoney-Wilson was unable to stop either of the ND skaters to see the Lakers fall to 1-5 in the shootout.

LSSU managed only 14 shots in the game after putting up 33 shots on Friday night, while LSSU goaltender Mahoney-Wilson recorded 22 saves after replacing Inglis who allowed 2 goals on the 13 shots he faced. Notre Dame was 1-for-6 on the power play 2-for-11 on the weekend while LSSU’s power play went 1-for-4, 2-for-11 on the weekend, scoring a power play goal in 3 straight games and 4 of the last 5. Each team also scored a shorthanded tally.

Lakers to take on No. 1 Notre Dame

2009-01-13T09:14:00.000-05:00

Lake Superior State takes pride in knowing that it is one of only three Central Collegiate Hockey Association teams this season to take a point from the nation’s top-ranked team.

LSSU (6-9-7 overall, 3-9-5 CCHA) has had plenty of opportunities over the years to host No. 1-ranked teams. It is rare, however, to see a team coming in with eight straight wins and an 18-game unbeaten streak. Notre Dame is 18-3-2 overall and 12-2-2 in the CCHA following last weekend’s 2-0 and 3-0 home sweep of Alaska.

The Fighting Irish are hot, and the reason is their defense and special teams. UND ranks second nationally in defense, allowing only 1.48 goals per game, and beat another great defensive team, Alaska, at its own game last weekend. Coach Jeff Jackson’s squad is also ranked third nationally in power play and fifth in penalty killing.

LSSU’s series in South Bend, Ind., occurred during the early stages of Notre Dame’s streak, but was considered a bit of a benchmark regarding what the Lakers need to do in order to finish in the upper half of the CCHA standings. Since that series on Nov. 14-15, UND has not given up more than four goals in a series. Only Miami has scored as many goals as LSSU against the Irish.

Lake Superior State, which lost a shootout after tying Notre Dame 3-3 in the first game of the November series, suffered a 5-2 loss to the Irish in what was actually a close second game. LSSU and UND were tied 2-2 after the first period of that game, and the Irish led 3-2 after two periods. Notre Dame closed out the win by going 1-for-3 on the power play during the final period.

Since then, LSSU has gone 0-3-3 in league games, including two shootout losses to Northern Michigan and two one-goal losses to Nebraska-Omaha at home. The Lakers, who haven’t played a CCHA series since mid December, are 2-4-4 on their home ice.

While playing a solid series in front of the home crowd is an important goal, the Lakers have plenty to be pleased with regarding their play on the road. After splitting last weekend’s non-conference series at Colgate, they are 4-5-3 on the road, and their road win percentage of .458 ranks seventh in the league. Notre Dame has the CCHA’s best road win percentage of .909 (10-1-0).

LSSU is led in points by junior forward Zac MacVoy (9-11—20) and senior forward Troy Schwab (8-12—20), who are tied for 13th in CCHA scoring. Forward Fred Cassiani, who earned CCHA Rookie of the Month Special Mention in December, is fourth on the team in points and seventh in CCHA rookie scoring with 9-5—14.

Schwab, with 28 goals and 70 assists, is only two points shy of the 100-point career scoring milestone. He has a chance to become the first Laker to total 100 points since Joe Blaznek totaled57-54—111 from 1994-98.

Notre Dame is led by senior forward Christian Hanson, who is ranked fourth in the CCHA in overall scoring and second in goals scored with 14-11—25. Sophomore forward Calle Ridderwall is second on the team in points with 9-12—21. They are two of the CCHA’s top three in power-play points. Ridderwall has seven power-play goals this season. Junior Brett Blatschford is second in the league in defenseman scoring with 0-18—18.

UND senior goaltender Jordan Pearce leads the CCHA in goals-against average at 1.48 and is second in save percentage at .940. LSSU sophomore Brian Mahoney-Wilson is third in the league in save percentage at .929.

Lakers Offensive Light Continues to Shine

2009-01-11T07:01:00.000-05:00

Lake Superior State sees their offence continue to click on all cylinders in a split on the road with Colgate in Hamilton, New York.

Thursday night Lake Superior State University’s men’s hockey team fell behind early with Colgate’s Austin Smith scoring the first goal of the game against LSSU goaltender Pat Inglis. Lake Superior tied the game up at 1-to-1 with Brad Cooper scoring at 16:39 with Josh Sim and Dan Barczuk assisting.

LSSU jumped out to a 3-to-1 lead in the second period on the backs of goals by Rick Schofield and Zac MacVoy, with Dillin Stonehouse and Steven Kaunisto assisting on Schofield’s goal just 1:38 into the period and MacVoy’s goal coming unassisted at 8:36 of the second period. Colgate battled back scoring two goals 21 seconds apart in the last 90 seconds of the second period, the first on the power play by Colgate’s Mark Anderson (18:34) and the second by Jason Fredricks at 18:55.

Colgate took the lead at 5:34 of the third period with Fredricks scoring on the power play. LSSU was able to tie the game up at 4-to-4 on the heels of Fred Cassiani’s power play goal at 10:55 of the period with Troy Schwab and Simon Gysbers assisting.

Colgate’s Austin Smith scored his second goal of the game giving Colgate the 5-to-4 win at 2:49 of the overtime period.

LSSU goaltender Pat Inglis recorded 33 saves in the game while the Lakers put 29 shots on the Colgate net, Colgate was 2-for-3 with the extra man while LSSU’s power play went 1-for-3 scoring for the second time in three games following a 1-for-45 streak.

