Game Notes

For Starters                                

• Lake Superior State will close out the Central Collegiate Hockey Assocation (CCHA) regular season this weekend at the Taffy Abel Arena in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. as the Lakers host the Bowling Green Falcons in a series that will determine the final standings headed into the postseason. The series will open at 7:07 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 25 and conclude on Saturday, Feb. 26 at 6:07 p.m. Prior to Saturday's game, the Lakers will hold a pre-game ceremony to honor the team's graduating seniors: Miroslav Mucha, Jacob Nordqvist, Mitchell Oliver and student manager, Danny Kinnear. 
• In the team's most recent series, the Lakers traveled to Mendota Heights, Minn. to take on the St. Thomas Tommies in a pair of games. The Lakers fell by a final score of 2-1 to the Tommies on Friday, Feb. 11 and responded with a 5-1 road win over St. Thomas on Saturday, Feb. 12. Heading into the final weekend of the regular season, the Lakers overall record sits at 15-16-1 and 11-13-0 in conference play this season. 
• The Lakers are currently tied for fourth place in the CCHA standings with Bowling Green as both teams have 33 points. Bemidji State holds the third spot with 37 points and Northern Michigan ranks sixth with 32 points. The top two seeds (Minnesota State, Michigan Tech) and bottom two seeds (Ferris State, St. Thomas) are locked in heading into the last weekend of the conference schedule. 
• LSSU's power play is running at a 22.3% success rate this season as the team has scored 29 goals on 130 man-advantage opportunities. The team's penalty kill is functioning at a 78.9% success rate as the team has killed off 97 of 123 penalties this season. The Lakers power play ranks fourth in the CCHA while the penalty kill is fifth-best in the conference. 
• 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 115-149-27 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                            

• Last weekend, the Lakers traveled to Mendota Heights, Minn. to play St. Thomas at home for the first time as CCHA opponents. In Friday's game, the two teams remained scoreless headed into the third period.
• Sophomore forward Benito Posa gave the Lakers a 1-0 lead in the game with his career-best fifth goal of the season at 1:30 of the third period. Junior forward Dustin Manz recorded the lone assist on the goal. 
• At 9:38 of the third period, the Tommies tied the game at one and with 1:05 left in the game, St. Thomas scored the eventual game winner with a late power play by defenseman Trevor Zins. 
• Junior Seth Eisele finished the game with 19 saves on 21 shots in his 13th start of the season. 
• The Lakers jumped out to an early 3-0 lead over St. Thomas on Saturday night with sophomore defenseman Jacob Bengtsson getting the Lakers on the board at 1:02 of the first period, Bengtsson's career-best third goal of the season was assisted by junior forward Louis Boudon and junior Logan Jenwuine. 
• At 2:15 of the first period, sophomore forward Harrison Roy doubled the Lakers lead as he scored what held up as the game winning goal. Roy's seventh goal of the season was set up by senior forward Miroslav Mucha and Manz. 
• Boudon scored his team-leading 14th goal of the season at 4:49 of the opening period to extend the Lakers lead to 3-0 over the Tommies. Boudon's goal, which was assisted by senior defenseman Jacob Nordqvist, marked his third shorthanded goal of the season. 
• The Tommies made it a 3-1 game at 8:36 of the second period when Andrew Kangas scored on sophomore netminder Ethan Langenegger. Earlier in the second period, Langenegger stopped a penalty shot by the Tommies. 
• Mucha regained the Lakers three-goal lead at 4:58 of the third period with his career-best ninth goal of the season. Nordqvist tallied the only assist on the goal to post a multi-point game for the Lakers in the win. 
• Sophomore forward Tyler Williams capped off the Lakers scoring in the game when he scored an empty net goal at 12:18 of the third period to record his first collegiate goal. Williams' first goal was assisted by sophomore forward Joshua Wildauer. 
• In his 19th start of the season, Langenegger finished the game with 23 saves on 24 shots to earn his eighth win of the year. 
• All six Laker goals in the series were scored by different players and 10 skaters recorded at least a point in the series. Manz (2A), Boudon (1G, 1A), Mucha (1G, 1A), and Nordqvist (2A) all had multi-point weekends against the Tommies. 

