Game Notes

For Starters

• Lake Superior State will welcome the No. 1 ranked team in the country and fellow Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) member, Minnesota State for a pair of conference games. The holiday-weekend series between the Lakers and the Mavericks will open on Friday, Nov. 26 at 7:07 p.m. and conclude on Saturday, Nov. 27 at 6:07 p.m. at the Taffy Abel Arena. 
• Last weekend, the Lakers traveled to Bowling Green, Ohio to take on the Falcons in a CCHA series at the Slater Family Ice Arena. The Lakers fell by a score of 5-1 on Friday night and a dropped a 6-2 decision on Saturday night. Following the series, the Lakers overall record sits at 7-8-1 while the team has totaled a 3-5-0 record in conference play this season. 
• Lake Superior will look to record a win against a No. 1 ranked team for the first time since March 18, 1995 when the Lakers defeated No. 1 Michigan by a score of 5-4 in overtime in the CCHA Finals. 
• The series marks the first time the Lakers have played the nation's No. 1 ranked team since Dec. 6-7, 2019 when Lake Superior State played Minnesota State on the road. 
• The Lakers return to the ice following 19-7-3 overall record during the 2020-21 season and a 9-5-0 WCHA record as the team finished the regular season second in the WCHA standings and earned the Jeff Sauer Trophy as the Lakers won a conference championship for the first time since the 1994-95 season. With the conference championship title, the Lakers received an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament and fell to eventual national champion, UMass, in the opening round of the tournament.
• Lakers Head Coach Damon Whitten enters his eighth season behind the bench in Sault Ste. Marie in 2021-22. In May 2021, Whitten agreed to terms on a six-year contract, solidifying the program through the 2027-28 season. The Laker head coach has led the team to a 107-141-27 record, with playoff appearances in all but one season. Whitten recorded his 100th career win as a head coach on Oct. 2 with the Lakers 4-3 victory over No. 17 Omaha.

Last Weekend Recap                        

• In Friday's game, the Lakers and Falcons skated to a scoreless first period at the Slater Family Ice Arena. Bowling Green took a 2-0 lead in the game in the second period.
• Sophomore defenseman Jacob Bengtsson got the Lakers on the scoreboard at 3:59 of the third period to pull the team within a goal of the Falcons (2-1) with a power play goal. Bengtsson's second goal of the season was assisted by Harrison Roy and Brandon Puricelli. 
• The Falcons scored three goals before the end of regulation to take the opening game of the series by a final score of 5-1. 
• Sophomore goaltender Ethan Langenegger stopped 31 of the 36 shots he faced in the game. 
• Bowling Green scored the first goal of the game on Saturday at the 1:06 mark of the first period to take an early 1-0 lead over the Lakers. However, junior forward Dustin Manz responded with a goal less than two minutes later to even the score at one. Manz's career-high fourth goal of the season was assisted by Bengtsson and junior forward Logan Jenuwine. 
• At 5:50 of the first period, freshman forward Josh Nixon gave the Lakers their first lead of the weekend as he scored his second goal of the season for a 2-1 lead. Jenuwine recorded the lone assist on the goal, recording his second multi-point game of the season. 
• The Falcons offense controlled the rest of the game as the home team scored five unanswered goals against the Lakers to take the second game of the series by a score of 6-2. 
• Langenegger made 29 saves on the Falcons in his second consecutive start. 

Lakers vs. Minnesota State              

• The Lakers and Minnesota State will meet for the lone series between the two teams set for the 2021-22 regular season. 
• Last season, the Lakers hosted the Mavericks for a pair of conference games in early January with Minnesota State sweeping the weekend series. The Mavericks posted a 6-2 win over the Lakers in the first game and skated to a 3-0 win in the series closer. 
• The Lakers last win against the Mavericks came on Jan. 19, 2019 when LSSU posted a 1-0 road win to give Minnesota State their first home loss of the season. Mareks Mitens, then in his sophomore season, made 29 saves in the shutout victory.
• In the all-time series between the two teams, which dates back to the 2013-14 season, the Mavericks hold a 25-3-1 record against the Lakers.

