SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. - The Lake Superior State hockey program (3-13-2, 2-9-1 CCHA) is set to compete at the second annual Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wis. They will face the tournament's defending champion Wisconsin Badgers (7-11-0, 1-9-0 B1G) in the first night of the event on Dec. 28 at 7:30 p.m. Central Standard Time, and they will face either Clarkson (7-8-2, 3-3-2 ECAC) or No. 15 Massachusetts (7-6-3, 3-6-1 HEA) on the following day at 4 p.m. Central Standard Time.

Bally Sports, through the production facilities of Rush Media, is airing the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off across its vast national network. Please check local listings to see if the games will be broadcast in your area, and games are also available on the Bally Sports Plus app for all regions.

Stories to watch:

• The Lakers are coming off of a series split against the No. 17 Michigan Tech Huskies, including a 3-0 shutout victory in which junior goaltender Ethan Langenegger (Kamloops, B.C.) made 41 saves in a 3-0 shutout victory on Dec. 16. Langenegger received goal support from Benito Posa (Flint, Mich.) (2) and Dawson Tritt (Spokane, Wash.) with the latter earning a point on all three Laker goals.
• The Lakers defeated Wisconsin by a score of 5-3 in the 1992 National Championship Game by a final score of 5-3 for their second NCAA championship and fourth national title overall (two NAIA championships), their only outright victory against the Badgers in seven meetings (1-4-2).
• LSSU fell to the UMass Minutemen in their most recent matchup in the opening round of the 2021 NCAA tournament before UMass went on to win the 2021 National Championship in the only meeting between the two storied programs. 
• The Lakers faced Clarkson for a two-game series earlier this season in October at Taffy Abel Arena in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., splitting the series with the Golden Knights claiming game one 4-3 in overtime before LSSU picked up their first official win of the season with a 5-1 victory the following day, keeping the all-time series even at 7-7.
• Both the Lakers and Badgers may be currently sitting in last place of their respective conference standings, but both have found some recent success. The Lakers earned a pair of CCHA victories over the top two teams in the CCHA standings with a 3-2 overtime victory at Bemidji State after coming back from down 2-0 and a 3-0 shutout win against then No. 17 Michigan Tech, and the Badgers picked up a 6-3 upset victory over then No. 6 Michigan on Dec. 2 to cap off a five-game winning streak.
• Ten different Lakers have recorded at least five points entering the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off.
• The Lakers' captain Louis Boudon (Grenoble, France) leads the team in scoring with 14 points (7G, 7A) after 18 games.
• Jacob Bengtsson (Stockholm, Sweden) is currently leading LSSU in assists this season with eight.