HOUGHTON, Mich. - The Lake Superior State hockey team's offense erupted for a 7-3 win over the Michigan Tech Huskies in a Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) game on Friday, Feb. 7 in Houghton, Mich.
The Huskies grabbed the game's first lead at 5:38 when Alec Broetzman scored on a play that started as a result of a strange bounce off of the end boards. When the puck darted out, Laker goaltender Mareks Mitens sent the puck into the corner and Tech would gain possession of the puck, eventually scoring as Broetzman dangled around Mitens for the lead.
The Lakers evened the game when senior Brendan McKay got his team on the board when he netted his first goal of the season at 7:23. Yuki Miura set up McKay, as he sent a pass from the corner that McKay would fire a one-timer on to beat Huskies goaltender Matt Jurusik from the high slot.
At 11:38 of the first period, the Lakers took the lead when Ashton Calder scored shorthanded to put the Lakers ahead, 2-1. Calder capitalized on a play started by a stop from Mitens that would spring him on a breakaway where he would put the puck in the top corner of the net. Will Riedell and Mitens each registered assists on the play.
Following the Lakers second goal, Blake Pietila took over in the Huskies net as Jurusik was pulled after allowing two goals on nine shots.
The Lakers would go ahead by a score of 3-1 at 13:59 of the opening frame when Riedell began the scoring play as he intercepted a Husky pass in the neutral zone. The defenseman would carry the puck into the offensive zone and would send a pass through the crease to Humitz who was alone just outside of Pietila to put the puck in for his 17th goal of the season.
Less than a minute into the second period, the Huskies would cut the Lakers lead in half as Colin Swoyer scored off a rush down the right wing to make it a 3-2 game.
Calder would score his second goal of the game, which would prove to be the game winner, at 7:17 of the second period when he finished off an impressive individual effort to give the Lakers a 4-2 lead. Riedell would notch his third assist of the game as he batted the puck from the Tech players to find Calder open. The sophomore forward would then take the puck up the ice himself, gaining speed through the neutral zone and beating the Husky defender to cut in on Pietila for the goal.
The Lakers would score their fifth goal of the night at 11:50 of the second period when Miroslav Mucha netted his second goal of the year. Miura carried the puck into the Husky end, as the Lakers forwards started up the ice on an odd man rush. Miura would drop a pass to Dustin Manz, who would curl in through the faceoff circle, and got a shot off that was stopped by Pietila. The loose puck darted out to Mucha, who sent the puck over the goalie's shoulder and under the crossbar for a 5-2 Laker advantage.
For the third time in the game, the Huskies would score the first goal of the period as Logan Pietila made it a 5-3 game at 3:30 of the third period.
Chase Gamelin would extend the Lakers lead back to three goals at 8:10 of the final period of play when he scored his first goal of the season. The Lakers would apply pressure in the Husky defensive zone and McKay would send the puck along the boards to defenseman Tyler Anderson, who was stationed at the blue line. Anderson fired a shot that Gamelin redirected from just outside the crease to cause the puck to to change direction for the goal.
The game's scoring was capped off at 17:20 of the third period when Arvid Henrikson notched his first collegiate goal, scoring the Lakers season-high seventh goal of the game. Humitz sent a shot that went wide of Tech's net, and would wrap around the boards to Henrikson at the point. The wrist shot by the freshman defenseman would make its way through traffic to beat Pietila.
10 different Lakers recorded at least a point in the victory while five players registered multi-point games. Riedell led the team with three points as he posted three assists in the game.
The Lakers finished the game being outshot by the Huskies by a total of 42-30. Mitens finished the game with a season-high 39 saves in the win as he recorded a .929 save percentage in his ninth victory of the season. Michigan Tech's goalie tandem of Pietila and Jurusik combined for 23 saves in the game.
The Lakers and the Huskies will wrap up their season series tomorrow evening at 5:00 p.m. in Houghton, Mich. at the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena.
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