The Lake Superior State hockey team recorded a thrilling 5-4 overtime win on Saturday, February 6 and a 4-3 overtime loss on Sunday, February 7 against the Northern Michigan Wildcats in a Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) action at the Taffy Abel Arena in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan.
For the second straight game, the Wildcats scored the first goal of the game as Andre Ghantous capitalized on a power play to give Northern Michigan a 1-0 lead at 1:53 of the period. Ghantous’ goal, which was assisted by Hank Sorenson and Alex Frye, beat Laker goaltender Ethan Langenegger in his first career start in goal.
The Lakers tied the game at one at 10:19 of the first period when junior defenseman Jacob Nordqvist scored his first goal of the season. After forwards Chase Gamelin and Benito Posa were battling for the puck in front of Northern Michigan goaltender Rico DiMatteo, Gamelin would circle through the offensive zone before connecting a pass to Nordqvist, who skated in from the blue line to take the shot. Nordqvist’s blast from the top of the circle went straight into the top corner of the Wildcat net to make it a 1-1 game.
After a scoreless second period, the Wildcats took back the lead exactly one minute into the third period. Northern’s AJ Vanderbeck would score his seventh goal of the season to put the Wildcats ahead 2-1. Vanderbeck added his second goal of the game at 13:27 of the third period to put the Wildcats ahead by two goals.
Down by two goals with just over a minute left in the game, the Lakers took advantage of the extra skater with Langenegger pulled to bring the game within a goal as Will Riedell scored. Riedell’s goal came off a long Laker possession in the NMU zone as the Lakers strong passing set up Riedell at the blue line to take the shot that beat DiMatteo. Riedell’s goal was assisted by Hampus Eriksson and Miroslav Mucha with 1:01 left to play.
With just over 12 seconds remaining in regulation, the Lakers tied the game when Pete Veillette scored his fifth goal of the season to tie the game at three. After keeping the puck in the offensive zone, Mucha and Riedell would last touch the puck leading up to Veillette firing a sharp angle shot on goal. Veillette’s shot hit off the post and redirected in off of a NMU player’s skate to beat DiMatteo.
In the five minute overtime, the Wildcats scored on a goal that was waived off due to a hand pass and after a lengthy review, the goal was waived off. Northern Michigan’s Vanderbeck would respond with a goal that stood at 3:54 of the extra frame to secure the win.
Langenegger finished the game with 22 saves while DiMatteo stopped 24 shots from the Lakers.
Despite the overtime loss, the Lakers still won the series season against the Wildcats as LSSU won the first three games. The Cappo Cup, the annual trophy presented to the winner of the Lake Superior State/Northern Michigan season series, was presented to the Lakers following the game by LSSU Director of Athletics Dr. David Paitson. The trophy will remain in Sault Ste. Marie for another year as the Lakers have won the Cappo Cup for the second straight year.
Game One (Saturday, February 6)
The two Upper Peninsula rivals played to a 1-1 score in the first period. Wildcat forward Joseph Nardi opened the game’s scoring with a goal at 4:06 after a rush through the neutral zone into the offensive zone. Nardi fired a quick wrist shot that beat Laker goaltender Seth Eisele on his glove side for a 1-0 NMU lead.
At 6:27 of the first period, junior forward Ashton Calder, the Lakers leading scorer, would even the game at one with his sixth goal of the season. Miroslav Mucha carried the puck through the neutral zone before banking a pass off the boards to freshman defenseman Jacob Bengtsson, who was skating on the wing. Bengtsson sent the puck towards Northern goaltender Nolan Kent, and Calder who was driving to the net on the play, tapped the puck across the goal line to tie the game at one.
The second period featured five goals in the first ten minutes of play with the Wildcats scoring three goals and the Lakers adding a pair.
Nardi added his second goal of the game after capitalizing on a two-on-one with Andre Ghantous only forty seconds into the second period to regain the lead.
With his first collegiate goal, freshman Benito Posa tied the game at two for the Lakers at the 4:53 mark of the second period. Posa and his linemates, Chase Gamelin and Alex Ambrosio, were hard on the forecheck in the Wildcat zone, and after winning the battle for the puck along the boards, Posa gained possession. Posa skated into the circle from the boards and sent a shot that would change direction on its way towards the NMU net, beating Kent to tie the game at two. Gamelin and Ambrosio each notched their first assists of the season on the goal.
Later in the second period, Northern Michigan would add two goals in just over a minute as Alex Frye added a power play goal and Griffin Loughran put the Wildcats ahead 4-2 with a goal at the 8:46 mark.
Mitchell Oliver brought the Lakers back within a goal of the Wildcats as he scored a power play goal for the Lakers at 9:16 of the second. Oliver, who has scored both his goals this season on the power play, was playing the point on the man advantage with forward Jack Jeffers. Jeffers received a pass from Yuki Miura and would then trade passes with Oliver along the blue line. Oliver’s shot from the point would make its way through traffic and beat Kent to cut the Wildcat lead to 4-3.
Sophomore Brandon Puricelli would tie the game with a power play goal for the Lakers at 9:31 of the third. After Jacob Nordqvist regained possession of the puck after the Wildcats tried to clear the zone, the junior defenseman would send a cross ice pass to Puricelli, who was stationed in the circle to the right of Kent. Puricelli would fire a puck on net that made its way through the screen to even the game at 4-4.
With under five minutes left in the third period, the Lakers had a flurry of quality chances with Puricelli, Calder and Oliver each recording a shot on goal. After the puck left the Wildcat zone, Miroslav Mucha prevented the Wildcats from an odd man rush as he dove to keep the puck away from the Northern skater.
After the first sixty minutes ended tied at four, the Lakers and Wildcats played a five minute three-on-three overtime period. In the closing seconds of overtime, Ashton Calder scored following an individual end-to-end rush up the ice, beating Kent with 3.2 seconds left in the game. Calder’s goal, which was unassisted, came off a wrist shot from the slot to give the Lakers the victory.
Eisele earned the win for the Lakers making 33 saves in the game while Kent finished the game with 28 shots from the Lakers in the game. Special teams played a role in the game with each team recording at least one power play goal and the Lakers recording two power play goals in the game.
Next weekend, the Lakers will go back on the road to match up against the Bowling Green Falcons in a pair of WCHA games. The opening game of the series is scheduled for Friday, February 12 at 7:07 p.m and the series will conclude on Saturday, February 13 at 7:07 p.m. Both games will be played at the Slater Family Ice Arena in Bowling Green, Ohio.
Source: LSSU Lakers Athletics
