Sabers return home to take on Lakers

by Jordan Driscoll

When: Friday, Feb. 2 at 1 PM, Saturday, Feb. 3 at 8 PM, Sunday, Feb. 4 at 1 PM

Where: Icetown Carlsbad

The San Diego Sabers are set to take on the Lake Tahoe Lakers in a three-day series beginning this Friday. The games will be held at home, at Icetown Carlsbad. The Friday and Sunday puck drops are scheduled for 1 PM, while the Saturday game starts in the evening, at 8 PM.

While the Sabers may not be dominating their division, two of their players were named to the USPHL’s Players of The Week, forward Mario Paganini and defenseman Jacob Therrien.

Paganini is on a hot streak after scoring six points in his last two games, both against the Ontario Jr Reign. He has seventy-five points on the season, with twenty-eight goals. Therrien has thirty-six points in thirty-three games this season, along with a hundred and seventeen penalty minutes. At 5’11, he provides a level of grit to the blueline without sacrificing offensive skill.

The Sabers opponents, the Lake Tahoe Lakers, are one spot ahead of them in the division, with sixteen wins. Two of their top scorers, Aaro Laurila and Ethan Gray, are expected to make a difference in this matchup. Gray scored three points in his last game, while Laurila has been in a bit of a slump.

In their last series against the Lakers, the Sabers won two out of three games. To continue their success, depth scoring and defense must rise to the occasion.