Third period goals by William Ahlrik and Hadley Hudak tied the score at 2-2 Friday night, earning Lake Superior State at least a point against Ferris State. Shootout goals by Adam Barone and Hunter Ramos sent the Laker fans home happy, while the team rang the victory bell one final time this season.

Prior to Friday night's regular season finale with Ferris State, the Lakers honored seniors Connor Milburn, Sasha Teleguine, Mike Brown, Bryan Huggins, and Ryan Beck for Senior Night.

"Probably the best way I can say it is I'm emotional even just thinking how happy I am, how proud I am," said Laker Head Coach Damon Whitten after the game. "I'm just thrilled they got to ring the bell tonight. Senior night's emotional. It's a hard night. Mom and dad and grandmas are there. You've got to find a way to put that aside and go play a hockey game. It's not an easy thing to do. I'm so happy they got to ring the victory bell. It's the greatest tradition in college hockey. They got to hear the bell in their last home game. I can cry just thinking about it. I'm so happy for those guys."

Lake State (11-20-3, 8-16-2 CCHA) fell behind on a pair of first period power play goals by FSU (7-25-2, 6-18-2 CCHA) forward Josh Zary. While the Lakers played with plenty of jump, three first period penalties kept them on the kill and put them behind the visitors.

But the hosts kept grinding away, battling in a well-played hockey game until Ahlrik scored a shorthanded goal at 6:24 of the third period. On a breakaway, the sophomore made a neat little move and dumped the puck in under the bar to put the Lakers on the board. His 11th goal of the season came at a big time for the Lakers, with enough time to keep hammering away for an equalizer.

They soon found it. A shot from the point by Evan Bushy bounced in off of Hadley Hudak, whose celebratory scream sent the fans into a frenzy at Abel Arena. Matheson Mason, making his second career appearance, picked up his second career Laker point with the secondary assist. The line of Hudak, Mason and Pierson Sobush, who made his collegiate debut on Friday, created havok in the Ferris State end of the ice and produced the tying goal.

Whitten was asked about what a game like this does for the confidence of those players. He responded, "I think even before that is what it did for our team. They played like a line that understands their role. As young guys, they're going to go flip momentum and make a team defend. Maybe draw a penalty. They end up getting a huge goal. So I thought they were tremendous."

In the shootout, the Lakers sent Barone, a sophomore defenseman, out to shoot first. He scored against Michigan Tech earlier in February and cooly dispatched another to give the Lakers the edge in the shootout's first shot Friday.

"The deception coming in is part of it. He's got that little mohawk turn in there," said Whitten. "So it's a crafty little move by Barone.

"Ice in the veins, man for a sophomore defenseman to go out there and score a big shootout goal. He's been so important for us this year, and it's awesome to see him continue to score some important goals for us."

Hunter Ramos also scored in the shootout for LSSU.

The Lakers will hit the road for the CCHA's Mason Cup Quarterfinals as the league's 7th seed. Where they'll go remains a mystery after Friday's contest. Augustana remains in first place with 50 points, but three teams (Michigan Tech, Minnesota State, St. Thomas) are each sitting on 48 points, while Bowling Green has 47. Going into the league's final day, we know that Northern Michigan is eliminated, while Ferris State, Lake State and Bemidji State will all go on the road. Augustana will play at home in the quarterfinals. Beyond that, nothing is certain and the top five spots remain a game of musical chairs. When the music stops, four will play at home, and one of them will host LSSU.

"It's the best time of the year," Whitten said. "Teams are measured by what they do in the playoffs. We've got a chance to regroup and get to work."

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