SAULT STE. MARIE - Lake Superior State defeated Northern
Michigan 6-3 to record its second Central Collegiate Hockey
Association sweep in as many weeks and move up to fifth place in
the league standings heading into the holiday break.
The Lakers (10-7-3 overall, 7-6-1-0 CCHA), who have won
four straight and scored 16 goals in their last three
outings, are now seven goals up on the Wildcats in the race
for the Father Cappo Cup. These two teams face off twice more
this season to determine the total-goals winner.
LSSU started Game 2 of the series like Friday's game -- a
5-1 win -- by scoring two first-period goals. A power-play
goal scored by senior forward Zac MacVoy (4-12--16) from senior
defenseman Simon Gysbers (4-7--11) and junior defenseman Matt Cowie
(1-5--6) started off the first period scoring. Junior forward Will
Acton (5-7--12) netted a power-play goal at 10:28 on
assists from senior defense Steven Kaunisto (1-4--5) and
freshman defenseman Zach Trotman (0-3--3).
Wildcat goaltender Reid Ellingson stopped eight of 10
shots through the 10:28 mark when NMU (6-7-4
overall, 5-5-3-0 CCHA) changed netminders. NMU's Brian Stewart
saved 27 shots and allowed two goals in 48:22. LSSU closed out
the scoring with two empty-netters during a 35-second span late in
the third.
The Lakers scored the lone second-period goal at 9:17. Junior
forward Rick Schofield (9-9--18) netted a goal from Acton and
freshman Ben Power (2-8--10).
Northern Michigan scored two goals in just under three
minutes in the third to come within one goal of the Lakers, 3-2. At
3:33, Wildcat Jared Brown found the back of the net. NMU's second
goal, a short-handed goal, was scored by Brown and assisted by
Andrew Cherniwch and Erik Gustafsson.
LSSU answered with a short-handed goal from senior forward John
Scrymgeour (3-7--10), and Pat Aubry (1-5--6) and sophomore defender
Kyle Haines (0-3--3) drew the assists as LSSU regained a two-goal
lead.
The Wildcats' TJ Miller netted a goal from Mark Olver and Greger
Hanson to come within one of the Lakers, 4-3, at 12:17.
MacVoy scored an unassisted empty-net goal at 19:15 to make
it 5-3. Junior forward Chad Nehring (11-3--14) netted the
second empty net goal at 19:50 of the third. Nehring's empty-net
goal came from sophomore forward Fred Cassiani (4-7--11) and
junior defender Dillin Stonehouse (2-2--4).
LSSU was 2-for-6 on the power-play while holding NMU to
0-for-5. Lakers junior goaltender Brian Mahoney-Wilson stopped 28
shots in 59:54 of play.
The Lakers are off until their non-conference series at Robert
Morris Jan. 2-3.
Lake
Superior State University vs. Northern Michigan University
