Game Notes

For Starters                                                                                                                                                                            

• No. 19 Lake Superior State will return to the ice on Saturday, Jan. 2 at 5:00 p.m. and Sunday, Jan. 3 at 3:00 p.m. for a home series against the Bemidji State Beavers. 
• The series against Bemidji is a result of a conference schedule adjustment following both Alaska schools opting out of the 2020-21 season. Each WCHA team will also play two non-conference series against WCHA opponents. The Lakers first two weekends in January will now be non-conference series against the Beavers and Northern Michigan (Jan. 8-9). 
• The Lakers are nationally ranked for the second consecutive week in the USCHO poll as the team received 85 points to claim the No. 19 spot. The Lakers also received votes in the USA Today poll. LSSU has been ranked and/or received votes in both of the national polls (USCHO, USA Today) for six straight weeks. 
• The Lakers last competed on Saturday, Dec. 5 and Sunday, Dec. 6 in a home, non-conference series against the Alabama Huntsville Chargers, posting a 2-2 tie on Saturday and a 3-2 win on Dec. 6 to close out their first six games of the season with a 4-0-2 record. 
• The Lakers returned for the program's 55th season in 2020-21 following a seventh place finish in the WCHA standings during the 2019-20 season as the team posted a 14-23-4 overall record and an 11-14-4 record in conference play. LSSU qualified for the WCHA postseason for the second consecutive season and would fall to the second seeded Bemidji State in the first round of the playoffs.
• Lakers Head Coach Damon Whitten is in his seventh season behind the bench in Sault Ste. Marie in 2020-21. Whitten has led the team to a 84-126-26 record, and playoff appearances in all but one season.                                                                                                            

Last Time Out

•  In the Saturday, Dec. 5,  game against the UAH Chargers, the Lakers scored twice in the first period to take a 2-0 lead over UAH. Junior forward Miroslav Mucha opened the scoring in the game with his first goal of the season. 
• Mucha's goal was assisted by senior forward Yuki Miura who registered his third assist of the season while Will Riedell notched the secondary assist on the play to record his fourth point of the season.
• Senior forward Chase Gamelin added his first goal of the season only 20 seconds after Mucha's goal to put the Lakers ahead 2-0 at 14:16 of the first period. Freshman forward Joshua Wildauer earned his first collegiate point with the primary assist on the goal while senior defenseman Lukas Kaelble extended his point streak to two games with the secondary assist. 
• Following 65 minutes of play, the score remained tied at two and the Lakers would win the overtime shootout in the fifth round. In his first game of the 2020-21 season, defenseman Mitchell Oliver scored in the decisive goal to give the Lakers the shootout victory.
• Senior goaltender Mareks Mitens was in net for the Lakers and stopped 23 of the 25 shots he faced in the game to register his second win of the season. 
• To close out the first stretch of the season, the Lakers posted a 3-2 win over the Chargers on Sunday, Dec. 6. All three Laker goaltenders played in the game with freshman Ethan Langenegger earning his first career win in the game. 
• Junior forward Ashton Calder scored his team-leading fourth goal of the season to open the scoring for the Lakers, marking the fifth straight game that the Lakers have scored the first goal of the game. Jacob Nordqvist and Lukas Kaelble each recorded assists on the opening goal. 
• Sophomore forward Brandon Puricelli gave the Lakers a 2-0 lead in the final minute of the first period when he scored his second goal of the season. Pete Veillette and Kaelble each registered assists on the play. 
• With the pair of assists, Kaelble extended his point streak to three games, totaling five assists in that span. 
• Only 1:36 into the third period, Miroslav Mucha scored the eventual game winning goal for the Lakers to bring his goal streak up to two games. It marked the first time in Mucha's career that he scored the game winner.
• The goal was a direct result of a faceoff win by sophomore Dustin Manz, who leads the team with a .683 faceoff win percentage and 69 wins on 101 draws. 
• Mitens started the game for the Lakers and stopped all eight shots he faced in the period. Sophomore Seth Eisele entered the game to start the second period and made 10 saves on 11 shots. Langenegger played the last twenty minutes for the Lakers and stopped three of the four shots he faced while also earning his first collegiate win. 
• On Thursday, Dec. 3, it was announced that Ashton Calder was named the WCHA Forward of the Month, Will Riedell was named the WCHA Defenseman of the Month and Mareks Mitens was named the WCHA Goaltender of the Month for November.
• 17 Lakers have notched at least a point this season and eight players have recorded at least three points through the first six games of the season. 10 skaters have scored a goal for the Lakers this season with four of them scoring two or more goals this season. 
• The Lakers have five players among the top 28 scorers in the WCHA (Calder, Kaelble, Puricelli, Riedell, Miura).
• Through the first six games of the season, the Lakers have scored the first goal of the game in all games except the Nov. 21 game against Michigan Tech that ended in a 0-0 tie. The Lakers are currently riding a five game streak of scoring the game's opening goal. 
• The Lakers power play has not been able to connect through the first six games of the season with the team going 0-for-18 with the man advantage. LSSU's penalty kill has killed off 15 of 18 power plays, giving the team a 83.3% success rate while down a skater. 

