With their sights set on earning their way into the NCAA tournament, the Lake Superior State Lakers hockey team took a step toward that goal this weekend.
That step came thanks to a sweep of its first round Western Collegiate Hockey Association playoff series against the Alabama-Huntsville Chargers at Taffy Abel Arena.
The Lakers opened the series with a 6-1 victory on Friday night.
A 2-0 lead through 20 minutes and a quick bounce back after a Chargers goal early in the second period lifted the Lakers to the opening game win.
Junior forward Pete Veillette opened the scoring for the Lakers 3:14 into the contest when he found himself in close and beat Chargers sophomore goaltender David Fessenden on a one-timer.
Lake State went ahead by a pair when sophomore forward Brandon Puricelli beat Fessenden with a shot from the right faceoff circle short (glove) side through a screen by freshman forward Benito Posa at the top of the crease.
With a two-man advantage early in the second period, Alabama-Huntsville got on the board thanks to a goal by sophomore defenceman Lucas Bahn.
Bahn beat senior Lakers goaltender Mareks Mitens stick side 1:35 into the frame to make the score 2-1.
Off the ensuing faceoff, the Lakers restored the two-goal lead.
Veillette picked up his second goal of the night when he took a turnover by Chargers junior defenceman Drew Lennon just inside the Alabama-Huntsville blueline and beat Fessenden stick side six seconds after the Bahn goal.
Senior defenceman Lukas Kaelble extended the lead at 13:50 with a point shot that appeared to hit something on its way to the goal.
Just under three minutes later, senior forward Alex Ambrosio made it 5-1 Lakers as he deflected a point shot by junior defenceman Jacob Nordqvist past Fessenden.
The goal ended Fessenden’s night.
Junior forward Miroslav Mucha capped off the scoring for the Lakers, beating freshman goaltender Derek Krall with a backhand stick side from the slot to make it 6-1 with 1:20 to go in the second period.
Mitens made 10 saves for the Lakers in two periods of work. Freshman goaltender Ethan Langenegger played the final 20 minutes and stopped all three shots he faced.
Fessenden made 14 saves for Alabama-Huntsville while Krall made seven saves in just under 24 minutes of work.
“It was a really consistent effort,” coach Damon Whitten said in an interview on the Lakers radio broadcast on YesFM following the game. “Even though the score grew, we didn’t start cheating and getting on the wrong side of pucks. We stayed above pucks. We played heavy and managed pucks pretty well most of the night.”
On Saturday, a three-goal second period lifted the Lakers to the sweep with a 4-1 win.
After a scoreless opening period, sophomore forward Louis Boudon opened the scoring for Lake State with a power play goal 18 seconds into the second period.
Boudon drove the net and redirected a feed from junior forward Jack Jeffers past Fessenden to get the Lakers on the board.
Senior defenceman Will Riedell extended the lead at 7:15 with another power play goal for Lake State.
The goal came as Fessenden made an initial stop on Posa with the rebound making its way to Riedell in the left circle and the veteran potted it stick side for a 2-0 lead.
Senior forward Hampus Eriksson made it 3-0 just over three minutes later when he deflected a point shot by junior defenceman Mitchell Oliver past Fessenden at 10:25.
Puricelli capped off the scoring with his second goal of the series at 13:20 of the third period.
Alabama-Huntsville broke the shutout bid of sophomore Lakers goaltender Seth Eisele with 2:12 to go in regulation when freshman defenceman Mick Heneghan scored from the high slot.
Eisele made 16 saves for the Lakers.
In speaking on the Lakers radio broadcast after Saturday’s win, Whitten credited Eisele in what wasn’t a very busy night for the second year netminder.
“He didn’t have to do a ton, but you have to make those timely saves,” Whitten said of Eisele in Saturday’s win.
At the other end, Fessenden made 31 saves for the Chargers.
With the sweep, the Lakers have advanced to the WCHA semifinals, which will be hosted next weekend by Minnesota State.