LSSU Lakers

[jnacc]

You want to play with the big boys, then you also need to be able to recruit, and retain players. Allow me to list some names of players who have either gone somewhere else and have become important parts of other teams, or players from this area who Frank didn't recruit. the brothers Nightingale (MSU), Contois, (NMU), Mushaluk (Maine), along with goaltender Ryan Miller who is a Sault product, not to mention two former Soo Indians who chose Ferris State over Lake Superior, and two Soo Indians who chose NMU over LSSU (Milam, Zaniboni). Someone explain to me the logic behind weeding out these talented players, having to go all the way to the SJHL to recruit because you cannot get many players from your own backyard, and how this is considered successful recruiting??

Also, you are right, listening to your coach is important without a doubt. But having to listen to a coach who chews you out on the bench with language that would make a Yost attendee blush (you dont think that keeps some people away from games) game after game after game after.....that starts to wear thin with most people. Coaching kinda has the same rule as tightening a screw, tight is tight, too tight is broken.

Ask Maine fans about Mushaluk and they will tell you they would gladly PAY MONEY to have him return to LSSU. As for the Nighingales, yeah they are doing real well leading the Spartans to what could be the team's worst finish in well over two decades! Yeah imagine what LSSU could have been had Adam and his mighty TWO GOALS this season still remained a part of the team or big Jared with ZERO POINTS!

Yes Cointois was a loss but his personality clashed with Anzalone and from what I heard with other players as well. As for Ryan Miller, how many times must we go through this? First off Frank wasn't even around when Miller was playing for the Indians and secondly, Miller is a Lansing native and there was absolutely no chance he would play any where else but MSU.

The Lakers offered Jorgenson a spot on the team but wanted him to play another year of Junior A hockey with the Indians. He felt he was ready for the NCAA now and that is how he ended up at Ferris. They recruited Nogatch instead. Obviously it did not work out with Nogatch but few would argue that Jorgenson was a better player than Nogatch. Had Nogatch remained with the team, he would have been a solid top pairing defenseman in the CCHA.

[Mogerfan]

But having to listen to a coach who chews you out on the bench with language that would make a Yost attendee blush (you dont think that keeps some people away from games) game after game after game after......

C'mon, everything I'm not supposed to say I learned from sitting in section "F" right behind the old Laker bench in the mid-80s. My ability to swear like a sailor would be severly limited if not for Frank.

The rest of your post though, is a completely different arguement than you were making before. Do you want an "Uber-talented" gamebreaker (dooh, that was banished, wasn't it?), or do you want local talent? As far as the players you listed what about:

1) Nightingale -benched at State this year for poor play
2) Mushaluk - benched at Maine this year for poor play (my god, there are entire threads on this board about what an awful hockey player he is)
3) Ryan Miller- are you serious? Every member of his extended family has played hockey at MSU for the last 30 years, many of whom have gone on to the NHL, and Ryan Miller is going to wake up one morning and say "Boy, I really want to be a LAKER!"
4) Zaniboni- Might turn out to be a good goalie, but we already had a young goalie who had proven himself.

As for kids playing locally what about Rainville, Restoule and Birkeland? All of whom were playing in the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League. Or Cheesman and Osman out of the Soo Indians?

I won't say I completely disagree with you though. I was disappointed that that highly rated Kaunisto (sp) player from the Indians chose NMU over Lake State. I have no idea what the story is on him at all, only that he is ranked by Central Scouting and plays for the Indians.

Anyway, I'd really rather be chatting up some State fan about this weekends series, but there don't seem to be many Sparties on the board this year.

GO LAKERS!!!

[Mogerfan]

Didn't mean to repeat everything you just posted jnacc, but I already had it typed when I saw your post, so I just stuck it on the board anyway.

[Cosmo]

Anyway, I'd really rather be chatting up some State fan about this weekends series, but there don't seem to be many Sparties on the board this year.

