SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. - The Lake Superior State University hockey team earned a No. 3 seed in the 2021 NCAA Division I Tournament and will take on the No. 2 seeded University of Massachusetts Minutemen in the opening round of the East Regional on Friday, March 26 at 6:30 p.m. in Bridgeport, Conn. at the Webster Bank Arena. The game will be televised nationally on ESPNU.
The Lakers return to the national tournament stage for the first time since the 1995-96 season, which marks the program's 11th all-time appearance in the NCAA Division I Tournament.
The Lakers, who have posted a 19-6-3 record this season, secured an automatic bid in the NCAA Tournament after winning the 2021 Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) Championship on Saturday, March 20 in Mankato, Minn. With the 6-3 victory over Northern Michigan in the title game, the Lakers clinched the Jeff Sauer Championship Trophy as the program won a conference championship for the first time since the 1994-95 season.
Head Coach Damon Whitten's Lakers enter the tournament on a 13-3-0 run since the start of February. Lake Superior State totaled a 9-5-0 mark in conference play this season to finish second in the WCHA standings at the conclusion of the regular season.The Lakers would defeat the Alabama Huntsville Chargers in the WCHA Quarterfinals, the Bemidji State Beavers in the Semifinals and the Northern Michigan Wildcats in the Championship game to earn the program's first WCHA title since joining the conference at the start of the 2013-14 season.
The Lakers are one of four teams to be placed in the East regional along with UMass, No. 1 seed Wisconsin and No. 4 seed Bemidji State. UMass won their respective conference championship as the Minutemen defeated UMass Lowell in the Hockey East Title Game by a final score of 1-0.
Wisconsin and Bemidji State will play the opening game in the East Regional, with a puck drop scheduled for 1:00 p.m. The winners of each game will match up in the Regional Final on Saturday, March 27 at 4:00 p.m. The champion of the East Regional will clinch a spot in the NCAA Frozen Four, taking place in Pittsburgh, Penn. on April 8-10.
The East Regional is hosted by Sacred Heart University and all three games will be played at the Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Conn. The East Regional will not be allowing fans due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
For more information, visit lssulakers.com
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