SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich.- Coming off of a bye week, Laker Superior State makes the trip to Fairbanks, Alaska, in search of valuable Western Collegiate Hockey Association points.
The WCHA schools conclude their season series, which is tied 1-1, with the final two meetings.
The Lakers, who were 3-3-0 during the month of January, are currently tied with Alabama-Huntsville for the eighth spot in the WCHA standings at 12 points. The Nanooks, who are not eligible for the post season due to NCAA sanctions, sit seventh with 15 points. All three teams currently have played 20 games so far. Alaska Anchorage, sitting in the 10th spot in the standings, is two points behind the Lakers and Chargers but holds a pair of games in hand.
The Seawolves have the unenviable task of facing No. 1-ranked Minnesota State on the road this weekend. The Chargers will have the weekend off before they travel to Taffy Abel next weekend.
Puck drop in Fairbanks is set for 7:07 p.m. AT on Friday and Saturday. A live video stream will be available online via wcha.tv and the live call from Alaska's Bruce Cech of KCBF 820 AM will air live on YES FM 99.5 in Sault Ste. Marie.
The Lakers (7-20-1, 6-14-0 WCHA) split with the then No. 6-ranked Falcons Jan. 23-24. They have won three of their last four games while Alaska (12-13-1 overall, 7-12-1 WCHA) is winless (0-5-1) in its previous six games.
After the Lakers fell 7-5 on their home ice in game one of the November series, they rallied to defeat the Nanooks 3-2 in overtime of game two for their first home win of the season.
The Lakers enter the matchup with a 32-19-6 lead over the Nanooks in the all-time series. On the road, however, the Lakers are 7-10-5 at Alaska. In the last 10 meetings between the schools the Lakers lead 7-3-0 over the Nanooks.
Freshman goaltender Gordon Defiel is tied for fourth in the nation for most games started in net this season. Defiel leads the nation in saves (826) and has faced the most shots (906) by any goaltender. He is on pace to break former Laker Jeff Jakaitis' single-season saves record of 1,059. He currently posts a .912 save percentage and a 3.19 goals against average.
In the eight games since the start of the Florida Classic, Defiel has posted a .949 save-percentage with a 1.86 gaa. He has posted two shutouts and three total (tied for ninth in the nation) on the season. He ranks in the top 10 nationally in shutouts and save percentage during the second half of the season.
Since hosting and sweeping Bemidji State Jan. 16-17 the line of Stephen Perfetto (8-3--11), Garret Clemment (3-2--5) and Gus Correale (1-5--6) have led the Lakers with nine combined points in the four games. Each player has three points. Luke Sandler (3-2--5) also has three points (2-1--3) in the past four games.
Junior forward Bryce Schmitt (7-7--14) still leads the team in points but was surpassed for the team's goal-scoring lead by Perfetto, who tallied a pair of goals against the Falcons.
Freshman defender James Roll (0-9--9) still holds the team's lead in assists. Against the Nanooks in the November series, Roll had three assists during the 7-5 loss and added the assist on Perfetto's game-winner during the overtime thriller. During the two games Roll compiled a +3 rating and was named WCHA Rookie of the Week.
The Nanooks are led by impressive junior forward Tyler Morley (9-18--27). Morley has scored in five straight games and has compiled 3-4--7 in that stretch. They have scoring outputs from sophomore Marcus Basara (10-9--19) and junior Colton Parayko (4-14--18).
Sophomore Davis Jones has spent the majority of the time in net for the Nanooks while posting a 9-6-1 record with a .896 save-percentage, 2.54 gaa and four shutouts. Senior Sean Cahill has respectable numbers with a .912 save-percentage and a 2.61 gaa while going 2-6-0
Following the trip to Alaska the Lakers return home on Feb. 13-14 to host Alabama-Huntsville. The Lakers will have their final bye week following the home series with the Chargers before making their shortest road trip of the season -- a three hour jaunt to Northern Michigan to finish the Cappo Cup series. The Lakers end the regular season with Ferris State at home March 6-7.