GO LAKERS!!!
We're all embarassed about our performance this year :( Actually, I don't know why there aren't many, I just signed up recently. But, there is a MSU/LSSU thread started for this weekend.

I know its been said, but Ryan Miller as a Laker?? Whatever you're smoking, could you share? Its got to be some good stuff...

[sm3pk]

Lakestategoose. Its ok to name players who left but naming players who left and have done nothing where they landed..bad choice of players to name.As for fans staying away. Its the old story.you win,you fill up the seats,you lose,you dont fill up the seats. As for Frank swearing and keeping fans away..lol. Thats all I have to said on that one but maybe one more time for good luck...lol

[Lakerblue]

Just for clarification: playing for the Soo Indians does not make a player a "prodcut of Sault Ste. Marie." And I would go further and say that LSSU hockey and Soo Indian hockey have seldom done anything to help each other, and there is quite literally no relationship between the two programs. Going even further, the Indians have little impact on the youth hockey (my opinion).

There is, I think, an unhealthy competition between LSSU and the Indians -- which seems to stem all the way back to the 1980's when LSSU started grabbing headlines, national attention, and the lion's share of the local media and hockey attention. The Lakers have never landed any of the top elite players who have cycled through with the Indians -- and I don't know for sure whether Joe Shawan and his posse have anything to do with that or not -- but I have my personal ignorant ideas on the matter.

But let me say this: the Soo Indians do not represent the Lakers' backyard when it comes to recruiting.


The SJHL is a decent league -- probably as good as, if not better, than the NAHL (which contains the aforementioned Indians). And the Lakers looking far afield for talent is not some new desperate quest. LSSU used to get the cream of the high school talent from North Dakota (anyone care to recall the one-man-penalty-killing-unit and two-time national champion Jay Ness). The Lakers used to pluck these kids because the Sioux at that time (under Gasperini) weren't giving full rides to local players. LSSU has pulled in players from virtually every provence in Canada -- at least from Quebec to BC -- and from virtually every league.

[Bill]

Ah yes. Jay Ness. Excellent defensive foward. Also got the empty net goal at the end of the 1992 Championship game despite having some Cheesehead sticks thrown his way.

[jnacc]

Just for clarification: playing for the Soo Indians does not make a player a "prodcut of Sault Ste. Marie." And I would go further and say that LSSU hockey and Soo Indian hockey have seldom done anything to help each other, and there is quite literally no relationship between the two programs. Going even further, the Indians have little impact on the youth hockey (my opinion).
.

This will be the Indians last year due to the tribe cutting off all funding. Lets face it, the Soo really isn't large enough to support both a Junior A and Division 1 franchise. The Indians demise should help the Lakers in terms of attendance.

[Lakerblue]

The Tribe has threatened to cut funding before. But then somebody usually steps up and says something like, "Well, what do we do with this hockey complex and stadium?" And then somebody says, "Hey, why don't we try to put a junior team there." And then a third person says, "Great idea. But where can we get a junior team to move to the Soo?" And the first person says, "Hey, why don't we just keep the Indians?" Brilliant! Brilliant!

In other words -- I'll believe the Indians are dead when I see next year's NAHL schedule next August, and they're not on it.


As for our Lakers -- what a big big big chance this weekend. State is playing poor hockey, they are confused and the coach is under intense heat. The lakers, meanwhile, WERE playing some inspired, if lucky, hockey since the break. Then they got lazy and cocky, and UAH skated them into the ice. I suspect Coach Anzalone welcomed the wake-up call. I see the Lakers taking game one at the Morgue (er, uh, Munn -- what a dead rink, eh?) and then playing a tight game on Saturday -- where the CCHA refs make sure that Beloved Son #2 (MSU hockey) doesn't get swept at home.

[lakersparty]

I'll be at this game tonight (and hopefully tomorrow) wearing neither my LSSU hoody or my MSU hoody, but I'll be cheering on the Lakers. MSU may be my school and all...but hey I grew up with Lake State. Looking forward to a fun weekend!

