LSSU Gains Ground in Points Race With Shoot Out Wins




Bowling Green's Jordan Samuels-Thomas (left) watches as
LSSU's Will Acton shoots Saturday at Taffy Abel Arena.

  Even though it wasn’t an offense packed weekend the Lake Superior State Lakers ice hockey team still managed to walk away from this weekends match up against Bowling Green State University four conferences points to the good.



LSSU's Rick Schofield watches as one of
his third period shots goes wide.



Friday nights contest between the Lakers and the Falcons got off to a slow start. Bowling Green managed just 8 shots in the first period while LSSU could produce only 4.



 The Falcons Chad Sumsion put Bowling Green on the board first just before the seven minute mark of the second period. Sumsion’s score came on a power play opportunity with team mates Marc Rodriguez and David Solway picking up assists. Laker captain Rick Schofield evened the score when he beat Bowling State starting net minder Nick Eno for his sixth goal of the season in the third period but that was all the scoring either team would manage in regulation.

With the score still tied at one apiece after the five minute overtime period BGSU’s Jordan Samuels-Thomas and LSSU’s Chad Nehring both made their overtime penalty shots followed by misses by BGSU’s David Solway, LSSU’s Domenic Monardo and BGSU’s Brett Mohler. Capitalizing on his opportunity LSSU’s Ben Power put the puck past ENO to give the Lakers their first two points of the weekend.

LSSU's Ben Power sets up his overtime penalty shot Saturday.

Saturday night started with LSSU struggling to get the puck out of the defensive zone. Down 23 shots to 10 and trailing by one goal going into the third period the Lakers finally found their legs and gained some offensive momentum. The Laker offense bombarded Bowling Green goaltender Andrew Hammond firing 18 shots at him in the games final twenty minutes including the Kyle Haines shot that found the back of the net to even the score.

Like the night before however there would be no scoring in the rest of the third period or the sudden death overtime period. Once again the nights points division would come down to a shoot out.



LSSU's Will Acton (21) celebrates after making the weekend ending goal.



A pair of missed penalty shots followed by a pair of made ones and then another round of misses left it up to BGSU’s Ryan Peltoma and LSSU”s Will Acton to decide. Peltoma skated first against the Lakers net minder Kevin Kapalka who had given up just two regulation goals and two penalty shots all weekend. Kapalka stopped Peltoma’s shot clearing the way for Acton who finished off the Lakers weekend with a score.

Complete box scores available at: http://www.lssulakers.com/sports/m-hockey/2010-11/schedule