Lakers vs. Bowling Green                                              

• The Lakers and Bowling Green Falcons will meet for the second time this season as the two CCHA opponents will play each other to close out the regular season with home ice in the CCHA Quarterfinals on the line. The two teams are tied with 33 points in the conference standings headed into the series. 
• Bowling Green holds the advantage in the series over the Lakers as the Falcons swept the first series of the season in November in Bowling Green, Ohio. The Falcons won the opening game of the series by a score of 5-1 on Friday, Nov. 19. Bengtsson scored the lone goal of the game for the Lakers. In Saturday night's series closer, the Falcons won by a score of 6-2 with Manz and Nixon scoring the goals for the Lakers. 
• Langenegger started both games for the Lakers and finished the weekend with 60 saves in the series. 
• Last season, the Lakers and Falcons met twice with the Lakers winning both games on the road. Lake Superior State posted a 2-1 overtime win over Bowling Green on Feb. 12 and followed with a 5-2 win over the then-ranked No. 12 Falcons in the second game of the weekend series.
• In the all-time series between the two teams, the Falcons hold the advantage by an overall record of 85-79-14 against the Lakers.

30-Point Plateau                                          

• Boudon and Mucha have both surpassed the 30-point mark for the Lakers this season. Both forwards have set new season-highs in points this season with Boudon at 35 points and Mucha at 30 points headed into the final weekend of the regular seaosn. 
• The Lakers are one of 11 teams in Division I to have two or more 30-point scorers this season. 
• Since the 1996-97 seasons, 20 Laker skaters have hit the 30-point plateau. The duo marks the ninth and 10th Laker skaters to reach the 30-point milestone in the last 10 seasons, with eight of those coming since the 2016-17 season. 
• It marks the fifth time since the 1996-97 season that two Laker teammates have recorded 30 or more points in a season. The last time two or more Lakers reached 30-points in a single season was in 2018-19 when Diego Cuglietta (41), Max Humitz (35), and Anthony Nellis (33) all hit the milestone. 

2021: The Calendar Year              

• The Lakers enter the second half of the season and the start of the 2022 calendar year coming off an impressive stretch of play in 2021. Lake Superior State totaled a 26-17-2 record in 45 games during the calendar year to post a .600 winning percentage during the year. 
• Lake Superior's 26 wins in 2021 was tied for third-most in all of Division I hockey, as the Lakers finished the year tied with Minnesota and St. Cloud. LSSU trailed Minnesota State (37 wins) and North Dakota (28 wins). 
• Boudon led all Lakers duing the calendar year in points as the forward ended the year on a point-per-game pace, totaling 43 points in 43 games. Boudon scored a team-high 18 goals and added a team-leading 25 assists in 2021. 
• Mucha ranked second among the Lakers in 2021 with 29 points (7G, 22A) and Nordqvist rounded out the top three (while leading all Laker defensemen) with 28 points (7G, 18A). 

In the Polls                        

• The Lakers did not receive any votes in either of the two national polls this week. This season, the Lakers have received votes in either or both of the national polls on ten occasions. 
• The Lakers received votes and/or was ranked, in at least one of the two national polls (USCHO and USA Today/USA Hockey) for 25 weeks straight, from back to Nov. 23, 2020 through Nov. 15, 2021. 
• Last season, the Lakers were nationally ranked on nine occasions and peaked at the No. 13 spot in both polls on March 22.
• In the CCHA Preseason Coaches Poll, Lake Superior State was picked to finish in the sixth spot, receiving 45 total points.

Century Club                                          

• Nordqvist leads his teammates in career games played with 134, as he is the only Laker to enter the 2021-22 season with over 100 games played. Nordqvist's 100th career game was the WCHA Semifinal game against Bemidji State on March 19.
• Senior Jack Jeffers reached the 100 game milestone on Jan. 8 at Bemidji State. The forward has appeared in 31 career games for the Lakers, and 71 career games for the UAH Chargers during the 2018-20 seasons.
• Four Lakers are set to hit the milestone within the next stretch of games. Mucha and Manz head into the final series of the regular season with 99 games played each. Boudon follows with 98 career games played while Henrikson is four games away from reaching the milestone. 

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.
• Seven of the team's last 12 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; No. 20 Northern Michigan, Jan. 28, 2022).
• Since the start of the 2018-19 season, the Lakers have combined for a 43-8-3 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 34-2-3 record when leading after the first period and a 48-1-0 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.
• Lake Superior State's power play has scored 29 goals this season, which ranks ninth among all NCAA teams this season as the power play is running at a 22.3 percentage (15th in NCAA). 

