LSSU Lakers 2016-17

[Bill]

Re: LSSU Lakers 2016-17

Hults is listed and i'm sure Bindulis will be a prospect sooner rather than later as well.

http://www.sbncollegehockey.com/2017...pionk-kelleher

Yeah, those are the two most likely candidates to turn pro early. We're hoping they stay at least through their Junior seasons.

[Bill]

Re: LSSU Lakers 2016-17

Former Lakers player and coach Rick Comley has won the John MacInnes award:

http://www.lssulakers.com/sports/m-h...20170112mzq3ap

[LakerBaker]

Re: LSSU Lakers 2016-17

The best sports writer in the area, Randy Russon from http://www.saultthisweek.com and http://www.hockeynewsnorth.com has some news on Owen Headrick and his decision to stay with the Good Ship Laker.

As the Erie Otters added world-class forward Anthony Cirelli in an Ontario Hockey League trade with the Oshawa Generals earlier this week, they once again tried to talk 1997 birth-year defenseman Owen Headrick into leaving the Lake Superior State Lakers of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.

Headrick, though, turned down the Otters latest overture to leave Lake State for Erie, which for the third year in a row is chasing what has been an elusive OHL championship.

Erie has maintained the OHL rights to Headrick after selecting the Garden River First Nation product in the 14th round of the 2013 OHL draft.

But after starring with the Soo Thunderbirds of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League for two seasons, Headrick opted to accept a scholarship offer from the Lakers as a freshman for the 2015-2016 campaign — and as the youngest player in the WCHA.

In 22 games with the Lakers this 2016-2017 season, the 6-foot, 185-pound sophomore is fourth on the Lake State scoring chart with 15 points from 2 goals and 13 assists.

A year ago at this time, Otters general manager Dave Brown first tried to convince Headrick to leave Lake State for Erie but the youngster chose to remain in school.

Ringy Dingy!

[LakerBaker]

Re: LSSU Lakers 2016-17

I can't wait to hear the Voice of the Lakers, Bill Crawford with the call of this weekend's games on YES FM. Methinks it will be a sweep.

http://ww.hockeynewsnorth.comhttp://www.saultthisweek.comhttp://www.lssulakers.com

Lake Superior State continues its second-straight weekend of home-and-home Western Collegiate Hockey Association play against Upper Peninsula rivals Northern Michigan this weekend, traveling to Marquette Friday and hosting NMU at Taffy Abel Arena at 7:07 p.m. on Saturday.

The Lakers (9-12-1, 6-9-1 WCHA) earned a 3-2 victory in the series opener against NMU last Friday night, defending their home ice. During Saturday's trip to Berry Events Center for the weekend finale, the Wildcats (5-17-2, 3-12-1 WCHA) picked up a 6-4 victory at to tie the series 1-1 and take an 8-7 lead in goal differential, a tiebreaker in determining the winner of the Cappo Cup rivalry trophy.

This Saturday's game is "SOOperhero Night", in which LSSU Athletics invites all Chippewa County first responders to receive one (1) free adult ticket to the game against NMU. All first responders, along with dispatch and administrative support staff can pick up one free adult ticket at the Norris Center Ticket Office on game day. To avoid long ticket window lines, additional tickets for family members can be purchased and free tickets can be picked up at Norris Center Guest Services during normal business hours. Simply show a badge or some kind of staff ID to claim the free ticket.

The Sooperhero Night promotion includes all area full-time and township volunteer fire and ambulance, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Border Patrol, Sault Police, Sault Tribe Police, Bay Mills Police, Chippewa County Sheriff's Department, and Michigan State Police.
The Series vs. Northern Michigan

Overall: NMU leads, 67-41-11... In SSM: LSSU leads, 27-25-7… In Marquette: NMU leads, 42-14-4…

Last meeting: Jan. 6-7, 2017, LSSU won 3-2 Friday in Sault Ste. Marie, and NMU won 2-2 Saturday in Marquette

Streak: NMU 1-0-0 Last 5: LSSU leads 3-1-1 Last 10: NMU leads 5-4-1

The Cappo Cup, first awarded by the late Monsignor Louis Cappo in 1991, has been awarded to the team that claims the season series every year since the 1994-95 season. All-time, the Wildcats hold a 14-9 advantage in the Cappo Cup series. The Lakers claimed the cup last season with a 2-1-1 record against the Wildcats in 2015-16.

