LSSU Lakers 2015-16: The 50th season

[LSSULaker889294]

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

Didn't make the trip. The old upper body injury but hopefully he will be able to go the next series. According to Bill Crawford in the pregame.

Thanks for in the info. That leaves Wright and Nellis as the only Lakers to play every game thus far. Hopefully we can come back and beat Brown tomorrow afternoon. Can we still win the Catamount Cup or are we mathematically out of it?

[Bill]

I just caught the tail end of the game and heard Headrick didn't play. Was there a reason given?

He is out with an injury although the type of injury wasn't mentioned. They expect he will be able to play against BG in a week and a half. We could have used him on the PP this evening.

[Bill]

Thanks for in the info. That leaves Wright and Nellis as the only Lakers to play every game thus far. Hopefully we can come back and beat Brown tomorrow afternoon. Can we still win the Catamount Cup or are we mathematically out of it?

I think we could still win it. Depends upon what happens tomorrow in both games.

[LakerBaker]

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

According to Bill Crawford, that should have been a goal and the LSSU Lakers deserved a better fate. Vermont didn't have a 20 hour 2-day bus ride, after a long layoff, and the good ship Laker still has a chance to win the tournament, and head coach Damon Whitten will have the boys ready, for sure, against Brown.

You can hear that game on www.yesfm.net with the Voice of the Lakers, Bill Crawford at 3:30/

Freshman sensation, Owen Headrick, is injured but it shouldn't keep him out of the next series, against Bowling Green. His skill and quarterbacking the power play was missed tonight, and it could have been a totally different game with the smooth-skating defenceman in the lineup.

Lakers fall 1-0 to Vermont in Catamount Cup.

Despite sophomore goaltender Gordon Defiel appearing to return to form in the opening game for Lake Superior State in the Catamount Cup, tournament host Vermont came away with the 1-0 shutout victory.

The Lakers (6-11-4) returned to action after the holiday break with a strong defensive showing, led by Defiel's (4-8-3) 29 saves, but were unable to find the tying goal late in the contest.

With both teams scoreless and late in the opening period, Travis Blaneleil was whistled for a 5-minute major elbowing penalty. The Lakers were unable to capitalize on their first power-play opportunity before the first intermission.

Despite a 14-1 lead in shots on goal by Vermont, the game was scoreless during the first period.

The Lakers cycled the puck well on the power play during the opening minutes of the second period until Yvan Pattyn intercepted a pass in the neutral zone. Pattyn then sprung a streaking Jonathan Turk for a short-handed goal with 40 seconds remaining on the major penalty to Blanleil.

The goal for Turk was his third of the season and went down as the game-winning goal.

LSSU outshot the Catamounts 8-7 in the second period but trailed overall 21-9 in shots and 1-0 in the score column.

With just over a minute remaining in the third period Defiel exited his crease in favor of an extra attacker.

The Lakers appeared to get the tying goal from Mitch Hults with 45.7 seconds remaining but the officials waived off the goal.

After an official video review, the on-ice referees signaled that the goal would not count.

Packy Munson (2-2-0) held off a final rush by the Lakers to secure the second shutout of his career. Munson turned aside all 23 shots by LSSU.

Neither team converted on the power play with Vermont going 0-for-3 and LSSU unsuccessful in their only attempt and surrendering the shorthanded goal.

The Lakers face ECAC opponent Brown, who defeated Colgate 7-5 in the 4 p.m. game today, for just the third meeting the history of the two programs on Wednesday in the 4 p.m. game.

Both of the previous matchups between the LSSU and Brown were during holiday tournaments with the Lakers capturing a 5-1 victory in the first-ever meeting at the Western Michigan Hockey Classic in 1980. The last last time the teams met, Brown (3-7-3 overall, 2-5-2 ECAC) claimed victory a 6-4 win at the 1993 Dexter Shoe Classic in Orono, Maine.

[LSSULaker889294]

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

I think we could still win it. Depends upon what happens tomorrow in both games.

Obviously the Lakers have to win tomorrow and have Colgate beat Vermont. I would think goal differential would be the tiebreaker should there be teams tied with the same record. I am not sure what the next tiebreaker would be since it definitely possible all four teams could be 1-1 and have the same goal differential.

[Bill]

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

On another injury note, Bill C said that Zach Loesch had surgery and his playing days for the Lakers may be over.

[LakerBaker]

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

Here is a recap of last night's tough loss to Vermont, from the Burlington Free Press.

At Gutterson Fieldhouse, University of Vermont freshman goaltender Packy Munson is perfect: two games, two wins, two shutouts.

Munson followed up his 23-save collegiate debut against St. Lawrence with a tighter 23-save, 1-0 decision over Lake Superior in the evening game of the Catamount Cup on Tuesday.

In extending his Gutterson scoreless streak to 120 minutes, Munson received all the offensive support he needed when teammate Jonathan Turk spiked a 5-minute LSSU power play with a short-handed goal.

