SAULT STE. MARIE - Lake Superior State skated to a 1-1 tie with Western Collegiate Hockey Association and Upper Peninsula rival Michigan Tech on Friday night in the first game of a two-game weekend series.
The Lakers (6-9-4, 4-3-4 WCHA) opened the scoring just under six minutes into the game with a seeing-eye shot from the slot by freshman Matt McArdle (1-1--2). The goal for McArdle was the first of his collegiate career and assisted by the Lakers' captain Austin McKay (0-1--1) and the team's leading-scorer J.T. Henke (6-6--12).
With the assist, Henke moves into a tie for 11th in league scoring with 12 points. Henke has scored a point in each of his last four games, scoring one goal and tallying three assists during that span.
Coming off a sweep-clinching shutout on the road against Alaska last weekend, freshman goaltender Nick Kossoff (2-3-1) made 27 saves to ensure keep the game even despite a number of chances for the Huskies (9-6-2, 8-6-1 WCHA). Kossoff improved his goals-against average to 1.79 and now boasts a .933 saves percentage.
The lone blemish on Kossoff's night came less than a minute after the Lakers had taken a 1-0 lead to open the contest.
Huskies captain Alex Petan (8-8--16) lit the lamp with his eighth goal of the season to tie the game. The goal drew Petan into a tie with teammate Tyler Heinonen (11-5--16) and Ferris State's Gerald Mayhew (7-9--16) for the league-lead in scoring.
In net for the Huskies was senior Jamie Phillips. Phillips made 20 saves on the night and allowed the lone goal by McArdle.
The game was the sixth for the Lakers to go to overtime. The Lakers are now 0-2-4 in overtime games this season.
For the Lakers, the tie broke a three-game losing streak to the Huskies. The last time LSSU beat their U.P. rival was Jan. 3, 2014 in Sault Ste. Marie.
The series will come to a close Saturday night with the puck drop set for 7:07 p.m.
Saturday's game will feature the annual Teddy Bear Toss. LSSU will have a limited supply of stuffed toys for sale for $5. Everyone is invited to bring a stuffed toy to toss on the ice when the Lakers score their first goal. All toys will be donated to local charities.
