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Herrington clashing with Lindenwood
Eric Morford

Men's Ice Hockey Matt Pocket

Hockey: Dominant 6-2 Win at USNTDP

Hunter Ramos scored a goal and added two assists, while Everett Pietila, Sam Belanger and Luke Antonacci all scored their first goals wearing the anchor as Lake Superior State brushed aside the US Under-18s, 6-2 on Friday night.

The Lakers (2-2, 0-0 CCHA) brought an undeniable quality to the game at Plymouth, MI's USA Hockey Arena, outshooting the Americans 33-21 and driving the play consistently. It was a strong bounce-back after last weekend's defeats to Lindenwood.

"We had a good response from the team," said Laker head coach Damon Whitten. "Guys came out, played the right way and got rewarded. They turned a close, tight hockey game into a good win. I'm happy with how they responded."

Ramos' goal at 10:36 of the third period perfectly encompassed his game. Wheeling through the neutral zone, he drove from just outside his own blue line, knifing through the defenders and putting a shot on target. The puck skittered around the USA goal mouth, banking off the skate of William Ahlrik, before finding Ramos. He'd circled the goal after his shot, exiting next to the right post, in perfect position to grab the puck and easily send it home. That goal put the game well out of reach, as the Lakers took a 5-1 lead. Ramos' skill, speed and skating impressed the Laker coaches during the recruiting process, and they're very pleased with how rapidly he's adjusted to the college game.

"We're really pleased with the way Hunter's played since he arrived on campus," said Whitten. "I've actually seen him play in this building quite a bit, he's always been really effective against the national team, and it's just another night of him doing what we expect from him at this point."

Ramos played a big role in the prior goal, too. A great breakout pass found Reagan Milburn just inside the US blue line. The junior took a hit to make a pass, sizzling the puck toward the front of the goal. Ramos snatched it, quickly turning a shot on goal. While it was knocked away, the puck landed in the low slot, and sophomore Wilson Dahlheimer crashed the net to bank it home at 8:29 of the third. Whitten had plenty of praise for the second-year player from Monticello, MN.

"I think with him, it comes from his habits. He plays the game the right way. He's tenacious, he's above pucks, he's going to go into the dirty areas to defend them and to try to get rewarded offensively. That's what you saw here tonight on his goal. He comes in and cleans up a rebound. It takes toughness to go to those areas. Wilson's done a really good job with that. We really rely on him in a lot of situations."

The game remained scoreless after 20 minutes. But the Lakers broke out in a big way in the second period. Early goals from Everett Pietila and Sam Belanger put LSSU in front, a lead the Lakers never relinquished. USA picked up a goal midway through the second period on a breakout at the end of a powerplay. The US Under-18s dumped the puck as time expired on their penalty kill, and Sammy Nelson, just out of the penalty box, dove to prevent an icing. He held the puck up and laid it off to Mikey Berchild, who raced in and scored.

But the Lakers answered less than two minutes later with Antonacci's first. The Lakers passed the puck very well, finding him at the top of the right circle. With a defender closing hard, he baited the man inside, shifted outside, drove toward the dot and let a laser go for his first LSSU goal. Calem Mangone continues his hot start at LSSU, scoring the Lakers final goal in the third period.

Defensively, the Lakers showed up with a stout performance. Rorke Applebee faced just 14 shots in 40 minutes of work, while Adam Manji faced just seven in the final 20 minutes of the game. The Lakers clogged up the lane, keeping most of those 21 shots from the perimeter. When called upon, the goaltending was excellent.

"One of the turning points of the night was Manji's save on the penalty kill," Whitten said. "They had a great pass on the royal road. The whole building thought they were going to score and Adam Manji makes a huge toe save to keep it 3-1 and we score a little bit later to create that separation."

On Saturday, the Lakers face Simon Fraser at 3:30 PM from USA Hockey Arena. Fans can watch the game for free at USAHockeyTV.com, or listen live locally on 99.5 YES FM. Last year, the two teams slugged each other around en route to a thoroughly entertaining 4-1 win. Coming in from Burnaby, BC, the Red Leafs are NCAA Division II members - the only non-US NCAA member school. They schedule Division I opposition yearly while competing in the BCIHL, but have previously announced intentions to join the NCAA Division I hockey ranks. Whitten knows, all of that aside, the Red Leafs are coming to play tomorrow.

"They're going to play tough. This is a program working to join the NCAA. They've been recruiting like that for a few years, so their talent is improving. They had a tough overtime loss with Ferris today. We're going to turn around with short rest, and they're going to be sitting there waiting for us. We need to play to the Lakers standard that will help us be successful."
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Players Mentioned

William Ahlrik

#41 William Ahlrik

F
6' 0"
Sophomore
Oklahoma (NAHL)
Rorke Applebee

#33 Rorke Applebee

G
6' 0"
Sophomore
West Kelowna (BCHL)
Wilson Dahlheimer

#13 Wilson Dahlheimer

F
5' 10"
Sophomore
Muskegon (USHL)
Reagan Milburn

#22 Reagan Milburn

F
5' 11"
Junior
Vernon (BCHL)
Everett Pietila

#18 Everett Pietila

F
5' 9"
Sophomore
Wisconsin (NAHL)
Adam Manji

#73 Adam Manji

G
6' 5"
Sophomore
Hunter Ramos

#28 Hunter Ramos

F
5' 9"
Freshman
Calem Mangone

#7 Calem Mangone

F
5' 9"
Freshman
Luke Antonacci

#4 Luke Antonacci

D
5' 8"
Senior

Players Mentioned

William Ahlrik

#41 William Ahlrik

6' 0"
Sophomore
Oklahoma (NAHL)
F
Rorke Applebee

#33 Rorke Applebee

6' 0"
Sophomore
West Kelowna (BCHL)
G
Wilson Dahlheimer

#13 Wilson Dahlheimer

5' 10"
Sophomore
Muskegon (USHL)
F
Reagan Milburn

#22 Reagan Milburn

5' 11"
Junior
Vernon (BCHL)
F
Everett Pietila

#18 Everett Pietila

5' 9"
Sophomore
Wisconsin (NAHL)
F
Adam Manji

#73 Adam Manji

6' 5"
Sophomore
G
Hunter Ramos

#28 Hunter Ramos

5' 9"
Freshman
F
Calem Mangone

#7 Calem Mangone

5' 9"
Freshman
F
Luke Antonacci

#4 Luke Antonacci

5' 8"
Senior
D