Sports · Sault Ste. Marie
LSSU hockey finally plays at home: the Lakers open CCHA play against Bowling Green, with Saturday the 200th meeting
SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. — Six games into its season, Lake Superior State finally gets to play in its own building.
The Lakers (2-2-0) open their home schedule and CCHA play against Bowling Green (2-4-0) at 7:07 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Oct. 23–24, at a renovated Taffy Abel Arena, during the university’s Great Lake State Weekend. Saturday’s game is the 200th all-time meeting between the programs. Bowling Green leads the series 103-82-13, according to BGSU, though the Lakers won the most recent game, part of a split in Bowling Green last season.
LSSU has split every weekend so far. It went 1-0-1 in exhibitions against Windsor, then split with Lindenwood and Alaska Anchorage, each time losing or tying the first game and winning the second. Saturday’s 4-2 win in Anchorage came on Carter Batchelder’s third-period breakaway, set up by a long stretch pass from Joey Potter. Goaltender Andrew Oke stopped a shorthanded breakaway moments before.
“It’s extra special,” coach Damon Whitten told EUP News. “You’ve got the 60th Anniversary of Laker Hockey with all of these impactful changes and investments in the program. To unveil it all to our alumni, fans, friends, and family feels really special.” He said the team has had only three practices in the renovated rink.
Who to watch. LSSU’s Charles Savoie is tied for the CCHA lead with six assists, and Cooper Foster is tied for second with five. For Bowling Green, Connor Levis has six assists and Noah Morneau and Levis share second in conference scoring with seven points. The Falcons lead the CCHA on the penalty kill at 95.8%, allowing one power-play goal in 24 chances.
Friday and Saturday games stream on Midco Sports Plus. Tickets are on the LSSU Athletics website and app.
Sources:
Bowling Green State University Athletics, “Bowling Green To Begin CCHA Play This Weekend At Lake Superior State,” Oct. 20, 2026 (records, series, 200th meeting, stat leaders, streaming), https://bgsufalcons.com/news/2026/10/20/ice-hockey-bowling-green-to-begin-ccha-play-this-weekend-at-lake-superior-state
EUP News, “LSSU’s Batchelder’s breakaway beats Alaska Anchorage,” Oct. 18, 2026 (game details, Whitten quotes, 60th season, renovated arena), https://www.eupnews.com/2026/10/lssus-batchelders-breakaway-beats-alaska-anchorage/
Lake Superior State Athletics, 2026-27 men’s ice hockey schedule, https://lssulakers.com/sports/mens-ice-hockey/schedule/2026-27
Photo: Union College, “Frozen Four 2014 - Daniel Carr and Bill Arnold faceoff (13777359384).jpg,” Wikimedia Commons, public domain, cropped and color-adjusted, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Frozen_Four_2014_-_Daniel_Carr_and_Bill_Arnold_faceoff_(13777359384).jpg
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