Gus Correale skated across the crease and found a whole net to shoot at, with Zane McIntyre caught out of position. His backhand shot missed by several feet.
Unfortunately, it was just that kind of night for Correale and the Lakers Saturday night. Lake Superior State didn’t have a ton of chances, but between Correale’s miss and seven power-play opportunities that ended fruitlessly, the Lakers couldn’t capitalize on the ones they had in a 3-1 loss to No. 1 North Dakota (12-3-2) in front of 11,617 at Ralph Engelstad Arena.
The Lakers (3-15) head home without a win, but with more confidence in their defense, which responded to the 43-shot barrage Friday night by allowing just 28 shots to reach Gordon Defiel; Defiel saved 25 of them.
“I’m proud of our team effort,” said coach Damon Whitten. “I thought our guys played really hard. We’re a little bit banged up. We’re a little bit short-handed. But I loved our compete level. I thought our attention to detail on defense was much better.”
While UND’s shots missed the mark a few times, including two which hit the pipe, the Lakers stepped up to block 19 shots, a season high.
“We haven’t been great that way,” Whitten said. “It was a point of emphasis. We’re a better team after tonight. I liked that.”
It all added up to tough sledding for North Dakota.
“They defended well,” said UND coach Dave Hakstol. “We didn’t have a lot of puck possession. We didn’t give up a whole lot, but we definitely got as many pucks and good opportunities.”
The game’s sloppy and sluggish tone prevailed early. Despite three North Dakota penalties, Lake Superior State couldn’t jump out to another lead, but neither did UND take control of the game. Only Brendan O’Donnell’s power-play tip-in of a Jordan Schmaltz shot 1:40 into the second was able to break a scoreless tie.
“It was just a grind right from the drop of the puck,” Hakstol said. “That’s probably the best way I can describe it. I thought it was a grind for 60 minutes. We had a lot of guys step up and did a good job in some of their roles, the ones that excel in this kind of game.”
The Lakers couldn’t respond, even with Correale’s open-net look and two more power-play opportunities. Instead, UND created some separation in the third, generating a Luke Johnson goal after a feisty shift at 8:16 of the third.
Stephen Perfetto briefly made it 2-1 with a great move in the UND zone and a five-hole goal past McIntyre (16 saves) at 14:50, but after a delay of game bench minor for trying to change lines after an icing call (a point of emphasis this year), the North Dakota power play responded with a Jordan Schmaltz bombshell from the point to seal it at 16:59.
Whitten afterward said he was upset with the call, but the point of emphasis was made this summer after coaches wanted to cut down on delays during icing calls.
“I think it’s really disheartening to see the refs insert themselves into the game the way they did. They had a one-goal game with four minutes left. It’s not fair to the kids. You want the kids to decide the game, and they didn’t get the chance to do that.:
“It’s a little frustrating to be in the box as much as we were,” Hakstol said, “but our penalty killers did a good job, and on the flip side our power play, while they didn’t have a ton of opportunities, made them count.”
Overall, Lake Superior State couldn’t come away with any wins, but the Lakers will head back home with positives going forward.
“It was a good trip for us to come in here against the best team in the country and I think the best D-core in the country – just a dynamic team,” Whitten said.
