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Cullen Maksimowski, LSSULakers.com
SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich.— The Lake Superior State hockey team will look to bounce back from a disappointing home sweep at the hands of No.7 Minnesota State-Mankato last weekend as they travel to rival Michigan Tech for a Western Collegiate Hockey Association series.
Last Time Out:
Lake State (4-1-3 overall, 3-7-2 in WCHA) is coming off a pair of lopsided losses to No.7 Minnesota State (11-5, 9-3) inside Taffy Abel last weekend.
The Lakers fell 5-1 on Friday and were blanked, 7-0, in Saturday's contest. The Mavericks outshot the LSSU 83-37 in the series.
Scouting the Huskies:
Lake Superior will need a better effort all-around this weekend to turn things around. The Huskies won't make thing easy on them either as they enter play boasting the No. scoring offense (3.05 GPG) and the No.4 scoring defense (2.79 GPG) in the WCHA.
The LSSU/MTU Rivalry:
The Lake Superior-Michigan Tech rivalry dates back all the way to 1969 and will square off for the 73rd and 74th time this weekend. The Huskies have gotten the best of the all-time series as they own the 45-21-6 advantage.
In their last meeting in Sault Ste. Marie (Oct.13-14) Lake State lost 4-3 in the series opener and forced a 2-2 tie in the rubber match. MTU earned the extra league point in overtime.
Closing the Gap:
Approaching the midway point of the WCHA regular season schedule, The Lakers will need to start finding some points as they currently sit in the ninth spot (11 points) in the league standings.
The Huskies own the No.3 spot behind Bowling Green and Minnesota State with 20 points on the year.
Laker Leaders:
The power play has been one of the biggest strengths throughout the first half season for the Lakers as their 20.08 conversion percentage in WCHA games ranks No.4. Their 20.78 conversion percentage overall is good for No.23 Nationally.
Senior forward J.T. Henke has been Lake State offensive weapon this season. Henke's 15 points in WCHA play is No.2 the league and his 20 points overall this season puts him at No.24 in the nation.
Junior forward Max Humitz has been the leading goal scorer for the Lakers so far with eight total goals (5 in the WCHA). Humitz also trails Henke in total points with 16 this year.
Junior netminder Nick Kossoff has been the leader in between the pipes this season owning a 3-6-2 record with 364 saves for a .905 percentage.
Huskie Leaders:
Junior forward Jake Jackson leads the MTU offense and ranks No.5 on the WCHA scoring charts with 14 points this season. His eight goals also pace the team.
Mitch Reinke, Gavin Gould, Jake Lucchini and Alex Smith have each posted 13 points on the season. Junior netminder Patrick Muson has led the way in between the pipes this season with a 7-5-3 record and .904 save percentage.
On The Horizon:
After this weekend's series, the Lakers will break from league action as they travel to Pittsburgh, Pa., to take part in the Three Rivers Classic at PPG Paints Arena. LSSU will take on host Robert Morris on Friday (Dec.29) and either Arizona State or Providence on Saturday (Dec. 30).
Lake State will return to Taffy Abel Arena for the new year as they play host to Bemdiji State Jan.5-6 in a WCHA series.
Upcoming Promotions: (LSSU Athletics After Christmas Sale)
The After Christmas Sale is an online only sale allowing fans to purchase up to four tickets for one dollar each to any one of the remaining home hockey games or basketball double-headers.
All tickets purchased must be for the same hockey or basketball game. Hockey tickets will be reserved seating between the goals in sections E through D or O through R; Customers will be placed in the best seats available at the time of purchase.
Sale prices will officially begin at 12:59 p.m. on Dec.25th and conclude at 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 2nd. Customers will have the option to have E-tickets sent to their email or pick them up at the will call table on the day of the game.