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LSSU Lakers 2015-16: The 50th season

Re: LSSU Lakers 2015-16: The 50th season

LakerBaker said:
That was a program changing win by the LSSU Lakers and head coach Damon Whitten. Owen Headrick the youngest and best player on the ice with the game winner. That should quiet down the naysayers on here. Way to go Lakers!

Ringy Dingy
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One win over an average team does not qualify as a program changing win. Had it been against BC or North Dakota, it would be different.
 
Re: LSSU Lakers 2015-16: The 50th season

Happy for the win (even more so that I was able to be there,) but the first two periods certainly seemed rough. In particular, during the two man advantage in the first period, I counted three times that the Lakers, in their attempt to set up the power play, unintentionally cleared the puck down the ice. Stuff like that just makes you smack your hand against your forehead.

That said, the third period looked very good. Quick start, hard playing, a timely goal to take the lead late, and we come away with the weekend split. The only thing I can gripe about near the end was an unnecessary penalty to bring down the streaking Ferris player who would've been offsides anyway. By and by, nice win.
 
Re: LSSU Lakers 2015-16: The 50th season

Biggest win in Damon Whitten's LSSU Lakers coaching career, a program changer, and freshman sensation Owen Headrick stealing the show. Ringy dingy!

Lake Superior State went seven periods and a five-minute overtime frame without scoring a goal until the floodgates finally opened in the third period of Saturday evening's Western Collegiate Hockey Association series finale against Ferris State.

Ater being held scoreless in the series opener, and not scoring since the first period of a 1-1 tie with Bemidji State on Nov. 21, the Lakers (4-9-3, 2-3-3 WCHA) rallied for three goals during the final frame to ensure their first WCHA victory over in-state rival Ferris State.

The Lakers entered the matchup 0-9-0 against the Bulldogs (6-6-4, 5-5-2 WCHA) since the teams joined the WCHA.

Andrew Mayer opened the scoring with a goal for the Bulldogs just 1:53 into play.

A goal by Ryker Killins with 2:06 remaining in the second period appeared to give the visitors the insurance necessary with, Darren Smith turning aside all 25 shots by the Lakers during the opening 40 minutes.

Through the first two periods Smith looked poised for a repeat of Friday night, in which he earned his first collegiate shutout with a 1-0 victory, that was until the Lakers found their scoring touch in the final frame.

24 seconds into the third period Alex Globke (3-2--5) put the Lakers on the board by jamming away a loose puck in Smith's crease. Anthony Nellis (1-6--7) and Gus Correale (2-4--6) assisted on the power-play tally by Globke.

It took only a minute and 12 seconds for the Lakers to tie the game at 2-2.

Peter Spratte (1-1--2), a senior defenseman appearing in his 34th career game as a Laker, scored his first career goal to bring the 1,558 fans in attendance to their feet in jubilation.

A befuddled Bulldogs bench was outshot by the Lakers 13-11 in the final period, the first time the Lakers were able to accomplish that feat all weekend.

With 3:21 remaining in regulation, freshman blue-liner Owen Headrick (3-2--5) received a faceoff win from J.T. Henke (5-4--9) and fired a seeing-eye shot through a screen set by Bryce Schmitt (1-1--2) to net the Lakers a 3-2 lead. The tally by Headrick, assisted by Henke, went down as the game-winning goal after FSU was unable to tie things up with Smith pulled in lieu of the extra attacker.

Sophomore goaltender Gordon Defiel made 36 saves en route to his third victory of the season. Defiel stopped 67-of-70 shots to guide the Lakers to a split.

The Lakers travel to Alaska next weekend to face the Nanooks Dec. 4-5. Following the road trip, the Lakers return home for a series against Michigan Tech on Dec. 11-12.

http://static.psbin.com/s/u/01ua8sd9rs4yrg/Laker_hockey_Post_Game_Coachs_Interview_11-28-2015.mp3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHo4JYGli4s
 
Re: LSSU Lakers 2015-16: The 50th season

Great win indeed. This is a game last year's team probably would of lost. The team took more shots and were less cute and it paid off.
 
Re: LSSU Lakers 2015-16: The 50th season

jsmithe said:
Happy for the win (even more so that I was able to be there,) but the first two periods certainly seemed rough. In particular, during the two man advantage in the first period, I counted three times that the Lakers, in their attempt to set up the power play, unintentionally cleared the puck down the ice. Stuff like that just makes you smack your hand against your forehead.

That said, the third period looked very good. Quick start, hard playing, a timely goal to take the lead late, and we come away with the weekend split. The only thing I can gripe about near the end was an unnecessary penalty to bring down the streaking Ferris player who would've been offsides anyway. By and by, nice win.
Click to expand...