Balanced Attack                                  

• 21 Lakers have notched at least a point this season and nine have recorded 14 or more points through 30 games of the season. Boudon, Mucha and Bengtsson have all recorded 24 or more points this season. 
• 18 skaters have scored a goal for the Lakers this season and the team's 15 game winning goals have been scored by nine different players (Bengtsson, Boudon, Puricelli, Tritt, Bakos, Oliver, Mucha, Nixon, Roy).
• Two Lakers rank in the top 20 scorers in the CCHA heading into this weekend's series (Boudon, Mucha). 
• 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 32 games this season, a number of Lakers have bested their previous season-high totals in various offensive categories. 
• Sophomore forward Tyler Williams has set new season-highs in goals (1), assists (1), and points (2). 
• Sophomore defenseman Jacob Bengtsson has set new season-highs in goals (3), assists (21), points (24), and power play goals (2) through 32 games of the season. As a freshman, Bengtsson posted two goals and five assists for seven points in 28 games played. Bengtsson has posted the most assists by a Laker defenseman since Lukas Kaelble in 2018-19 when he also tallied 21 assists. 
• Sophomore defenseman Arvid Henrikson has set new season highs in assists (5) and points (5). 
• Junior defenseman Jake Willets has set a new season highs in goals (5) and tied his previous season-high in power play goals (2).
• Senior defenseman Mitchell Oliver has tied his previous season highs in goals (3) and power play goals (2), and has set a new season high in game winning goals with two. 
• Junior forward Logan Jenuwine has set new career highs in goals (4), assists (10) and points (14). During the 2019-20 season at Arizona State, Jenuwine totaled four points (3G, 1A) in 10 games. 
• Junior forward Dustin Manz set new season-highs in goals (7) and points (14) this season, and has tied his previous season-high in assists (7). It marks the first time in his collegiate career that Manz has reached double-digits in points.  In both his freshman and sophomore seasons, Manz scored two goals. 
• Senior forward Miroslav Mucha has set new season-highs in goals (9), assists (21) and points (30) through 32 games. Mucha has also set new season highs in power play goals (3). Last season, Mucha recorded nine assists and 14 points 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 goals (8), assists (7) and points (15). Both of Puricelli's game winning goals this season have come in overtime. 
• Senior defenseman Jacob Nordqvist set a new career-high in goals this season with four as well as a career-best two power play goals. 
• Sophomore forward Harrison Roy has set new career highs in goals (7), assists (10), points (17), power play goals (3), and game winning goals (2). 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 (2), assists (6) and points (8). Wildauer posted one assist in 13 games as a freshman. 
• Sophomore defenseman Artyom Borshyov has totaled four 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 this season setting new season-highs in both assists (4) and points (4). In 16 games as a freshman, Gervais totaled two assists.
• Sophomore forward Benito Posa has set new career-highs in goals (5), and points (10) as he reached the double-digit mark for the first time in his Laker careeer. Posa tied his previous season highs in assists (5).
• Junior forward Louis Boudon has set a new season-high in goals (14), points (35), power play goals (5), shorthanded goals (3), game winning goals (4), and hat tricks (2). Boudon's 21 assists ties his previous season-high. 
• Junior goaltender Seth Eisele has set new season-highs in games played (13), games started (13) and wins (7) while sophomore netminder Ethan Langenegger has set new season-highs in starts (19), games played (19), shutouts (3), and wins (8). 