Friday night Lake Superior’s offense continued to click as the Lakers put up 6 goals on Colgate to record their first win of 2009.

LSSU jumped out to an early lead on Friday night with Rick Schofield scoring just 2:05 into the game with Troy Schwab assisting.

Lake Superior added to their lead with Josh Sim scoring his 7th goal of the season on the powerplay at 10:45 of the second period with Schwab and Zac MacVoy assisting. Chad Nehring added another goal 15 seconds later with Olesksy and Nathan Perkovich assisting. The third Lakers goal chased Colgate’s Alex Evin from between the Colgate pipes. LSSU’s Will Acton gave LSSU a four goal lead scoring on the powerplay with 50 seconds remaining in the period with Olesky and Kaunisto assisting. Colgate notched their lone goal of the game 25 seconds later with Jason Fredricks putting the puck past Brian Mahoney-Wilson.

LSSU added two even strength goals in the third period to record the 6-to-1 lead with Chad Nehring scoring his second goal of the game at 4:16 with Dan Barczuk and Carter Lee assisting. Rick Schofield scored at 11:46 of the period with Josh Sim assisting.

LSSU put up 6 goals on three Colgate goaltenders putting up 54 shots in the win, while LSSU goaltender Mahoney-Wilson recorded 38 saves in the. Colgate was 0-for-4 on the power play 2-for-7 on the weekend while LSSU’s power play went 2-for-6, 3-for-9 on the weekend. scoring for the second time in three games following a 1-for-45 streak.

Lakers travel to Clogate

2009-01-05T13:28:00.000-05:00

The Lake Superior State hockey team plays its final regular-season non-conference series of the season on Thursday and Friday at Colgate.

The Lakers (5-8-7) and the Raiders (5-8-5) play at 7 p.m. both nights in Starr Arena. Both games will be broadcast live on Rock 101 via a feed and simulcast on www.rock101.net. Free live stats and pay-per-view video are also available on www.gocolgateraiders.com.

LSSU has all-time records of 0-4-0 when playing in Hamilton, N.Y., and 1-5-1 overall against Colgate. The Lakers are making their first trip to Colgate since Oct. 15-16, 2004, when the Raiders swept a regular-season series, 3-2 and 2-1 in overtime. The teams also met on Oct. 14-15, 2005, in Sault Ste. Marie, and the Lakers claimed three of four points. LSSU forward Troy Schwab was a freshman when he notched two assists in that series.

LSSU is 3-4-3 when not playing in Taffy Abel Arena this season. The Lakers’ road record includes a 6-2 victory over Harvard and a 1-1 tie with Wisconsin during the Badger Showdown on Dec. 27-28 in Madison, Wis. They were idle last weekend. The Lakers’ most-unusual road statistic is their power-play percentage of .140 (7-for-50). They are 3-for-63 (.048) on the power play on home ice and have an overall success rate of 8.8 percent.

LSSU points leader Zac MacVoy, a junior forward, leads the Lakers in road games this season with 5-8—13. Schwab is second with 3-6—9, followed by freshman forward Fred Cassiani with 4-4—8 and senior forward Josh Sim with 4-3—7. Sophomore goaltender Brian Mahoney-Wilson is 2-3-2 with a 2.83 goals-against average and .918 save percentage, while junior goalie Pat Inglis is 1-1-1 with a 2.27 gaa and .930 save percentage.

MacVoy, with 8-10—18 overall, is currently tied for 12th in the CCHA in points, while Schwab, with 8-9—17, is tied for 15th. Schwab heads into this weekend’s series with 95 career points and is on track to become the Lakers’ first 100-point scorer since Joe Blaznek totaled 111 points from 1994-98.
Colgate, which has one win in its last 13 games, lost 6-4 at Vermont last Friday and tied Ferris State, 3-3, with a shootout loss last Saturday during the 13th annual Catamount Cup. Four of the Raiders’ last five games have been decided in overtime with Colgate going 1-0-3 in those contests. The Lakers have also had their share of overtime games this season, including four ties in their last seven games. They have collected a school-record seven ties during five of the last six seasons. Their last overtime victory was Feb. 22, 2008, at home against Alaska.

Junior forward David McIntyre (9-10—19) and freshman forward Austin Smith (9-9—18) lead the Raiders in points and are ranked third and fourth, respectively, in ECAC scoring. McIntyre, Smith and sophomore forward Brian Day are all ranked among the ECAC’s top five in goals scored with nine each, and Smith is the league’s top-scoring rookie. Colgate junior goaltender Charles Long is ranked fifth in the ECAC in goals-against (2.40) and seventh in save percentage (.907).

Lakers Impressive at Badger Showdown

2008-12-29T07:57:00.000-05:00

Lake Superior State forward Fred Cassiani was named Central Collegiate Hockey Association Rookie of the Week, while senior forward Troy Schwab, junior forward Zac MacVoy and junior defenseman Simon Gysbers made the all-tournament team following the Lakers' runner-up finish at the 20th annual Badger Showdown.

Cassiani, a 5-10, 172-pound forward from Toronto, Ont., contributed a goal and two assists for the weekend. He is currently tied for fifth in overall scoring among CCHA freshmen with 8-5--13. MacVoy and Cassiani lead the Lakers in goals scored with eight each.

MacVoy, a 6-2, 205-pounder from Livonia, Mich., and Schwab, a 5-8, 183-pounder from Kindersley, Sask., both had a goal and three assists as the Lakers defeated Harvard 6-2 Saturday and tied Wisconsin 1-1 Sunday at the Badger Showdown.

