Hockey team opens season with exhibition game Saturday

SAULT STE. MARIE - Lake Superior State, with several of its top scorers returning, is eager to showcase what it hopes will be a high-scoring offense in 2010-11. Saturday’s exhibition game against the Western Ontario Mustangs will be an important tune-up for next week’s Superior Cup, which includes home games against Michigan Tech and Minnesota-Duluth as part of Great Lake State Weekend festivities.

The Lakers and Mustangs meet at 7:05 p.m. in Taffy Abel Arena. LSSU is one of only three Central Collegiate Hockey Association teams playing Saturday. Ferris State plays host to the Ontario Institute of Technology, and Michigan takes on Mercyhurst. Northern Michigan, Western Michigan, Miami, Notre Dame and Michigan have exhibition games on Sunday. Alaska plays host to Windsor Thursday.

Senior forwards Rick Schofield (15-13--28) and Will Acton (10-14--24) were LSSU’s top two scorers last season, while sophomore forward Ben Power (3-15--18) was fourth on the team in points, and senior forward Chad Nehring (12-5--17) was fifth. Power ranked 10th in the CCHA in freshman scoring. Schofield, who was LSSU’s most-valuable player in 2009-10, tied for seventh nationally and second in the CCHA in game-winning goals with five. He has 34 goals and 35 assists through 105 collegiate games, totaling over 20 points a season for three straight years. Acton is a two-time most-improved player, so his potential seems to be unending, and Nehring is a power-play threat who hopes to have a healthy senior campaign.

LSSU ranked ninth in the CCHA in overall scoring offense (2.45 gpg) and 10th in scoring defense (3.11 gpg) in 2009-10. Their solid penalty killing unit ranked fifth at 84.3 percent.

Senior Brian Mahoney-Wilson will lead a goaltending corps that includes two rookies, Kevin Kapalka of the Vaughan Vipers and Niels-Erik Ravn of the Ottawa Junior Senators. Eight defensemen, led by seniors Matt Cowie and Dillin Stonehouse, are battling for six positions. Sophomore Zach Trotman (2-6--8) is the Lakers’ top-scoring returning defenseman. He was drafted by the Boston Bruins (seventh round) last summer.

Western Ontario is already 1-3-0, including 4-3 losses to the Czech Republic U-20 Team and Concordia (Que.), a 4-3 victory over Nipissing, and a 6-3 loss to McGill. The Mustangs head to Michigan following Saturday’s game and take on Michigan State on Oct. 8.

LSSU and UWO last met in 2007-08, and the teams tied, 3-3. It was Mahoney-Wilson’s collegiate debut, and he allowed three goals and made 10 saves through the first 30 minutes. Nehring, also a freshman at the time, tallied the game-tying goal at 16:14 of the third period. UWO is typically a team dominated by former Ontario Hockey League players. The Lakers have an all-time record of 12-2-1 against the Mustangs.

Notes: NCAA triple jump champion Jon Allen will be presented with his championship ring during first intermission of Saturday’s game…Schofield has been named captain for the 2010-11 season. Assistant captains are Nehring, Acton and Stonehouse.