Anchored Down                                            

• Heading into the 2021-22 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 134. The Swedish defenseman ranks second among all active Lakers in career points with 60 (12G, 48A) and leads all active Laker defensemen in career points.
• Nordqvist has tallied 14 points this season (4G, 10A), including a three-point weekend (1G, 2A) against No. 19 Northern Michigan on Dec. 10-11. The defenseman is coming off his fourth multi-point game of the season after posting two assists in the team's 5-1 win at St. Thomas on Feb. 19.
• Earlier this season at 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 three goals and six assists in 30 games. Oliver posted three points in the team's series against No. 19 Northern Michigan on Dec. 10-11, including his first multi-point game of the season in the team's 7-2 win on Dec. 10. Oliver scored the game winning goal and added an assist in the victory. Earlier this season, Oliver posted a three-game point streak (1G, 3A). 
• In the team's series against Ferris State in February, Oliver recorded his second multi-point game of the season with a pair of assists in Lakers 5-3 win on Feb. 11. 
• On Oct. 30, Oliver netted the game winning goal in the team's 7-1 win over St. Lawrence. Two of Oliver's three goals this season have come on the power play. 
• Willets brings 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 10 goals in his career, with six coming while on the power play. In 30 games this season, Willets has recorded 10 points (5G, 5A) and scored his first goal as a Laker in the team's 7-4 win over Union on Oct. 22. Willets posted his first multi-point game of the season in the team's 7-2 win on Dec. 10 with a goal and an assist. 
• In the team's 4-0 win over Ferris State on Feb. 12, Willets posted a single-game career-best four points (3G, 1A) in the victory while finding a way into the record books as the first defenseman in Laker history to score a hat trick. Willets added two goals in the first period and capped off his natural hat trick at 8:43 of the second period with his fifth goal of the season. With the three goals, Willets set a new season-high in goals and became the fourth defenseman in the NCAA to record a hat trick this season. For his play in the series against his former team, Willets was named CCHA Defenseman of the Week. 
• 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 96 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 five assists
• 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 32 games this season, the duo has split goaltending duties for the Lakers with Eisele starting 13 games and Langenegger starting 19 games. The pair has combined for a .909 save percentage and  2.80 goals against average.
• In 19 starts this season, Langenegger has posted an 8-10-1 overall record with a .913 save percentage and a 2.64 goals against average. The sophomore goaltender has set new career highs in wins (8), starts (19), games played (19) and shutouts (3) this season. Among CCHA goaltenders, Langenegger ranks third in save percentage (.913), third in goals against average (2.64), and sixth in saves (525). 
• Langenegger posted his third shutout of the season on Saturday, Feb. 12 in the team's 4-0 win over Ferris State. The Laker goalie stopped all 20 shots that he faced in the game against the Bulldogs. 
• Langenegger set a new single-game career high in saves as he stopped 46 shots of the 51 shots he faced in the team's 5-1 loss to Bemidji State on Jan. 7. As of Feb. 22, it marks the most single-game saves by a CCHA goaltender this season. 
• On Dec. 3 at Ferris State, Langenegger posted his second shutout of the season as he stopped all 35 shots he faced in the team's 3-0 win on Friday, Dec. 3. The sophomore goaltender finished the weekend split with a .953 save percentage and a 1.59 goals against average as he stopped 61 of the 64 shots he faced in the series. Langenegger was named CCHA Goaltender of the Week on Dec. 6, marking the second straight week that the Laker goalie received the conference honor. 
• Langenegger earned his first career shutout in a 1-0 win over No. 1 ranked Minnesota State on Nov. 26 as he stopped all 22 shots he faced from the Mavericks in the game to become the first goaltender to shutout Minnesota State since the 2018-19 season. The Laker netminder followed with another 22-save effort the following night against the Mavericks but the team fell by a final score of 3-0. 
• For his play against Minnesota State on Nov. 26-17, Langenegger was named CCHA Goaltender of the Week. The Kamloops, B.C. native finished the weekend with a 1.50 goals against average and a .936 save percentage against the nation's top ranked team
• Langenegger stopped 42 shots 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. 
• In 13 games played this season, Eisele has totaled a 2.77 goals against average and a .912 save percentage while recording a 7-6-0 record. Eisele has set new season-highs in games played (13), starts (13) and wins (7) this season. Among CCHA goaltenders, Eisele ranks fourth in save percentage (.912), and fourth in goals against average (2.77). 
• Following the team's series at Northern Michigan on Jan. 28-29, Eisele earned CCHA Goaltender of the Week honors after backstopping the Lakers to a road split at No. 20 NMU. In Friday's 6-1 win, Eisele stopped 40 of the 41 shots as he was named the First Star in the game. The Laker goalie recorded 33 saves in the team's 2-1 overtime loss on Jan. 29 to finish the weekend with 73 saves on 76 shots faced in 122:30 minutes played, totaling a.961 save percentage and a 1.68 goals against average in the series. 
• 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.
• Last season, 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 during the 2020-21 season, 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.

