After two weeks off, the Lake Superior State Lakers hockey team returned to Western Collegiate Hockey Association action on Saturday night.
The team had two series postponed due to COVID-19 testing results within the program before returning to action Saturday night with a 5-4 overtime win over the Northern Michigan Wildcats at Taffy Abel Arena.
Junior forward Ashton Calder scored the overtime winner with 3.2 seconds to go in the extra frame to give the Lakers the victory.
Calder skated into the Wildcats zone and beat junior goaltender Nolan Kent stick side through a defender to cap off the Lakers comeback.
Calder finished the night with a pair of goals for the Lakers, who improve their conference record to 1-2-0 with the victory.
“Ashton Calder is one of those guys whose eyes just light up when it’s three-on-three or when he knows there’s and time and space to score a goal,” said Lakers assistant coach Zack Cisek in an interview on the Lakers radio broadcast on YesFM following the game.
Sophomore goaltender Seth Eisele got the start for the Lakers in the absence of senior Mareks Mittens, who was out of the lineup.
Eisele finished the night with 29 saves in the victory.
“He was maybe a little nervous to start there,” Cisek said. “He made some critical saves late in the second (period) and again in the third period when we were down one and when we were tied.”
In addition to Mittens, the Lakers played the game without two other veterans in senior defenceman Lukas Kaelble and sophomore forward Louis Boudon.
Lakers coach Damon Whitten was also not with the team for Saturday’s game. Cisek and fellow assistant coach Mike York ran the Lakers bench in Whitten’s absence.
The Lakers never led in the contest.
Northern opened the scoring in the game and held leads of 1-0, 2-1, and 4-2 in the contest.
Freshman forward Benito Posa, sophomore forward Brandon Puricelli, and junior defenceman Mitchell Oliver also scored for Lake State.
Posa’s goal, which came just under five minutes into the second period, was his first collegiate marker.
Northern Michigan’s top line of senior Joseph Nardi, junior Griffin Loughran, and sophomore forward Andre Ghantous combined for nine points in the loss.
Ghantous had four assists while Nardi chipped in with two goals and an assist and Loughran had a goal and an assist in the game.
Sophomore forward Alex Frye had the other goal for the Wildcats.
Kent made 23 saves.
In addition to getting the Lakers into the win column in conference action, Saturday’s victory improves the Lakers overall record to 7-3-3 (win-loss-tie).
The two teams will wrap up weekend action on Sunday in a 3 p.m. start at Taffy Abel Arena.