SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. - The Lake Superior State hockey team's 2021-22 season came to a close after losing the third game of the Mason Cup Quarterfinals against the Northern Michigan Wildcats at the Taffy Abel Arena in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. The Lakers hard-fought effort against the Wildcats until the very last whistle as the team fell by a final score of 5-4.
Junior defenseman Jake Willets, junior forward Logan Jenuwine, senior defenseman Jacob Nordqvist, and junior forward Brandon Puricelli scored the four goals for the Lakers in the loss. Sophomore goaltender Ethan Langenegger had 28 saves in the game for the Lakers.
For the second time in the series, the Wildcats scored the game's first goal when forward Alex Frye scored his ninth goal of the season at 3:52 of the first period to give Northern Michigan a 1-0 lead. Vincent de Mey and Michael Van Unen tallied the assists for the Wildcats.
The Lakers tied the game at one at 8:32 of the first period when Willets netted his sixth goal of the season. After the Lakers were putting pressure on the Wildcats in the offensive zone, freshman forward Timo Bakos sent a wrist shot towards the net. Northern Michigan goaltender Charlie Glockner stopped the initial shot but freshman forward Josh Nixon batted at the loose puck on the doorstep. Willets drove to the net, as the defenseman followed up on the play, and chipped the puck by Glockner to tie the game at one.
Before the close of the first period, the Lakers took the lead when Jenuwine scored at 16:39 of the opening period. Jenuwine prevented the Wildcats from clearing the puck out of their end when he batted the puck down with his arm to stay onside. Jenuwine then chipped a pass ahead to Puricelli, who was all alone outside of Glockner's crease. Puricelli, with his back to the NMU goaltender, fed the puck back to Jenuwine, who beat Glockner for a 2-1 lead.
At 1:20 of the second period, Nordqvist gave the Lakers a two-goal advantage when he scored a goal with the two teams skating four-on-four. The senior defenseman's goal came off an offensive zone faceoff, as junior forward Louis Boudon took the draw and senior forward Miroslav Mucha gathered the puck and fed a pass to Nordqvist. Nordqvist fired a wrist shot from between the circles that made its way through traffic and into the back of the net to give the Lakers a 3-1 lead early in the second period.
The Wildcats offense took over for the remainder of the second period as the team scored four straight goals to hold a 5-3 lead after forty minutes of play. Mack Byers, Trevor Cosgrove, Hank Crone, and Tanner Vescio each scored for the Wildcats.
Down by a pair of goals, the Lakers battled until the very final whistle of the third period. The Lakers opened the third period with a five minute power play but were unable to capitalize on the extended power play. Later in the period, the team had another great chance to pull within a goal when Puricelli was awarded a penalty shot. Puricelli's shot was stopped by Glockner to keep the game at 5-3 with 9:50 left on the clock.
Puricelli would get on the scoreboard at the 14:23 mark of the final period as he scored for the fifth straight game. The Lakers were playing with Langenegger pulled in favor of an extra attacker when they pulled within a goal (5-4) of the Wildcats. Bengtsson connected a pass to Boudon, and the Laker captain sent a cross ice pass to Puricelli, who was stationed in the opposite faceoff circle. Puricelli took a few strides in from the center of the circle and fired the puck into the top corner to make the Lakers deficit one goal with just over five minutes left in regulation.
The Lakers gave it all they had in the closing minutes of the game as the team tried to tie the game but the Wildcats kept the Lakers from tying the game. With the final buzzer sounding, the Lakers season came to a close after falling in the decisive third game.
To purchase Laker hockey tickets, click here.
For more information, visit lssulakers.com.
Follow Laker Hockey on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for the latest news!