Re: LSSU Lakers 2016-17
What a start for the good ship Laker, led by Damon Whitten, as they improve to 4-0 on the season.
Led by a pair of goals from Anthony Nellis, Lake Superior State picked up an important road-sweep over Western Collegiate Hockey Association rival Alabama-Huntsville Saturday evening with a 5-2 victory.
The Lakers (4-0-0, 2-0-0 WCHA), the 59th ranked team in scoring (1.80 goals per game) in 2015-16 are averaging six goals per game to start the season. The victory also gives LSSU their first 4-0-0 start since the 2013-14 season, when the team started 4-0-1.
The Chargers (2-5-1, 2-3-1 WCHA) opened the scoring just a minute into the game with Max Mchugh's fourth goal of the season. McHugh's goal came unassisted and put Huntsville ahead 1-0.
LSSU trailed for just under eight minutes, for the first time this season, before Nellis (3-2--5) slammed in the tying power-play goal. J.T. Henke (3-4--7)and Luke Morgan (0-4--4) each added assists on the tying tally.
With under five minutes to play in the first period, freshman Bryan Basilico scored his first collegiate goal in his first game wearing the anchor. Sophomore forward Josh Nenadal added the assist on the Basilico goal for his first point of the season.
LSSU took a 2-1 lead into the first intermission with the shots on goal tied at 7-7.
The Lakers came out hot again in the second period and quickly took a 3-1 lead on an even-strength goal from Mitch Hults (2-5--7), 1:33 into the period. Freshman Brayden Gelsinger (3-4--7), coming off a two-goal game on Friday, added the assist for his seventh point of the season. Freshman defenseman Collin Saccoman (0-4--4) also factored on the goal, tallying the second assist, for his third assist on the weekend.
With 5:40 left in the period, Nellis scored his second goal of the night after leaving the ice with an injury on the previous shift. Henke and Morgan again assisted on the goal by Nellis.
After 40 minutes of play the Lakers held a commanding 4-1 lead and were outshooting the Charges 18-11.
McHugh notched his second goal of the game on the power play, just 2:18 into the third period.
The Lakers and Chargers would stay at 4-2 through much of the final frame until a centering pass from the boards by Nenadal found a streaking Diego Cuglietta (3-2--5) who tipped in the fifth goal for the Lakers with 1:51 left in regulation. Cuglietta made an acrobatic dive to complete the goal and crashed into the boards with his third goal and fourth point of the series.
Gordon Defiel was strong in net, despite the two goals against and made 18 saves in his fourth win of the young season. His counterpart, Jordan Uhelski started and saved 28 shots for the Chargers.
On Friday night, two goals each by sophomore Diego Cuglietta and freshman Braydon Gelsinger propelled Lake Superior State to their third-straight victory to start the season. The 6-3 victory in their Western Collegiate Hockey Association season debut came on the road at Alabama-Huntsville.
The Lakers (3-0-0, 1-0-0 WCHA) have now scored at least six goals in each of their three victories to open the season, marking the most goals by the Lakers since posting 18 goals in three-straight games in 2009-10. During a five-game winning streak that season, the Lakers posted 25 goals.
Cuglietta led the Lakers with a three-point outing, scoring a pair of goals (one shorthanded), including the game-winner, and assisting on another. All three points came in the second period. The Kamloops, B.C., native also finished with a +3 rating.
Gelsinger opened the scoring a minute into play and later scored his second of the night mid-way through the second period. Gelsinger now has three goals and three assists in his first three collegiate games.
Also factoring in the scoresheet for the Lakers, Gage Torrel (3-2--5) put the Lakers ahead 2-1 with his first period power-play goal and later assisted on Gelsinger's second goal.
J. T. Henke (3-2--5) scored with 1:41 left in the middle frame to give the Lakers their sixth goal. Cuglietta and junior defenseman Kyle Chatham each registered their only assists of the night on the final LSSU goal.
Freshman defenseman Collin Saccoman (0-3--3) scored two points for his first career multi-point game.
Sophomore forward Jake Hand returned from a preseason injury for his first action of the season and tallied an assists
Sophomores Mitch Hults (1-5--6) and Owen Headrick (1-6--7) continued their point streaks, with Hults tallying a pair of assists and Headrick recording one assist. LSSU captain Gus Correale and assistant captain Aidan Wright each tallied one assist as well.
The Lakers took a 2-0 lead into the first intermission before Josh Kestner scored his first goal of the season, 3:34 into the second period, cutting the LSSU lead in half. The Lakers closed the second period with four goals in under eight minutes to take a commanding 6-1 lead into the final 20 minutes.
Jordan Larson and Brandon Salerno each added goals for the Chargers (2-4-1, 2-2-1 WCHA) in the third period, but UAH could not mount the come-back as Gordon Defiel finished with 28 saves in his third-straight victory.
Matt Larose made the start in net for UAH, but allowed all six of the Lakers' goals on 25 shots faced and was replaced by Jordan Uhelski to start the third period. Uhelski turned aside all six shots from the Lakers in the third period.
Both sides tied with 31 shots on goal. The Lakers' power play hit once in three opportunities, while the penalty killers blanked the Chargers on all five attempts by UAH with the man advantage. The Lakers have now killed 22-of-23 power plays attempted against them for a 95.7 penalty killing percentage.
The Lakers return home next weekend to face WCHA opponent Alaska for LSSU's annual Pink in the Rink Weekend. Single game tickets to all of the Lakers home games cost $12 for adults and $6 for children (17-under) unless a special promotion is running. Tickets for all LSSU Athletics events can be purchased online at
http://lssutickets.universitytickets.com or by calling the Norris Center ticket office at (906) 635-2602.
Randy Russon from
www.hockeynewsnorth.com and
www.saultthisweek.com will have much more on the Hockey North Show heard every Tuesday at 5 p.m. on ESPN Radio 1400.
Ringy Dingy!
