Game Notes

For Starters                                 

• No. 20 Lake Superior State (10-4-3, 4-3-0 WCHA) will look to build upon their three game winning streak as the Lakers host the Alabama Huntsville Chargers (3-10-1, 3-5-0 WCHA) on Friday, Feb. 19 at 7:07 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 20 at 5:07 p.m. at the Taffy Abel Arena in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich in a Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) series. 
• The Lakers are coming off a 3-1 road win against No. 18 Michigan Tech on Tuesday afternoon and earned a pair of road wins last weekend against then-No. 12 Bowling Green. With a 2-1 win in overtime in Friday's game and a 5-2 victory on Saturday night, the Lakers earned a sweep over a ranked team for the first time since the 2013-14 season. The Lakers, the road team in that series, swept then-ranked No. 16 Union by final scores of 6-5 (OT) on Friday, Oct.18 and 3-2 on Saturday, Oct. 19. 
• For the fourth time this season, the Lakers are nationally ranked as LSSU holds the No. 20 spot in the USCHO poll. For the 13th straight week, the Lakers have received votes in at least one of the two national polls (USCHO and the USA Today). Previously this season, the Lakers have been ranked three times 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 90-130-27 record, and playoff appearances in all but one season. 
• The Lake Superior State hockey program is approaching 1,000 all-time wins as the team earned its 990th and 991th all-time wins in the series against the Falcons last weekend and win 992 against the Huskies on Tuesday, Feb. 16. 

In the Last Week...                                                                                                           

• In the opening game of the series against Bowling Green, sophomore forward Louis Boudon would capitalize on the power play for the Lakers to tie the game at one. 
• With the game tied at one at the end of regulation, junior forward Pete Veillette scored his sixth career game winning goal only 17 seconds into overtime to give the Lakers a 2-1 win. 
• LSSU goaltender Mareks Mitens stopped 33 of the 34 shots he faced in the game for his fifth win of the season. 
• In Saturday's 5-2 win, senior forward Eriksson opened the game's scoring with his 16th career goal to give the Lakers a 1-0 lead. Miroslav Mucha earned the primary assist on the goal, bringing his season point total to nine points, which is a new career high for the junior forward. 
• Veillette scored his second goal of the series to give the Lakers a 2-0 lead in the second period with Ashton Calder and Jacob Nordqvist each notching an assist on the goal. 
• Boudon, who also added his second goal in as many games for the Lakers, would score his fifth goal of the season. Boudon's goal, which was assisted by senior defenseman Will Riedell, would stand as the eventual game winner. 
• Calder would score the third goal of the second period to give the Lakers a 4-0 lead over the Falcons. The junior forward's team-leading eighth goal was assisted by Veillette and freshman forward Benito Posa.
• The Lakers would cap off their scoring in the  game with a goal from sophomore forward Dustin Manz. Manz's first goal of the season was assisted by Jack Jeffers and Alex Ambrosio. 
• The game, which ended in a 5-2 final, would stand as Mitens' sixth win of the season as the senior netminder made 28 saves to lead the Lakers to the series sweep.
• For his play in the series against the Falcons, Mitens was named the WCHA's Goaltender of the Week. Mitens totaled 120:17 minutes in goal for the Lakers as he stopped 61 of the 64 shots he faced from Bowling Green. The 61 saves ranked second among all WCHA netminders during the week and Mitens recorded a 1.50 goals against average and a .953 save percentage in the series.
• The Lakers would add a third straight win on Tuesday, all three against nationally ranked opponents, with a 3-1 road win at Michigan Tech. 
• Posa scored the first goal of the game for the Lakers and the freshman forward now has four points in his last five outings. Kaelble and Mitens notched the assists on the goal. 
• Calder would score his team-leading ninth goal of the season, as well as his fourth game winning goal of the year, when he gave the Lakers a 2-0 lead over Michigan Tech in the opening minute of the second period. The goal would extend Calder's point streak to three games, with two goals and two assists in that span. 
• Veillette and Boudon notched the assists on the game winning goal, extending both of their point streaks. Veillette heads into the weekend riding a four game point streak (3G, 2A) while Boudon is on a three game streak (2G, 1A). 
• Yuki Miura would clinch the Laker win with an empty net goal that was assisted by Eriksson and Nordqvist. With the goal, the senior forward has now scored a career-high three goals this season. 
• Mitens registered his seventh win of the season as he stopped 35 of the 36 shots he faced in the game. 
• 16 different skaters recorded at least a point for the Lakers in the team's last three games and seven players notched at least two points in the trio of games. 
• This season, the Lakers power play has gone 6-for-64, totaling a 9.4% success rate while the team's penalty kill has killed 64 of 74 power play opportunities (86.5%). 