The first two periods were tough to watch. I think the next step for the team is to play as they did in the 3rd for a full 60 minutes.
 
Re: LSSU Lakers 2015-16: The 50th season

Laker Dude said:
The first two periods were tough to watch. I think the next step for the team is to play as they did in the 3rd for a full 60 minutes.
Click to expand...

Great come from behind win! Lakers showed lots of energy and got great goaltending
 
Re: LSSU Lakers 2015-16: The 50th season

See www.hockeynewsnorth.com with Randy Russon, for Lively Lakers add to victory log.

Ringy dingy!

An improbable third-period comeback has lifted the surging Lake Superior State Lakers into good position within the Western Collegiate Hockey Association standings.

Holding at least two games in hand on eight of the other nine teams in the WCHA, the Lakers take a conference record of 2-3-3 into a two-game road series at Alaska next weekend.

Now tied for seventh place in the WCHA, the Lakers head to Alaska to take on the Nanooks after splitting a pair of games with the fourth-place Ferris State Bulldogs on the weekend.

Having dropped the opener of the two-game set to Ferris State by a 1-0 margin on Friday, the Lakers trailed 2-0 after two periods on Saturday — and were in danger of being swept.

Indeed, the outlook did not look good as the Lakers had gone seven periods and a five-minute overtime frame without scoring a goal heading into the third period on Saturday.

But the floodgates finally opened for Lake Superior State in the third frame as the Lakers erupted for three goals to stun visiting Ferris State by a 3-2 margin.

The victory improves the Lakers record to the aforementioned 2-3-3 within the WCHA and pushes their overall mark to 4-9-3.

The win was also the Lakers first against Ferris State after nine straight losses dating back to the 2013-2014 season.

Junior forward Alex Globke got the return of the Laker scoring touch started 24 seconds into the third and the home team brought a Taffy Abel Arena crowd of just over 1,500 to its feet less than a minute later when senior defenseman Peter Spratte scored his first-ever collegiate goal.

Then, with just over three minutes to play, freshman defenseman Owen Headrick set the stage for the ringing of the victory bell when his screen shot found the back of the Ferris State net and gave the Lakers the rousing triumph.

A former standout with the Soo Thunderbirds of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League, the 18-year old Headrick — who hails from nearby Garden River First Nation and is the youngest player on the Lakers — now has 3 goals, 2 assists, 5 points in 14 games this season.

With 7 points from their 2-3-3 record, the Lakers are now tied for seventh in the WCHA with Alaska-Anchorage. The Lakers are only a point behind sixth-place Bemidji State and two points back of fifth-place Northern Michigan with two games in hand on both.

After playing ninth-place Alaska on the road next weekend, next home action for the Lakers will be a two-game series against the Michigan Tech Huskies on December 11-12.
 
Re: LSSU Lakers 2015-16: The 50th season

I cannot wait to hear what LSSU Lakers head coach Damon Whitten has to say tonight on the Laker Hockey Show, with the legendary Voice of the Lakers, Bill Crawford on ESPN Radio 1400 at 6 p.m. from Antlers Restaurant in Sault Michigan. http://stream.1400espn.net/ If you can't tune in, you can hear the podcast at http://lakers.sovcomm.net/

After Saturday's come-from-behind win, on the winning goal from freshman sensation defenceman Owen Headrick, the good ship Laker is surging and in good position in the WCHA. Should be a great show with Bill and Damon. Ringy Dingy!
 
Re: LSSU Lakers 2015-16: The 50th season

Should be an informative and entertaining Laker Talk, with Bill Crawford and LSSU Lakers head coach Damon Whitten, Wednesday at 8:30am on ESPN Radio 1400. The good ship Laker heads to Alaska and Bill and Damon will preview the series and talk about the big third period rally last Saturday, in the surging Lakers victory over Ferris State.

Both games this weekend will be on YES FM late night.

Ringy dingy!
 
Re: LSSU Lakers 2015-16: The 50th season

With one of the nation's hottest goaltenders in tow, Lake Superior State travels to Fairbanks, Alaska, this weekend for its final Western Collegiate Hockey Association road series in the season's opening half.

Both games are scheduled to begin at 11:07 p.m. ET and will air live on YES FM 99.5 in Sault Ste. Marie.

The Lakers (4-9-3, 2-3-3 WCHA) ended a five-game home losing streak last Saturday with a 3-2 victory over Ferris State. The victory over the Bulldogs, the first in 10 games against the former Central Collegiate Hockey Association rivals, produced a weekend split and bumped the Lakers up to a tie for seventh place with Alaska-Anchorage in the WCHA standings.