The Lakers' top-scoring line that includes Schwab at left wing, Cassiani at center and MacVoy at right wing played a role in five of the seven goals LSSU scored during the tournament. MacVoy, with 8-10--18, is tied for eighth in points in the CCHA, while Schwab is tied for 10th with 8-9--17.

Gysbers, a 6-2, 192-pounder from Richmond Hill, Ont., scored a goal against Harvard to improve his season totals to 3-7--10. He is 10th in points among CCHA defensemen.

The Badger Showdown All-Tournament Team also included Wisconsin forward John Mitchell, defenseman Jamie McBain and goaltender Shane Connelly, who was also named Most-Outstanding Player.

Lakers Drop Pair to Nebraska-Omaha

2008-12-15T07:01:00.000-05:00

Friday night The University of Nebraska-Omaha too the lead with a goal in the first period at 7:40, to give UNO a 1-0 lead.

LSSU battled back early in the second period to tie game up at 1-1 with Fred Cassiani scoring his sixth goal of the season just over two minutes into the game, 2:23, with Josh Sim and Troy Schwab assisting. LSSU took the lead 1-2 on a Troy Schwab goal at the 13:38 mark of the period with Rick Schofield and Chad Nehring assisting.

LSSU was unable to maintain the lead, surrendering a game tying goal to UNO’s Nick Fanto just over a minute later, at 14:53, and a the eventual game winning goal on the power play at 16:49 of the second period.

LSSU goaltender Brian Mahoney-Wilson recorded 24 saves in the game while the Lakers put 24 shots on the UNO net, UNO was 1-for-4 with the extraman while LSSU’s power play continued to struggle going 0-for-6.

After a scoreless first period Saturday night UNO’s Dan Charleston scored his 8th goal of the season at 8:16 of the period, the first goal that Pat Inglis allowed since November 1st.

Lake Superior’s Fred Cassiani tied the game up at 1-1 for the Lakers 3:19 into the third period with Kyle Haines assisting. Nebraska-Omaha scored the game winning goal at 9:13 of the period to drop the Lakers to 3-6-5-1 in CCHA play.

LSSU was 0-for-5 with the power play, 0-for-11 on the weekend; LSSU has gone 1-for-45 on the power play since going 2-for-5 with the extra man against Notre Dame on November 14th. UNO was 0-for-5 on the power play 1-for-9 on the weekend.

Lakers Conclude First Half of CCHA Season with a Series against Mavs

2008-12-09T11:22:00.002-05:00

SAULT STE. MARIE – The Lake Superior State hockey team wraps up a stretch of six home games in a four-week period with this weekend’s Central Collegiate Hockey Association series against Nebraska-Omaha.

LSSU and UNO play at 7:05 p.m. on Friday and Saturday at Taffy Abel Arena. Both games will be broadcast live on Rock 101 and simulcast on www.rock101.net. A pay-per-view video feed is available on the B2 Network.

Santa is making an appearance at Saturday’s game. The third annual Teddy Bear Toss is also Saturday, and fans can throw a stuffed animal on the ice when the Lakers score their first goal. The stuffed animals will be donated to local charities.

This is LSSU’s final home series until Jan. 16-17 when they play host to No. 1-ranked Notre Dame. The Lakers (4-6-6 overall, 3-4-5-1 CCHA) are trying to snap their string of three straight ties when they play an opponent against whom, ironically, they tied twice during the 2007-08 regular season. Heading into this weekend’s series, LSSU leads the CCHA in shootouts, but has lost four out of five league tie-breakers.

The new CCHA tie-breaker format is sparking plenty of discussion among hockey diehards. So far this season, Notre Dame and Michigan State are 2-0 in league shootouts, while UNO, Alaska and Northern Michigan are 2-1. Ohio State is 1-0, Miami 1-1, Michigan 0-0, Western Michigan 1-3, LSSU 1-4, Bowling Green State 0-1 and Ferris State 0-2.

In actuality the shoot out has had little effect on the standings:

	PTs with shootout	PTs without shootout
Miami	23	22
Notre Dame	20	18
Alaska	17	15
Nebraska-Omaha	15	13
Michigan	14	14
Ohio State	14	13
Ferris State	14	14
Lake Superior	12	12
Bowling Green	9	9
Northern Michigan	9	7
Michigan State	8	6
Western Michigan	7	6

Nebraska-Omaha (9-4-3 overall, 5-4-3-2 CCHA) also tied both games last weekend while playing host to Alaska. The Mavs and Nanooks deadlocked 0-0 on Dec. 5 and 1-1 on Dec. 6, and they split the shootout decisions to pick up three points each in the league standings. Alaska’s stingy defense held UNO’s usually-potent power play scoreless on eight chances. UNO is ranked third in the CCHA in power-play percentage at .184 and third in penalty killing at .917, but the Mavs have given up a league-high four short-handed goals.

This weekend’s series will be a matchup of two of the CCHA’s top-scoring defensemen. UNO junior Eddie Del Grosso leads the league in points by a defenseman with 1-15—16, while LSSU junior Steven Kaunisto is tied for fourth in that category with 1-10—11. High-scoring freshmen John Kemp of UNO and Fred Cassiani of LSSU will also be going head-to-head. They are both ranked among the top 10 in the league in rookie scoring.

