# 2021–22 Lake Superior State Lakers men's ice hockey season

The 2021–22 Lake Superior State Lakers men's ice hockey season was the 56th season of play for the program, the 49th at the Division I level and the 42nd season in the CCHA conference. The Lakers represented Lake Superior State University and were coached by Damon Whitten, in his 8th season.

## Season

Lake Superior State joined with six other members of the WCHA to restart the CCHA for the 2021–22 season.
The Lakers were hoping to build upon their first NCAA tournament appearance in 25 years with a strong performance. Unfortunately, they lost three critical games in the first two weeks. While they went undefeated in their succeeding seven games, the strength of their opponents kept them out of the polls. A bad stretch in November also cost Lake State and put the Lakers on the wrong side of .500.
The defense looked like it had recovered during a weekend split with top-ranked Minnesota State but then the offense flagged the following week against lowly Ferris State. The team went up and down in their play for several months but began to show a bit more consistency towards the end of the season. However, despite the improvement, Lake Superior was too far down the PairWise rankings to make the tournament without a conference championship.
Lake Superior began postseason play at home against Northern Michigan and laid an egg in the first game. The Lakers allowed the first five goals of the game and were only able to score with less than 5 minutes to play. They were much better in the rematch, winning 3–2 to tie the series and force a deciding rubber match. After surrendering the first goal, the Lakers reeled off three in a row to build a 3–1 lead early in the second period. Northern Michigan replied with a deluge of goals, scoring four times in the span of 8 minutes to take a commanding lead. Lake State was unable to add to their total for most of the third and were forced to pull Ethan Langenegger in desperation. The ploy worked once but the Wildcats managed to stop a tying goal from being scored and the Lakers' season was over.

## Departures

| Player | Position | Nationality | Cause |
| Alex Ambrosio | Forward | Canada | Graduate transfer to Canisius |
| Ashton Calder | Forward | United States | Transferred to North Dakota |
| Hampus Eriksson | Forward | Sweden | Graduate transfer to Northern Michigan |
| Niko Esposito-Selivanov | Forward | Germany | Signed professional contract (Hannover Indians) |
| Chase Gamelin | Forward | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| Lukas Kälble | Defenseman | Germany | Graduate transfer to Clarkson |
| Michael Mannara | Defenseman | Canada | Transferred to York |
| Mareks Mitens | Goaltender | Latvia | Graduation (signed with Binghamton Devils) |
| Yuki Miura | Forward | Japan | Graduation (signed with Iowa Heartlanders) |
| Will Riedell | Defenseman | United States | Graduate transfer to Ohio State |
| Pierre-Luc Veillette | Forward | Canada | Left program (signed with Saint-Georges Cool FM 103.5) |

## Recruiting

| Player | Position | Nationality | Age | Notes |
| Timo Bakos | Forward | Germany | 21 | Augsburg, GER |
| Cole Craft | Forward | Canada | 20 | North Bay, ON |
| Easton Hesse | Goaltender | Canada | 21 | Beaumont, AB |
| Grant Hindman | Defenseman | United States | 19 | Oakland, MI |
| Logan Jenuwine | Forward | United States | 23 | Romeo, MI; transfer from Arizona State |
| Sebastian Miedema | Defenseman | Sweden | 21 | Gävle, SWE |
| Josh Nixon | Forward | Canada | 21 | Mississauga, ON |
| Brett Roloson | Forward | United States | 20 | Newport Beach, CA |
| Harrison Roy | Forward | United States | 21 | Lakeville, MA; transfer from Boston College |
| Dawson Tritt | Forward | United States | 21 | Spokane, WA |
| Jordan Venegoni | Forward | United States | 21 | Livonia, MI |
| Jared Westcott | Forward | United States | 22 | Imperial, MO; transfer from Penn State |
| Jake Willets | Defenseman | United States | 22 | Erie, MI; transfer from Ferris State |

## Roster

As of August 20, 2021.

