Surging Lakers home for two
Backed by freshman goalie Gordon Defiel, the Lake Superior State University Lakers will play host to the Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks for a pair of Western Collegiate Hockey Association games on Friday and Saturday at Taffy Abel Arena. …[read more]
Laker goalie leads the nation
Lake Superior State University Lakers are winless in eight games to start the 2014-2015 season but freshman goalie Gordon Defiel leads the nation in three categories. …[read more]
Here’s to Captain Kovacs
Sault Ste. Marie native Bronson Kovacs has been named one of three senior captains for the Hobart College Statesmen of the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference for the upcoming season.
Kovacs, a hard-hitting, puck-moving defenceman who played with the Soo Thunderbirds of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League before going to Hobart, had 6 goals, 8 assists, 14 points in 24 games with the Statesmen in 2013-2014. …[read more]
Road-tested Lakers return home
There is no place quite like home, especially after a long road trip.
Lake Superior State University Lakers return to the friendly confines of Taffy Abel Arena for Friday-Saturday night games versus the Northern Michigan University Wildcats after a two-week road stretch that saw Sault Ste. Marie’s Western Collegiate Hockey Association team log more than 4,000 miles. …[read more]
Lakers begin WCHA season at home
Led by new head coach Damon Whitten, the Lake Superior State University Lakers begin the 2014-2015 Western Collegiate Hockey Association season at home against the Michigan Tech University Huskies this weekend.
The Lakers and Huskies are set to face off at 7:07 p.m. on Saturday and 5:07 p.m. on Sunday at Taffy Abel Arena. …[read more]
Owen Headrick to have shoulder surgery
Bluechip blueliner Owen Headrick is slated to have shoulder surgery on Wednesday of this week, the youngster’s mother has confirmed to HockeyNewsNorth.com. …[read more]
Meet the LSSU Lakers
Fans and Sault Ste. Marie area youth hockey teams are invited to interact with the 2014-2015 Lake Superior State University Lakers and new head coach Damon Whitten on Sunday, September 28 at 4 p.m. at Taffy Abel Arena. …[read more]
Owen Headrick and two LSSU coaches
As HockeyNewsNorth.com was first to report on Wednesday, Soo Thunderbirds defenceman Owen Headrick has committed to play for the Lake Superior State University Lakers of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association effective the 2015-2016 season. …[read more]
Owen Headrick commits to LSSU Lakers
Lake Superior State University Lakers of the Division 1, Western Collegiate Hockey Association have secured a commitment from a plum prospect in their own backyard.
HockeyNewsNorth.com has confirmed that Owen Headrick, a 1997 birth-year defenceman who hails from Garden River First Nation, has committed to LSSU and will begin his collegiate career with the Lakers effective the 2015-2016 season. …[read more]
Brody Brunet to LSSU
Sudbury area product Brody Brunet has committed to the Lake Superior State University Lakers of the Division 1, Western Collegiate Hockey Association effective the 2016-2017 season.
…[read more]
Michigan Warriors to Ferris State Bulldogs
The leading scorer from the Michigan Warriors of the North American Hockey League is headed to the Division 1, Western Collegiate Hockey Association ranks.
…[read more]
A new job for Joe Shawhan
Well-known Michigan Soo native Joe Shawhan is switching Division 1 schools.
HockeyNewsNorth.com has confirmed that Shawhan has been hired as an assistant coach by the Michigan Tech Huskies of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. …[read more]
Laker summer hockey camps
Doug Laprade, who has a strong association with the Lake Superior State University Lakers as a player and assistant coach that dates back to 1987, will be heading up a pair of hockey camps at the school’s Norris Centre facility this summer. …[read more]
Laker season ticket, schedule info
Season-ticket packages for the 2014-2015 edition of the Lake Superior State University Lakers of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association are on sale and can be purchased at the ticket office located within the school’s Norris Center. …[read more]
Lakers add second assistant coach
Lake Superior State University Lakers head coach Damon Whitten has completed the staff of his Western Collegiate Hockey Association team by hiring Peter Aubry as an assistant coach. …[read more]
Home sweet home
The hometown kid is back home.
Former Lake Superior State University Lakers assistant coach Rich Metro is returning to the Western Collegiate Hockey Association team in a similar role under new bench boss Damon Whitten. …[read more]
Laker grad joins Army
A former Lake Superior State University Lakers goalie has joined the Army.
