Lake Superior State freshman Alex Dunn broke a 1-1 tie with Western Ontario when he scored an unassisted goal late in the third period of Friday?s exhibition contest. The Lakers went on to defeat the visiting Mustangs 4-1.
“We reacted well for a team that does not have a lot of older players,” said Laker coach Frank Anzalone. “In the first period we hustled and worked, we got to spots quickly and we helped each other out.
“During the second we just waned through the period and wound up 1-1. In the third we worked hard and our tempo got better.”
Freshmen Jon Booras and David Kellington also added goals for the Lakers late in the third period. The Laker freshmen combined for five points during the opening night at Taffy Abel Arena.
“The key was the poise of the rookies and the only time the rookies ran around was in the second period when the forwards stopped hustling and Western (Ontario) put pressure on them,” said Anzalone. “We are just going to have to play by committee until some of these guys become sophomores.”
It was Colin Nicholson who started the scoring for LSSU when he netted a pass from junior Chris Peterson with one-minute remaining in the first period. Freshman Mark Adamek and sophomores Derek Seal and Bo Cheesman all recorded assists.
Darren Mortier was the lone goal-scorer for the Mustangs. He banked a shot off Laker goaltender Terry Denike for an unassisted goal at the 9:27 mark of the second period.
Denike and fellow sophomore Matt Violin split time in net, the pair made 17 and nine saves respectively.
The Lakers will travel to Maine next weekend to play the University of Maine in a two-game series.