Senior Tomas Klempa has 8-7—15 to lead the Mavs in goal scoring this season. Both Klempa and teammate Dan Charleston, who is also a senior, have scored four power-play goals.

LSSU is led in scoring by junior forward Zac MacVoy (7-7—14), who tallied LSSU’s regulation and shootout goals last Friday against NMU. Senior Troy Schwab scored the game-tying goal last Saturday to improve his totals to 6-5—11.

The only other CCHA series of the weekend is a home-and-home matchup between Notre Dame and Bowling Green State.

LSSU’s previous five games against Nebraska-Omaha have gone into overtime with the Lakers finishing 1-0-4 in those contests.

Lakers Drop Pair of Shootouts to Northern Michigan

2008-12-07T05:29:00.002-05:00

Friday night Lake Superior State University’s men’s hockey team fought back to tie the game up at 1-to-1 with a Zac MacVoy scoring his 7th goal of the season midway (10:11) through the third period with Simon Gysbers assisting.

LSSU goaltender Brian Mahoney-Wilson recorded 30 saves in the game while the Lakers put 30 shots on the NMU net, neither team was able to score on the power play despite each having 4 opportunities in the game.

In the shootout LSSU struggled again with MacVoy scoring the Lakers only goal, while Steven Kaunisto and Rick Schofield both where stopped. NMU was 2-for-3 on their chances to record the win.

Saturday night LSSU jumped out to an early lead with Pat Aubry scoring his first goal of the season just 2:35 into the game with Tyson Hobbins and Chad Nehring assisting.

Lake Superior was unable to hold the lead allowing back to back power play goals to NMU’s Mark Olver at 9:36 of the first period and 7:10 of the second period.

Troy Schwab tied the game up for the Lakers with Kaunisto assisting at 15:57 of the third period. After another scoreless overtime period LSSU again fell in the shootout after NMU make 2-of-3 shots against Mahoney-Wilson, while LSSU failed to convert in the two shots they took.

LSSU was 0-for-7 with the power play, 0-for-11 on the weekend, mustering 15 of their 29 shots with the extra man. LSSU has gone 1-for-34 on the power play since going 2-for-5 with the extra man against Notre Dame on November 14th. LSSU has now also dropped 4 CCHA shootouts, and one non conference shootout, their lone win this season came against Bowling Green on November 8th.

LSSU hockey team signs four players including Sault Ste. Marie winger Kyle Jean

2008-12-04T10:50:00.000-05:00

Four players, including Sault Ste. Marie native Kyle Jean, have signed a National Letter of Intent to play hockey at Lake Superior State.

LSSU has also signed defenseman Zachary Trotman of Novi, Mich., and forwards Benjamin Power of Montreal, Quebec, and Kelin Ainsworth of Thunder Bay, Ont.

Jean is a former Soo Indians AAA midget hockey player who is in his second season with the Traverse City North Stars coached by former Lakers Anthony Palumbo and Mike Matteucci. The 6-3, 205-pound left wing was traded from the Marquette Rangers to the North Stars midway through last season and has already surpassed last season’s point total. Jean has six goals and seven assists through 21 games in 2008-09. His totals include one short-handed goal and two game-winning goals as the North Stars are off to a 14-4-3 start in the North American Hockey League.

“He is a big, strong kid with skills, and is on the NHL Central Scouting B List for potential draft picks next June,” LSSU hockey coach Jim Roque said. “He is getting his game together, as far as playing college hockey, with the help of Anthony and Mike.”

After playing midget hockey in the Detroit area, Trotman is in his first junior A season with the Wichita Falls Wildcats. The 6-2, 200-pound right defenseman has one assist through 17 games with the Wildcats, who are 8-9-3 in the NAHL.

“Zach is a big and physical, and more of a stay-at-home type defenseman,” Roque said. “He will help give us a little more grit and toughness on the back end, which we’ve sometimes lacked. And I think he can score at this level. He skates really well.”

Power, a 6-0, 175-pound center, played for St. Andrews Prep School in Toronto last season and is currently a first-year junior A player for the Kingston Voyageurs of the Ontario Provincial Hockey League. He leads Kingston in points with 15-18—33 through 30 games. He has eight power-play goals and three game-winning goals. The Voyageurs lead the OPHL Ruddock Division with 20 wins.

“He is a clever player and a good replacement for Troy Schwab as far as skill level,” Roque said. “He is having a great first year in junior hockey.”

Roque learned of Ainsworth, a 5-11, 175-pound left wing with a 1991 birthday, from former Laker Jamie McDonald (LSSU ’80), who is the director of hockey operations at Rothesay Netherwood Prep School in Rothesay, New Brunswick. After playing three seasons at RNS, Ainsworth returned to Ontario to play for the Fort William North Stars of the Superior International Junior Hockey League. He has six goals and four assists through 18 games for the 15-1-3 North Stars.

“He is also very skilled and is coached by the same coach that (former Laker) Ryan Baird played for,” Roque said. “He will probably defer enrollment and play junior hockey for another year.”

LSSU’s new recruiting class also includes Kellan Lain of Oakville, Ont., who signed his NLI last spring. Lain, a 6-4, 195-pound forward, has 13-13—26 with three game-winning goals for Oakville, which is currently 23-5 in the OPHL. He helped lead the Blades to the OPHL title and the Royal Bank Cup in 2007-08.

LSSU to Play Host to NMU

2008-12-02T12:23:00.001-05:00

SAULT STE. MARIE – Lake Superior State is thankful to be back from its arduous trip to Alaska and play its next two hockey series at home.

