The Grand Valley State University men’s Division II club hockey team had another frustrating set of games last weekend, starting its new season with a mixed streak.

With a narrow loss in the season opener and a commanding win in its second game, the Lakers (1-2-1) had an inconsistent start to the season. The weekend’s results – a 1-1 tie and 1-3 loss, both to Saginaw Valley State University – followed this pattern.

On Friday, the Lakers hosted Saginaw Valley at the Georgetown Ice Arena. After a scoreless first period, the Cardinals managed to score on goaltender Josh LaVigne late in the period. The Lakers out-shot the Cardinals 40-22, but it was not until the final three minutes of regulation that freshman Brad Wilhelm fired off a shot that found the back of the net.

Neither team scored in overtime, finalizing the score at 1-1.

“It was rough, I wish we could have made more goals,” Wilhelm said. “We had a lot of shots, a lot of chances; we just couldn’t get the puck in the net. The chemistry of the team is really good, I think we’re all getting together really well. We need to shoot more, and keep trying.”

On Saturday, the Lakers followed the Cardinals to the Saginaw Bay Ice Arena for a follow-up game. After an early goal from the Cardinals, the teams fought over the third period with goals from both teams. While GVSU again out-shot the competition, the Lakers were unable to score and then let another goal slip past them late in the period, ending the game 3-1.

“I think that we played well enough to win both games, we just failed to execute in the offensive zone,” said GVSU head coach Mike Forbes. “We exposed some of our weaknesses, but I think that’s all part of the process. When I say weaknesses, it’s not about our team as much as it is about our execution. It just gives us a starting point to work on things in practice and through the rest of the season to change those behaviors.”

Defender Craig Marritt said the Lakers deserved the win, but just could not manage to capitalize on the many chances they set up. Like the rest of the team, he believes that they can do much better. The important thing, Marritt said, is working out problems and improving.

“The only thing we can do is look ahead,” he said. “We have three games this weekend, down in St. Louis. We need to win all three of the games in order to make up for last weekend. We need to go into practice this week and start preparing, mentally and physically. The physical side isn’t as much of an issue as the mental; we need to get mentally prepared for the weekend.”

The Lakers play next in St. Louis, Mo., at the ACHA Division II Showcase, with games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The team’s next home game will be Oct. 15 against the University of Michigan-Dearborn at 8 p.m.

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