Following last weekend's results, the series is tied 1-1-0 and the Wildcats hold a slight 8-7 advantage in total goals. If the teams split and the goal totals remain the same, the Lakers retain the cup as the previous winners.

The rivalry between the Lakers and Wildcats dates back to 1976 when NMU began a NCAA Division I team and a probationary member of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association during 1976-77. In 1977-78 the Wildcats became a full member of the CCHA and the teams competed against each other as conference opponents during every season until 1983-84. From 1984-96 the Wildcats competed in the WCHA, until a return to the CCHA and conference partnership with the Lakers in the 1996-97 season. In 2013-14, following the disbanding of the CCHA, the Lakers and Wildcats joined fellow Upper Peninsula rivals, Michigan Tech, in the WCHA.

All-time, the Wildcats hold a 67-41-11 record over the Lakers and a 42-14-4 record in Marquette. In Sault Ste. Marie, the Lakers lead the series 27-25-7 and are undefeated in their last four home games against the Wildcats (3-0-1).
Scouting the Wildcats

The Wildcats enter the weekend having picked up just their second win in their last 10 games (2-8-2) in Saturday's victory, and hold a 3-12-1 mark in their last 16 games. Offensively, NMU averages just 2.17 goals per game, ranking tied for eighth in the WCHA, while allowing the eighth-most goals against at 3.29 goals allowed per contest.

Special teams have also been a struggle for the Wildcats this season, producing the WCHA's ninth-ranked power play percentage (11.0 percent) and ranking last in the WCHA at 78.0 percent on the penalty kill.

Leading the way for the Wildcats offensively, is senior Dominik Shine with 12 goals and 16 points on the season and junior Robbie Payne, tying Shine with 16 points and tying for a team-high 11 assists. Last weekend, Shine posted four goals, including a hat-trick on Saturday, while Payne chipped in a pair of assists on Saturday.

Following Shine and Payne in scoring and rounding out the Wildcats to hit double digits in points this season are senior Gerard Hanson (4-11--15), freshman Darien Craighead (5-8--13), senior Brock Maschmeyer (3-9--12) and junior Zach Diamantoni (1-9--10).

Following a freshman campaign as one of the nation's top goaltenders last season, sophomore netminder Atte Tolvanen has struggled to find consistency this season. Tolvanen has produced a 3.23 goals against average and .894 save percentage this season, compared to a 2.46 goals against average and the nation's 11th best save percentage (.928) last season.

Backing up Tolvanen in net, Matthias Israelsson has also struggled this season, posting a 3.23 goals against average and .875 save percentage while forming a 1-0-0 record despite four starts between the pipes.
Last Time Out Against the Wildcats (Fri.: 3-2, W | Sat.: 6-4, L)

Last weekend the teams began the first leg of back-to-back weekends squaring off, with LSSU claiming a 3-2 victory on Friday night and the Wildcats collecting a 6-4 win on Saturday. Saturday's victory puts NMU ahead 8-7 in total goals on the series tied at 1-1-0.

Sophomore forward Anthony Nellis and linemate J.T. Henke led the way for the Lakers on the weekend, each tallying five points in the series. Nellis opened the scoring Friday with a pair of goals, each assisted by Henke.

Fellow sophomore Diego Cuglietta capped Friday's scoring with his ninth goal of the season and team-leading third game-winning tally of the season to put the Lakers ahead 3-2.

Junior goaltender Gordon Defiel looked sharp early on, stopping the first 15 shots he faced, however, allowed a power-play goal by Maschmeyer with four seconds remaining, allowing the Wildcats to cut the lead in half heading into the second intermission, trailing 2-1. In the third period, Defiel made seven saves on eight shots and closed the door on his ninth victory of the season, finishing with 23 saves on 25 shots.

On Saturday Nellis added three assists in the 6-4 loss to continue a four-game point streak. After finishing with two assists on Friday, Henke responded with a goal and two assists on Saturday to extend his own four-game point streak. Cuglietta added his second goal in as many games and now holds the team-lead with 10 goals on the season.

Ringy Dingy!

[gfmorris]

Re: LSSU Lakers 2016-17

The outlook isn't as rosy as last week, but you're favored. http://blog.wchaplayoffs.com/2017/01...hern-michigan/

[LakerBaker]

Re: LSSU Lakers 2016-17

Methinks you will be seeing a lot more out of Josh Nenadal, man.

Spend 10 minutes chatting with sophomore forward Josh Nenadal and it’s easy to understand why the Soo BlueLiners voted him last season’s recipient of the award named in the organization’s honor.