The Lakers’ homestand begins with this weekend’s series against Upper Peninsula rival Northern Michigan and concludes Dec. 12-13 with a series against Nebraska-Omaha. This is the first time since the 1997-98 season and only the second time since 1983-84 that the Lakers and Wildcats won’t play back-to-back games in a home-and-home format.

LSSU and NMU play at 7:05 p.m. on Friday and Saturday at Taffy Abel Arena. Both games will be broadcast live on Rock 101 with an audio webcast on www.rock101.net. A pay-per-view video feed is available on the B2 Network via www.lssulakers.com.

Both teams are winless in their last three games and working to get back on the winning track. The Lakers (4-6-4 overall, 3-4-3-1 Central Collegiate Hockey Association) lost 4-1 Friday and tied 1-1 Saturday at Alaska, and dropped to 1-2 in shootouts against CCHA opponents. NMU (3-10-1 overall, 2-9-1 CCHA), which is playing without its Nos. 1 and 2 goaltenders, lost 6-4 and 2-1 at home to Ferris State last weekend.

A top-four CCHA finish is a goal for the Lakers and not out of reach. They are currently tied for seventh place in the standings with Michigan, are only four points out of third place and have two games in hand on three of the teams above them in the standings. One of those teams is next week’s opponent, UNO, which takes on the Nanooks and their impressive defense this weekend.

Fifth-ranked Miami is currently first in the standings with 19 points, followed by second-ranked Notre Dame with 16. Alaska, Ferris State and Ohio State have 14 points each, and UNO has 12. In addition to the Mavericks, LSSU has games in hand on FSU and OSU. Other CCHA matchups this weekend include Notre Dame at Ferris State, and 10th-place Michigan State vs. Michigan in a home-and-home series.

Alaska was the first opponent this season to limit LSSU to less than two goals in a game and less than four goals in a series. Rick Schofield scored his first goal of the season for the Lakers’ only goal on Friday, while Troy Schwab tallied the lone goal Saturday. Josh Sim, who assisted on Schwab’s goal, has at least a point (4-4—8) in seven of the Lakers’ last eight games. LSSU points leader Zac MacVoy (6-7—13), has at least a point in 11 of 14 games.

This weekend’s series gives NMU junior forward Ray Kaunisto of Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., a chance to play in his hometown rink and take on his cousin, LSSU junior defenseman Steven Kaunisto. Ray Kaunisto is currently tied for fifth in points for the Wildcats with 3-2—5, while Steven Kaunisto has 1-9—10 and is the Lakers’ assist leader. Steven Kaunisto is currently tied for sixth in the CCHA in points by defensemen.

Lakers Travel 5000 Miles for 1 Point

2008-12-01T07:09:00.000-05:00

Lake Superior State University’s men’s hockey gets one point in trip to Alaska over Thanksgiving weekend.

Friday night LSSU came out flat and fell behind with a University of Alaska Fairbanks goal by Ron Meyers at 13:24 of the first period. The Lakers where outshot 10-to-5 in the first period.

UAF added two goals in the second period to mount a 0-3 lead in the game with Derek Klassen (4:26) and Carlo Finucci (16:03) scoring for the Nanooks, with Finucci’s scoring on the powerplay. Lake Superior’s Rick Schofield scored a power play goal for the Lakers at 18:11 of the period with Matt Cowie and Zac MacVoy assisting to drop the UAF lead down to two goals.

Laker head coach Jim Roque pulled starting goaltender Brian Mahoney-Wilson following the second period in favor of Mitch Edmondson, after Mahoney-Wilson allowed 3 goals on 22 UAF shots. Edmondson stopped all 4 shots he faced in the third period.

UAF added a fourth goal in the game with Adam Naglich putting a goal into the Lakers empty net at 18:06 of the third period.

LSSU went 1-for-4 on the power play, while UAF went 1-for-3 with the power play.

On Saturday evening LSSU took the lead Troy Schwab scoring his fifth goal of the season at 9:35 of the first period with Josh Sim and Fred Cassiani assisting. UAF tied the game up at 1-1 with Dustin Molle scoring his first goal of the season at 14:18 of the period.

The Lakers and Nanooks played followed up the first period with two scoreless periods and a scoreless 5 minute overtime session.

In the shootout LSSU’s trio of Steven Kaunisto, Schofield, and Cassiani all missed on attempts against UAF goaltender Chad Johnson while UAF’s Braden Walls scored on the first attempt for Alaska-Fairbanks to record the win.

Lake Superior went 0-for-4 on the power play, 1-for-8 on the weekend, while UAF went 0-for-5 with the extra attacker, 1-for-8 on the weekend. LSSU goaltender Brian Mahoney-Wilson had a strong Saturday performance mading 24 saves in the game to record the tie, allowing just 1 goal. UAF’s Chad Johnson allowed 1 goal on the 36 LSSU shots he faced.

LSSU Splits during the Pink in the Rink Promotion

2008-11-24T08:27:00.000-05:00

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

2008-11-18T10:39:00.003-05:00

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

2008-11-17T05:14:00.000-05:00

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

2008-11-11T14:54:00.000-05:00

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

2008-11-10T07:48:00.001-05:00

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

2008-11-05T08:11:00.004-05:00

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

2008-11-04T15:51:00.001-05:00

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

2008-11-03T07:59:00.000-05:00

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.

