Lakers sink during Pink in the Rink

By Michael David/Lake Superior State Beat Writer

The Robert Morris Colonials gave the Lake Superior State Lakers all they could handle over the weekend. The Lakers held on to take game one on Friday 3-1, but lost 4-3 in the final minute of Saturday's game.

Friday night the Lakers came out and dominated the first period. Freshman Fred Cassiani scored the Lakers first goal with Josh Sim and Troy Schwab getting the assists. Sim would then score a goal of his own to put Lake State up 2-0. Will Acton and Steven Kaunisto were credited with the helpers. The Lakers out-shot RMU 25-4 in the period.

The Colonials would come back in a big way, though, and Lake State would only get nine more shots the entire game. RMU would make it a one goal game early in the third, and Laker netminder Brian Mahoney-Wilson kept his team in front, even stopping a break away in the final minutes. Schwab would secure the win with an empty net marker. Mahoney-Wilson made 34 saves in the game.

Saturday night the Lakers would draw first blood again, when Dan Barczuk scored to put the Lakers up 1-0 in the first period. Steven Olesky and Chad Nehring would get the assists. With the game tied 1-1 going into the second period, RMU would score it's third unanswered goal to go up 3-1. The Lakers would score to cut the lead to one, when Cassiani found the back of the net in the final minute of the period. Sim and Simon Gysbers assisted on Cassiani's goal.

The Lakers came out hard in the third period, but wouldn't find the net until Nathan Perkovich scored with 56 seconds left in the game to tie the game three all. Kaunisto and Gysbers assisted on Perkovich's goal. The Lakers celebration was short lived, however, as a defensive break down gave the Colonials the game winner that beat Mahoney-Wilson. BMW had 26 saves in the loss.

The Lakers had two goals called back during the game, while RMU's third goal was allowed to stand despite being apparently kicked into the net.

The Lakers were wearing special pink jerseys over the weekend to help raise money to for cancer research. Special prizes were raffled off and the jerseys were sold in a silent auction.

LSSU will travel to Alaska to take on the Nanooks over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.