Then, in the final minute of regulation, when the Lakers had apparently turned pressure into Mitch Hults’ game-tying goal, referee Kevin Keenan quickly and emphatically waved off the tally, a call Keenan supported with an official video review.

That play evolved out of the Lakers’ desperation pressure with goaltender Gordon Defiel (29 saves) off ice for a sixth attacker. Munson went down, leaving the net open for Hults, who shot and celebrated while Keenan waved off the goal.

“I had kind of a not great pushover and I kind of bit my edge and I literally thought I fell,” Munon said. “I was pretty upset with myself and then the ref looked at me and said, ‘You just got kicked’ and I’m like, oh, okay.

“Then they went and looked at it again and they said it was a clear kick to the back of my foot. You don’t really think about it after it happens. You kind of work on the next shot and I think they had one more after that at,” Munson said.

The Catamounts (6-12-2) kept the pressure off Munson for the remaining 45 seconds, securing the win and the shutout.

“Twenty-three shots and one goal gets disallowed? I don’t think I ought to leave here,” said Munson as he continued his strong play in relief of injured goalie Mike Santaguida. “The first period you have one shot? That was outstanding especially coming off break. We didn’t give up much and when we did I was able to make a couple saves and we were able to get a really big win at home.”

Yet, other than Munson, UVM coach Kevin Sneddon was not impressed with the Catamounts’ return.

“I didn’t think we played very well tonight,” UVM coach Kevin Sneddon said. “I felt we had missing pieces all over the place. Out best line was probably the Turk line that gave us the most energy.

“We didn’t play physical enough. Our forecheck was non-existent. We let Lake State come up the ice pretty easy tonight. It was disappointing because it was more of a physicality approach to our game that coming off break we should be able to at least do that,” Sneddon said.

“We certainly had chances to make it more than a one-goal hockey game,” Sneddon said. “Packy again was our best player tonight. It was one of those games where you didn’t want it to be 1-0 because they’re just dangerous enough offensively and they almost did score with the extra attack.”

As in the SLU win, Munson did not face a shot in the game’s opening 10 minutes and had one save for the period. A late 5-minute elbowing major against Travis Blanleil gave the Lakers a power play that extended into the second, but Turk broke free for his short-handed tally at 3:19.

“(Yvan) Pattyn was doing a great job working on the boards. He got the clear. Luckily for me, their guy got a piece of it and it just seemed to open up for me and I was able to go down on a breakaway and get a good shot off,” Turk said.

“Packy played a great game so you can always expect one goal is going to do it but obviously we would like to get more than that just for the insurance,” Turk said. “We trust in him.”

UVM will play Colgate in Wednesday’s second game after Lake Superior meets Brown, which posted a 7-5 win over the Raiders in Tuesday’s first game.

I cannot wait to hear the Voice of the Lakers, Bill Crawford, with the call of today's game against Brown on the official home for Laker Hockey, www.yesfm.net around 3:30 p.m.

Bring home the trophy boys, ringy dingy!

[Mike Hutter]

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

Enjoying watching the brown game and as well the play by play audio of your guy. He is good!

[LSSULaker889294]

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

Great bounce back win by the Lakers. I believe we still have a chance to win the Catmount Cup depending on tonight's game. I think we need Colgate to win but by no more than three goals.

Great job by Kossoff. All three of his wins have been shutouts. We should call him Nick "Blank"off.

[Bill]

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

I thought the whole team played well. I got to watch today's game on the Catamount feed. The main thing that I thought they needed to clean up was back passes to the D in the offensive zone, and I think that did get better as the game went on.

[sm2pk]

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

It's odd. Last year the Lakers score only one goal and win the tournament and this year they only give up one goal and probably don't win the tournament.

[LSSULaker889294]

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

It's odd. Last year the Lakers score only one goal and win the tournament and this year they only give up one goal and probably don't win the tournament.

Nope. Vermont wins the game against Colgate and wins the Catmount Cup. The Lakers are the runner-ups with Brown finishing 3rd and Colgate 4th.

1) Vermont 2-0-0
2) LSSU 1-1-0
3) Brown 1-1-0
4) Colgate 0-2-0

Lakers win tiebreaker over Brown for better goal differential. Lakers had a +2 goal differential for the tournament compared to Brown's -1.

[Bill]

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

I wonder how serious Spratte's injury is. Sounded like he banged up his shoulder. We're getting a little thin at D.

[LSSULaker889294]

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

I wonder how serious Spratte's injury is. Sounded like he banged up his shoulder. We're getting a little thin at D.

I'm sure we'll find out on next week's Laker Hockey Show. I believe he injured his shoulder last season as well at North Dakota. Hopefully Headrick will be ready to go next weekend and Drapluk isn't too far away from returning.

[Laker Dude]

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

Enjoying watching the brown game and as well the play by play audio of your guy. He is good!

He has been broadcasting the Laker games for 30+/- years now, and will be greatly missed once he retires from broadcasting.