## Standings

2021–22 Central Collegiate Hockey Association Standingsvte :
| | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record |
| | GP | W | L | T | OTW | OTL | 3/SW | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
| #2 Minnesota State †* | 26 | 23 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 67 | 115 | 28 | 44 | 38 | 6 | 0 | 178 | 60 |
| #14 Michigan Tech | 26 | 16 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 54 | 93 | 53 | 37 | 21 | 13 | 3 | 118 | 75 |
| Bemidji State | 26 | 14 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 83 | 81 | 39 | 19 | 20 | 0 | 118 | 121 |
| Lake Superior State | 26 | 13 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 69 | 64 | 37 | 18 | 18 | 1 | 107 | 104 |
| Northern Michigan | 26 | 12 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 35 | 86 | 99 | 37 | 20 | 16 | 1 | 132 | 136 |
| Bowling Green | 26 | 11 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 33 | 67 | 87 | 37 | 15 | 19 | 3 | 94 | 119 |
| Ferris State | 26 | 9 | 16 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 28 | 66 | 99 | 36 | 11 | 24 | 1 | 90 | 135 |
| St. Thomas | 26 | 3 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 45 | 112 | 36 | 3 | 32 | 1 | 61 | 168 |
| Championship: March 19, 2022 † indicates conference regular season champion (MacNaughton Cup) * indicates conference tournament champion (Mason Cup) Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll ||||||||||||||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date | Time | Opponent$^#$ | Site | TV | Decision | Result | Attendance | Record |
| Regular Season ||||||||||
| October 2 | 8:07 PM | at #17 Omaha* | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | | Eisele | W 4–3 $^{OT}$ | 3,397 | 1–0–0 |
| October 3 | 7:07 PM | at #17 Omaha* | Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska | | Langenegger | L 0–3 | 2,837 | 1–1–0 |
| October 8 | 7:30 PM | at #3 Michigan* | Yost Ice Arena • Ann Arbor, Michigan | BTN+ | Eisele | L 1–6 | 5,246 | 1–2–0 |
| October 9 | 7:00 PM | at #3 Michigan* | Yost Ice Arena • Ann Arbor, Michigan | BTN+ | Langenegger | L 4–7 | 5,141 | 1–3–0 |
| October 15 | 7:07 PM | St. Thomas | Taffy Abel Arena • Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan | | Langenegger | W 3–1 | 0 | 2–3–0 (1–0–0) |
| October 16 | 6:07 PM | St. Thomas | Taffy Abel Arena • Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan | | Eisele | W 6–3 | 1,646 | 3–3–0 (2–0–0) |
| October 22 | 7:00 PM | Union* | Taffy Abel Arena • Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan | | Langenegger | W 7–4 | 1,109 | 4–3–0 |
| October 23 | 7:00 PM | Union* | Taffy Abel Arena • Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan | | Eisele | W 5–2 | 965 | 5–3–0 |
| October 29 | 7:07 PM | St. Lawrence* | Taffy Abel Arena • Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan | | Langenegger | T 2–2 $^{OT}$ | 1,151 | 5–3–1 |
| October 30 | 7:07 PM | St. Lawrence* | Taffy Abel Arena • Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan | | Eisele | W 7–1 | 1,136 | 6–3–1 |
| November 5 | 7:07 PM | at #18 Michigan Tech | MacInnes Student Ice Arena • Houghton, Michigan | | Langenegger | W 3–2 $^{OT}$ | 2,610 | 7–3–1 (3–0–0) |
| November 6 | 6:07 PM | at #18 Michigan Tech | MacInnes Student Ice Arena • Houghton, Michigan | | Eisele | L 0–2 | 2,429 | 7–4–1 (3–1–0) |
| November 12 | 7:07 PM | Bemidji State | Taffy Abel Arena • Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan | | Langenegger | L 2–4 | 1,273 | 7–5–1 (3–2–0) |
| November 13 | 6:07 PM | Bemidji State | Taffy Abel Arena • Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan | | Eisele | L 4–5 | 0 | 7–6–1 (3–3–0) |
| November 19 | 7:07 PM | at Bowling Green | Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio | | Langenegger | L 1–5 | 2,561 | 7–7–1 (3–4–0) |
| November 20 | 7:07 PM | at Bowling Green | Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio | | Langenegger | L 2–6 | 2,625 | 7–8–1 (3–5–0) |
| November 26 | 7:07 PM | #1 Minnesota State | Taffy Abel Arena • Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan | | Langenegger | W 1–0 | 822 | 8–8–1 (4–5–0) |
| November 27 | 6:07 PM | #1 Minnesota State | Taffy Abel Arena • Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan | | Langenegger | L 0–3 | 1,014 | 8–9–1 (4–6–0) |
| December 3 | 7:07 PM | at Ferris State | Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan | | Langenegger | W 3–0 | 1,344 | 9–9–1 (5–6–0) |
| December 4 | 6:07 PM | at Ferris State | Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan | | Langenegger | L 1–3 | 1,640 | 9–10–1 (5–7–0) |
| December 10 | 7:07 PM | #19 Northern Michigan | Taffy Abel Arena • Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan | | Langenegger | W 7–2 | 500 | 10–10–1 (6–7–0) |
| December 11 | 6:07 PM | #19 Northern Michigan | Taffy Abel Arena • Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan | | Eisele | W 4–1 | 790 | 11–10–1 (7–7–0) |
| January 7 | 8:07 PM | at Bemidji State | Sanford Center • Bemidji, Minnesota | | Langenegger | L 1–5 | 2,165 | 11–11–1 (7–8–0) |
| January 8 | 7:07 PM | at Bemidji State | Sanford Center • Bemidji, Minnesota | | Eisele | L 1–5 | 2,609 | 11–12–1 (7–9–0) |
| January 14 | 7:07 PM | #19 Michigan Tech | Taffy Abel Arena • Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan | | Langenegger | L 0–3 | 1,077 | 11–13–1 (7–10–0) |
| January 15 | 6:07 PM | #19 Michigan Tech | Taffy Abel Arena • Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan | | Langenegger | L 0–3 | 1,175 | 11–14–1 (7–11–0) |
| January 21 | 7:07 PM | USNTDP* | Taffy Abel Arena • Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan (Exhibition) | | | W 5–1 | | |
| January 28 | 6:37 PM | at #20 Northern Michigan | Berry Events Center • Marquette, Michigan | | Eisele | W 6–1 | 2,288 | 12–14–1 (8–11–0) |
| January 29 | 6:37 PM | at #20 Northern Michigan | Berry Events Center • Marquette, Michigan | | Eisele | L 1–2 $^{OT}$ | 2,564 | 12–15–1 (8–12–0) |
| February 11 | 7:07 PM | Ferris State | Taffy Abel Arena • Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan | | Eisele | W 5–3 | 1,037 | 13–15–1 (9–12–0) |
| February 12 | 6:07 PM | Ferris State | Taffy Abel Arena • Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan | | Langenegger | W 4–0 | 1,310 | 14–15–1 (10–12–0) |
| February 18 | 8:07 PM | at St. Thomas | St. Thomas Ice Arena • Mendota Heights, Minnesota | | Eisele | L 1–2 | 643 | 14–16–1 (10–13–0) |
| February 19 | 8:07 PM | at St. Thomas | St. Thomas Ice Arena • Mendota Heights, Minnesota | | Langenegger | W 5–1 | 521 | 15–16–1 (11–13–0) |
| February 25 | 7:07 PM | Bowling Green | Taffy Abel Arena • Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan | | Eisele | W 5–1 | 1,192 | 16–16–1 (12–13–0) |
| February 26 | 6:07 PM | Bowling Green | Taffy Abel Arena • Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan | | Langenegger | W 3–1 | 1,396 | 17–16–1 (13–13–0) |
| CCHA Tournament ||||||||||
| March 4 | 6:07 PM | Northern Michigan* | Taffy Abel Arena • Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan (Quarterfinal game 1) | | Eisele | L 1–5 | 1,050 | 17–17–1 |
| March 5 | 6:07 PM | Northern Michigan* | Taffy Abel Arena • Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan (Quarterfinal game 2) | | Langenegger | W 3–2 | 1,100 | 18–17–1 |
| March 6 | 6:07 PM | Northern Michigan* | Taffy Abel Arena • Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan (Quarterfinal game 3) | | Langenegger | L 4–5 | 850 | 18–18–1 |
| Lake Superior State Lost Series 1–2 ||||||||||
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time. Source: ||||||||||

