Laker Hockey's Historic Season Comes to a Close in the Opening Round of the NCAA Tournament

The No. 13 Lake Superior State hockey team's historic 2020-21 season came to a close following a 5-1 loss to the No. 6/5 University of Massachusetts Minutemen on Friday, March 26 in the Opening Round of the NCAA National Tournament at the East Regional in Bridgeport, Conn. at the Webster Bank Arena. 

The Lakers, the No. 3 seed in the regional, took on the No. 2 seeded Minutemen in the team's first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since the 1995-96 season following an automatic bid into the tournament as the WCHA Tournament Champions.

The 2020-21 Laker hockey season was one for the history books as the Lakers finished the regular season second in the WCHA standings, won the program's first WCHA Championship, advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 25 years, posted the program's 1000th all-time win, and ended the season with the program's highest win percentage in 25 years. 

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Clara's Challenge
Help CFRE Students Fund Their Research Projects
On September 7, 2017, we received a $20 gift from then five-year-old Clara White. Her great-grandfather Gale Gleason had recently passed away and she wanted to give the $20 she recently found to the University where he worked.  

Gale Gleason, LSSU Professor Emeritus and William Gregory (Then President of Edison Sault Electric Company) co-founded what became the ARL Fish Hatchery in the late 1970’s. The hatchery and related programs have become a hallmark of LSSU’s identity. The Atlantic Salmon fishery in the St. Mary’s River is popular locally and is a destination for fishing enthusiasts from around the globe. This would not have occurred without the foresight and efforts by Gleason and Gregory.

Earlier this year, we received another letter from Clara in response to the Fund for LSSU mailer she received. While reading about the fund, she thought it would be a good idea to give some of her money to help students who want to go to college but don’t have enough money. Clara made a gift of $30 from her savings and asked her grandfather, Rick Hancock to make a gift and her great-grandmother, Shirley Gleason to make a donation as well. Together, they contributed $90 to help CFRE Hatchery students fund their research projects.

Clara's Challenge is a mini-campaign within the Superior Give-A-Thon to raise $5,000 for CFRE Hatchery students to fund their research projects through the Fund for LSSU.

This is an amazing act of philanthropy by a nine-year-old to make the decision to support LSSU students who need help. Please consider participating to keep Clara’s “chain of giving” going!
UNIVERSITY NEWS
Lake Superior State University Names Veteran Fundraiser, Former LSSU Foundation Executive Director Scott Smith As Inaugural Vice President Of Advancement

Lake Superior State University has named nationally recognized philanthropic strategist and former LSSU Foundation executive director Scott Smith as its inaugural vice president of advancement. Smith, with more than two decades of experience as a fundraiser in the higher education and not-for-profit sectors over a 35-year career, started at LSSU on March 15, 2021. He joins a university advancement team made up of Associate Vice President Tom Coates (’86), Director of Donor Relations Sharon Dorrity (’87), Director of Annual Fund and Athletic Development Andrew Rubinstein, and Development Operations Director Ryan Sigmon (’15).

“Throughout my professional life, I have had the privilege of leading teams big and small to meet and exceed ever-increasing fundraising goals, and I look forward to working with the LSSU community to secure philanthropic support for this great institution,” said Smith. “I believe I can help LSSU expand its philanthropic base and alumni involvement. LSSU provided me a chance early in my development career, and from 1997 to 2001, I was fortunate to work with an exceptional board and team that secured the first and subsequent million-dollar fundraising years in LSSU history. Twenty years later, I’m excited to have the chance to help this exceptional university again.” Read more.
Watch the 50th anniversary of the annual Snowman Burning

The event took place Friday, March 19 on the Pleger Commons. Kevin Chamberlain, retired LSSU public safety officer of 30 years, torched it on behalf of all Lakers.
ALUMNI IN THE NEWS
LAKER ATHLETICS
The Lake Superior State men's and women's golf teams competed in the SVSU Spring Invitational hosted by Saginaw Valley State University on Saturday, March 20 and Sunday, March 21. The women posted a combined total score of 655 in the two day competition, while the men posted a combined total score of 636
The Lake Superior State men's and women's tennis competed against Davenport University on Saturday, March 20 at the Gainey Athletic Complex in Grand Rapids. The men lost by a score of 5-2, while the women defeated the Davenport University Panthers by a score of 6-1.
The Lake Superior State men's and women's track and field teams opened the 2021 outdoor season with an impressive performance at the 2021 Blizzard Buster hosted by Miami University in Oxford, Ohio on Saturday, March 20. With the 2020 spring outdoor season being cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Blizzard Buster marked the first collegiate competition for many Lakers in outdoor track & field. Read more.
CULINARY ARTS - RECIPE OF THE MONTH
WRAPPING IT UP
I hope you enjoyed this month’s version of the Laker E-ffect as it is jammed packed with outstanding achievements by our students and alumni.

For example, the outstanding run by our Laker Hockey team in capturing LSSU’s first-ever WCHA Championship and reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time in over 25 years. Congratulations to Head Coach Damon Whitten, his staff and student-athletes for a fantastic year. It was great hearing from so many friends and alumni who were excited to see the Lakers fare so well.

How about nine-year-old Clara White making a gift in honor of her late great-grandfather Gale Gleason??? Dr. Gleason was a co-founder of the Atlantic Salmon hatchery which has become a key component of LSSU’s Center for Freshwater Research and Education. 

For someone so young Clara is an outstanding fundraiser. She made a challenge to some family members for support and now “Clara’s Challenge” is open to all of us. Please consider keeping Clara’s chain of giving going!

Go Lakers!
Visit us online for information about alumni events and programs, to update your information with LSSU, and to become an Annual or Lifetime Member of the Alumni Association.