Keys to Success                                  

• The Laker hockey team has had two of the program's best seasons in the last 25 years in the span of the last three seasons, and have the records to prove it. LSSU posted a 56-43-9 overall record since the start of the 2018-19 season through the close of the 2020-21 season, which is the 11th most in all of Division I hockey in that span.
• The Lakers have been a solid road team in the last three years, posting a 12-6-0 record in 2018-19 and an 8-2-0 record last year. During the 2020-21 season, the Lakers were the last Division I program with an undefeated road record. The Lakers open the 2021-22 season with a 2-6-0 road record with all six of the eight road contests coming against ranked programs.
• Six of the team's last eight wins over ranked opponents have come on the road (No. 12 Bowling Green, Feb. 12-13, 2021; No. 18 Michigan Tech, Feb. 16, 2021; No. 17 Bemidji State, March 3, 2021; No. 13/12 Bemidji State, March 19, 2021; No. 17 Omaha, Oct. 2, 2021; No. 18 Michigan Tech, Nov. 5, 2021).
• Since the start of the 2018-19 season, the Lakers have combined for a 37-7-3 record when scoring the game's first goal.
• Another key to the Lakers success in recent years (since the 2018-19 season) has been the team's ability to preserve a lead as Lake Superior State has posted a 28-1-3 record when leading after the first period and a 41-1-0 record when heading into the third period with the score advantage. Last year, the Lakers recorded a 13-0-1 record when notching the game's opening goal, a 10-0-1 record when leading after one period, and a 12-0-0 record when leading after two periods of play.
• The Laker offense has been hot to start the 2021-22 season, with the team averaging 3.19 goals a game. Through 16 games this season, the Lakers have scored 51 goals. 
• Lake Superior State's power play ranks tied for 17th in the nation heading into this weekend's series as it is running at a 23.0 percentage. The team has scored 17 power play goals this season, which is four more goals than the team's total from the 2020-21 season. 

Balanced Attack                                  

• 20 Lakers have notched at least a point this season and eight have recorded eight or more points through the first 16 games of the season. Boudon, Bengtsson, Puricelli, Roy, Mucha, and Nixon have all surpassed the double digit total in points this season.
• 17 skaters have scored a goal for the Lakers this season and the team's seven game winning goals have been scored by six different players (Bengtsson, Boudon, Puricelli, Tritt, Bakos, Oliver).
• Eight Lakers rank in the top 40 scorers in the CCHA heading into the ninth week of the season (Boudon, Bengtsson, Puricelli, Roy, Mucha, Nixon, Manz, Nordqvist). Three Lakers sit in the top-10 CCHA point scorers this season (Boudon, Bengtsson, Puricelli) while Boudon is tied for the lead in points among CCHA skaters this season (20).
• Lake Superior's skaters will return 43.0% of last season's goal scoring (31 of 86 total goals), and 46.2% of the total points recorded (110 of 238 total points).
• Four of the Lakers top 10 point scorers from last season are back this season (Boudon, Nordqvist, Puricelli, Mucha) and two of the team's top five goal scorers (Puricelli, Boudon).
• Last season the Lakers had 11 players record 10 or more points with five of those skaters returning this season (Boudon, Nordqvist, Puricelli, Mucha, Jeffers).
• The Lakers 19 game winning goals during the 2021-22 season were scored by 11 different players - with seven of those players returning to the lineup this year.

Career Years                                          

• Through the first 16 games of the season, a number of Lakers have bested their previous season-high totals in various offensive categories. 
• Sophomore defenseman Jacob Bengtsson has set new season-highs in assists (14) and points (16) through the first 16 games of the season. As a freshman, Bengtsson posted two goals and five assists for seven points in 28 games played. 
• Junior forward Logan Jenuwine has set new career highs in assists (6) and points (7). During the 2019-20 season at Arizona State, Jenuwine totaled four points (3G, 1A) in 10 games. 
• Junior forward Dustin Manz set a new season-high in goals this season with four and has tied his previous season high in points (9). In both his freshman and sophomore seasons, Manz scored two goals. 
• Senior forward Miroslav Mucha has set a new season-high in assists with 10 through the first 16 games of the season. Last season, Mucha recorded nine assists in 29 games for the Lakers. 
• Junior forward Brandon Puricelli has set new season-highs in power play goals (3) and game winning goals (2) while also tying his previous season high in assists (7). Both of Puricelli's game winning goals this season have come in overtime. 
• Sophomore forward Harrison Roy Logan Jenuwine has set new career highs in goals (5), assists (9) and points (14). Roy spent the 2020-21 season at Boston College, where he posted three points (2G, 1A) in 23 games.  
• Sophomore forward Joshua Wildauer has set new season-highs in goals (1), assists (2) and points (3) through 12 games. Wildauer posted one assist in 13 games as a freshman. 
• Sophomore defenseman Artyom Borshyov has totaled two assists this season to set season-highs in both assists and points. In 13 games as a freshman, the defenseman did not record any points. 
• Sophomore defenseman Jeremy Gervais has posted four assists in six games this season setting new season-highs in both assists (4) and points (4). In 16 games as a freshman, Gervais totaled two assists.
• Junior goaltender Seth Eisele has set new season-highs in games played (7), games started (7) and wins (4) while sophomore netminder Ethan Langenegger has set new season-highs in starts (9), games played (9), and wins (3). 

