Game Notes

For Starters                                                                                                                                                                                

• Lake Superior State (7-4-3, 1-3-0 WCHA) will match up against the No. 12 Bowling Green Falcons (16-6-0, 5-3-0 WCHA) this weekend as the Lakers travel to Bowling Green, Ohio for a Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) series. The series, which will be played at the Slater Family Ice Arena, is set for a 7:07 p.m. start on Friday, Feb. 12 and will wrap on Saturday, Feb. 13 at 7:07 p.m.
• Last weekend, the Lakers returned to the ice following a two-week pause in competition due to COVID-19 protocols going into effect within the LSSU hockey program. LSSU hosted the Northern Michigan Wildcats for a two game WCHA series on Saturday and Sunday with each team winning a game in overtime to split the series. The Lakers recorded a 5-4 overtime win on Saturday evening and despite a dramatic rally late in the third period, the Lakers fell to the Wildcats by a final score of 4-3 in overtime. 
• The Lakers series that were originally scheduled for Jan. 22 and 23 at Michigan Tech and Jan. 29 and 30 at Bemidji State were both postponed as a result of COVID-19 protocols.
• For the 12th straight week, the Lakers have received votes in at least one of the two national polls (USCHO and the USA Today). On three occasions this season, the Lakers have been ranked in the USCHO National Poll (No. 20, No. 19), marking the first national ranking for the program 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 87-130-27 record, and playoff appearances in all but one season. 

Last Weekend Recap                                                                                                           

• In the opening game of the series against the  Wildcats, the Lakers fell behind by a goal in the first period but junior forward Ashton Calder would tie the game at one with his first goal of the weekend. Jacob Bengstsson and Miroslav Mucha recorded the assists on the goal. 
• Freshman forward Benito Posa would tie the game at two in the second period with his first collegiate goal. Alex Ambrosio and Chase Gamelin, Posa's linemates in the game, registered the helpers on the goal. 
• After Northern Michigan took a two goal lead in the second period, the Lakers would respond with a power play goal from Mitchell Oliver. Jack Jeffers and Yuki Miura each assisted on the power play goal. 
• With 9:31 left in the third period, the Lakers tied the game at four with a second power play goal, this one scored by Brandon Puricelli. Puricell's goal was assisted by Jacob Nordqvist and Will Riedell. 
• With just over three seconds left in overtime, Calder scored his second goal of the game and his third game winning goal of the season to give the Lakers the 5-4 win. Calder's individual rush up the ice that led to the goal was assisted by Riedell. 
• Sophomore goaltender Seth Eisele made his first career start in the game and recorded his second career win as he stopped 29 saves in the game. 
• In the closing game of the weekend, the Wildcats would score the game's first goal for the second straight game but the Lakers would tie the game at one with Jacob Nordqvist scoring his first goal of the season. Gamelin and Posa would each extend their point streak to two games as each player recorded an assist on the first goal. 
• The Lakers trailed by two goals with just over a minute remaining in the game Will Riedell scored to bring the Lakers within a goal with 1:01 left on the clock. Hampus Eriksson and Miroslav Mucha assisted on the goal that was scored with goaltender Ethan Langenegger pulled in favor of the extra attacker. 
• With under 13 seconds remaining in the regulation, Pete Veillette tied the game to force overtime when he sent the puck on net from a sharp angle to beat the NMU netminder. Riedell notched his fourth point of the weekend with an assist while Mucha, who also assisted on Riedell's goal, recorded his third assist of the series. 
• The Lakers rally fell short in overtime as Northern Michigan secured the extra point and Langenegger, in his first career start, finished the game with 22 saves. 
• For his play in the series against NMU, Riedell was named the WCHA's Defenseman of the Week. Riedell, who led all defensemen with four points during the week of games, posted a goal and three assists. 
• 14 different skaters recorded at least a point for the Lakers in the series against Northern and five players had at least a point in each game (Riedell, Mucha, Nordqvist, Gamelin, Posa). 
• This season, the Lakers power play has gone 5-for-59, totaling a 8.5% success rate while the team's penalty kill has killed 54 of 64 power play opportunities (84.4%). 

