SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – The Lake Tahoe Lakers will make their home debut this weekend against the McCall Smokejumpers in a three-game series at the Tahoe Ice Arena. The home opener starts at 7:30 pm on Friday night. The homestand continues Saturday night at 7:30 pm, followed by the series finale Sunday at noon.
Admission is $10 per person. Sunday admission is free for children. Additional season ticket package information is available at laketahoelakers.com
The series will be an immediate rematch between two teams that played each other three times last weekend in McCall, Idaho. After losing to the Smokejumpers 8-4 in their season debut, the Lakers responded nicely by winning the next two games by scores of 3-1 and 5-3.
Calgary, Alberta native Chase Harrington led the way offensively for the Lakers with 2 goals and 2 assists during the series, including the game winning goal in the Lakers first victory of the 2026-2027 season. Goaltender Aidan Finn (Rosemount, MN) was nearly perfect in net for the Lakers, stopping 31 of 32 shots faced in the 3-1 win.
Sergio Davidson (Calgary, AB) bounced back from an 8 goal barrage between the pipes in the season opener – a collectively sloppy start to the season for the Lakers in general – to stop 88 percent of the shots that came his way en route to a solid 5-3 win in his second start.
Local product Brennan Monroe, who last season played for the division rival Ontario Jr. Reign, celebrated his return to the Lakers with a goal and two assists in three games played.
Next the Lakers will look to take advantage of the home ice advantage provided by their loyal and raucous fanbase to extend their winning streak against the Smokejumpers.
MOVING ON UP
It was an historic offseason for the Lake Tahoe Lakers who were promoted by the United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL) from the Premier league level to the National Collegiate Development Conference (NCDC), the highest level of play that the USPHL has to offer.
As part of this ascension, the expansion Santa Clarita Lakers Premier team was formed to serve as the official affiliate and feeder team of the Lake Tahoe Lakers NCDC squad.
Overall, the organizational growth of the Lakers program over the last six months represents a huge step forward for the franchise in its quest to develop NCAA caliber hockey players.
It is already paying dividends in the recruiting department.
The aforementioned Sergio Davidson is signed to a Scholarship & Development Agreement with the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League (WHL). And prior to joining the Lakers, defenseman Baron Tanton (Calgary, AB) played preseason games for the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders.
This is the same WHL that Gavin McKenna played in before moving on to Penn State, being drafted 1st overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2026 NHL entry draft, and scoring his first NHL goal in a 5-4 overtime win against the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night that we are talking about!
Speaking of Gavin McKenna, his childhood buddy and fellow Whitehorse, YT, Canada native Chayce Tuton returns to the Lakers as team captain once again this season, a well-deserved honor for the fiercely competitive blueliner.
In short, Lakers fans should be very excited about the boys in blue this season whom Lakers President & General Manager Andy Radke describes as “young and talented.” This young and talented Lakers roster will once again be led behind the bench by Head Coach Tyler Dill, the former Tahoe Knight Monster.
Joining the Lakers to form a new Western-Pacific division at the NCDC level are the Fresno Monsters, Ontario Jr. Reign, and Ventura Vikings who were also promoted from the Premier league level.
McCall is also making the jump to the NCDC Western-Mountain Division along with the Vernal Oilers, the two-time defending USPHL Premier National Champions, whom the Lakers will face at the Tahoe Blue Event Center on November 12th.
