Game Notes

For Starters

• No. 19 Lake Superior State (6-1-3, 0-0-0) will open Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) play at home against the No. 5/4 Minnesota State Mavericks (5-1-1, 2-0-0) with a two-game series on Friday, Jan. 15 at 7:07 p.m. and Saturday, Jan. 16 at 5:07 p.m. at the Taffy Abel Arena in Sault Ste Marie, Mich. 
• Last weekend, the Lakers posted a sweep against the Northern Michigan Wildcats in the team's first two game road series of the 2020-21 season. Lake Superior State recorded a 4-1 win on Friday, Jan. 8 and followed with a thrilling 3-2 overtime win on Saturday, Jan. 9. 
• For the third time this season, the Lakers are ranked in the USCHO national poll and have received votes in both the USCHO and the USA Today national polls for eight straight weeks. Earlier this season, the Lakers were ranked in the USCHO National Poll (No. 20, No. 19) for the first time since the 2018-19 season. 
• 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 begins his seventh season behind the bench in Sault Ste. Marie in 2020-21. Whitten has led the team to a 86-127-27 record, and playoff appearances in all but one season. 

Last Weekend Recap                                                                                                         

• In Friday's 4-1 win, the Lakers snapped their scoreless streak on the power play when Pete Veillette scored in the opening minute of the game to take a 1-0 lead over the Wildcats. Ashton Calder and Lukas Kaelble assisted on the power play goal. 
• At 4:26 of the first period, the Lakers power play would strike again as junior defenseman Mitchell Oliver scored his first career goal, which would stand as the game winning goal. Kaelble and Veillette would both tally their second point of the game with the pair of assists on the goal. 
• Lake State would take a 3-0 lead over Northern Michigan in the second period when Louis Boudon scored three seconds after a LSSU power play expired. Veillette recorded his third point of the game with an assist on the play, to mark the second time in his career with three points in a single game. Calder added an assist on the goal to notch his third multi-point game of the season.
• Hampus Eriksson, who went 14-for-22 on faceoffs in the game, would seal the Laker victory with an empty net goal. Yuki Miura and Oliver, who registered his second career multi-point game, assisted on the final goal of the game. 
• Laker goalie Mareks Mitens stopped 27 of the 28 shots he faced in the game for his third win of the season. 
• In Saturday's game, the Lakers entered the third period trailing by a pair of goals before Veillette scored a pair of goals to tie the game and force overtime. It marked the first time in Veillette's career that he recorded a multi-goal game. 
• Veillette got the Lakers on the scoresheet with his first career shorthanded goal at 7:33 of the third period. Calder and Kaelble notched the assists.
• With under three minutes to play in regulation, Veillette would tie the game as he cashed in on a rebound from a shot by Jacob Nordqvist. Will Riedell also earned an assist on the game tying goal. 
• Only 26 seconds into overtime, Boudon would score his first overtime goal as the Lakers capped off their comeback to win by a final score of 3-2. Boudon's goal, which was scored on the power play, was assisted by Oliver and Calder. 
• Mitens finished the game with 32 saves on 34 shots by the Wildcats, bringing his weekend total to 59 saves on 62 shots. 
• For their play against Northern Michigan, Veillette and Mitens received WCHA Player of the Week honors. Veillette, who led all skaters in the conference in goals (3) and points (5), was named Forward of the Week. Mitens, who led all WCHA goaltenders in goals against average (1.50) and save percentage (.952), was named Goaltender of the Week.
• 18 Lakers have notched at least a point this season and eight players have recorded at least five points through the first ten games of the season. 11 skaters have scored a goal for the Lakers this season with four of them scoring three or more goals. 
• The Lakers have four players among the top 25 scorers in the WCHA (Calder, Veillette, Kaelble, Riedell).
• The Lakers power play has been hot lately, scoring three power play goals against Northern Michigan. This season, the Lakers power play has gone 3-for-42, totaling a 7.0% success rate while the team's penalty kill ranks third in the WCHA (88.4%). 
• The Lakers hold a 3-23-1 record all-time against Minnesota State. The two teams most recently played each other in December 2019 in a series at the Mankato Civic Center when the Mavericks were the No. 1 ranked team in the country. 