How Swede It Is                                  

• The Lakers have four skaters who hail from Sweden on their roster this season: senior defenseman Jacob Nordqvist, junior defenseman Arvid Henrikson, sophomore defenseman Jacob Bengtsson, and freshman defenseman Sebastian Miedema.
• In his career with the Lakers, Nordqvist has played in a team-leading 134 career games and has totaled 60 points (12G, 48A), which ranks second among all active Lakers. Nordqvist ranks first among all active Laker defensemen in career points.
• This season, Nordqvist has posted 14 points (4G, 10A) for the Lakers, with two points (2A) coming in the team's most recent game, a 5-1 win at St. Thomas on Feb. 19.  The defenseman has totaled four multi-point games in his senior season. 
• On Nov. 5 at Michigan Tech,  Nordqvist scored the game-tying goal in the team's 3-2 overtime win . With the goal, Nordqvist tied his previous season-high in the category with three. Nordqvist set a new career high in goals with his fourth goal of the season in the team's 4-1 win over Northern Michigan on Dec. 11. 
• Nordqvist posted three points in the team's series against No. 19 Northern Michigan on Dec. 10-11 as he extended his point streak to three games (1G, 3A). The senior defenseman recorded his third multi-point game of the season in Friday's 7-2 win with a pair of assists and followed with an assist in Saturday's 4-1 victory. 
• On Oct. 16, Nordqvist tallied the primary assist on the game's first goal and followed with an assist on the Lakers second goal of the game, which came on the power play. Nordqvist clinched the Laker win with the final goal in the game, scoring a power play goal in the final minute of play. For his play against the Tommies, Nordqvist was named CCHA Defenseman of the Week on Oct. 18.
• Through 30 games this season, Nordqvist ranks second on the Lakers in blocked shots with 43.
• Nordqvist, a native of Gothenburg, Sweden, appeared in all 29 games for the Lakers during the 2020-21 season, and recorded three goals and 12 assists. The defenseman finished the season with a career-best, team-leading +22 rating which ranked tied for fourth among all NCAA skaters and tied for second among all NCAA defensemen. The senior defender was tied for fourth in both assists and points among all WCHA defensemen last season.
• Junior defenseman Arvid Henrikson, a native of Stockholm, Sweden, has been a consistent presence on the back end for the Lakers during the past two seasons. Henrikson has appeared in 96 career games for the Lakers, including all 29 during the 2020-21 season.
• Henrikson posted a career-high three points (3A) in the team's 6-1 win at No. 20 NMU on Jan. 28 and  has now set new season highs in points (5) and assists (5). 
• Henrikson, who was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, ranked second on the team last season in blocked shots (31). This season, Henrikson leads the team in blocks with 51, which ranks sixth among all CCHA players this season. 
• Sophomore defenseman Jacob Bengtsson, a native of Stockholm, Sweden, enters his second season of collegiate hockey after being a key member of the Laker defense last season. Bengtsson played in 28 games for the Lakers last season and recorded seven points (2G, 5A).
• Through 32 games this season, Bengtsson ranks third on the team in points (24) and is tied for the team lead in assists (21). The sophomore ranks tied for second among all CCHA defenseman in points and leads all CCHA defensemen in assists. Among all CCHA players, Bengtsson is tied for sixth in assists this season. Bengtsson is tied for fourth in assists among all NCAA defenseman this season and is tied for eighth among all NCAA skaters this season in assists. 
• As a sophomore, Bengtsson has set new career highs in goals (3), assists (21) and points (23). Two of Bengtsson's three goals this season have come on the power play. Bengtsson has posted the most assists by a Laker defenseman since Lukas Kaelble in 2018-19 when he also tallied 21 assists. 
• Bengtsson posted a career-best four-game point streak earlier this season, from Nov. 12-20 (1G, 4A). The defenseman has recorded points in 16 of the team's games this season, with six multi-point efforts. 
• Bengtsson posted four assists for the Lakers in a weekend sweep over No. 19 Northern Michigan on Dec. 10-11 and was named CCHA Defenseman of the Week for his play. In Friday's 7-2 win, Bengtsson recorded an assist, two blocks, and  finished the night with a +4 rating. On Saturday night, Bengtsson had a hand in three of the team's four goals in the game as the sophomore tallied three assists in the 4-1 win. The Swedish defenseman tied his single game high in points (3) and assists (3). Bengtsson was tied for the team-lead in points this weekend and led all Laker defensemen in points in the series. 
• The sophomore registered back-to-back multi-point games on Oct. 9 at Michigan and Oct. 15 vs St. Thomas to record his second and third career multi-point efforts. Bengtsson posted a career-best three point game on Oct. 22 in the team's 7-4 win over Union with three assists. 
• For his play during the month of October, Bengtsson was named the CCHA Defenseman of the Month.  Bengtsson led the CCHA in points among defensemen during the month of October with 10 points (1G, 9A) in 10 games played. The sophomore defenseman finished the month ranking fifth among all CCHA skaters in points and tied for second in assists among all conference players. 
• In the Lakers 3-1 win over St. Thomas on Oct. 15, the sophomore defenseman netted a goal and added an assist to lead the Lakers. The goal, which stood as the game winner, marked Bengtsson's first career power play goal. Three of Bengtsson's four career goals have been game winners.
• Both of Bengtsson's goals during his freshman year stood as game winning goals as he netted the third goal in the Lakers 5-2 win against No. 17 Bemidji State on March 3 and the second goal in the Lakers 4-1 win over No. 13/12 Bemidji on March 19 in the WCHA Semifinals.
• Bengtsson ranked first among all WCHA rookies in game winning goals during the 2020-21 season, and was tied for second in game winners among all WCHA defensemen.
• Freshman defenseman Sebastian Miedema, a native of Gävle, Sweden, rounds out the Laker skaters from Sweden. Miedema made his Laker debut on Oct. 23 against Union.

