FOR STARTERS • The Lakers will play their final regular season series this weekend, traveling to Big Rapids, Mich. to play a pair of games against the Ferris State Bulldogs on Friday, Feb. 28 and Saturday, Feb. 29 in a Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) series. Friday's game is set for a 7:07 p.m. puck drop while Saturday is scheduled for a 6:07 p.m. puck drop.
• Last weekend, the Lakers hosted the Northern Michigan Wildcats as the two Upper Peninsula rivals met for their only series of the 2019-20 season. Lake State won the series opener by a score of 6-1 while Northern took the closing game by a final score of 5-1. With the Lakers winning the series by a goal differential of 7-6, the Cappo Cup returned to the Lakers as the trophy has been in play between the two teams for 25 seasons.
• During the Lakers historic game played in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario on Feb. 15, the team clinched a berth in the WCHA playoffs for the second straight season. The Lakers hold the seventh spot in the standings heading into the final weekend of the regular season, with 35 points as the seeding has yet to be determined.
• LSSU's record sits at 11-21-4 overall and 9-14-4-4 in WCHA play after opening the season against some of the NCAA's stiffest competition including two games against No. 2 Denver, a pair of road games against the Michigan Wolverines as well as a road series against the No. 4/5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish.The Lakers opened conference play with two wins against Ferris State on Nov. 1 and 2, and rotated through home anf away WCHA series since, including an away series against No. 1 Minnesota State. In the month of December, five of the six games the Lakers played in were against ranked opponents. Following a non-conference holiday tournament in Vermont, the Lakers have been back to conference play.
• Lakers Head Coach Damon Whitten is in his sixth season behind the bench in Sault Ste. Marie. Whitten has led the team to a 77-125-23 record, including 23 wins in 2018-19.
• Lake Superior is coming off of the program's best season in 23 years, posting a 23-12-2 overall record and finishing fourth in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA).
LAST WEEKEND RECAP
• The Lakers offense erupted for a 6-1 win on Friday as Max Humitz opened the scoring in the game with his 60th collegiate goal. With the goal, Humitz became the 22nd Laker all-time to reach 60 goals and the first since Sean Tallaire in the 1994-95 season.
• Humitz would add his second goal of the game to bring his season total up to 19, continuing to build upon his new career high. The senior hit the 30-point mark for the second consecutive season.
• Pete Veillette posted a three point game, which ties his career high, on Friday night as he netted a power play while also adding a pair of assists to bring his season total up to 10 goals, 12 assists and 22 points. All three statistics are new career highs for the sophomore forward.
• In addition to his three game winning goals this season, which is tied for fifth in the WCHA, Veillette has also scored twice in the second overtime for the Lakers this season.
• At 8:40 of the first period, Ashton Calder scored on a strong individual effort to notch his career-best 11th goal of the season. With the goal, the sophomore forward tied his previous season total in points with 22.
• Senior forward Brendan McKay recorded his third multi-point game in the month of February as he scored a shorthanded goal in the second period while also adding an assist. With the goal in Friday's game, McKay tied his previous season high in goals with three while also posting goals in back-to-back games for the first time in his collegiate career.
• Bryan Basilico, a senior forward, registered his first goal of the season late in the third period to set the final score at 6-1, giving the Lakers their 11th win of the season.
•Jacob Nordqvist and Louis Boudon each tallied multi-point games for the Lakers as each skater had two assists in the game.
•On Saturday night, the score favored the Wildcats as the Lakers fell by a final score of 5-1. Boudon scored the lone goal for the Lakers to bring his season total up to 22 points, with five goals and 17 assists. Boudon leads the team in assists and is tied for third among all WCHA freshmen in points this season.
• Laker goaltender Mareks Mitens registered his career-best 11th win of the season on Friday night as he stopped 25 of the 26 shots he faced in the game.
• Mitens has made 870 saves and faced 961 shots this season, both rank second in the WCHA. The Laker goalie has played more minutes (2054:20) than any other NCAA goaltender in 2019-20.