Lakers resume CCHA action with series at Ferris State

2008-10-27T11:13:00.001-04:00

Fifteen players figured into the scoring during last weekend’s exhibition victories over Windsor and the U.S. Under-18 team, giving the Lake Superior State’s offense a confidence boost heading the Lakers’ upcoming Central Collegiate Hockey Association series at Ferris State.

The Lakers play the Bulldogs at 7:05 p.m. Friday and 5:05 p.m. Saturday at Ewigleben Ice Arena in Big Rapids. Both games will be broadcast live on Rock 101 with free audio web streaming in www.rock101.net. A pay-per-view video feed is available on the B2 Network.

LSSU, which is 1-2-1 overall and 1-1-0 in the CCHA, took three of four points during last year’s home series against the Bulldogs. The Lakers also claimed three of four points when they last played in Big Rapids on Dec. 8-9, 2006. They are 4-2-4 in their last 10 games against Ferris State.

During last weekend’s exhibition games, Lake Superior State shut out Windsor 7-0 and beat the U.S. Under-18 team 7-3. LSSU coach Jim Roque was hoping a well-rested U-18 squad would test the Lakers’ conditioning level during last Sunday’s matinee. The U.S. squad rest Saturday after playing at Michigan Tech on Friday, while the Lakers played two games in less than 24 hours. LSSU gave up two quick goals early in the third period against the USA, but never relinquished the lead. The Lakers scored three unanswered goals during the final 11 minutes.

Junior Brad Cooper and sophomore Rick Schofield both totaled 1-4—5 to lead the Lakers last weekend. Sophomore Will Acton amassed 4-0—4, scoring two goals in both games, and junior Nathan Perkovich had a goal in both games.

Ferris State (2-2-0 overall, 1-0-1 CCHA) lost in a shootout at Western Michigan last Friday, but came back to beat the Broncos 5-2 at home last Saturday. The Bulldogs are currently second in the CCHA in power-play goals with eight, but have already given up three short-handed goals this season.

FSU’s Zach Redmond leads the league in points by a defenseman with 0-6—6, but LSSU junior Steven Kaunisto is right behind him at 1-4—5. Senior forward Brendan Connolly leads the Bulldogs in scoring with 2-5—7.

Lakers Dominate in Exhibition Play

2008-10-27T07:21:00.001-04:00

Lake Superior State University’s men’s hockey team put up 14 goals this weekend in exhibition play, posting 7 goals in 3 of their past 4 games.

LSSU dominated Winsor on Saturday night 7-0 with Junior goaltender Mitch Edimondson posting 9 saves in a shutout performance.

Will Acton started the scoring for the Lakers with Will Acton scoring on the power play 9:39 into the first period, with Brad Cooper and Rick Schofield assisting.

Kyle Hanes started off the Lakers scoring barrage in the second period scoring at 3:30 with an assist by Fred Cassiani. Cassiani followed up his assist with two goals of his own just 22 seconds apart at 10:39 and 11:01 of the second with Simon Gysbers and Cooper assisting on the first goal and Cooper getting the lone assist on the second. Acton added another goal with just 25 seconds remaining in the period on the power play with Matt Cowie and Cooper assisting.

LSSU added two more goals on the 12 shots they took in the third period with Nathan Perkovich scoring on the power play (10:29) and Steven Olesky scoring an even strength goal late in the period (18:21) to give LSSU a 7-0 win. Rick Schofield and Tyson Hobbins assisted on the Perkovich goal while John Scrymgeour got the lone assist on the Olesky goal.

Lake Superior went 3-for-6 on the power play, recording 5 shots while Windsor went 0-for-5 with the extra attacker. LSSU goaltender Mitch Edimondson recorded 9 saves in the shutout, while his Windsor counterparts allowed 7 goals on 45 LSSU shots.

On Sunday afternoon LSSU once again put up 7 goals against their opponent.

LSSU’s Will Acton opened the scoring at 7:06 of the first period with Zac MacVoy assisting. The US Development Under 18 Team’s Chris Brown, a Michigan commitment, tied the game up at 1-1 two and a half minutes later with on the power play. Josh Sim put the Lakers up for good with a power play goal of his own at 12:04 with Troy Schwab assising.

Matt Cowie gave LSSU a 3-1 lead with an even strength goal at 7:47 of the second period with MacVoy recording his second assist on the afternoon. Acton added his second goal of the afternoon at 15:59 on the power play with Macvoy again assisting; Schofield also recorded an assist on the goal

Early in the third period Team USA battled back with Jeremy Morin, uncommitted, and Nick Mattson, a North Dakota commitment, notching goals less than 30 seconds apart at 6:40 and 7:09 respectively, to pull the game back to 4-3.

LSSU responded with three goals later in the third period with Perkovich, Cooper, and Schofield each scoring goals. Perkovich scored even strength at 9:11 of the third period with Schofield assisting. Cooper and Schofield each scored on the power play with Gysbers and Kaunisto assisting on the Cooper goal at 11:17 and MacVoy assisting on the Schofield goal at 16:25.

Lake Superior went 4-for-9 on the power play, 7-for-15 on the weekend, while the USA U-18 team went 1-for-5 with the extra attacker. LSSU goaltenders Pat Inglis and Brian Mahoney-Wilson split time in the goal for LSSU recording 11 saves and 8 saves respectively, Inglis allowed 1 goal while Mahoney-Wilson allowed two goals. Team USA’s Adam Murray, a Denver commitment, allowed 7 goals on the 35 LSSU shots he faced.