French Connection                                                          

• Junior forward, and team captain, Louis Boudon will be looked upon for leadership both on-and-off the ice this season as he will be a driving force behind the team's offense this season.
• Boudon has notched 81 points (28G, 53A) in 98 career games for the Lakers, and ranks first among all active Lakers in career points. This season, Boudon has recorded points in 18 contests, and has posted 10 multi-point games. The junior forward leads the Lakers in points this season with 33, as he has posted 13 goals and 20 assists. Through 31 games this season, Boudon has set a new career-high in goals (14), points (35), power play goals (5), shorthanded goals (3), game winning goals (4), and tied his previous career-high in assists (21). 
• With 35 points this season, Boudon has reached the 30-point plateau for the first time in his career and has recorded the most points by a Laker in a single season since 2019-20 (Max Humitz, 35 points).
• Boudon, who enters the series against the Falcons with points in four of his last five games, is tied for seventh nationally in points (35), tied for eighth nationally in assists (21), and tied for third nationally in game winning goals (4). In addition, Boudon ranks second nationally in shorthanded goals (2) and has won the 12th most faceoffs in Division I hockey this season (338). 
• Among CCHA skaters, Boudon ranks fifth in points, tied for fifth in goals, tied for sixth in assists, tied for third in power play goals, second in game winning goals, first in shorthanded goals, and third in faceoff wins. 
• In the team's most recent series, the Laker captain recorded his 10th multi-point game of the season in the Lakers 5-1 win over St. Thomas on Feb. 19. Boudon notched the primary assist on the game's opening goal and would score his third shorthanded goal of the season at 4:49 of the first period for his team-leading 14th goal of the year. 
• Boudon posted a five-point weekend against the Ferris State Bulldogs during the weekend of Feb. 11-12. In Friday's 5-3 win, the Laker captain tallied the Lakers first goal of the game and added a pair of assists later in the night to record a three-point game. Boudon followed with a two-point effort in the team's 4-0 win on Saturday night which included the game winning goal. For his play in the series, Boudon was named CCHA Forward of the Week. 
• In the team's 5-3 win over Ferris State on Feb. 11, Boudon became the 87th Laker all-time to record 50 career assists. 
• Boudon recorded four points (3G, 1A) in the Lakers series against No. 19 Northern Michigan on Dec. 10-11 as he was named CCHA Forward of the Week for his play in the series. Boudon, who was tied for the team-lead in points over the weekend, notched an assist on the team's fifth goal in Friday night's 7-2 win over NMU. The Laker captain followed with a three-goal performance on Saturday night, netting his second hat trick of the season to lead the Lakers to a 4-1 win over the Wildcats. The hat trick consisted of an even strength goal, a five-on-three power play goal, and a shorthanded empty net goal. In the game, Boudon scored his third game winning goal of the season. Boudon was the first NCAA player to record multiple hat tricks this season.
• Boudon scored his second game winning goal of the season and the fifth of his career in the team's 1-0 win over No. 1 Minnesota State on Nov. 26. The junior forward netted his first career shorthanded goal in the first period against the Mavericks which would hold up as the eventual game winner to upset the top-ranked team in the nation. 
• In the team's 7-1 win over the St. Lawrence Saints on Oct. 30, Boudon tallied his first career hat trick with three goals in the game. It marked the first collegiate multi-goal game for the Laker captain. 
• Earlier this season, Boudon posted a six-game point streak, spanning from Oct. 8 - 23. The Grenoble, France native totaled three goals and nine assists in the stretch to total 12 points.
• Boudon was named the CCHA Forward of the Month for his play in October as he led the conference with 16 points (6G, 10A) in 10 games. In addition to leading the CCHA in points, Boudon also led the CCHA in assists (10), and finished the month tied for first in the conference in both goals (6) and power play goals (3). 
• In the team's series against Union, Boudon was tied for the team-lead in points during the pair of games as he posted five assists in the series. The junior forward totaled a career-best four assists in the team's 7-4 win on Friday night and added an assist in Saturday's 5-2 win. For his play against the Dutchmen, Boudon was named CCHA Forward of the Week.
• In the team's series against St. Thomas on Oct. 15-16, Boudon tied his then career-high in single game points with three (1G, 2A) in Oct. 16's 6-3 win. The junior forward scored the game winning goal, his first of the season and fourth of his career, with a power play goal in the final minute of the second period. All three of Boudon's points came on the power play.
• Last year, Boudon finished his second collegiate season with 19 points in 28 games as he scored eight goals and added 11 assists. The Grenoble, France native set new season-bests in goals, power play goals, and game winning goals as a sophomore.
• The Laker captain ranked in the top-five among his teammates in nearly every offensive category last season as he was tied for third in goals (8), tied for fourth in assists (11), tied for third in points (19), fourth in plus/minus (+15), tied for third in game winning goals (2), and led the team in power play goals (4).
• Boudon closed out the 2020-21 season with 14 points (5G, 9A) in the team's last 15 games of the season.
• Boudon led the Lakers with four power play goals last season and was one of 11 players in the WCHA who netted four or more power play goals during the 2020-21 season.
• As a freshman, Boudon appeared in 40 games for the Lakers, was third on the Lakers in points with 27 and ranked first among his teammates in assists with 21 during his first collegiate season. The forward was named to the WCHA All-Rookie Team, WCHA Rookie of the Week twice during the 2019-20 season, WCHA Rookie of the Month in February, and received the Lakers Outstanding Freshman Award.
• In 2019-20, Boudon was tied for third on the team in goals, second on the team in +/-. tied for second on the team in power play goals, led the team in power play points, and third on the team in shots on goal.

