HOUGHTON, Mich. - The Lake Superior State hockey program fell to the No. 20 Michigan Tech Huskies by a final score of 5-2 in their first exhibition game of the 2022-23 season on Saturday.
Junior forward Harrison Roy (Lakeville, Mass.) and junior defenseman Artyom Borshyov (Vitebsk, Belarus) were each able to net preseason goals for the Lakers while junior goaltender Ethan Langenegger (Kamloops, B.C.) notched 35 saves.
Chris Lipe would put the Huskies on the board first midway through the first period, and Logan Ganie doubled their lead a few minutes of game time later.
At the 6:23 mark in the second set, Roy was able to get the Lakers on the scoreboard after capitalizing on a deflection off of the Michigan Tech goaltender after nice passes from Logan Jenuwine (Romeo, Mich.) and Dawson Tritt (Spokane, Wash.), with both earning an assist on the play. However, after the Lakers were unable to convert on a few quality chances on a power play, the Huskies answered with another goal from Ganie that would ultimately prove to be the game-winner after they returned to full strength.
The Lakers would have multiple opportunities to try and score early in the third period with Western Michigan transfer defenseman Jared Kucharek (Royal Oak, Mich.) making the Husky back work double-time with three shots that were blocked by defenders. However, Michigan Tech was able to score back-to-back goals to add insurance to their lead.
With a few minutes left in the final period, Borshyov was able to score off of a feed from Jenuwine to give the Lakers momentum late, but it would not be enough as the Huskies held on to win by a final score of 5-2.
Despite the loss, Jenuwine had an impressive afternoon offensively as he earned a point on each of the Lakers' goals and finished with a positive two +/- on the stat sheet.
The Lakers will look to bounce back and continue evaluating themselves when they welcome the Nipissing Lakers to Taffy Abel Arena on Sunday, Oct. 2 for their second exhibition game with the first puck drop scheduled for 2:07 p.m.