In the Polls                                                                                      

• For the 12th straight week, the Lakers have received votes in at least one of the two national polls (USCHO and the USA Today). On three occasions this season, the Lakers have been ranked in the USCHO National Poll (No. 20, No. 19), marking the first national ranking for the program 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                                                                              

• 20 Lakers have notched at least a point this season and six players have recorded at least eight points through the first 14 games of the season. 13 skaters have scored a goal for the Lakers this season with six of them scoring three or more goals. 
• 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 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. 
• Kaelble leads the Lakers in assists this season with nine and is third on the team in points (9). The Laker captain is tied for ninth among all WCHA defensemen in points (9) and ranks first among WCHA defensemen in assists per game (0.75). 
• 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 Falcons with four assists in his last four 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 third and fourth multi-point games of the season career came in the Feb. 6-7 series against Northern Michigan as he posted one goal and three assists in the pair of games. Following the series, Riedell has totaled 12 career multi-point games. 
• With 11 points (3G, 8A) this season, Riedell is tied for third among WCHA defensemen in points and is first among WCHA defensemen in points per game (0.79).
• On Monday, Feb. 8, Will Riedell was named WCHA Defenseman of the Week for his play in the Lakers home series against Northern Michigan on Feb. 6 and Feb. 7. Ridell led all WCHA defensemen in points (4) with a goal and three assists in the pair of games. Riedell assisted on Saturday's game tying and game winning goal and followed on Sunday with a goal scored with 1:01 left in the game to bring the Lakers within a goal of the Wildcats. The senior defenseman recorded the primary assist on the game tying goal with 12 seconds left in the game. 
• 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 six points (1G, 5A) in 14 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. 
• Oliver scored his second career goal in the Lakers 5-4 overtime win and both of his career goals were scored on the power play.
• 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 startedl 12 games this season for the Lakers, posting a 4-3-3 record with a 1.92 goals against average and a .932 save percentage. In all but two of his 12 appearances this season, Mitens has allowed two or fewer goals. 
• Mitens ranks fourth among WCHA goaltenders in goals against average (1.92), fifth in minutes played (623:57), fourth in saves (275), and third in save percentage (.932) this season. 
• Freshman goaltender Ethan Langenegger has played four games for the Lakers this season, including his first career appearance on Nov. 29 against Adrian and his first career start on Feb. 7 against Northern Michigan. 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. 
• Eisele made his first career start on Feb. 6 against Northern Michigan and stopped 29 shots he faced in the game for his second career win. 
• For his play in the Lakers series against Northern Michigan on Jan. 2 and 3,  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. 
• 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. Bowling Green                                                                                 

• Lake Superior State and Northern Michigan will meet for the first time this season and the first meeting between the teams since December of 2019. Last season, the two WCHA rivals met four times with each team winning two games. In the most recent game, the Lakers defeated the then No. 10-ranked Falcons by a final score of 3-2 in overtime with Hampus Eriksson scoring the game winner. 
• In the all-time series between the Lakers and Bowling Green, LSSU holds a 75-85-14 record against the Falcons.
• Against Bowling Green, Hampus Eriksson ranks first among his teammates with five points (2G, 3A) and Lukas Kaelble ranks second with four points in his careeer against BG (2G, 2A).  

Scouting the Falcons                                                                                                                                                  

• Bowling Green is led by Ty Eigner, who is in his second season leading the Falcons, following nine seasons as an assistant coach at Bowling Green. In his first season, Eigner led the Falcons to a 21-13-4 overall record.
• The Falcons have played 24 games this season, compiling a 16-6-0 overall record and a 5-3-0 mark in conference play. BG most recently played a series against the Minnesota State, falling in both games to the Mavericks. 
• Offensively, the Falcons are led by Brandon Kruse, who ranks first among all WCHA skaters with 26 points this season. Kruse, a senior forward, has posted 10 goals and 16 assists in 22 games this season. 
• Bowling Green has 10 players with at least 10 points this season and six players who have scored 10 or more goals. Senior forwards Connor Ford (11G, 11A) and Cameron Wright (9G, 13A) are tied for second place among Falcons players with 22 points each. 
• In goal, senior Eric Dop has played the majority of minutes for the Falcons, playing in 14 games. Dop has totaled a 9-4-0 record with a 2.26 goals against average and a .926 save percentage. 
• Through 22 games, Bowling Green's special teams have combined for a penalty kill percentage of 79.7% (63- for-79) while the power play is running at a 20.7% (19-for- 92) success rate.

VOTE FOR HOBEY                                                                                        

• Three Lakers - Ashton Calder, Lukas Kaelble, and Mareks Mitens - have been nominated for the 2021 Vote for Hobey Baker. Awarded annually to college hockey's top player, the Hobey Baker's tremendously popular fan-voting will run from now until Sunday, March 7 at midnight. College hockey fans can cast their vote by going to the voting website; https://www.hobeybaker.com/vote.

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