Senior Star                          

• Senior Miroslav Mucha has had a strong senior season for the Lakers as the forward has set new season highs in goals (9), assists (21), and points (30) this season. The senior is second among his teammates in goals and points this season and is tied for first on the team in assists. Mucha has recorded 15 points (6G, 9A) in the team's last 12 games and has recorded at least a point in 8 of the team's last 12 games. Mucha has tallied 11 points (4G, 7A) in the last six games. 
• Mucha ranks tied for eighth in the CCHA this season in points (30), and is tied for sixth in assists (21) in the conference.  In addition, Mucha is tied for eighth nationally in assists (21).
• The senior winger is one of the top-20 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award, which awarded to a NCAA Division I senior who has notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. Mucha, an assistant captain for the Lakers, has been a top student academically and has been named to the WCHA All-Academic Team, a WCHA Scholar-Athlete, a AHCA Krampade All-American Scholar, and to the LSSU Dean's List. The Bytca, Slovakia native has spent time throughout his college career with the Slovakian national team, most recently during Christmas break in pre-Olympic competition.
• Most recently, Mucha posted his ninth multi-point game of the season as he recorded a goal and an assists in the Lakers 5-1 win at St. Thomas on Feb. 19. The senior forward tallied the primary assist on the game winning goal and gave the Lakers a 4-1 lead in the third period with his ninth goal of the season.
• In the team's sweep over Ferris State on Feb. 11-12, Mucha notched five assists with back-to-back multi-point games in the series. In Friday's 5-3 win, Mucha recorded two assists and on Saturday night, Mucha tied his single-game career-high in points with three assists in the team's 4-0 win. 
• The senior forward put together a four-point weekend against No. 20 Northern Michigan on Jan. 28-29 as he posted three goals and an assist in the series. Mucha recorded his first career multi-goal game in the team's 6-1 win on Friday night while posting three points in the game, to tie his previous single-game career high. For his play in the series, Mucha was named CCHA Forward of the Week on Jan. 31.
• Earlier this season, Mucha posted a career-high five game point streak (Oct. 16 - 30). In that span, Mucha totaled two goals and eight assists, with four games being multi-point efforts. 
• Mucha posted three points (1G, 2A) in the team's series against No. 19 NMU on Dec. 10-11. The forward recorded his fifth multi-point game of the season in Friday's 7-2 win, which included his first career power play goal. Mucha followed with an assist in the team's 4-1 win on Saturday night. 
• In the team's 1-0 win over then No. 1- ranked Minnesota State, Mucha recorded the lone assist on the game's only goal. Mucha set up Boudon for the eventual game winning goal, as the duo was on the ice for the shorthanded goal.
• Against St. Lawrence on Oct. 29-30, Mucha posted a goal in the team's 2-2 tie on Friday night and followed with a pair of assists in Saturday's 7-1 win. With the two-assist effort, Mucha tied his previous season-high in assists with nine. 
• In the team's series against Union in October, Mucha was tied for the team-lead in points in the series with five (5A) as he tallied two assists in Friday's win and a career-best three points in Saturday's 5-2 win. Mucha recorded three assists in the win, including an assist on the game winner.
• In the team's 3-1 win over St. Thomas on Oct. 16, Mucha netted his first career shorthanded goal, which was his first goal of his senior season.