Nenadal, a native of Brecksville, Ohio, just outside of Cleveland, is from a “blue-collar” family and a proud “blue-collar” hockey player. The former Youngstown captain resembles everything that Lake Superior State’s hockey tradition was built upon.

“My dad (David) is a salesman, and my mom (Lynne) battled cancer for four years, then eventually had me,” Nenadal said. “Neither are college graduates. I’m the first in my family to attend. My dad left college to take care of my mom.”

Nenadal, a 5-8, 190-pound forward, describes himself as a “meat-and-potatoes” player with team goals in mind. LSSU senior captain Gus Correale noted that his roommate and former linemate always puts winning ahead of personal achievement.

“Chip pucks, hit players – not high-skilled or high-risk plays,” Nenadal said. “It’s not that I can’t make those plays, but that’s not what I’ve been told to do. I’m from a blue-collar family and want to do the little things that coaches want me to do.”

“He loves to play in the corners, get in guys’ faces,” Correale said. “He’s a strong kid. Whether he’s in the faceoff circle, in the corners or in the lockerroom, he’s intense. It’s pretty funny actually…I live with him, and he’s a team guy on the ice and a team guy off the ice.”

Nenadal was a captain for three seasons with the Youngstown Phantoms of the United States Hockey League and strives to follow the example of 2015-16 captain Austin McKay, who also provided great leadership to the Lakers while serving as a role player.

“He showed me what it took to be a leader,” Nenadal said. “He came back his senior year and didn’t know what would happen. He showed me what it takes to be a captain. You have to be a positive guy no matter what the outcome is…My philosophy no matter where I go is to have a hard work ethic and a voice to where the guys look up and listen to what I’m saying.”

Correale joked that it’s “hard not to hear him!”

Nenadal is a regular in the lineup, but rarely plays two weekends in a row with the same line. Correale noted that Nenadal’s role doesn’t change despite bouncing from line to line and that having more confidence during his second collegiate season has led to consistency on the ice, especially when it comes to protecting the puck.

“A lot of guys switch around,” Correale said. “He stays consistent and is not trying to change his game. Whether it’s the power play or penalty kill, he’s getting pucks deep, bringing intensity. He just plays hard.”

Prior to playing for Youngstown, Nenadal played two seasons for the USHL’s Waterloo Blackhawks. After a great experience in Waterloo’s hockey environment, he had the rare fortune of playing three junior seasons at a rink that was an hour from home.

“We finished first in our league (in 2014-15), then got knocked out in the first round of the playoffs,” said Nenadal in reference to his final season at Youngstown. “I had no college commitments. I was that guy, waiting in the summer and trying to figure out what to do. I had a couple visits to DIII schools in the New York area. I had committed to Oswego when I got a call from Coaches Whitten and Metro to come in for the next year. I committed on the spot. Wherever the opportunity was, I was going to jump on it.

“I didn’t know where Lake State was, and I didn’t know about the Sault. I had been an Ohio guy. But I loved it the minute I got here. I’m a small-school oriented guy. I like that it’s close-knit and everybody knows everybody. After orientation, I couldn’t wait to come back for my freshman year.”

“He was a leader back in juniors and loves it here,” Correale said. “He’s happy to be in the spot he’s in – in a leadership role…He played five years of juniors and has seen as much hockey, or just a little bit less than me. He has experience in leadership roles and life in general. He has a lot of independence off the ice.”

Having a mom who conquered cancer and a grandfather who lost his life to cancer, Nenadal appreciates what his parents have done to not only support his hockey career, but to survive. Putting the ups and downs of college hockey into perspective comes naturally to him.

“There is always a bigger picture,” he said. “You’re not going to win every game. It’s how a team comes together and what you do with that loss. A loss is just a loss. We’re able to play a lot more hockey together. We have such a talented group of guys and we’re just not getting those bounces right now.”

Nenadal, who has two goals and six points in 22 games this season, savors playing the toughest competition the schedule has to offer. He knew the Lakers’ hot October start didn’t reflect the caliber of competition that was coming later in the season.

“I’d rather play top-20 teams all year long than the bottom of the bracket just to get wins,” he said. “Otherwise you are not pushing yourself…It doesn’t matter who we play. They are just hockey teams. Coming from the USHL, a lot of our guys have played against top guys. It’s not like we’re playing against guys we haven’t seen before.”

Nenadal was part of a freshman class that played key roles last season, and this year’s rookie class is going through a similar learning curve.