Owen Headrick netted the go-ahead goal on Saturday to put the Lakers up 3-2 with 3:11 remaining. Headrick's third tally of the season went down as his first-career game winner. Headrick has also produced a pair of assists and is tied for 12th in the league for scoring among defensemen.

Freshman sensation Owen Headrick is now tied with most points by a freshman defenceman in the WCHA after his game-winning goal on Saturday night. The youngest player on the good ship Laker, now has five points on the season, and is impressing not only Laker fans, and fans across the league, but also the attention of many NHL scouts, with his smooth-skating and precision passing ability.

The split also produced a WCHA record of 2-1-3 for the Lakers in the month of November.

Sophomore goaltender Gordon Defiel (3-6-3) capped an impressive month with a combined 67 saves on 70 shots from the weekend series. Defiel produced a 1.51 goals-against average and a .957 saves percentage.

In November, Defiel posted a league-best .956 saves percentage and a 1.52 gaa. Defiel has faced a league-high 250 shots and made a league-leading 239 saves. Defiel's saves percentage during the month ranks third in the nation behind Harvard's Merrick Madsen (four goalie starts, 56.4 percent of time in net) and Denver's Tanner Jaillet (three starts, 59.8 percent of time in net).

Defiel also seemed to find another gear when the game was on the line, ranking sixth in the nation with a .986 saves-percentage during the third period and overtime of games during November. In the seven starts, Defiel has made 71 saves-on-72 shots during the final period and overtime and produced a 0.39 gaa.

Alaska is winless in its last five games, going 0-3-2 since a 4-3 victory at Bemidji State on Nov. 11. Last weekend, the Nanooks (4-8-2, 2-6-2 WCHA) were swept at home, 4-1 and 3-1, by Michigan Tech.

UAF senior forward and captain Tyler Morley, chosen by the coaches as the preseason pick for WCHA Player of the Year, has a team-high seven goals and six assists on the season, good for 13 points.

A pair of sophomores, Peter Krieger (2-9--11) and Zach Frye (2-8--10), have reached double digits in scoring thus far. Frye continues to lead the league in plus/minus with a +10 rating. Frye is also tied for first amongst all WCHA defensemen in assists with eight.

The Lakers cap the first half of the WCHA schedule with a home series against Michigan Tech next weekend, Dec. 11-12.
 
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Re: LSSU Lakers 2015-16: The 50th season

I saw that Will Gauthier moved from Brookings of the NAHL to Kanata of the CCHL late last week. Presumably a cash deal since I didn't see any reference to a trade. He had no points in 14 games for Brookings and hasn't played in a game for Kanata yet. Anyone in the Soo know whats up with him? He needs something to jump start his hockey career. At this rate, it's tough to see him lasting another season in Juniors let alone ever play for the Lakers.
 
Re: LSSU Lakers 2015-16: The 50th season

Bill said:
I saw that Will Gauthier moved from Brookings of the NAHL to Kanata of the CCHL late last week. Presumably a cash deal since I didn't see any reference to a trade. He had no points in 14 games for Brookings and hasn't played in a game for Kanata yet. Anyone in the Soo know whats up with him? He needs something to jump start his hockey career. At this rate, it's tough to see him lasting another season in Juniors let alone ever play for the Lakers.
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Metro helped to facilitate the trade, so at this point LSSU is still interested in Will and helping him progress, although they have no plans to bring him into the program until his junior hockey eligibility has been exhausted. Kanata was in desperate need of help, having only won two games, and this looks like a place he can get some ice time and contribute. Things can always change in the future, but this is the plan for now. Will has some skills, but just needs to find that coach/program that he can fit into, and I'm wishing him all the best.
 
Re: LSSU Lakers 2015-16: The 50th season

RealLaker94 said:
Metro helped to facilitate the trade, so at this point LSSU is still interested in Will and helping him progress, although they have no plans to bring him into the program until his junior hockey eligibility has been exhausted. Kanata was in desperate need of help, having only won two games, and this looks like a place he can get some ice time and contribute. Things can always change in the future, but this is the plan for now. Will has some skills, but just needs to find that coach/program that he can fit into, and I'm wishing him all the best.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info RealLaker94. Is Gauthier a good enough skater to fit into Whatten's uptempo style of play, or is it something he still needs to work on? He played in his first game for Kanata last night but didn't have any points. I wish him the best also. Sometimes a change of scenery will help although it didn't seem to help him going from the Soo to Brookings.
 
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