BOWLING GREEN, Ohio- In the opening game of a Western Collegiate Hockey Association weekend series the Lake Superior State Lakers (7-19-1, 6-13-0 WCHA) emerged victorious, 3-1, over the heavily favored No. 6 Bowling Green (14-5-4, 10-3-2 WCHA).

The Lakers, whose determination was evident throughout the game, jumped out to an early 1-0 lead when Bryce Schmitt (7-7--14) received a centering pass from Luke Sandler (3-2--5) and buried it through the legs of the adjusting Chris Nell of the Falcons.

Garret Clemment (3-1--4) gave the Lakers a 2-0 lead at 12:35 of the first period, taking a well-placed pass from Chris Ciotti (4-6--10) before making a quick deke and sliding it five-hole through Nell. Ciotti intercepted the puck as the Falcons started a rush through neutral ice and created the two-on-one opportunity.

Kevin Dufour put the Falcons on the board with a power-play goal with 10 seconds remaining in the advantage as the first period was winding down.

Late in the second period and on a penalty kill, Stephen Perfetto (7-3--10) netted the Lakers' third of the night. The shorthanded goal was assisted by Gus Correale (1-4--5) and was the second of the season by the Lakers.

Freshman netminder and reigning WCHA Defensive Player of the Week Gordon Defiel (7-17-1) made 30 saves on the evening while helping the Lakers cement the victory.

The Lakers and Falcons will face-off again Saturday night at 7:07 p.m. in the second game of the weekend tilt.

Final LSSU 3 - BGSU 1

Photos by Todd Pavlack, bgsuhockey.com