In the Polls                                                                                          

• The Lakers are nationally ranked for the second consecutive week in the USCHO poll as the team received 85 points to claim the No. 19 spot. The Lakers also received votes in the USA Today poll. LSSU has been ranked and/or received votes in both of the national polls (USCHO, USA Today) for six straight weeks. 
• In the WCHA Preseason Polls,  Lake Superior State was picked to finish in the sixth spot in both polls, receiving 49  total points in the 2020-21 WCHA Preseason Coaches Poll and 44 total points in the 2019-20 WCHA Preseason Media Poll.

Balanced Attack                                                                                                            

• The Lakers have five players among the top 28 scorers in the WCHA. The Laker offense has been evenly distributed so far this season as 17 players have recorded at least a point, and eight players have posted three or more points. 10 skaters have scored a goal for the Lakers this season with four of them scoring two or more goals this season. 
• Lake Superior State's skaters will return 60% of last season's goal scoring (58 of 96 total goals), 81% of last season's assist totals (142 of 176 total assists) and 74% of the total points recorded (200 of 272 total points). 
• Four of the Lakers top five goal scorers from last season are back this season (Calder, Veillette, Boudon, Eriksson), nine of the top 10 assist scorers (Boudon, Eriksson, Calder, Veillette, Riedell, Miura, Nordqvist, Kaelble, Oliver), and nine of the top 10 point getters (Calder, Boudon, Veillette, Eriksson, Riedell, Miura, Nordqvist, Kaelble, Manz). 
• LSSU had five players among the top 33 scorers in the WCHA last season, with all but one returning to the lineup this season. 
• Last season the Lakers had nine players record 10 or more points with eight of those skaters returning this season. Five players registered at least 24 points and four of them are returning members of the 2020-21 squad. 
• Nine different players netted the game winning goal for the Lakers in 2019-20 - with six of those players returning to the lineup this year. 

Anchored Down                      

• The Lakers return a strong back end presence with five defensemen who played 30 or more games last season as well as the team's starting goaltender, Mareks Mitens.
• Heading into the 2020-21 season, the returning Laker defensemen combine for 357 career collegiate games played while adding 22 goals, and 94 assists for a total of 116 points.
• Senior defenseman Lukas Kaelble, the Laker captain, has recorded 11 multi-point games in his career, including two this season. Most recently, the defenseman posted a two assist game against Alabama Huntsville on Dec. 6 in the Lakers 3-2 win. Kaelble is tied for fourth among WCHA defensemen in points.
• The senior is currently riding a three game point streak (0-5-5), dating back to Nov. 29 at Adrian.
• Kaelble was awarded the team's Most Valuable Defenseman at the close of the 2019-20 season. The defenseman played in all 41 games for the Lakers last season and totaled 12 points (2G, 10A). Kaelble led the Lakers in blocked shots with 39. 
• Senior defenseman Will Riedell scored his first goal of the season on Nov. 27 in the Lakers 5-3 win over Adrian College and would add an assist later in the game to record his first multi-point game of the season and the ninth of his career.  With four points (1G, 3A) this season, Riedell is tied for sixth place in points among WCHA defensemen. 
• On Thursday, Dec. 3, Will Riedell was named WCHA Defenseman of the Month for his play in the month of November. Riedell led all WCHA defenseman in points (3) and was tied for second in points among all NCAA defensemen. Among WCHA defensemen, Riedell was tied for first in goals (1) and assists (2) while also ranking second in plus/minus (+4).
• Riedell is coming off a career year as he appeared in all 41 games for the Lakers during the 2019-20 season and set personal highs in all offensive categories. The alternate captain recorded five goals, 13 assists and 18 points and ranked first among Laker defensemen in assists and points. 
• Riedell led the team with a +13 rating and registered five multi-point games, including a career-best three point game (3A) on Feb. 7 at Michigan Tech. His best month of the season came in February as he  recorded nine points (3G, 6A) in eight games and was named WCHA Defenseman of the Week on Feb. 10 and was the WCHA Defenseman of the Month for February.
• Junior Jacob Nordqvist and junior Mitchell Oliver round out the remaining upperclassmen returning on the blue line for the Lakers. Nordqvist played in 35 games for the Lakers in 2019-20 and finished the season with 13 points (2G, 11A). He was tied for second on the team in game winning goals with two. Oliver competed in 38 games for the Lakers last season and recorded eight assists.  In his first game back into the lineup this season following an off-season injury, Oliver scored the shootout winning goal in the fifth round of the Lakers 2-2 tie against UAH on Dec. 5. 
• Three of last year's regulars recorded at least 12 points - Will Riedell (18), Nordqvist (13), and Kaelble (12).                                 

