Lakers return home to face Nanooks

SAULT STE. MARIE - After snapping its six-game winless streak with last weekend's split at Nebraska-Omaha, the Lake Superior State hockey team now hopes to reverse its home ice fortunes.

The Lakers play host to 10^th-ranked Alaska in their only home hockey series during the month of November. The teams play at 7:05 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Taffy Abel Arena. The Lakers are 3-3-0 on home ice this season after dropping three straight at home at the end of October.

LSSU (5-6-1 overall, 2-5-1-0 Central Collegiate Hockey Association) avenged Friday's 4-0 loss with a 3-1 victory Saturday in Omaha, Neb. Alaska (7-2-1 overall, 4-2-0 CCHA), which is one of the Lakers' cluster opponents in 2009-10, split at Bowling Green State over the weekend, losing 3-1 Friday and winning 5-3 Saturday. It was the Nanooks' first road series of the season.

Lake Superior leads the overall series against Alaska, 23-11-5. In the last 10 meetings between these teams, the Nanooks are 2-4-4. Alaska's four losses have all be at the Taffy Abel Arena, but the Nanooks won a shootout and claimed a 4-1 win to take four points from the Lakers during a Thanksgiving series in Fairbanks in 2008-09. Alaska returns four of its five goal scorers from last season's match-up with the Lakers.

Despite being shut out last weekend, LSSU junior Chad Nehring remains a CCHA co-leader in goals scored with five, and senior Zac MacVoy is tied for second in assists with five (against league opponents). Overall, Nehring (7-3-10) and MacVoy (2-8-10) are tied for eighth in points. Nehring leads the CCHA in power-play goals with five.

Alaska is led in scoring by senior Dion Knelson (5-6-11), who scored two goals Saturday at BGSU, and freshman Andy Taranto (3-7-10). Nanooks sophomore goaltender Scott Greenham has the league's fourth-ranked goals-against average of 1.68.

In honor of last week's Veteran's Day and this week's deployment of the National Guard 1437th Multi-Role Bridge Company Second Platoon, the Lakers will be honoring service men and women at Friday night's game. All former or active military, and families of the 1437th will receive free admission Friday. Those on active duty must present a military identification card. Veterans must also show proof of their military status, such as a VFW membership card, dog tag, old I.D. card, etc.

Both games will be broadcast live on Yes-FM 99.5 with a free audio feed on www.yesfm.net. A pay-per-view video feed is available on the B2 Network. The Laker Hockey Pre-game Show will be broadcast on WKNW 1400 AM beginning at 6:05 p.m.