Box Score Nolan Seed and Charlie Savoie combined for four points, as the former Lindenwood Lions returned to their old stomping grounds - this time as Lake Superior State Lakers.

Savoie struck less than four minutes into the game and added another in the second, while Seed hammered in a second period power play marker. But Lake Superior State (0-1-0, 0-0-0 CCHA) dropped its regular season opener 7-4 at Lindenwood (2-1-0) on Thursday night in Maryland Heights, MO. The Lakers took a 4-1 lead on Savoie's second, but Lindenwood clawed back to take the result.

"I liked us for about 27 minutes, I felt we were outstanding for the first 10-15 minutes," said Laker Head Coach Damon Whitten after the game. After Savoie's double, Lindenwood scored twice to close the second period. Whitten said that it was a major turning point in the game.

"All the momentum we built with a nice start is evaporated. The guys said afterward that we played an immature game after that. We've got to be on the right side of pucks, and we really got away from that."

That outstanding start showed the class and high level skill that Laker fans can expect this year. Casper Nässén played a gorgeous outlet pass to Savoie through the middle for the game's opening goal. Savoie coolly deposited the puck for his first Laker goal and the tenth of his NCAA career, showing excellent patience and soft hands to beat Lions goaltender Liam Beerman at 3:52 of the first.

"Really good read by Casper," said Whitten. "Not only the timing of Sav, but the timing of Casper to show a little possession, hold on to that puck and spring him at the right time. Casper did the same thing to Joey Potter on the other side of the ice late in the game, too. He showed some really good things tonight."

Seed scored his first Laker goal on the power play at 11:08 of the second on a straightaway blast above the circles. Savoie then put the Lakers back on the board at 13:00, giving the Lakers a 4-1 lead. It looked like the coup de grâce at the time, with the Lakers holding a big lead and applying heavy pressure.

"Hopefully it's a sign of things to come for Seed and Savoie," said Whitten. "They were impact players last year and we wanted them to be impact players for us. They're showing they can do that and we're excited to see where they can get to throughout the course of the season."

But Chase LaPinta and Ethan Zielke scored second period goals to tilt the table back in the host's favor. Ty Nash tied the game early in the third at 4-4 and Brady McIsaac scored the winner midway through the frame. 

"Discipline's got to be better," said Whitten after the Lakers took three penalties in the first and another three in the second, including a stretch that saw them killing off a four-on-three. The Lakers killed those penalties off, but the Lions scored as the final one expired to start their rally. "You can't kill that many in an extended four-on-three. I thought the killers did a really good job. I thought Andrew Oke did a really good job on the penalty kill in particular, but you've got to be more disciplined and harder to play against."

The two teams meet again on Friday night at 8:00 PM ET. Hear live coverage locally on 99.5 YES FM with James Cardarelli on the call, or watch live on FloHockey. Download the new Lake Superior State Lakers available on the App Store or Google Play for all the latest news, scores and updates.