Between the Pipes                                                                                                                             

• Senior goaltender Mareks Mitens has started all six games this season for the Lakers, posting a 2-0-2 record with a 1.56 goals against average and a .910 save percentage. 
• Freshman goaltender Ethan Langenegger has played in two games for the Lakers this season, including his first career appearance on Nov. 29 against Adrian. Langenegger earned his first colleigiate win on Dec. 6 against Alabama Huntsville as the freshman goalie played the final twenty minutes of the 3-2 game.
• Sophomore goaltender Seth Eisele entered the game for the Lakers at the start of the third period on Nov. 22 against Michigan Tech anad saved all seven shots he faced from the Huskies. Eisele, who recorded an assist on Calder's goal, earned his first collegiate win in his first appearance in net as a Laker. 
• On Thursday, Dec. 3, Mareks Mitens was named WCHA Goaltender of the Month for his play in the month of November. Mitens allowed five goals over the course of four games for the Lakers, posting a 2-0-1 record which included his sixth career shutout on Nov. 21 in a 0-0 tie against Michigan Tech. Among WCHA goaltenders in the month of November, the senior netminder ranked first in minutes played (204:33), first in saves made (77), first in shots faced (82), first in wins (2), and tied for first in shutouts (1). 
• Mitens was awarded the WCHA's Goaltender of the Week award for his play against Michigan Tech on Nov. 21-22, as he stopped 41 of the 42 shots he faced in 105:00 minutes in net. The senior goalie finished the weekend with a .976 save percentage and a 0.57 goals against average. 
• Mitens will backstop the Lakers this season, following a strong 2019-20 season in net (2.57 GAA, .911%). Mittens appeared in 39 games, making 38 starts and finished the season with a career-best 13 wins.
• Mitens ranked first among all WCHA goaltenders in games played and games started, and played more minutes (2291:59) than any other NCAA netminder in 2019-20. The Ventspils, Latvia native, who finished the season with 1,002 saves, was one of three NCAA goalies to make 1000 or more saves last season.
• The netminder finished the season in fifth place among WCHA goalies in save percentage and seventh place among that same group in goals against average 
• Mitens was named WCHA Goaltender of the Week on Dec. 16. 2019 after stopping 64 of 67 shots against No. 10 Bowling Green in a weekend split.
• In the final month of the regular season, Mitens recorded a pair of shutouts (2/14/20 vs. UAH, 2/28/20 at Ferris State) to bring his career shutout total to five. The Laker goalie would go on to stop a season-high 45 shots in the Lakers 5-3 win over Bemidji State in game two of the WCHA Quarterfinals last season. 
• Mitens appeared in 11 games for the Lakers in 2018-19 and 19 games in his freshman season in 2017-18. 

Lakers vs. Bemidji State                                                                                

• The Lakers and Bemidji State Beavers will meet for the first time this season, with a conference series scheduled for the last weekend in January. This series will be counted as a non-conference match-up. 
• The Lakers will match up against the Beavers for the first time since the opening round of the WCHA playoffs last season. In last year's playoff series, the Lakers, as the No. 7 seed, fell to Bemidji, the No. 2 seed, in the third game of the best-of-three series. 
• In the all-time series between the two teams, the Lakers hold the advantage by an overall record of 34-31-5 against the Beavers. In the last seven meetings between the long-time rivals, BSU has posted a 5-1-1 record. 
• Against Bemidji State, Hampus Eriksson leads the teams with seven points (3G, 4A) while Ashton Calder ranks second among his teammates with six career points (6A) against the Beavers.
• Goaltender Mareks Mitens has played in seven games against Bemidji, starting six times to total a 2-3-1 overall record. Mitens posted a season-high 45 saves in the team's Game 2 win over the Beavers last March. 

Scouting The Beavers                                                                                                                                                    

• Bemidji State is led by Tom Serratore, who entered his 20th season as the head coach of the Beavers this season.
• The Beavers have played five games this season, compiling a record of 1-3-1. Bemidji most recently played a series againat the No. 5 Minnesota State Mavericks, posting a 5-4 loss and a 1-1 tie.
• Offensively, the Beavers are led by senior Ethan Somoza, who has recorded four points (3G, 1A) in five games this season. 
• Owen Sillinger leads all current BSU players with nine (3g-6a) points in 11 career games versus LSSU, while Nick Cardelli has seven points (6g-1a) in 11 games versus the Lakers, which includes a pair of game-winning goals.
• Zach Driscoll is 6-4-1 all-time versus LSSU, which includes a shutout. He owns a 2.29 GAA and a .913 save percentage in 11 games versus the Lakers. This season, Driscoll has started three games, posting a .877 save percentage and a 3.58 goals against average. 
• Through five games, Bemidji's special teams have combined for a penalty kill percentage of 75.0% (6-for-8) while the power play is running at a 9.1% (1-for-11) success rate. 

Other Information                                                                                       

• Every week Bill Crawford and Matt Pocket along with Head Coach Damon Whitten, the assistant coaches and players take a look at the Laker Hockey program.  A review of past games, a look ahead to future action and more information and insight on the team and players.  The show airs live every Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. on ESPN 1400. 
• All Laker home and away games during the 2020-21 season will be available to watch live on FloHockey, the WCHA's streaming partner. For more information or to sign up for a subscription, visit https:/www.flohockey.tv. 
• Bill Crawford and Matt Pocket will be calling the Laker games this season. The radio call will be available to listen to on 99.5 Yes FM, the official radio station of Laker hockey. The broadcast stream can also be accessed at www.yesfm.net