LSSU Lakers take 3 CCHA points at Minnesota State in two 2-2 ties, then come home for Maryville and 60 years of Laker hockey

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. — Lake Superior State left one of the hardest buildings in the CCHA with three conference points, after two 2-2 ties and two shootouts at Minnesota State in Mankato, Minn., on Friday and Saturday.

The Lakers lost the Friday shootout and won Saturday’s in the eighth round, when Ramos scored the deciding attempt, according to LSSU Athletics. Batchelder and Ethan Moore also scored in Saturday’s shootout. Both teams are 2-4-2 overall. LSSU is 0-2-2 in the CCHA, and Minnesota State is 0-0-2.

“This is a hard place to play hockey, get points and be effective,” coach Damon Whitten said in the school’s recap. “I thought we showed a lot of grit and resiliency to stick through it this weekend.”

Friday: two first-period goals

Loponen, a 2024 Winnipeg Jets draft pick, opened the scoring Friday with a one-timer from the low slot 3:03 into the game, after Moore set him up off a forechecking turnover, EUP News reported. Foster added his second goal of the season later in the first period, from Savoie and Besnier. Savoie entered the weekend 10th in the nation with 11 points in seven games. Miller made 24 saves.

“We love to use our forecheck effectively to create offense and possession. It starts with Ethan Moore,” Whitten told EUP News. Of the Foster-Savoie-Mangone line, he said, “They’re difference makers.”

Saturday: Moore ties it with 26 seconds left

Boilard, a New York Rangers draft pick, scored his first college goal on a rush 6:41 into Saturday’s game. Kraft tied it on a Minnesota State power play with 19 seconds left in the second period, and Somoza gave the Mavericks their first lead of the weekend at 15:04 of the third.

Moore tied it at 19:34 of the third, finishing a Foster pass at the right post. Miller made 29 saves, five of them in overtime, and LSSU was outshot just 31-30. Minnesota State led for only 4½ minutes all weekend. Boilard was given a five-minute major and a game misconduct at the end of the second period. The crowd was 3,258, Minnesota State said.

Next: Maryville and a 60th anniversary

The Lakers host Maryville at Taffy Abel Arena on Thursday, Nov. 5, at 7:07 p.m., with radio on 99.5 YES FM, and again Friday, when the program celebrates 60 years of Laker hockey. The first LSSU team played on Nov. 9, 1966.

“We’ve had the reopening of Taffy Abel Arena, the 60th anniversary and on Friday night, honoring some of the initial student-athletes of Laker Hockey,” Whitten said. The renovated arena reopened last month with a home opener against Bowling Green.

Sources:
Lake Superior State University Athletics, “Ramos bags shootout winner as Lakers split weekend spoils with Mavericks” (Oct. 31, 2026; Saturday scoring, saves, records, Whitten quotes, schedule), https://lssulakers.com/news/2026/10/31/mens-ice-hockey-hockey-ramos-bags-shootout-winner-as-lakers-split-weekend-spoils-with-mavericks.aspx
EUP News, “Lakers take road point from Mavericks at Minnesota State” (Nov. 1, 2026; Friday scoring, Whitten quotes), https://www.eupnews.com/2026/11/lakers-take-road-point-from-mavericks-at-minnesota-state/
Minnesota State Athletics, Saturday recap (power play, attendance), https://msumavericks.com/news/2026/10/31/mens-hockey-mavericks-draw-even-with-lakers-lose-shootout-3-2.aspx
Photo: West Point - The U.S. Military Academy, “Mike Santee 5 (5514613321).jpg,” Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0), https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mike_Santee_5_(5514613321).jpg

Sault Ste. Marie

Tags: LSSU Lakers · CCHA · College hockey · Minnesota State · Taffy Abel Arena · Hockey