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Michigan Hockey: Weekend Preview for Lake Superior State

By Grant Dossetto

Feb 27, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; A view of a hockey puck and referees skates during the game between the Dallas Stars and the New York Rangers at the American Airlines Center. The Rangers defeat the Stars 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 27, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; A view of a hockey puck and referees skates during the game between the Dallas Stars and the New York Rangers at the American Airlines Center. The Rangers defeat the Stars 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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Michigan hockey will host Lake Superior State University for back-to-back games Friday and Saturday night.

Michigan hockey welcomes Lake Superior State to Yost for Thanksgiving, a team that has gotten off to a great start this year.

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The Lakers began the campaign 6-1. In that stretch they dominated Michigan State in the Soo scoring 13 goals on the weekend and sweeping. They also picked up a nice win over nationally ranked Minnesota State.

Then the slide happened. They lost the second game of their weekend series against the Mavericks and hit the road. LSSU was swept in Houghton against Tech then in Big Rapids versus Ferris.

Thud. Double thud.

The Lakers are now .500 on the year and in the middle of the WCHA pack. Ann Arbor will be their third road trip in as many weeks. Can they pull themselves out of their tailspin and get back to early season form? Is this year truly different for LSSU?

Playing at Yost will answer those questions for third year coach Damon Whitten. Whitten is no stranger to Yost as he was a four year player for Ron Mason and the Spartans. This series will mean a lot to LSSU.

Lake State will have two keys this weekend. The first is to get a consistent offense again. After scoring 35 goals in their first seven games, the team is in a bit of a drought. LSSU has nine goals in their past five games.

Lake Superior was atrocious last year offensively, managing just 74 goals in 41 games. If they go back to scoring fewer than two goals per contest, there is a ceiling around 16-17 wins they’ll struggle to vault above.

Secondly, Lake State needs to get goaltender Gordon Defiel comfortable again. The junior netminder has seen a lot of action already in his career and must be a steady hand. Giving up 10 goals in Houghton two weeks ago is the opposite of that. He never looked comfortable.

Michigan has a lot of weapons offensively. UM has shown a propensity to be outshot but they make their chances count. Defiel will need to be a steady hand when the offensive flurry comes.

Michigan had an exhibition game against the US National Development Program last week. The week prior they split with Boston University and freshman Hayden Lavigne seems to be the number one option in net now. That should help settle UM’s ups and downs under normal circumstances.

UM hockey is under some tumult though as Berenson sat several upperclassmen including Senior Alex Kile as healthy scratches on Friday of the BU series.

There was little talk in the press or during the Red Berenson Show on Tuesday as for the reasons for the scratches. It is obviously an issue that is being handled internally.

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Lake State, at top-ten Penn State, Wisconsin, and then the GLI is the schedule for the next month. UM will need to coalesce as a team to succeed through such a tough stretch.

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