SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. - The Lake Superior State hockey team earned a 3-2 win over the Northern Michigan Wildcats in the second game of the best-of-three Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) Mason Cup Quarterfinals on Saturday, March 5 at the Taffy Abel Arena in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. to force a decisive third game. 

Senior forward Miroslav Mucha, junior forward Brandon Puricelli, and freshman forward Timo Bakos scored the three goals in the game for the Lakers while sophomore goaltender Ethan Langenegger made 27 saves in his first career playoff win. 

The Lakers opened the game's scoring at 10:15 of the first period when Mucha scored his 10th goal of the season with a power play goal. With the Lakers power play unit set up in the offensive zone, sophomore defenseman Jacob Bengtsson slid a pass from the blue line to Boudon, who was stationed in the faceoff circle to the left on NMU goaltender Charlie Glockner. Boudon held the puck near the faceoff dot before connecting a perfect pass to Mucha, who redirected the puck by the Wildcats goalie for a 1-0 lead. 

The Lakers took the one-goal lead into the second period but Northern Michigan tied the game at one with a power play goal of their own when Alex Frye scored at the 9:54 mark of the second. Frye's goal was assisted by Andre Ghantous and Trevor Cosgrove. 

At 16:29 of the second period, the Lakers broke the 1-1 tie when Puricelli extended his goal streak to four games with his 12th goal of the season. Lake Superior had an abbreviated power play opportunity after a four-on-four ended. The play started with an offensive zone faceoff win in the offensive zone by Boudon and the puck eventually made its way to Bengtsson, who recorded the secondary assist on the play. Bengtsson, who was playing the point, slid a pass to Boudon, who was set up in the faceoff circle. Puricelli capped off a strong shift on the power play as he deflected Boudon's pass by Glockner to score the go-ahead goal for the Lakers to take the 2-1 lead. 

With under two minutes remaining in the second period, Bakos scored the eventual game winning goal as he gave the Lakers a 3-1 lead. Junior forward Logan Jenuwine sent a pass across the ice to junior defenseman Jake Willets. Willets fired a low wrist shot towards the goal that was tipped in by Bakos. Bakos' deflection went high up into the net and lodged into the netting to give the Lakers a two-goal lead heading into the final period of play. 

In the third period, the Wildcats came within a goal of the Lakers when AJ Vanderbeck scored to make it a 3-2 game at 9:14 of the period. Ben Newhouse and Hank Crone tallied the assists on the goal. 

As the final period played on, the Lakers held off the Wildcats to secure the game two win. Langenegger stopped seven shots in the third period, and finished the night with 27 saves in his first career playoff win. Glockner finished the game with 24 saves against the Lakers. 

With a pair of assists in the game, Boudon now has 42 points and has totaled the most points in a single season by a Laker since Joe Blaznek posted 46 points during the 1996-97 season. In addition, Boudon's 27 assists this season is the most by a Laker in a single season since 1996-97 when Bates Battaglia recorded the same amount. 

Bengtsson also posted a multi-point game with two assists for the Lakers. With two more points for the defenseman, Bengtsson has posted the most points by a Laker defenseman in a single season since Derek A. Smith in 2006-07 (10-20-30). Bengtsson's 23 assists are the most in a season by a Laker defenseman since Keith Aldrige posted 36 during the 1995-96 season.

The winner of the best-of-three Mason Cup Quarterfinal series between the No. 4 Lakers and the No. 5 seeded Northern Michigan Wildcats will be decided tomorrow night Sunday, March 6 at 6:07 p.m. at the Taffy Abel Arena in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. 

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