Lakers play host to exhibition games against Windsor and U.S. Under-18 team

2008-10-21T09:43:00.000-04:00

SAULT STE. MARIE – After winning its Central Collegiate Hockey Association opener for the first time since 1999, the Lake Superior State hockey team is taking a break from league play to play host to exhibition opponents Windsor and the U.S. National Team Development Program’s Under-18 team.

The Lakers play Windsor at 7:05 p.m. Saturday, and their game against the Under-18 squad is a Sunday matinee beginning at 1:05 p.m. at Taffy Abel Arena. Both games will be broadcast live on Rock 101 with free internet streaming on www.rock101.net. A pay-per-view video web stream is also available on the B2 Network.

Sunday is Youth Hockey Day, and all youth hockey players who are wearing their team jerseys will receive free admission if accompanied by an adult who purchases a ticket.

Windsor (2-6-0) is 0-2 against CCHA teams after losing 5-2 to Western Michigan and 4-1 to Ferris State on Oct. 4 and 5. LSSU is playing Windsor for the first time since Oct. 11, 2003. The Lancers’ roster includes Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, forward Mark Thorburn and seven former Ontario Hockey League players.

The U-18 team, which is also 0-2 against CCHA opponents, is coached by former LSSU assistant coach Ron Rolston. The U.S. team, which plays Thursday at Rolston’s alma mater, Michigan Tech, lost 4-0 to Alaska and 4-1 to Michigan earlier this month.

Rolston and LSSU coach Jim Roque were assistant coaches together under former Laker coach Jeff Jackson. Rolston was part of the coaching staff when the Lakers won the 1992 and ’94 national championships.

LSSU is 0-2-1 in its last three meetings against the U.S. Under-18 squad. The Lakers lost 3-1 to the U-18s on Dec. 16, 2006. They also lost 4-3 during the 2005-06 season and tied 3-3 during the 2003-04 season.

By beating Ohio State 7-3 last Friday in Columbus, the Lakers not only won their CCHA opener for the first time in nine years, they won a CCHA opener on the road for the first time since Oct. 20, 1995, at Northern Michigan. Junior forward Nathan Perkovich had two goals and two assists against the Buckeyes. Sophomore forward Chad Nehring and freshman forward Fred Cassiani added two goals each, and junior defenseman Steve Kaunisto had three assists.

Kaunisto also scored one of the Lakers’ two goals during Saturday’s 4-2 loss to finish with four points for the weekend. LSSU goaltenders Pat Inglis and Brian Mahoney-Wilson split playing time. Mahoney-Wilson totaled 37 saves on Friday and improved to 1-1-0, while Inglis (0-1-1) had 33 saves on Saturday.

Last Friday’s four-goal victory broke LSSU’s six-game stretch against Ohio State during which the goal differential averaged 1.33 goals per game. The Lakers and Buckeyes have split three straight series.

Kaunisto currently leads the Lakers in points with 1-4—5, while junior forward Zac MacVoy and Perkovich both have 2-2—4. MacVoy has recorded a point in all four Laker games.

Lakers Split in Columbus

2008-10-18T23:13:00.000-04:00

Lake Superior State University dominated the Buckeyes on Friday night scoring 7 goals in the game including 2 on the power play. Ohio State’s Hunter Bishop opened the scoring for the Lakers putting the puck past LSSU sophomore Brian Mahoney-Wilson just 14 seconds into the game. The Lakers Chad Nehring tied the game up at the 4:02 mark of the first period, scoring his first goal of the season, with John Scrymgeour and Tyson Hobbins assisting. Freshman Fred Cassiani scored his first collegiate goal at the 6:20 mark of the first with Nathan Perkovich and Steven Kaunisto assisting. Just under three minutes later, at 9:18, Perkovich notched his first of the season with Kaunisto and Troy Schwab assisting on the power play. OSU scored a power play goal of their own at 11:27 of the period to pull the Lakers lead to 3-2 at the end of the first period.

LSSU and OSU swapped goals in the second period with LSSU’s Dan Barczuk and OSU’s Corey Elkins scoring at 11:27 and 16:54 respectively. Rick Schofield and Zac MacVoy assisted on the Barczuk goal, the Lakers 4th in the game chasing OSU starting goaltender Joseph Palmer.

LSSU added three goals in the third period with Nehring, Cassiani and Perkovich each scoring their second goal of the game. Pat Aubry and Steven Olesky assisted on the Nehring goal just 27 seconds into the third period, Will Acton and Perkovich assisted on Cassiani’s second goal at 1:58 of the period, sending OSU backup Dustin Carlson packing after allowing 2 goals on 6 Laker shots. Simon Gysbers and Kaunisto assisted on the Perkovich goal at 14:44, giving LSSU a 7-3 lead.

Lake Superior went 2-for-6 on the power play while Ohio State went 1-for-7 with the extra attacker. LSSU goaltender Brian Mahoney-Wilson recorded 37 saves on the 40 shots he faced, while his OSU counterparts allowed 7 goals on 37 LSSU shots.

Saturday night LSSU struck first with Steven Kaunisto scoring his first goal of the season, and his fourth point of the weekend at 7:29 of the first period with Carter Lee and Josh Sim assisting.

Ohio State scored the only goal of the second period with Zac Dalpe scoring his first goal of the season against LSSU goaltender Pat Inglis.