MILESTONES, CAREER HIGHS & LEAGUE LEADERS
• Max Humitz set a new career high in single season goals (19) with a pair of goals in the Lakers 6-1 win on Feb. 21. The Livonia, Mich. native leads all WCHA players in shots on goal this season with 139. Humitz is tied for second in the WCHA in goals and tied for seventh in the conference in points.
• On Feb. 21, Humitz became the 22nd Laker all-time to to reach 60 goals and the first since Sean Tallaire in the 1994-95 season. In the series, Humitz also hit the 30 point mark for the second consecutive season.
• Veillette has set new career highs in goals (10), assists (12) and points (22). In addition to his three game winning goals this season, Veillette has also scored twice in the second overtime for the Lakers this season.
• Ashton Calder set a new career high in goals with 11, following his game winning goal against Northern Michigan on Feb. 21.
• Hampus Eriksson would set a new career high in goals when he scored his fifth of the season on Jan. 25 against the Seawolves. Eriksson has set new career highs in points (21) and assists (16) as well. The junior forward has surpassed the 20 point plateau for the first time in his career.
•Freshman forward Louis Boudon leads the team in assists with 17 this season. Boudon, who has 22 points in his first collegiate season, is tied for third among WCHA freshmen in points and tied for ninth among all NCAA freshmen in assists.
• In the game on Jan. 25 against UAA, Humitz recorded his 100th career point as a Laker with a goal. The goal tied his previous season-high in goals (16).
• Laker goaltender Mareks Mitens registered his career-best 11th win of the season on Friday, Feb. 21 against Northern. Earlier this season, Mitens posted his first shutout of the year and the fourth in his career while also adding his first career point as he tallied an assist.
• Mitens has made 874 saves and faced 961 shots this season, both rank second in the WCHA. The Laker goalie has played more minutes (2054:20) than any other NCAA goaltender in 2019-20.
• Junior forward Yuki Miura leads the Lakers with 31 blocked shots this season and leads all WCHA forwards in the category.
LAKERS VS. FERRIS STATE
• In one of the longest running all-time series in college hockey, the Lakers and the Bulldogs will meet for the 150th and 151th times in program history this weekend. The Lakers hold the all-time advantage against Ferris State with a record 73-61-15.
• Earlier this season, the Lakers hosted the Bulldogs in a pair of games during the first weekend in November. On Friday night, the Lakers won the game in overtime by a score of 5-4 with Humitz scoring the overtime game winner. In Saturday's game, the Lakers won by a score of 4-3 with three Lakers receiving WCHA Player of the Week honors following the series.
•19 current Lakers have registered at least a point against the Bulldogs. Humitz leads the team with 10 points against the Bulldogs with three goals and seven assists. This season, Calder leads the team with five points against Ferris State.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
• Ferris State is led by Bob Daniels, who is in his 28th season as the head coach of the Bulldogs.
• The Bulldogs have played 33 games this season, compiling a 7-24-2 overall record and a 5-19-2 WCHA record.
•The Bulldogs are led by defensemen Jake Willets, a freshman, and Nate Kallen, a senior, as the pair leads the team in points. Willets ranks first on the team with 21 points, including a team-leading 17 assists while Kallen has posted 16 points to rank second on the team.
• Junior forward Marshall Moise leads the team in goals this season with 10 and ranks third in points with 15.
• In goal, the duo of Roni Salmenkangas and Austin Shaw have evenly split playing time with each goalie starting 13 games this season. Salmenkangas has recorded a goals against average of 3.92 and a .876 save percentage while Shaw has posted a 2.92 goals against average and a .897 save percentage.
• The Bulldogs power play is running at a 15.7 percentage, while the team's penalty kill is functioning at an 82.4 rate.
• The Bulldogs currently hold the ninth spot in the WCHA standings, sitting three points behind Alaska Anchorage for the final spot in the postseason.
WHAT'S NEXT • Following this weekend's series, the Lakers will compete in the WCHA Playoffs for the second straight year. The Lakers are locked into the seventh seed for the opening round of the tournament but their opponent has yet to be determined.