In the Polls                                                                                   

• For the third time this season, the Lakers are ranked in the USCHO national poll and have received votes in both the USCHO and the USA Today national polls for eight straight weeks. Earlier this season, the Lakers were ranked in the USCHO National Poll (No. 20, No. 19) for the first time since the 2018-19 season. 
• 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                                                                             

• 18 Lakers have notched at least a point this season and eight players have recorded at least five points through the first ten games of the season. 11 skaters have scored a goal for the Lakers this season with four of them scoring three or more goals. 
• The Lakers have four players among the top 25 scorers in the WCHA (Calder, Veillette, Kaelble, Riedell).
• 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 combined 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 12 multi-point games in his career, including three this season. Most recently, the defenseman posted a two assist game at Northern Michigan on Jan. 8 in the Lakers 4-1 win and followed with another assist in the team's 3-2 overtime win against NMU the following night. 
• Kaelble leads the Lakers in assists this season with eight and is tied second on the team in points (8). The Laker captain is third among all WCHA defensemen in points (8) and is tied for fifth among all WCHA skaters in assists this season.
• The senior strung together a three game point streak (0-5-5) earlier this season, spanning from Nov. 29 at Adrian to Dec. 6 against UAH, and heads into the series against the Mavericks with three assists in the last two games. 
• 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. Riedell's second multi-point game of the season and the 10th of his career came on Jan. 3 against Bemidji as he scored the game's opening goal and assisted on the game tying goal. 
• With seven points (2G, 5A) this season, Riedell is tied for fourth among WCHA defensemen in points. 
• 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. This season, the Swedish defenseman has four points, all assists, in ten games played. 
• 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. The junior defender scored his first career goal, which proved to be the game winning goal, in the Lakers 4-1 win over the NMU Wildcats on Jan. 8. Oliver added an assist in the game to record his first multi-point game of the season and the second of his career. 
• 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 ten games this season for the Lakers, posting a 4-1-3 record with a 1.57 goals against average and a .941 save percentage. Mitens ranks third in save percentage among WCHA goalies and fourth among his conference goaltending peers in goals against average. 
• For his play in the Lakers most recent series,  Mitens was named the WCHA  Goaltender of the Week, his third league award of the season. The senior goalie stopped 59 of the 62 shots he faced from the NMU Wildcats to record a 1.50 goals against average and a .952 save percentage in the series. Mitens led all WCHA netminders in both goals against average and save percentage over the weekend, and was one of two goaltenders in the league this week to record two wins. 
• Mitens has now allowed two or fewer goals in all but one of his 10 appearances this season. 
• 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 collegiate 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. Minnesota State                                                                            

• The Lakers and Minnesota State will for their sole meeting of the season this weekend, as the Mavericks will travel to Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. for the first time since the 2018-19 season.  
• Last season, the Lakers fell by scores of 5-1 and 2-0 to the Mavericks in an away series. The Lakers last win against the Mavericks came on Jan. 19, 2019 when LSSU posted a 1-0 win to give Minnesota State their first home loss of the season. Mareks Mitens, in his sophomore season, made 29 saves in the shutout victory.
• In the all-time series between the two teams, the Mavericks hold a 23-3-1 record. 
• Against Minnesota State, Pete Veillette leads the team with two goals and Ashton Calder leads the team in assists with two. Including Veillette and Calder, six Lakers have recorded at least a point against the Mavericks. 

Scouting the Mavericks                                                                                                                                                  

• Minnesota State is led by Mike Hastings, who is in his ninth season leading the Mavericks. No program in the nation has won more games (219) during the time Hastings has been behind the MSU bench. Under his leadership, the Crookston, Minn., native has guided the Mavericks to five NCAA tournament appearances, five WCHA regular-season titles and three WCHA postseason tournament championships with a 219-85-24 record. 
• The Mavericks have played seven games this season, compiling a record of 5-1-1. Most recently, Minnesota State played a two game WCHA series against the Northern Michigan Wildcats, winning the pair of games by scores of 5-0 and 4-0. 
• Junior netminder Dryden McKay has earned shutouts in four of six games played this year. In eight career games played vs. Lake Superior State, McKay stands at 7-1-0 with a 1.01 goals against average and a .953 save percentage.
• Offensively, the Wildcats are led by sophomore Cade Borchardt,  who has recorded nine points (5G, 4A) in seven games this season. 
• Four Mavericks are tied for second on the team in points with seven (Julian Napravnik, Reggie Lutz, Akito Hirose, Nathan Smith). 
• Through six games, Mankato's special teams have combined for a penalty kill percentage of 88.5% (23-for-26) while the power play is running at a 31.8% (7-for-22) 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