Lakers Take Three Points From Bulldogs

By Mike Burrill/LSSU Beat Writer

The Lake Superior State Lakers were taken to the limit over the weekend by the Ferris State Bulldogs, sqeaking out a 3-2 win on Friday and skating to a 1-1 tie on Saturday.

On Friday, the Lakers put on a strong defensive effort, shutting out FSU for the last two periods. Going down 1-0 in the first, Josh Sim would tie the game at the 5:00 mark, on a nice goal assisted by Zac MacVoy and Troy Schwab. Pat Aubry then gave the Lakers the lead just a 1:13 later, putting away his third of the year set up by Dan Eves and Chad Nehring. The Bulldogs would tie things up again at two all to end the first period.

It only took LSSU 1:36 into the second period to tally the game winner by MacVoy on the power-play. Will Acton and Simon Gysbers would draw the assists. The rest of the game was a defensive stalemate.

Laker netminder Brian Mahoney-Wilson made 21 saves in the game, including 11 in the third period. Lake State went 1-8 on the power-play, while Ferris went 0-3.

Saturday night was a battle between two hot goaltenders. The Lakers Pat Inglis and the Bulldogs Mitch O'Keefe put on quite a show for the rabid fans at Taffy Abel Arena. Inglis played his best game of the season, making 36 saves on night. He was key in the second period when the Lakers were steadily being sent to the penalty box by referee Matt Shegos. He would make 15 second period saves, 11 in the third, and five in overtime. O'Keefe made 23 saves, and kept the Lakers off the board on the power-play in overtime.

Sault Ste. Marie native Jason Blain scored his first goal of the year, and the only Laker goal of the game in the first period. His goal was a nice deflection on a shot by Nathan Perkovich, who would earn the only assist.

Next weekend, the Laker travel to Kalamazoo, where they hope to keep Western Michigan in the CCHA cellar.