In addition to the obvious competitiveness of a No. 4-No. 5 matchup, the fact that this series is a rematch of last year’s conference championship game makes for appointment viewing this weekend. The fact that these two teams were involved in a three-team race for the last home-ice berth—a pennant race that took until third period of the regular season finale—adds even more drama to a matchup that already has plenty.

In this tumultuous season, Lake Superior survived losing streaks of three, four and five games, yet Whitten’s Lakers speared wins in six of their last eight down the stretch to snatch home ice the final day, something he is understandably proud of. 

“It’s a great reward for the guys who really stuck with it,” said Whitten, minutes after sweeping Bowling Green Saturday night to clinch the coveted fourth spot in the CCHA standings. 

“This season we went through some slides, injuries, disruptions, COVID, we weren’t sure where the heck things were going to shake out. Obviously, a big difference between playing here [Taffy Abel Arena] and the Berry Events Center.”

Even though Coach Potulny’s Cats are on the road, he is relieved that he doesn’t have to travel to Minnesota or Ohio to play in the quarterfinals. This commute is a familiar bus ride of less than three-hours—NMU and Lake State are virtual neighbors in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. 

“That, for sure, is a benefit,” said Potulny, “playing someone within your geographical footprint.” 

More worrisome is how his team matches up with the Lakers on the ice, a team that has taken 10 out of 12 points from them in the CCHA standings this year, as well as last year’s championship game. The good news for Potulny is that his top goalie Charlie Glockner (.910 save percentage) is healthy, and the freshman owns the Cats only win over the Lakers this season, a 2-1 overtime thriller. 

“It works out well,” said Potulny, “his last game against them he played very well.”

Whitten is blessed with two goalies who both have better save percentages than Glockner—Seth Eisele (.916) and Ethan Langenegger (.915). It remains to be seen if Whitten maintains his habit of alternating the two—Eisele was spectacular in his last two starts versus Northern. Like so many post-season series, it should come down to goaltending and special teams. Northern’s penalty kill, or lack thereof, ranked last in the CCHA at 79 percent. That unit could be a massive obstacle for the Cats as they try to win on enemy ice. 

“Penalty kill is something we’ve definitely struggled with,” said Potulny, “an area we need to work on this week.” 

But there is truth in the old adage that your goaltender has to be your best penalty killer, and Potulny is happy with his 6’ 3” rookie. 

“We’ve been getting some more saves lately [on the PK], and that’s helped quite a bit.” 

The bracket is set for the #MasonCup Playoffs. Who's your favorite to win? #CCHA

? Tourney: https://t.co/Y4yMAOSZHR pic.twitter.com/o5HfMKt3a7

— CCHA (@CCHAHockey) February 27, 2022

In betting parlance, Lake State is the “chalk” for this series, the smart bet because they’re hot, they’ve survived an awful string of bad luck, they’re on home ice, and they are the defending champs. They have seen potential turn into production from Logan Jenuwine and Brandon Puricelli, who combined with Luis Boudon to light up Bowling Green for a combined seven goals and four assists last weekend. Despite all the turmoil this season, the Lakers have once again clawed out another winning season. 

“This year’s senior class is the winningest group to come through here since the 1996 class,” said Whitten. “They started to change the tone, change the culture, and bring a winning way to Laker hockey once again. It led to home ice this year, a championship last year. I think we have a chance to really go on a run and do some things.”

Potulny, who has reached the league’s championship game twice in the last four years, knows exactly what is at stake this time of year. 

“Everything’s heightened: your excitement, your anxiety, your focus, your determination, everything, because you’re trying to extend your season. You have to make sure you get the right points across this week—can we match their toughness? That’s our mantra for the week, because there’s truly no tomorrow unless you earn it.”

Prediction: Lakers get pushed to a decisive third game, but return to the semifinals.