Lakers announce schedule and season ticket package

Lake Superior State University has announced its 2006-07 hockey schedule, and season tickets are now on sale at the Norris Center Ticket Office.

The Lakers open their season with an exhibition game at Pullar Stadium against Lakehead University on Saturday, Oct. 7.

The season ticket package will include 18 home games, including Central Collegiate Hockey Association opponents Miami (Nov. 10-11), Northern Michigan (Dec. 1, Feb. 3), Nebraska-Omaha (Jan. 5-6), Notre Dame (Jan. 12-13), Ohio State (Jan. 26-27), Michigan (Feb. 16) and Western Michigan (Feb. 23-24).

In addition to Lakehead, LSSU will play host to non-conference opponents American International (Oct. 27-28), Wayne State (Nov. 17-18) and the U.S. Under-18s (Dec. 16). The Lakers will celebrate Great Lake State Weekend Oct. 27-28, while Parents Weekend is Nov. 10-11 and Youth Hockey Weekend is Jan. 5-6.

If purchased before Sept. 30, season tickets are $126 (full season), $65 (Friday only or Saturday only) and $70 (children). Prices go up to $144 (full season), $72 (Friday only or Saturday only) and $75 (children) after Sept. 30. Single-game tickets are $9 or adults and $5 for children.

Game times for home series are 7:35 p.m. on Fridays and 7:05 p.m. on Saturdays. The exception will be the Oct. 28 contest against American International, which will start at 5:05 p.m. to accommodate GLSW activities.

Also highlighting the Lakers' schedule are the Badger Classic on Dec. 29-30 in Madison, Wis., and the annual Home-and-Joe Series against Michigan on Feb. 16 and 18. LSSU opens the Badger Classic on Dec. 29 against Providence, and will play Clarkson or Wisconsin the following day. LSSU and Michigan will square off on Friday, Feb. 16, at Taffy Abel Arena in Sault Ste. Marie, then travel to Detroit for a 3:05 p.m. game on Sunday, Feb. 18, at Joe Louis Arena. For ticket information, contact the Norris Center Ticket Office, 906-635-2602, or visit www.lssulakers.com.

To see the complete schedule, click here.

*** MEN'S BASKETBALL:

The Lake Superior State men's basketball team will bring in three guards and a forward to bolster its young roster in 2006-07.

Point guard Garrett Konuszewski of Flushing and combination guard Scott Perkins of Perrysburg, Ohio, have signed a National Letter of Intent. Kingsley shooting guard Caleb Nickerson and Pickford forward Matt Romatz are recruited walk-ons.

LSSU's four recruits will join a young Laker team that includes one senior, no juniors, nine sophomores and two red-shirt freshmen.

*** WOMEN'S BASKETBALL:

Upper Peninsula scoring leader Shelle Rochon has signed a National Letter of Intent to play basketball at Lake Superior State University.

Rochon, a 5-10 guard/forward from Powers-North Central, was named U.P. Class D Player of the Year and was an Associated Press Class D All-State selection after averaging 24.4 points per game during the 2005 season. She scored 25 or more points in 12 games, and set a school record with a 41-point performance.

LSSU's recruiting class also includes Kingsley forward Jill Walton and Midland-Bullock Creek guard Ronlea Peterson, who signed last fall.

*** VOLLEYBALL:

The Lake Superior State volleyball team will go from being a veteran team to a very young team after losing five outstanding seniors to graduation.

The Lakers, who will have no seniors and only two juniors on their roster in 2006, brought in Kaitlin Antler of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., Sara Hess of Owosso, Holly Orban of Suttons Bay, Samantha Gibbs of Midland and Jessica Ewer of Amherstburg, Ont., to help rebuild their team.

"There has to be a couple freshmen who step up and contribute right away," LSSU coach Mark Engle said. "Five freshmen are joining up with a pretty young team. We had freshmen play major roles last year. This group of freshmen and the older group are going to be together for a long time. There is obviously a lot of athleticism among the freshmen, but they are also pretty skillful, and a few of them should be able to contribute right away."

Antler, a 5-7 setter and team captain, led Korah Collegiate to a fourth-place finish in the 2006 Northern Ontario Secondary Schools Association Championships. The Colts' MVP finished with 1,044 career assists holds the school record for single-match assists (38). Antler was a nominee for Sault, Ontario's highest volleyball honor - the ACT Award. Known as Kt, Antler was coached by her mother, Shaun (Lake) Antler, who was a setter at Lake Superior State from 1977-81 and was inducted into the LSSU Sports Hall of Fame in 1996.

*** 19 GLIAC AWARDS FOR LAKER ATHLETES:

Nineteen Lake Superior State University athletes, including eight members of the LSSU softball team, received Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference All-Academic Team honors.

Heading the list was senior pitcher Ashley Hughes (Gladstone, Mich.), who has a 3.74 grade point average while majoring in English. She was followed by senior Kate Baker (Royal Oak, Mich.) of the outdoor track and field team, who has a 3.65 GPA while majoring in elementary education. Softball players Erin Retherford (Wixom, Mich.) and Sara Fox (China, Mich.), and track's Ross Malatinsky (Holt, Mich.) are also ranked in the top-20 academically among LSSU student-athletes and were recognized by the GLIAC.

Other softball players on the all-academic team were seniors Audrey Hewitt (Gladstone, Mich.), Cherish Samuels (Dexter, Mich.) and Amanda VanHorn (Harrison, Mich.), sophomorse Jessica Ordiway (Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.) and Stephanie Reveley (St. Clair Shores, Mich.).

In addition to Baker, the women's track team was represented by seniors Michelle Ballance (White Cloud, Mich.) and Celina Grondin (Fleurimont, Que.). Six other athletes from the men's outdoor track and field team earned all-academic honors, including seniors Rich Stein (Dorr, Mich.) and Chris Winkler (Brimley, Mich.), juniors Andrew Barry (Pickford, Mich.), and Emory Nelkie (West Branch, Mich.), and sophomores Adam Smith (Mount Pleasant, Mich.) and Thom Thornton (Sand Lake, Mich.). Smith was also an NCAA Academic All-American in indoor and outdoor track.

Senior Ludovic Marmet-Demers (Levis, Que.) was named to the all-academic team in men's tennis.

***

(Files from the LSSU Sports Information Department)