SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Augustana hockey team (6-4-1, 3-3-1 CCHA) closes out the month of November on the road as it heads to Michigan's Upper Peninsula for a weekend series against Lake Superior State (4-9-1, 1-7 CCHA). 

The puck hits the ice on Friday at 6:07 p.m. and Saturday at 5:07 p.m. Fans can tune into the action on Midco Sports Plus or follow the live stats at GoAugie.com/Live

Complete action can be followed on GoAugie.com/Live and the GoAugie app, presented by The Original Pancake House. The app can be downloaded in the App Store or Google Play.

Series History 
The weekend series will mark the third time in program history that the Vikings and Lakers have faced off. In the inaugural season, Augustana split after it dropped game one of the weekend series. In 2024-25, the Vikings swept the Lakers on home ice by scores of 6-3 and 4-3. Augustana holds a record of 3-1 against Lake Superior State. A total of 13 goals have been scored throughout four games of play with an average og 3.25 goals per game. 

The Lakers
Lake Superior State comes into the weekend series with a record of 4-9-1. The Lakers secured a 2-1 win over Ferris State on Friday, November 25, before falling in overtime, 4-3, on Saturday, November 22. 

The Lakers average 2.8 goals per game while allowing an average of 3.4. They've tallied a total of 39 goals this season. Sophomore forward William Ahlrik leads the program with 14 points by way of three goals and 11 assists. 

Freshman forward Calem Mangone has potted a team-high six goals for the Lakers. Before college hockey, Mangone appeared in 65 games for the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League, where he tallied 33 goals and 50 assists. While with the Spirit, Mangone and freshman goaltender Andrew Oke won the CHL Memorial Cup during the 2023-24 season. 

The Vikings
Augustana comes into the weekend with a record of 6-4-1 after having a week off. The last time Augustana hit the ice, the Vikings secured a shootout win over St. Thomas to secure the extra point over the Tommies. AU averages 2.6 goals per game while only allowing 2.0.

Augustana currently ranks fourth in the nation while on the penalty kill with a success rate of .912. It ranks sixth in the country in goals against average with 2.0. 

Leo Bulgakov leads the offense with nine points by way of five goals and four assists. The freshman forward has recorded three multi-point games and has garnered a CCHA Rookie of the Week award. Junior captain Hunter Bischoff has recorded four goals and three assists for seven points, including three game-winning goals. Four Vikings have added depth scoring with six points each. 

Josh Kotai has held down the pipes for the Vikings with a record of 6-4-1. Kotai holds a goals against average of 2.00 and a save percentage of .935. In 661:08 minutes of play, he has collected 314 saves while only allowing 22 goals against. Early this month, Kotai was named as the final netminder for the United States Collegiate Selects roster that will compete in the Spengler Cup from December 26-31. The U.S. Collegiate Select team will be made up of 25 student-athletes from across NCAA men's ice hockey. The competition will include six participating teams, along with the Selects, host HC Davos, Team Canada, HC Fribourg-Gotteron, Sparta Praha and IFK Helsinki will be taking part in the 2025 edition.