Branden Piku scored twice, and Lake Superior State capped off a great weekend in Plymouth, MI with a 3-2 win over the Simon Fraser Red Leafs after beating the US Under-18s 6-2 on Friday. With Great Lake State Weekend at Taffy Abel Arena next weekend, these were two big wins for LSSU.

"I think we took some big steps this week," said Piku, a junior forward from Harrison Township, MI. "I think we've got a lot of good things to look forward to next weekend. Excited to get into conference play as well."

Just like Friday night's game against the US Under-18s, neither team scored in the opening 20 minutes. Simon Fraser struck first at 10:41 of the second period on a goal by Lucas Ceccarelli.

That lead held up for a few minutes, until Piku took a pass from John Herrington, turned, and rifled in a shot from the high slot. Piku sits on 19 career Laker goals, and will surely hope to hit double-digit strikes here in his junior season. He already notched five points a week ago against Lindenwood, then continued to roll in southeast Michigan.

"He's maybe our most impactful forward right now," said Laker head coach Damon Whitten. "He's hungry for it and impacting the game in such a positive way. A lot of that's on the scoresheet obviously, but he's doing a lot of the other things along with that. You need guys like that to step up and lead and Piku's done that. You can see him playing with confidence that's rising. It'll be really important to see him sustain that into CCHA play."

Piku struck again late in the game, hitting the empty net at 19:00 of the third period. He chased after a 50/50 puck, traveling an enormous distance to catch up, the hit the empty net. But his legs were taken out from behind by a Red Leafs defender, and he went into the wall hard. Piku jumped back up immediately. Several penalties were assessed in the ensuing fracas, which bookended a hard-hitting game with 20 penalties called in total. With back-to-back multipoint weekends, Piku feels confident, a confidence that comes from playing a simple game and getting the little details right. "My skill comes from there, staying simple," he said postgame. "I'm pretty happy with this run."

William Ahlrik scored the Lakers second goal of the contest. He continues his strong play from his freshman season, with four assists in four official contests so far. He notched six goals with six assists last season and drew plaudits for his quality play. This season, he's already standing out as a prime player. His coaches took notice.

"Mid-third period, I don't think Ahlrik had lost a draw at that point," Whitten said. "It's those little details and habits that lead into so many other areas and impacts the game. Trust is off the charts for Ahlrik. He's playing with so many good details and good habits in his game that a lot of positives are coming through."

"He always makes the right play, and there are almost no mistakes in his game," Piku said about Ahlrik. "At faceoffs, he's absolutely dialed. He snaps it back all the time. He's one guy we definitely count on. It's really cool to see because he's a great person as well. We're all really happy for the kid."

Exhibitions give teams a chance to learn a lot about themselves. Whitten felt the Lakers gained a great deal of knowledge about themselves with two games against very different squads - one that focuses on speed and skill, the other with a focus on a brawling, rugby style of hockey.

"I think we learned a lot as a coaching staff about individual performances, line combinations, and guys stepping up and emerging." he said. "The competition and depth are high on our team. We feel like we're a lot more knowledgeable about our pieces, the way we need to play and the identity we need to play with."

The Lakers head coach will discuss this weekend in depth and preview Great Lake State Weekend in full this Tuesday at 12:00 PM EST on the Laker Hockey Show with Bill Crawford, live on News Talk 1400 AM and available afterward on Midco Sports Plus. With alumni returning, the Hall of Fame ceremonies, the first CCHA league games and great crowds expected, the Lakers are looking at a great weekend of hockey in Sault Ste. Marie. Buy your tickets to see Lake Superior State face Bowling Green on Friday at 7:07 PM and Saturday at 6:07 PM online. And subscribe to CCHA TV on Midco Sports Plus to see every CCHA-hosted game throughout the season.