By LINDA BOUVET, LSSU Sports Information

Ask junior forward Dan Barczuk what drew him to Lake Superior State, and he unequivocally answers “tradition.”

The Livonia, Mich., native is not unlike many Detroit area hockey players who came from a tradition-packed program and grew up knowing something about LSSU's rich hockey history.

“The tradition here is awesome,” Barczuk said. “It's the biggest selling point in coming here. The victory bell is a great tradition. The small-town atmosphere fits into my view of hockey. I like the close relationship with the fans.”

It's fitting that Barczuk, who appreciates the Lakers' legacy to college hockey, has a role in building new traditions, including involvement in the successful Pink in the Rink and other community projects.

“I played juniors in small towns like Cedar Rapids (Iowa), which is a close fan-based community,” he said. “Lincoln, Neb., wasn't that small, but they had no professional teams, so they viewed us as their pro team. We had a close relationship with those fans too. Then I played two years in Columbus (Ohio), and that was a huge town. We actually played at Nationwide Arena and were affiliated with the pro team.”

Prior to joining the juniors circuit, Barczuk played three seasons at Detroit Catholic Central High School, which has a storied high school hockey tradition. He played in two high school state championships and won a title as a junior.

“I was approached by Coach Roque during my second year of juniors. He was always watching (Steven) Kaunisto and (Nik) Sellers at Cedar Rapids,” Barczuk said. “It was my first college offer, and there was nowhere else I wanted to play. I always told my parents I wanted to play here. When they won in 1994, I was just getting into hockey and understood what a national championship was. When I first started playing, LSSU was the big thing college-hockey wise.”

Barczuk enjoyed a stellar rookie season two years ago, totaling five goals and seven assists and leading rookies in plus-minus. His scoring plummeted to two goals and one assist in 2009-10. He entered 2010-11 with renewed confidence after a good summer of strength training and conditioning. On a scale of 1 to 10, he rates himself a 10 in improved strength and confidence.

“I feel good,” said Barczuk, who has one assist through the Lakers' first five games. “Coach Roque told me some things I needed to work on. I feel that I've improved all those aspects and have gotten a lot stronger. I've got my head on right. Last year I had no confidence. The penalties were getting to me and got me off my game. I need to stay out of the box and have confidence in order to have the year I need to have.”

Barczuk has been the veteran forward on his lines this season. Two fellow Detroit natives helped him most with his acclimation to college hockey.

“Coming in, I knew Zac MacVoy and Nathan Perkovich,” Barczuk said. “MacVoy grew up playing with my brother (Chris) and I've known him since I was 12. They won a national championship together. Perkovich also played at Catholic Central. Knowing some of those guys was another big reason for choosing Lake Superior. They helped me more with the positional game, adjusting to the speed and being patient with the puck. Perkovich always told me to 'shoot any chance you get, because you won't get a lot of shots.'”

Now Barczuk passes the same advice to the freshmen.

“I'm telling (linemate Kyle Jean) to just do the little things to start out,” he said. “Keep things simple and try to not over-think the play. It's the same things that Perk and MacVoy told me. Pass the knowledge down. Perk obviously knew what he was doing. He's playing pro hockey now. I tell the guys to always stay positive. Once you get down on yourself, you start making more mistakes. And when you're a freshman, you're going to make mistakes.”

LSSU's improved goal-scoring ability is evident as the Lakers are averaging 3.0 goals per game this season and are ranked sixth in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association in scoring. Barczuk said the Lakers have what it takes to get to Joe Louis Arena (for the CCHA Playoffs).

“We're all on board,” he said. “Our common goal is to get to Joe Louis. All of the freshmen are really excited. Once we get it all clicking together, we're going to be a great team. It's going to be tough to beat us.”