LSSU is on the road to take on the Falcons of Bowling Green
SAULT STE. MARIE - Lake Superior State and Bowling Green State, two Central Collegiate Hockey Association rivals that have combined to play five straight overtime games during the past two weeks, will meet this weekend in Bowling Green, Ohio.
LSSU (6-7-3 overall, 3-6-1-0 CCHA) plays the Falcons (2-10-2 overall, 2-6-2-2 CCHA) at 7:05 p.m. Friday and 5:05 p.m. Saturday at BGSU Ice Arena. Both games will be broadcast live on Yes-FM 99.5 will a live audio feed on www.yesfm.net.
After losing three straight shootouts, LSSU's all-time shootout record (comprising two seasons) is 1-10. The Lakers' lone shootout victory was against Bowling Green State on Nov. 8, 2008.
Bowling Green State, which is ranked 12th in the CCHA in overall goals-for and goals-against, is 2-0 in shootouts this season, including last Saturday's victory over No. 14 Notre Dame. The Falcons lost 2-1 to the Irish last Friday.
Since February of 2003, the Lakers are 10-8-3 against the Falcons. All of LSSU's victories were by two or more goals, and seven of the 10 wins occurred in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.
Last season, cluster opponent BGSU traveled to Sault Ste. Marie and lost, 2-0, and tied, 4-4 in overtime. The Lakers split with the Falcons in Bowling Green, losing 4-3 and winning, 8-4.
Eight returning Lakers accounted for nine of the 17 goals LSSU scored against BGSU last season. Junior forward Rick Schofield led the way with two power-play goals.
With the game-tying power-play goal during Saturday's 2-2 tie against Bentley, junior forward Chad Nehring (9-3-12) is tied first in the CCHA overall with six power-play goals. Three of those power-play goals were scored against league opponents. Nehring and Schofield (5-7-12) lead the Lakers in points.
Last Friday's 0-0 tie against Union was the Lakers' first scoreless tie since the 2003-04 when it happened twice against BGSU. It was LSSU goaltender Brian Mahoney-Wilson's second shutout of the season.
BGSU freshman Jordan Samuels-Thomas (6-8-14) is tied for sixth in the CCHA in points. Thomas and Nehring are both tied for fifth in CCHA goal scoring. Samuels-Thomas, who had a goal and an assist last Saturday against the Irish, is ranked third overall among CCHA freshman in points and is 2-for-2 in shootouts this season.
The Lakers return home Dec. 11-12 to face off against Northern Michigan at 7:05 p.m. at Taffy Abel Arena.
