Season tickets for 2011-12 Laker Hockey season go on sale July 1
SAULT STE. MARIE – Tickets go on sale July 1 for the 2011-12 Lake Superior State hockey season, and the 18-game home schedule includes a non-conference series with Bemidji State and exhibition games against Western Ontario and the U.S. National Team Development Program’s Under-18 squad.
The $165 season ticket package also includes three playoff games should the Lakers host a Central Collegiate Hockey Association first or second-round playoff series. Various packages for Friday only, Saturday only, students and “snowbirds” are also available. Contact the Norris Center Ticket Office, 906-635-2602, for details.
The Lakers open Oct. 1-2 at Alabama-Huntsville, take a week off, then play host to Michigan State during Great Lakes State Weekend, which is Oct. 14-15.
“Everyone is trying to help Alabama and get them some games,” noted LSSU coach Jim Roque. “But everybody wants them to come to their place. We’re happy to give them a couple home games.”
Former league commissioner Tom Anastos will make his CCHA head coaching debut against the Lakers. LSSU meets MSU, Miami and Northern Michigan four times in 2011-12. This season is the second of three straight years that the Lakers and powerhouse RedHawks are CCHA cluster rivals. Roque noted that MSU, Michigan and Ohio State will all play at LSSU in 2012-13, which is their final season as CCHA members. The “big three” head to the Big Ten Conference in 2013-14.
“It’s great to have Bemidji back,” said Roque, whose team last played the Beavers for the Mason-Peters Cup in December, 2005. “We’re trying to keep it going year-in and year-out. When they made the transition to the WCHA, we couldn’t get it going right away.”
LSSU scheduled a holiday exhibition game on Jan. 2 against Western Ontario and plays host to the U.S. National Team Development Program’s Under-18 team on Feb. 3.
“The USA game works out great because we had a week off before we went to Alaska,” Roque said. “It’s always hard for them to get games against college teams later in the year, but now that we have an odd number of teams in our league it works.”
Other holiday events include a Thanksgiving CCHA home series against Notre Dame and the Vermont Tournament Dec. 29-30. RIT and Ferris State will also play in Burlington, Vt. LSSU and Vermont last met in 2001-02.
LSSU also plays CCHA home series against Bowling Green State, Ohio State and Western Michigan.
