Lakers pass the .500 water-line
They have won their last three outings — including a two-game, weekend road sweep of the Alaska Nanooks — and the Lake Superior State Lakers are showing serious signs of being a very-solid squad under the steady hand of second-year head coach Damon Whitten.
The surging Lakers have moved into a tie for sixth place with the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves in the 10-team Western Collegiate Hockey Association with 11 points from a record of 4-3-3. Over the past three weekends, the Lakers are 4-1-1, including a 3-0-1 mark on the road.
The Lakers have an overall record of 6-9-3 through 18 games this season.
To be sure, Lake Superior State has an opportunity to move further up in the WCHA standings when they play host to Upper Peninsula rival Michigan Tech Huskies this Friday (7:37) and Saturday (7:07) nights at Taffy Abel Arena.
The sixth-place Lakers are just one point behind fifth-place Northern Michigan with two games in hand on the Wildcats and are three points back of fourth-place Ferris State with four games in hand on the Bulldogs. In fact, the Lakers trail third-place Michigan Tech by only five points and have two games in hand on the Huskies.
What is impressive about the Lakers performance under the coaching of Whitten is that it’s the younger Lake Superior State players who are the statistical leaders.
For example, of the Lakers top eight scorers, five are freshmen, one is a sophomore and the other two are juniors.
Sophomore forward J.T. Henke leads the Lakers in scoring with 6 goals, 5 assists, 11 points followed by freshman forward Mitch Hults at 4-5-9, freshman forward Gage Torrel at 3-6-9, junior forward Gus Correale at 3-5-8, freshman forward Anthony Nellis at 2-6-8, freshman defenseman Owen Headrick at 3-4-7, junior forward Alex Globke at 4-2-6 and freshman forward Diego Cuglietta at 2-4-6.
Headrick, who played the past two seasons with the Soo Thunderbirds of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League, leads all WCHA freshmen defensemen in scoring. With a 1997 birth date, Headrick, who hails from Garden River First Nation, is the youngest player on the Lakers.
The Lakers have also been getting good goaltending from sophomore Gordon Defiel and freshman Nick Kossoff.
Defiel has a 4-6-3 record to go with a 2.57 goals against average and .922 save percentage. Kossoff has a 2-3-0 record with a 1.97 goals against average, .926 save percentage and two shutouts.
.Wow this is looking like the start of great thing’s to come for the Lakers and credst alot of credit goes to Coach Whitten for the Freshman Class and also the way that he has bilt up the Program in a very short time.
Its amazing how well this Team has played .. and on the Road no less! Now lets see a big crowd at both of the Up coming Games.
Owen Headrik is the real deal no doubt about it and as a Thunderbirds fan it is great to see for this real good kid whose from a real good famaly.
GOOOOOO LAKERRRRRRS!
What is even better about there record so far is that the Lakers were picked to finish in Last Place in the W.C.H.A. Pre Season Poll.
It is good to see Al Globke buying into Whittens system and scoring some big goals.
Good for you Al!
Randy: Friendly correction….”11″ points.
thanks, Fanman.
You would think that after reading my copy over a dozen times I would have caught that, eh!
I stand corrected — and mistake has been corrected.
Regards,
Randy