“We’re learning what it takes to battle, to grind it out with a high-caliber team,” he said. “If you take your foot of the gas, they will shove the puck down your throat. Young guys are playing big minutes like we did last year. We’ve gone through some struggles, but we can saddle up and make a big playoff push.”

Ringy Dingy!

[PerkyforPrez]

The outlook isn't as rosy as last week, but you're favored. http://blog.wchaplayoffs.com/2017/01...hern-michigan/

Thanks Geof.

[Bill]

Re: LSSU Lakers 2016-17

Not a full-fledged victory like we had hoped for but 2 out 3 points for a road game is pretty decent. We really need a win tonight to start making a push up the standings. Damon said there is a bit of a flu bug going around the team; not sure what affect it will have on who is in the lineup tonight.

[Laker Dude]

Re: LSSU Lakers 2016-17

Not a full-fledged victory like we had hoped for but 2 out 3 points for a road game is pretty decent. We really need a win tonight to start making a push up the standings. Damon said there is a bit of a flu bug going around the team; not sure what affect it will have on who is in the lineup tonight.

Seems like they have had issues with illness all year. I remember it was an issue at Ferris and again for the BG and Bemidji series.

[jsmithe]

Re: LSSU Lakers 2016-17

Not a full-fledged victory like we had hoped for but 2 out 3 points for a road game is pretty decent. We really need a win tonight to start making a push up the standings. Damon said there is a bit of a flu bug going around the team; not sure what affect it will have on who is in the lineup tonight.

It certainly looks as though the 3rd period is not the Lakers period this year. Although, if the team is sick, it makes sense that they would not be on top of it after the 2nd.

[LakerBaker]

Re: LSSU Lakers 2016-17

The Good Ship Laker deserved a better fate on Friday but what a big double overtime victory. With the refs against them, and sicknesses going around, it shows how well coached this young team is to get the victory.

Methinks a sweep is in order tonight and will be out to ring that bell for a big sweep, man.

Ringy Dingy!

[davyd83]

The Good Ship Laker deserved a better fate on Friday but what a big double overtime victory. With the refs against them, and sicknesses going around, it shows how well coached this young team is to get the victory.

Methinks a sweep is in order tonight and will be out to ring that bell for a big sweep, man.

Ringy Dingy!

Shootout and 3-on-3's go down as ties. In order to "sweep," you need 6 out of 6 points. Terrific series between two rivals. It couldn't have been much closer.

[Yooper_by_choice]

Re: LSSU Lakers 2016-17

Very poor last half of the year so far. Last night they were unprepared giving up a goal in the first minute. Undisciplined, taking two retaliatory penalties while going to the power play, and they could not handle the pressure NMU was putting on them. They apparently started well and now belong at the bottom of the standings. For the increase in budget the product is not even mediocre.

[LakerBaker]

Re: LSSU Lakers 2016-17

Very poor last half of the year so far. Last night they were unprepared giving up a goal in the first minute. Undisciplined, taking two retaliatory penalties while going to the power play, and they could not handle the pressure NMU was putting on them. They apparently started well and now belong at the bottom of the standings. For the increase in budget the product is not even mediocre.

What a lot of people don't understand is this is a very young team that will be better, especially in the next few seasons, man.

They had some bad bounces on Saturday night and the refs were terrible. It didn't help that the flu bug was going around the team, and it showed in how tired they were. Plus after winning in double overtime on Friday night, they earned a very solid point in the tie on Saturday. The Lakers did deserve a better fate.

Methinks head coach Damon Whitten will get things right and I fully expect a sweep next weekend against Alabama-Huntsville. This is a young team that is going to win a lot of games this season and in the future under the watchful eye of Damon Whitten.

Ringy Dingy!

[RapidsCity]

Very poor last half of the year so far. Last night they were unprepared giving up a goal in the first minute. Undisciplined, taking two retaliatory penalties while going to the power play, and they could not handle the pressure NMU was putting on them. They apparently started well and now belong at the bottom of the standings. For the increase in budget the product is not even mediocre.

That increase in funding still puts them at the bottom of the league. Every empty seat is money that doesn't benefit the program. Don't go to the car lot and pay for a rust bucket Yugo and expect it to be a Corvette.

It also amazing how many people came out when a horrible Michigan State team comes to town just so they can see that Sparty logo. If we dress Alabama Huntsville up in MSU jerseys, none of you could tell the difference, other than a different coach. Every team that has played here has a better record than State. So why don't they show up?