The Division 1, National Collegiate Athletic Association hockey Army, that is. …[read more]
Good NAHLers out there
A few weeks ago, the coach of the Lake Superior State University Lakers told me that he was looking to finalize his roster for the 2014-2015 Western Collegiate Hockey Association season with another three to five players.
“A forward or two, a defenceman or two and a goalie,” is what new Lakers headmaster Damon Whitten replied when I asked him how many more newcomers he wanted to add for the 2014-2015 campaign. …[read more]
Lakers add to net worth
Lake Superior State University Lakers now have their three goalies for the 2014-2015 Western Collegiate Hockey Association season.
HockeyNewsNorth.com has learned that the latest twine tender to commit to LSSU is Gordy Defiel, a 1993 birth-year who played for Coquitlam Express of the British Columbia Hockey League in 2013-2014. …[read more]
Aidan Wright to LSSU Lakers
Lake Superior State University Lakers have added a Sault Ste. Marie product to their Western Collegiate Hockey Association roster effective the 2014-2015 season. …[read more]
Laprade leaves LSSU Lakers
The time has come for what needs to be done.
A long-time Laker has left the hockey program at Lake Superior State University. …[read more]
A chat with Coach Whitten
He has the formidable task of trying to restore the hockey program at Lake Superior State University to its glory years.
To be sure, Damon Whitten knew what he was getting into when he recently accepted the position to become the 10th head coach in the 48-year history of Laker hockey. …[read more]
Laker awards night
It was the official end of an era for some.
Lake Superior State University Lakers were the featured attraction on Thursday night as Soo BlueLiners held their 32nd annual banquet in support of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association team. …[read more]
Lakers add recruits
New talent is arriving.
Laker hockey has added some freshman talent for the 2014-2015 season and beyond. …[read more]
Laker mission
Days off figure to be few and far between for the new coach of the Lake Superior State University Lakers.
To be sure, the task at hand is a big one for 37-year old Damon Whitten, the former Michigan State and Michigan Tech assistant who was recently named the 10th head coach in the 48-year history of Laker hockey. …[read more]
Laker shaker
Let’s call it fresh-start optimism.
After nine ho-hum seasons under since-departed head coach Jim Roque, the scene is one of new beginnings for the Lake Superior State University Lakers of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.
Former Michigan State and Michigan Tech assistant Damon Whitten is the new headmaster of the hockey Lakers and if nothing else, the 37-year old starts with a clean slate.
It’s good that the slate is clean because the plate is full for Whitten. …[read more]
Dunbar, Whitten are talking
As first reported by HockeyNewsNorth.com, Damon Whitten has been named the tenth head coach in the 48-year hockey history of Lake Superior State University.
Whitten, the former Michigan State and Michigan Tech assistant, was introduced at a Saturday press conference on the LSSU campus.
The 37-year old Whitten replaces Jim Roque, who was fired on March 11 after nine seasons at the helm of the Lakers.
Following is some of what LSSU athletic director Kristin Dunbar had to say about Whitten — and what Whitten had to say about taking the Laker job. …[read more]
Damon Whitten is new Laker coach
There is a new hockey coach in place at Lake Superior State University.
Damon Whitten was introduced at noon today as the new bench boss of the Lakers. …[read more]
Is Damon Whitten new Laker coach?
Lake Superior State University Lakers of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association will hold a press conference tomorrow at noon to announce the hiring of their new head coach. …[read more]
Laker coach interviews continue
The interview process will continue at Lake Superior State University on Tuesday.
Providence College assistant coach Ben Barr will be the latest candidate to visit LSSU. …[read more]
Laker coach interviews begin
Athletic director Kristin Dunbar is leading a series of interviews this week as Lake Superior State University zeroes in on a new head coach to replace Jim Roque, who was fired on March 11 after nine seasons at the helm of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Lakers.
A search committee, headed by legendary coach Rick Comley — who guided Division 1 teams at LSSU, Northern Michigan University and Michigan State University over a 38-year period before retiring in 2011 — sifted through about 50 applications before moving forward a list of candidates to Dunbar. …[read more]
LSSU Laker coach update
It figures that the search for a new head coach of the Lake Superior State University Lakers is winding down.