LSSU regained the lead with Zac MacVoy scoring his second goal of the season with Dillin Stonehouse garnering the lone assist. LSSU was unable to maintain the lead for the second time in the game, allowed a goal to OSU on the power play at 8:24 of the third period while Nehring was in the box. OSU added the game winning goal 24 seconds later, and scored an empty net goal at 19:13 of the third period just after Inglis reached the Laker bench.

Lake Superior went 0-for-5 on the power play, 2-for-11 on the weekend, while Ohio State went 1-for-4 with the extra attacker, 2-for-11 on the weekend. LSSU goaltender Pat Inglis recorded 33 saves on the 36 shots he faced, while OSU’s, Dustin Carlson recorded 27 saves on the 29 LSSU shots he faced.

Lakers Open CCHA Season at Ohio State

2008-10-14T17:42:00.002-04:00

SAULT STE. MARIE – Lake Superior State and Ohio State are two Central Collegiate Hockey Association opponents with a recent history of hard-fought thrillers and a need to get off to a good start in 2008-09.

The Lakers (0-1-1) head to Ohio State (0-1-1 overall, 0-1-1-1 CCHA) for their first CCHA test of the season. The teams play at 7:05 p.m. Friday and 8:05 p.m. Saturday at the Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Both games will be broadcast live on Rock 101.

Lake Superior State tied Minnesota-Duluth, 2-2, and lost 3-2 to Michigan Tech during last weekend’s season-opening Superior Cup. Junior Zac MacVoy picked up an assist against UM-D and scored a goal against MTU, and sophomore Will Acton notched an assist in both games to lead the Lakers. Sophomores Tyson Hobbins and Dillin Stonehouse tallied their first career goals. Junior goaltender Pat Inglis’ 29-save effort, that included six overtime saves, was impressive, but the Bulldogs gave him his first collegiate shootout loss. UM-D scored the only goal during three shootout rounds last Friday.

Ohio State came out on the winning side of its first shootout and defeated rival Miami 4-3 during Game 1 of a home-and-home series – the only league series of the weekend. The Buckeyes lost 7-3 at Miami on Saturday. Sophomore forward John Albert had a goal and three assists for the series to lead OSU.

OSU was picked to finish seventh and LSSU 10th in the CCHA Pre-Season Coaches Poll. The Buckeyes return 15 letter winners from last year’s 12-25-4 team that placed 11th in the league standings. The Lakers return 19 letter winners from a team that finished 10-20-7 overall and placed 10th in the CCHA.

The Lakers and Buckeyes split the last two series against each other, which were both played in Sault Ste. Marie. The average goal differential during the last six meetings between the two teams is 1.33. Last January, LSSU rebounded from a 4-3 loss with a 6-5 overtime win that sparked a five-game unbeaten streak. Twelve of the 13 Laker players who figured into the scoring during last year’s series are returning. MacVoy led the way with two goals and two assists, while senior forward Troy Schwab added two goals and an assist.

Michigan travels to Northern Michigan for this weekend’s only other CCHA series. Eight league teams are playing non-conference opponents.

LSSU Falls Twice in Superior Cup

2008-10-13T09:54:00.000-04:00

Lake Superior State University jumped out to an early lead with two power play goals against Minnesota Duluth with Sophomore Tyson Hobbins scoring his first goal of the season at 2:07 of the first period with Will Acton and Rick Schofield assisting. Simon Gysbers gave the Lakers a 2 goal lead at 16:10 of the first period with Steven Kaunisto and Zac MacVoy assisting.

UMD scored a goal with just 3 seconds remaining in a Nathan Perkovich hooking penalty with MacGregor Sharp slipping the puck behind Laker goaltender Pat Inglis, at the 9:17 mark of the second period.

The Bulldogs tied the game up at 2-2 while skating with a two man advantage at the 2:17 mark of the third period. The teams participated in an exhibition shootout, for Superior Cup purposes, with UMD winning on Justin Fontaine’s lone goal. Missing for LSSU was MacVoy, Schofield, and Perkovich.

Neither team was able to score for the remainder of the third period or the 5 minute overtime.

Lake Superior went 2-for-7 on the power play while Minnesota Duluth went 2-for-10 with the extra attacker. LSSU goaltender Pat Inglis recorded 29 saves on the 31 shots he faced, while his counterpart from Minnesota Duluth, Alex Stalock recorded 24 saves on the 26 LSSU shots he faced.

Saturday night horrendous special teams play for the Lakers doomed their night against Michigan Tech. LSSU fell behind early allowing a short handed goal to MTU’s Malcolm Gwilliam at 1:59 of the second period putting the puck past Brian Mahoney-Wilson. Lake Superior tied the game up with a Zac MacVoy goal just 42 seconds later with Will Acton and Dillin Stonehouse assisting.

Two minutes and thirty five seconds into the third period MTU’s Alex MacLeod gave the Huskies a 2-1 lead on the power play. LSSU’s Dillin Stonehouse tied the game at 2-2, on an unassisted goal at 9:58 of the third period. MTU scored another shorthanded goal at 15:01 of the period with Jordan Baker putting the Huskies third goal behind Mahoney-Wilson.

Lake Superior went 0-for-9 on the power play while Michigan Tech went 1-for-8 with the extra attacker. LSSU goaltender Brian Mahoney-Wilson recorded 34 saves on the 37 shots he faced, while MTU’s, Josh Robinson recorded 25 saves on the 27 LSSU shots he faced.

Officiating by CCHA referees with weekend was very questionable with the performance of Ryan Gordon being very suspect. The live audio feed for this weekend’s games was unavailable, it is reported that it will be back on the laker website for next weekend’s games.