In the Polls                                                                                      

• For the fourth time this season, the Lakers are nationally ranked as LSSU holds the No. 20 spot in the USCHO poll. For the 13th straight week, the Lakers have received votes in at least one of the two national polls (USCHO and the USA Today). Previously this season, the Lakers have been ranked three times 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.

Keys to Success                                                                                        

• With a 6-0-0 record on the road this season, the Lakers are the only remaining Division I program with an undefeated road record this season. Most recently, the Lakers have three consecutive road wins, all against ranked teams. 
• When the Lakers have scored the game's first goal, the team holds a 7-0-1 record this season. LSSU has posted a 6-0-1 record when leading after one period and a perfect 5-0-0 record when leading after two periods of play. 

Balanced Attack                                                                                        

• 21 Lakers have notched at least a point this season and nine players have recorded at least eight points through the first 17 games of the season. 14 skaters have scored a goal for the Lakers this season with eight 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's most recent point came in the Lakers 3-1 win at Michigan Tech as he assisted on the first goal. 
• Kaelble leads the team in assists this season with 10 and is fourth on the team in points (10). The Laker captain is tied for seventh among all WCHA defensemen in points (10) and ranks first among WCHA defenders in assists per game (0.67). 
• 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. Heading into the series against UAH, Riedell has totaled 12 career multi-point games. 
• With 12 points (3G, 9A) this season, Riedell is tied for third among WCHA defensemen in points and is second among WCHA defensemen in points per game (0.71).
• 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 eight points (1G, 7A) in 17 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 have been scored on the power play. Through 13 games this season, Oliver has notched two goals and three assists for five points. 
• 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 15 games this season for the Lakers, posting a 7-3-3 record with a 1.79 goals against average and a .939 save percentage. In all but two of his 15 appearances this season, Mitens has allowed two or fewer goals. 
• Mitens ranks third among WCHA goaltenders in goals against average (1.79), fifth in minutes played (804:14), fourth in saves (371), and third in save percentage (.939) this season. 
• For his play in the series against the Falcons on Feb. 12-13, Mitens was named the WCHA's Goaltender of the Week. Mitens totaled 120:17 minutes in goal for the Lakers as he stopped 61 of the 64 shots he faced from Bowling Green. The 61 saves ranked second among all WCHA netminders during the week and Mitens recorded a 1.50 goals against average and a .953 save percentage in the series. 
• 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. Alabama Huntsville                                                                                  

• The Lakers and Alabama Huntsville Chargers will play each other for the second time this season, after the two WCHA opponents played each other in a non-conference series to open on Dec. 5 and 6 in Sault Ste. Marie. In the series, the Lakers and the Chargers played to a 2-2 tie in the opening game and a 3-2 win in the second game of the series.
• Junior transfer forward Jack Jeffers played for the Chargers for two season (2018-20) and recorded 26 points (13G, 13A) in 71 games.
• Lukas Kaelble (7A) leads the Lakers in career points against the Chargers. Hampus Eriksson (1G, 5A) and Will Riedell (1G, 5A) are tied for second on the team with six career points against UAH. 
• In the all-time series between the two teams, the Lakers hold the advantage in the series against the Chargers with a 16-7-5 record. 

Scouting the Chargers                                                                                                                                        

• Alabama Huntsville has a new head coach for the first time in seven seasons as alum Lance West – who is the sixth head coach in program history – takes over after serving as an assistant coach for two seasons. West has been assistant coach for UAH for a combined total of 12 seasons in his career, after playing 106 career games as a Charger with 108 points on 43 goals and 65 assists from 1991-95. 
• The Chargers have played 14 games this season, compiling a 3-10-1 overall record and a 3-5-0 mark in conference play. Alabama Huntsville most recently played a series against at Northern Michigan, splitting the pair of games against the Wildcats. The Chargers won the first game, 3-1 and dropped the second game by an 8-2 final. 
• Offensively, the Chargers are led by freshmanforward Tyrone Bronte, who leads his team with 12 points this season (4G, 8A).  Junior forward Bauer Neudecker ranks second on the team in points with 10 and leads UAH with five goals.  
• In goal, sophomore David Fessenden and Derek Krall have split the season in goal for the Chargers. Fessenden has a 3-4-1 record this season with a 2.26 goals against average and a .934 save percentage. Krall has a 0-5-0 record this season for UAH with a .852 save percentage and a 4.73 goals against average. 
• Through 14 games, Alabama Huntsville's special teams have combined for a penalty kill percentage of 80.3% (49-for-61) while the power play is running at a 19.5% (8-for-41) 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