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Lakers looking for more following shootout with Chargers

Lake Superior State coach Damon Whitten is looking for his team to play the right way
2020-12-05 Lake State vs. Alabama-Huntsville
Photo courtesy Lake Superior State University

For the second time this season, the Lake Superior State Lakers skated to a tie on home ice.

Also for the second time this season, the Lakers picked up an extra point thanks to a shootout win.

While it officially goes down as a 2-2 tie, a goal by defenceman Mitchell Oliver was the difference as the Lakers picked up a shootout win over the University of Alabama-Huntsville Chargers.

Shooting fifth for the Lakers, Oliver beat sophomore goaltender David Fessenden with a shot stick side to end the contest for Lake State.

The shootout came after the Chargers erased a two-goal Lakers lead in the second period.

The Lakers led 2-0 through one period after junior forward Miroslav Mucha and senior winger Chase Gamelin scored for the Lakers 20 seconds apart late in the opening period.

Mucha’s goal came after the veteran jumped on a loose puck alone in the slot and beat Fessenden stick side.

Gamelin scored on the next shift as he beat Fessenden from the slot, again beating the sophomore stick side.

Alabama got on the board in the second period thanks to a goal by sophomore forward Adrian Danchenko 4:30 into the frame.

Danchenko scored on a rebound in close after an initial shot by Quinn Green from the right faceoff circle was stopped by Lakers senior goaltender Mareks Mitens.

Just 1:09 after Danchenko’s goal, Tyrone Bronte got the Chargers on even terms as he knocked in a rebound on the power play.

The goal came after Mitens made the initial stop on Bauer Neudecker through a screen in close.

The teams skated through a scoreless third and overtime to set up the shootout.

“That’s not the 60 minutes we expect,” Lakers coach Damon Whitten said in a post-game interview with YesFM. “We’re way too content to try to be pretty and make plays and not play the game the right way.

“There’s a right way to play the game and I don’t think we have very many guys playing it the right way, at least for 60 minutes,” Whitten added. “We did in stretches. We’ve stressed starting games on time and starting well and we did that again tonight.”

Whitten credited the play of forward Hampus Eriksson in the game, saying the senior “may be our best forward and our most consistent forward, playing the right way.”

Whitten added that it’s an effort needed from more players.

“A lot of guys want it cute, want it easy,” Whitten said. “You don’t win hockey games doing it that way and we didn’t tonight until the shootout.”

After struggling in the second period where the Chargers battled back to tie the hockey game, the Lakers rebounded in the third period, something Whitten noted as well.

“We found our desperation back,” Whitten said. “We’ve stressed these great starts and we’ve done that. We just haven’t sustained it.”

Mitens finished the night with 23 saves for Lake State while Fressenden stopped 23 for Alabama-Huntsville.

The two teams are set to wrap up weekend action on Sunday in a 3:07 p.m. start at Taffy Abel Arena.


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Brad Coccimiglio

About the Author: Brad Coccimiglio

A graduate of Loyalist College’s Sports Journalism program, Brad Coccimiglio’s work has appeared in The Hockey News as well as online at FoxSports.com in addition to regular freelance work with SooToday before joining the team full time.
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