SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. - The Lake Superior State (LSSU) hockey program (15-18-1, 11-12-1 CCHA) closed out the regular season with a dominant 4-1 performance over the Ferris State Bulldogs (10-22-2, 6-17-1 CCHA) on Friday.

The Bulldogs were able to get on the board first as Drew Cooper managed to score the only goal of the opening period, but senior goaltender Ethan Langenegger (Kamloops, B.C.) was able to shake it off to maintain a clean sheet the rest of the way.

The Lakers would then explode in the second period as Connor Milburn (Kamloops, B.C.) emphatically announced his return with a goal in his first game back from the injury report after missing the previous two series after playing a two-man game with Hobey Baker nominee Jared Westcott (Imperial, Mo.) who picked up an assist on the play. Then, at the 5:02 mark, senior captain Artyom Borshyov (Vitebsk, Belarus) and Milburn were able to disrupt the play and get the puck ahead to Branden Piku (Harrison Twp., Mich.) who closed the deal, slotting home what would ultimately become the game-winner. However, Piku was not done yet as he took another pass from Milburn, completed a 360 degree turn to corral the puck, and proceeded to fire it between the legs of Bulldog goaltender Noah Giesbrecht.

John Herrington (Hudson's Hope, B.C.) would then tack on one more 12 seconds into a Laker power play midway through the third period for his third goal in as many games to close out a 4-1 win to close out the regular season.

The Lakers will now sit idle, awaiting the results of Saturday's games to determine who they will face in the opening round of the CCHA Mason Cup Playoffs.