Anchored Down                                            

• Heading into the 2020-21 season, the Lakers return a strong back end presence as the team's defensemen combine for 336 career collegiate games played while adding 19 goals, and 83 assists for a total of 104 points.
• Seniors Jacob Nordqvist and Mitchell Oliver bring the most experience to the back end for the Lakers, while juniors Arvid Henrikson and Jake Willets will also be relied on for the Lakers. Sophomores Jacob Bengtsson, Artyom Borshyov, and Jeremy Gervais round out the returning defensemen for the Lakers.
• Nordqvist, who finished his junior season with 15 points (3G, 12A) in 29 games, leads all Lakers in career games played with 118. The Swedish defenseman ranks second among all active Lakers in career points with 54 (11G, 43A) and leads all active Laker defensemen in career points.
• Earlier this month against Michigan Tech, the Laker assistant captain notched his seventh point of the season with the game-tying goal in Friday's 3-2 overtime win. After a three-point performance against St. Thomas on Oct. 15 & 16, Nordqvist was named the CCHA Defenseman of the week.
• Oliver played in 25 games for the Lakers during the 2020-21 season and set new career highs in goals (3), points (10), power play goals (2) and game winning goals (1). The defenseman finished his junior season with a double digit point total for the first time in his career while also ranking fourth on the team in blocked shots (28).
• This season, Oliver has tallied two goals and one assist in 14 games this season. Oliver's most recent point was the game winning goal in the team's 7-1 win over St. Lawrence on Oct. 30. Both of Oliver's goals this season have come on the power play. 
• Willets brings 66 games of previous collegiate experience to the Laker roster as he has been a mainstay on Ferris State's defense for the last two seasons. The junior defender has scored six goals in his career, with four coming while on the power play. In nine games this season, Willets has recorded two points (1G, 1A) and scored his first goal as a Laker in the team's 7-4 win over Union on Oct. 22
• As a freshman during the 2019-20 season, Willets led the Bulldogs in points (22) and assists (19), and was named to the WCHA All-Rookie Team.
• Junior defenseman Arvid Henrikson has appeared in 82 career games for the Lakers, including all 29 during the 2020-21 season. Last season, Henrikson ranked second on the team, and first among defenseman in blocked shots (31). This season, Henrikson has posted one assist.
• Bengtsson, Borshyov, and Gervais each enter their second season for the Lakers. The trio combined for 57 games played during the 2020-21 season.

Between the Pipes                                  

• The Lakers return the goaltending duo of junior Seth Eisele and sophomore Ethan Langenegger, who combined for a 5-1-0 record last season for the Lakers. Through 16 games this season, the duo has split goaltending duties for the Lakers with Eisele starting seven games and Langenegger starting nine games. The pair has combined for a .892 save percentage and a 3.47 goals against average.
• In seven games played this season, Eisele has totaled a 3.14 goals against average and a .904 save percentage while recording a 4-3-0 record. Eisele's most recent win came on Oct. 30 in the team's 7-1 win against St. Lawrence.
• Eisele set a new career single-game best in the Lakers 6-1 loss to No. 3 Michigan on Oct. 8 as he stopped 41 shots in the game. The junior goalie's first win of the season on Oct. 2 at No. 17 Omaha, as he made a then career-best 37 saves in the 4-3 overtime victory.
• Sophomore goalie Langenegger earned his first win of the season, and the third of his career, on Oct. 15 in a 3-1 win over the St. Thomas Tommies. In nine starts this season, Langenegger has posted a .895 save percentage and a 3.10 goals against average.
• Langenegger set a new single-game high in saves with 42 in the team's 3-2 overtime win at No. 18 Michigan Tech on Nov. 5 as the sophomore recorded his third win of the season, setting a new season-high in wins. 
• Eisele appeared in four games for the Lakers, posting a .912 save percentage and a 2.18 goals against average for the Lakers. The netminder totaled a 3-0-0 record during the 2020-21 season, which included his first career playoff win on March 16 as he stopped 16 shots against Alabama Huntsville to lead the Lakers to the two-game sweep over the Chargers in the WCHA Quarterfinals.
• Langenegger played in six games for the Lakers, registering a 2-1-0 record as a freshman. The Laker goalie finished the season with a .906 save percentage and a 2.27 goals against average.
• Langenegger earned his first collegiate win on Dec. 6, 2020 in a 3-2 win over the UAH Chargers and made his first career start on Feb. 7 against Northern Michigan.

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 12:00 p.m. on ESPN 1400 and can be found on the CCHA website under the podcast section. 
• All Laker home and away conference games during the 2021-22 CCHA season will be available to watch live on FloHockey, the CCHA'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
• Laker tickets are available to purchase at lssulakers.com through Tuesday, Nov. 30. Season ticket packages, a 10-game Laker Gold flex plan, and single game tickets are on sale now! For more information on tickets, visit lssulakers.com or call (906) 635-2601.