Friday is the closing date for applications for the position that has been vacant since Jim Roque was fired on March 11 after nine years as Laker bench boss. …[read more]
LSSU coach search continues
The process remains ongoing.
After firing Jim Roque on March 11, Lake Superior State University Lakers of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association are continuing their search for a new head coach. …[read more]
Laker signs with Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League have signed forward Colin Campbell to a two-way, entry-level contract. …[read more]
Laker fan favourites
A change has been made.
A new guy will in charge.
But who will it be?
HockeyNewsNorth.com has conducted a random, unscientific poll of fans and sponsors connected to Lake Superior State University and come up with a list of the four most-popular choices to take over as new head coach of the hockey Lakers. …[read more]
Laker is top WCHA rookie
Forward Alex Globke of the Lake Superior State Lakers has been named Western Collegiate Hockey Association rookie-of-the-year. …[read more]
Potential Laker coaching candidates
There is a hockey buzz about both sides of the International Bridge in the wake of the recent firing of Jim Roque as head coach of the Lake Superior State University Lakers.
Roque was let go as LSSU coach after the Lakers failed to make the playoffs in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association this 2013-2014 season.
As a national search for a new coach at LSSU is underway, there have been no shortage of names being mentioned as potential candidates to replace Roque, who had a below-average, nine-year run as the Lakers bench boss. …[read more]
Looking for new Laker coach
A national search for a new hockey coach at Lake Superior State University is underway.
After a ho-hum, nine-year run as head coach of the Lakers, Jim Roque was fired from his position on Tuesday.
The dismissal of Roque ends an association with LSSU that dates back to 1983 when he was a freshman forward with the Lakers. …[read more]
Lakers graduating eight seniors
A gang of eight is departing the Division 1 hockey program at Lake Superior State University after this season.
Goalies Kevin Murdock, Kevin Kapalka and Niels-Erik Ravn. Defencemen Andrew Perrault, Matt Bruneteau and Zach Sternberg. Forwards Dan Radke and Colin Campbell.
All will leave the Lakers at the end of this 2013-2014 season.
The Laker seniors — three goalies, three defensemen and two forwards — are a diverse group, to be sure. …[read more]
Eight Lakers are athletic scholars
The Division 1 men’s hockey team at Lake Superior State University has been duly recognized for its academic prowess.
No less than eight Lake Superior State Lakers have been named to the Western Collegiate Hockey Association scholar-athlete team for this 2013-2014 season. …[read more]
Possible Lake State prospects
It is the quintessential small-town, small-campus school.
Located in Sault Ste. Marie, a town of about 15,000 residents, Lake Superior State has a student population of just over 2,500, making it the smallest public university in the state of Michigan.
Despite its lack of size, Lake Superior State has managed to achieve and maintain status with a Division 1, National Collegiate Athletic Association hockey program.
Not to say that the hockey Lakers don’t have issues related to available scholarship money and the school’s northern location.
Let’s face it, Lake Superior State is not the first choice of the majority of top hockey players from Michigan and Ontario who are looking to play at the Division 1, NCAA level.
And while the Lakers do have history and while they do have a respectable hockey program, the fact of the matter is that the team has had only three winning records in the past 13 years, all of which have come under current head coach Jim Roque, who is in his ninth season on the job.
But while the Lakers may not get the pick of the hockey litter, there are a number of good players from close by who I think could fit into the Lake Superior State lineup anywhere from next season to beyond.
From older to younger, here is a list of a dozen players — more than half of which wouldn’t cost Lake State anywhere near a full-ride scholarship — with Division 1 potential and good academic standing who the Lakers could commit to for the 2014-2015, 2015-2016 or 2016-2017 seasons. …[read more]
Lakers to honour Gil Somes
It will be a weekend of firsts and a night of recognition.
Lake Superior State Lakers will play host to Western Collegiate Hockey Association rival Alaska Anchorage for the first time ever in regular-season action this Friday-Saturday nights at Taffy Abel Arena. …[read more]
Lakers looking in their backyard
Based in Sault Ste. Marie, on the Michigan side of the International Bridge that links the United States and Canada, Lake Superior State Lakers are in a good recruiting position.
A Division 1, National Collegiate Athletic Association program, the Lakers have the advantage of being within a few miles of the Soo Eagles of the North American Hockey League and the Soo Thunderbirds of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League, not to mention the Soo Indians major midgets. …[read more]