[Laker Hockey]

after that but whooping that UAH gave the boys on Saturday night, it is going to be real important that they come out this weekend and get a win. If the boys don't show up this weekend Frank might have them.

[Bill]

Whatever Frank & staff tried to do in practice this week to wake the Lakers up sure didn't work. The Lakers are out of tonight's game very early.

[Laker Hockey Girl2]

I agree...they are being SLAUGHTERED. A few of us are headed to Lansing for tomorrow night's game, hope it looks better than tonight sounds! Jakaitis pulled 1/2 way through the first...and they are off to a "GREAT" start in the 2nd...:-(

[lakersparty]

LSSU looked awful tonight, and their players VERY VERY VERY slow. The game was over by the end of the 1st (if not sooner) . They also had a lot of penalties. The only entertaining moment of the night for a Laker fan was when Alex Dunn checked MSU goalie Vicari and didn't get a penalty for it and even that was pretty stupid. On the other hand, MSU played a very good game and looked sharp. Their third goal was especially nice.

Well hopefully I'll be at the game tomorrow cheering for a split if this winter storm doesn't convince me to stay in.

[sm3pk]

Lakers didnt look awful,they looked like a high school team trying to play a college team.Actually it was disgraceful. We left with 15 minutes left in the third and why we stayed that long is beyond me.

[sm3pk]

The lakers have not scored a goal in 2 games now. Have not scored a powerplay goal in 34 tries now and at this point,half the division 3 teams out there would beat them and if you think I am being too hard,even the players parents are probably wondering what the hell is wrong with them now.I was at the game. It was actually pathetic. Munn arena was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Mi State fans that were sitting around us,they even stopped watching and spent more time just visiting with each other that you knew they were thinking why the hell did I come out in the cold tonight to watch this.These guys have been playing hockey most of their lives now and you could have fooled me tonight with that one.

[michiganmidge]

You want to play with the big boys, then you also need to be able to recruit, and retain players. Allow me to list some names of players who have either gone somewhere else and have become important parts of other teams, or players from this area who Frank didn't recruit. the brothers Nightingale (MSU), Contois, (NMU), Mushaluk (Maine), along with goaltender Ryan Miller who is a Sault product, not to mention two former Soo Indians who chose Ferris State over Lake Superior, and two Soo Indians who chose NMU over LSSU (Milam, Zaniboni). Someone explain to me the logic behind weeding out these talented players, having to go all the way to the SJHL to recruit because you cannot get many players from your own backyard, and how this is considered successful recruiting??
Seldomly has the Laker coaching staff recruited from their own backyard ... even back in the day. This is nothing new.

As for players who've left ... this happens everywhere. It is not a situation unique to the Lakers. Therefore your point is pointless. Incidentally, Mushaluk has been a stellar acquistion for Maine, now hasn't he?!?!? :rolleyes:

[Bill]

The lakers have not scored a goal in 2 games now. Have not scored a powerplay goal in 34 tries now and at this point,half the division 3 teams out there would beat them and if you think I am being too hard,even the players parents are probably wondering what the hell is wrong with them now.I was at the game. It was actually pathetic. Munn arena was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Mi State fans that were sitting around us,they even stopped watching and spent more time just visiting with each other that you knew they were thinking why the hell did I come out in the cold tonight to watch this.These guys have been playing hockey most of their lives now and you could have fooled me tonight with that one.

I'f I'm not mistaken, I believe the opposition has now scored 15 consecutive goals against the Lakers. If the Lakers don't come up with a significantly better effort tonight, at least to the extent that they are in the game until the end, then I think they are in serious trouble for the rest of the season. All the little things that they've slowly but surely been improving at as a team have gone out the window recently.

[Laker Hockey]

hate to say it but the season looks like it might be over.

[jnacc]

hate to say it but the season looks like it might be over.


Kind of early to press that panic button, no? Lets see what happens tonight before we begin wailing and beating our chests in mourning. If it is another blowout, they yes we may have problems.