By Linda Bouvet, LSSU Sports Information Director

Sophomore Kelin Ainsworth characterizes himself as a “playmaking forward,” one who creates and cashes in on scoring opportunities, but he is learning to diversify his role. During the past year and a half he has dedicated himself to multiple aspects of the game in order to be successful in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association.

“In this league you can't just be a playmaker,” said Ainsworth, who went from being the Traverse City North Stars' No. 3 scorer in 2010-11 to not playing a game in 2011-12. “Every day it's about working on your defensive game. You don't want to be scored on. I take pride in my defensive zone coverage. If I chip in (with points), that's a bonus for me…My main focus is to play well all over the ice.”

After watching Lake Superior State's games from the stands last season, the 5-10, 180-pound forward from Thunder Bay, Ontario, finally cracked the Lakers' lineup during this season's second game at Bemidji State. He has appeared in 13 of their last 15 games and has scored two goals.

“I worked out all summer and worked hard,” Ainsworth said. “It's definitely good to be out there with the guys. I knew I could play here. I needed to put in the time and effort to be physically ready and mentally know the systems. It's nice to be in the lineup now for sure…I love the game part of hockey, and that was tough, not being out there with the guys. You miss out on a lot. But I knew if I put in my time, time in the gym, it would all pan out in the end and be worth it. Fight through it, don't complain about not playing and with enough hard work you'll be rewarded.”

Earlier this season, Ainsworth was paired with former Traverse City North Stars teammate Dan Radke and captain Domenic Monardo. He also played on a line with junior Kellan Lain and senior Ben Power.

“I think that he has most improved in being mentally tough,” Radke said. “In Traverse City he was one of the top six forwards and never had to worry about cracking the lineup. He knew he would be playing every night. Last year as a freshman I know that it was hard to play only the one exhibition game against Western Ontario, but he kept at it and kept working hard. I think this year he really made the most of the opportunity that Coach Roque gave him early on and hasn't looked back. I got a chance to play with him a lot in TC and he is still one of my favorite guys to have on my wing. We seem to click pretty well and I think a lot of it has to do with playing together for that season.”

“Kelin has worked hard to get into the lineup this season and has more-importantly found success,” Power said. “Last season I'm sure wasn't easy, as he didn't see much playing time. As a teammate I never saw his enthusiasm break. He always had a smile around the rink and gets along with all of his teammates. I'm not surprised to see him doing well. He's a smooth skater, slick with the puck and has a good work ethic. He obviously took last year as an opportunity to learn and grow as a player because he is showing improvements week to week. He has picked up the systems and overall pace of the game well.”

Last weekend at Miami, Ainsworth was paired with Lain and Monardo.

“Kelin has been great this year,” Lain said. “He's shown a lot of resilience and has grown a lot from last year. It just shows the type of person and teammate he is. He's always positive and always puts the team first. I've enjoyed playing with him over the last few weekends. We've developed some good chemistry. He has good skill and has good vision on the ice. He worked extremely hard over the summer and came in this year in great shape, and showing how much he wanted to play and help the team.”

All four teammates have helped Ainsworth build confidence as he has accumulated more game experience.

“Radke is great because he sees the ice so well,” Ainsworth said. “I played with him in Traverse City, and we have a great connection. “Monardo obviously makes things happen out there. He such a great physical player. Lain makes such an impact in the middle and makes so much stuff happen down low. He's one of the best in the league and knows what he's doing. Benny and Monardo are both creative players.”

The Ainsworth-Lain-Power line was together for three games and notched a goal in both games against Notre Dame.

“My confidence level every game kind of goes up a little bit,” Ainsworth said. “My first game I thought I played well, but I was still jittery. I had to get the nerves out from the first game. My confidence has gone up every game. And the other thing is all year I've played with great players – older guys who are a big part of the team. No matter what the situation is, that is going to help me. Both centers, Lain and Radke, make it easier to play along the wall. Monardo and Power, and the two juniors are mature and successful in this league and are helping me ease into the lineup.”

Every Laker appreciates the value of having good teammates, but players who have faced the most tribulation tend to lean on them more.

“I think that it's important to fit in on the team and have everyone on the same page,” Ainsworth said. “No one is better than anyone else…We talk about it almost every game – helping the guy next to you. A good team game will result in individual rewards along the way. A team game will help us all in the end.”

Ainsworth described his rookie collegiate season as an “eye opener” and realized he needed to be better prepared for the game's physical demands. He trained on and off-ice last summer in his hometown with other collegiate and professional players, and the work paid off.

“In juniors I didn't really see it,” he said. “I'm playing with men out here. It was an eye opener to see how strong, how fit and how physically demanding this league is.”

Ainsworth admitted that there's more work to do, but now he understands that he's being held to a “certain standard.”

“You can never really work out enough,” he said. “You can always get better. I realized what it's all about. I've got to make the most of my time here. I can't think about anything in advance. I'm just happy to be playing, and every shift I need to do my best to stay in the lineup. I need to get all of the chances I can to play in this league.”

The Lakers have returned home after playing in the two of the league's most-challenging environments – Notre Dame's Carlson Center and Miami's Cady Arena.

“We need to do everything we can to help each other on the ice and come up with some wins,” Ainsworth said.