Talented college hockey players don’t always resist the temptation to turn pro before graduating. Many get drafted into the NHL before finishing school. It takes a firm grasp on life’s long-term goals to stick it out. Laker goalie Jeff Jakaitis is not only finishing college, he’s doing it with a 3.47 GPA in business administration.
Even then, a pro hockey career might follow. You could say the business of hockey is in his blood.
The four-season Laker veteran is among the national leaders when it comes to save percentage, fending off 93.4 percent of all the shots ever taken against him this season. He ranks among the top 10 nationally in goals-against average, at 2.18. He broke LSSU’s career shutout record this season and is on track to become the Lakers’ leader in career-save percentage. He was named CCHA Player of the Month in December after breaking the shutout record and setting a record for most saves in a series with 91.
Jeff was a finalist for the Central Collegiate Hockey Association’s Player of the Year honor as a junior. Last season, he was named to the All-CCHA First Team and won the Perani Cup points title. Academically, Jakaitis is a three-time CCHA Scholar-Athlete. Bear in mind that the CCHA includes schools like Notre Dame, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, and the University of Alaska.
Nationally, Jeff was a leading vote-getter on the fan ballot for the Hobey Baker Award, which is college hockey’s highest honor. Voting was conducted on www.hobeybaker.com through March 4; he garnered more than 50,000 votes. He is also a finalist for the Pontiac Frozen Four Skills Challenge, which is also determined by fan voting.
Off the ice, Jeff stays involved with a number of community projects like Relay for Life and the Boys and Girls Club of Chippewa County. He does public service announcements for www.volunteer.org. and also pitches in on variety community-service projects his hockey team puts on during the school year, including a spaghetti supper for the United Way and bell ringing for the Salvation Army. Jeff was a strong candidate for this year’s CCHA Humanitarian Award, but asked not to be nominated, insisting that “receiving an award for it would devalue my reasons for volunteering.”
“He’s even a better person than he is a goalie,” says head Laker hockey coach Jim Roque.
Jeff Jakaitis 