Offensive Output                    

• Through 32 games this season, the Lakers have five forwards with 15 points or more which includes Josh Nixon, Brandon Puricelli, and Harrison Roy.
• Nixon (7G, 11A) ranks fourth on the Lakers this season with 18 points while Roy, who has appeared in 24 games this season, follows with 17 points (7G, 10A) to rank fifth on the Lakers. Puricelli, who has played in 19 games this season, has posted 15 points (8G, 7A) this year.
• Nixon, a freshman forward, leads all Laker rookies in scoring. Nixon ranks second among CCHA first year skaters in points this season with 18. 
• Nixon scored his first point as a Laker with an assist on Oct. 9 at No. 3 Michigan and followed with his first career goal on Oct. 22 in the Lakers 5-2 win over Union. The freshman registered a four-point performace on Oct. 22 with three assists in addition to the goal. After finishing the month of October with eight points (1G, 7A), Nixon was named CCHA Rookie of the Month. 
• The freshman received his second conference accolade on Dec. 6 (CCHA Rookie of the Week) after posting his first career multi-goal game of the season with two goals in the team's 3-0 win at Ferris State on Dec. 3. Nixon netted his first collegiate game winning goal in the win. 
• Nixon posted two goals in the team's 6-1 win at No. 20 Northern Michigan on Jan. 28. For his play in the series against the Wildcats, Nixon was named CCHA Rookie of the Week.
• Roy, a sophomore forward who spent the 2020-21 season at Boston College, scored his second game winning goal of the season and his career-best seventh goal of the season in the team's most recent game, a 5-1 win at St. Thomas on Feb. 19. It marks the second consecutive weekend where Roy has netted a game winning goal as he also scored the game winner in the team's 5-3 win against Ferris State on Feb. 11. 
• This season, Roy has set new career highs in all three main offensive categories, with seven goals, 10 assists and 17 points. The Lakeville, Mass. native has posted points in 10 of the 24 games he has played in this season. Roy has registered points in three of the team's last four games (2G, 1A).
• Roy has posted five multi-point games this season with the most recent coming in the team's 7-1 win over St. Lawrence on Oct. 30 when he recorded a goal and an assist for the Lakers. 
• Roy posted a six-point weekend against St. Thomas on Oct. 15 and 16 after posting consecutive three point games (2G, 4A). Roy had a hand in all three goals in Friday's 3-1 win and followed with a power play goal and a pair of assists in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Tommies.
• In his Laker debut on Oct. 2 at Omaha, Roy posted his first career multi-point game with a goal and an assist. The forward scored the game tying goal with 1:04 left in regulation to force overtime.
• Puricelli, who returned to the lineup on Feb. 19 after missing 12 games, has totaled 12 points in his last 15 games played (6G, 6A) after posting a four-game point streak from Oct. 9 - Oct. 22. The junior forward has posted points in nine of the 19 games he's played in this season, and five have been multi-point efforts. Including this season, Puricelli has totaled eight career multi-point games.
• On Nov. 5, Puricelli scored his second overtime goal of the season as he netted the game winning goal for the Lakers in the team's 3-2 overtime victory at No. 18 Michigan Tech.  
• Earlier this season against the Dutchmen, Puricelli recorded his second multi-goal game of the season on Oct. 22 when he scored a power play goal in the first period and capped off the Laker victory with an empty net goal.
• In the first game of the season, Puricelli tallied a career-best three points in the Lakers 4-3 overtime win over No. 17 Omaha. The junior forward scored the Lakers first goal of the season and assisted on the team's second goal of the game to tie the score at two. Puricelli completed the night with the game winner in overtime, marking his second career game winning goal and his first collegiate overtime win to propel the Lakers to a victory. It marked the first multi-goal game of Puricelli's career.
• Puricelli posted eight goals and seven assists in his first season with the Lakers as he finished the 2020-21 campaign tied for third on the team in goals and tied for fifth in points. The forward had an especially strong second half for the Lakers as he registered a career- best four game goal streak from March 12 - 20 (4G) and a career-best five game point streak from March 6 - 20 (4G, 3A).

Winning the Draws                                                          

• Junior Dustin Manz has been consistently strong at the faceoff dot for the Lakers in his collegiate career. This season, Manz leads the Lakers with a 54.5 win percentage, which ranks fifth among all CCHA skaters this season. Manz, who won 20 of the 26 draws he took last weekend in the series against the Tommies, ranks fourth among all CCHA skaters in total faceoff wins with 324.
• In addition to his impressive 77% faceoff win percentage last weekend, Manz recorded an assist in each game at St. Thomas. The two assists bring the junior's point total up to 14, which is a new career-high while the seven assists ties his previous season-best.  
• The junior forward tallied his first career multi-goal game with two goals in the Lakers 7-2 win over the No. 19 Northern Michigan Wildcats on Dec. 10. With the pair of goals, Manz extended his career-highs in goals to seven.
• In the Lakers series against St. Lawrence on Oct. 29-30, Manz netted a pair of goals and added an assist as he posted goals in each game. Following the two goal weekend, the junior forward set a new season high in goals with three. 
• As a freshman, Manz led the team with a .587 faceoff win percentage during the 2019-20 season as he won 242 of the 412 draws he took. Manz, who ranked second on the Lakers in face-off wins with 242, had the fourth best faceoff win percentage in the WCHA.
• Last season, Manz led the Lakers in faceoff win percentage (.617) as he won 229 of the 371 draws he took. The Laker center finished the season with the sixth-best faceoff percentage in the NCAA and the second best win percentage in the WCHA.
• As a sophomore, Manz played in all 29 games for the Lakers, and posted two goals and five assists for seven points. Manz recorded a multi-point game on March 20 (1G, 1A) in the WCHA Championship game.

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 News-Talk 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. Season ticket packages, and single game tickets are on sale now! For more information on tickets, visit lssulakers.com or call (906) 635-2601.