## Scoring statistics

| Name | Position | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM |
| Louis Boudon | C | 36 | 15 | 29 | 44 | 31 |
| Miroslav Mucha | RW | 37 | 10 | 25 | 35 | 8 |
| Jacob Bengtsson | D | 36 | 3 | 24 | 27 | 63 |
| Brandon Puricelli | RW | 24 | 13 | 9 | 22 | 10 |
| Logan Jenuwine | F | 27 | 9 | 11 | 20 | 4 |
| Josh Nixon | RW | 37 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 16 |
| Harrison Roy | F | 29 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 8 |
| Jacob Nordqvist | D | 36 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 24 |
| Dustin Manz | C | 34 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 10 |
| Jake Willets | D | 35 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 32 |
| Benito Posa | F | 26 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 24 |
| Dawson Tritt | F | 33 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 14 |
| Mitchell Oliver | D | 35 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 48 |
| Timo Bakos | F | 35 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 0 |
| Joshua Wildauer | C | 34 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 12 |
| Cole Craft | RW | 23 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 27 |
| Arvid Henrikson | D | 35 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 56 |
| Jeremy Gervais | D | 16 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 10 |
| Artyom Borshyov | D | 35 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 10 |
| Brett Roloson | F | 29 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Tyler Williams | C | 19 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Easton Hesse | G | 1 | 0 | | 1 | 27 |
| Jack Jeffers | F | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sebastian Miedema | D | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jared Westcott | F | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Spencer DenBeste | F | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Seth Eisele | G | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ethan Langenegger | G | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Grant Hindman | D | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Total | | | 107 | 193 | 300 | 453 |

## Goaltending statistics

| Name | Games | Minutes | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals Against | Saves | Shut Outs | SV % | GAA |
| Ethan Langenegger | 22 | 1313 | 10 | 11 | 1 | 58 | 602 | 3 | .912 | 2.65 |
| Seth Eisele | 16 | 900 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 41 | 419 | 0 | .911 | 2.73 |
| Empty Net | - | 18 | - | - | - | 5 | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 37 | 2231 | 18 | 18 | 1 | 104 | 1021 | 3 | .908 | 2.80 |

## Rankings

| Poll | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 (Final) |
| USCHO.com | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | - | NR |
| USA Today | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR |
Note: USCHO did not release a poll in week 24.

## Awards and honors

| Player | Award |
| Jacob Bengtsson | CCHA Second Team |
| Louis Boudon | CCHA Second Team |
| Josh Nixon | CCHA Rookie Team |