WCHA serves up a Western sandwich
There are seven weekends to play in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association regular season and the menu is stacked with healthy choices of consumption.
For example, with an even WCHA record of 5-5-4, the upstart Lake Superior State Lakers are in seventh place in the 10-team league.
But with 14 points, the Lakers are only two points back of Ferris State and Northern Michigan — who are tied for fifth — with two games in hand on both the Bulldogs and Wildcats.
Not only that, the Lakers are just three points behind fourth-place Bemidji State with four games in hand on the Beavers.
And if you want more, the seventh-seeded Lakers are just two points up on the eighth-place Alaska Anchorage Seawolves with the two teams set to face off this Saturday at 7:07 p.m. and Sunday at 5:07 p.m. at Taffy Abel Arena in the Michigan Soo.
Meanwhile, at the top of the WCHA standings, Minnesota State and Bowling Green are in a tight race for first place with the Mavericks holding a two-point lead over the Falcons, 24 to 22. Both teams have played 16 WCHA games.
And on another note, seventh-place Lake Superior State split a home series with second-place Bowling Green last weekend. The Laker victory was a well-earned 1-0 overtime decision in which freshman forward Diego Cuglietta scored the game’s only goal and sophomore goalie Gordon Defiel made 25 saves for the whitewash.
Eight of the 10 teams in the WCHA make the playoffs. All teams play 28 regular-season games within the WCHA.
PHOTO: Lake Superior State Lakers sophomore goalie Gordon Defiel.