The Hockey Gods are A-Holes

Another hockey game, another disappointment.

During the first period on Saturday night in the National Hockey Center, it was ALL Michigan Tech. Everything was looking so great... pretty passes, definite opportunity and chances for scoring, keeping it in the SCSU zone.... Michigan Tech outplayed the &$#% out of St. Cloud State. It was one of the best periods I've seen from them this season.

And then there was the St. Cloud power play. It was called with about :45 left in the period. Unfortunately, SCSU scored with only :10 left in the first period.

To outplay a team as much as we outplayed St. Cloud... and to give up a last second first period goal like that was back breaking. All the hard work put into the entire first period backfired in only a matter of seconds.

This is only one goal though. This is only one obstacle to overcome.

During the second period, it really didn't get any easier. We came out strong again. As the period progressed, St. Cloud started to take over. The SOG margin was getting closer and closer, as SCSU began to break down Michigan Tech more and more. Around the halfway mark of the second, St. Cloud struck again to break Tech's back.

Now begins the part where I'm going to make up excuses for my Huskies. They put so much out there in the first half of the game... however, no matter what they did, Jase Weslosky stood tall (something I'll never be able to do) for St. Cloud and stoned them every time. There were also many times where St. Cloud got lucky. My team was no question frustrated. They had to have been exhausted. After the lack of results they were getting after all of their efforts, they were down.

Tech had played two great periods of hockey and had nothing to show for it. Each period they had 15 SOG, many of those being GREAT opportunities to find the back of the net... yet it could not be done.

In the third period, St. Cloud took over for the majority of the time. Tech was still getting their chances... and still unable to bury any of them. With just under 5:00 minutes left, SCSU put the nail in the coffin. Tech went yet another game being shut out.

And go figure, Jase Weslosky would go on to be the WCHA Defensive Player of the Week, as so many goaltenders become the week after we play them.

I pose these questions to the hockey gods:
- WHY can't we beat SCSU? Can't do it at home, can't do it in their building... WHY.
- How is it that we can put up 5 goals on one of the best goaltenders in the nation (Bachman from CC), but most other weekends we can't get more than 1 or 2 goals per game?
- Why did you give the Michigan Tech fans so much hope at the beginning of the season for a great finish and home playoffs, and then leave us in shambles?
- Why did you make Casey Pierro-Zabotel lack anything that remotely resembles a brain?
- Why couldn't any of our four post or pipe hits at the GLI against Michigan been just 1" to the right or 1" lower?
- Why can't you see that these guys deserve better and that the Husky fans deserve better?
- Why do you hate Michigan Tech and their fans so much? :(

I know this season isn't over yet, but with the way the hockey gods are treating us, it may likely soon be.

UMD Recap, SCSU Game 1

Alright... so, I'm in the process of recruiting a new writer for the THB, but of course, no one is stepping up. My application process was simply to write something covering the UMD series, but I got nothing! Maybe I should try the new blogger WWN from this blog, that way I'd at least get more people commenting here. Oh well... the wait will continue.

So how about some much delayed coverage over the games versus UMD? it. Friday ='ed good. So much good and fun happened in this game... Let's first touch on some line change ups. Due to illness spreading around Houghton like crazy, a lot of changes were called for as the team is sadly not immune to diseases. Was this illness a blessing in disguise? Moving Alex Gagne to the first line with Tyler Shelast and Peter Rouleau was... wow. Just wow. For this game, that line's point breakdown looks something like this:

Gagne 2-1--3
Shelast 0-1--1
Rouleau 3-2--5

Not too shabby, eh? Peter Rouleau's hat trick... fantastic. He got a shorty, a PPG, and an empty netter. If it's one things I like, it's variety. I should also mention that my hat was the first on the ice. ;)

The next night wasn't as happy though. The crowd was good... I'll say that much. However, due to a poorly called CFB on Michigan Tech (which even the Duluth fans shared with me that they thought that was the poorest CFB call they'd ever seen), Tech had some problems on their hands. Of course UMD scored one goal on that major powerplay and we also lost by a mere goal. As much as I want to blame referee Anderson for that loss, Michigan Tech certainly had their opportunities, but just weren't able to finish. Bummer.

Home ice is slipping further and further away...

And now to touch on the first game of the series in St. Cloud. It was very frustrating, to say the least. Although Tech lost 4-1, in my personal opinion, the guys in black and gold didn't play that poorly! SCSU goaltender Weslosky was fantastic and kept shutting us down.

Despite how much this loss hurts Tech, again... MeanEgirl favorite Geoff Kinrade scored... so she's happier than she should be.

And since I'm hungry and will soon be going to IHOP, I will leave you all with these words: Uh, Tech needs to win tonight.

An Open letter to The Michigan Tech Huskies Hockey team

Dear Huskies,

Hi, many of you know me, but for those of you who do not, my name is Robert Green. I am a former Michigan Tech student who graduated last spring and I like to think I am one of the bigger and outspoken fans of the program. I have seen you play in every state where WCHA hockey is played, except for Wisconsin(I hate that entire state) and Alaska(I want to go but I just haven't been able to make it), all so that I can support this program. Last year I had the honor of watching one of the greatest series I could possibly imagine in Colorado Springs, another great calling card series in North Dakota, a Justin St. Louis hat trick in Minnesoat, and our first appearance at the Final Five since it moved to the Xcel Energy Center. Above all of that as you may have already figured out I write for this prestigious blog.

Last year I attended the Frozen Four in St. Louis, and as you all probably already realize you didn't. We had a great year last year and I got so much more than I expected out of you, so not being in St. Louis wasn't really a big deal. I still remember last year at the conclusion of the championship game as the Michigan State players rushed the ice in celebration, I spoke these words "Tech will win another national championship before any CCHA team". Outside of that game everywhere I went, as well as the fellow Tech fans I was with, we sang your praises. Big things are coming out of Houghton soon, look for us to bring our team with us in the next couple years, prepare to be shocked, this is what we told people. We laughed, we joked, we song, and the people around us started getting excited by our hope and our joy in our program in which we had so much faith in.

The world is ready for you, they are waiting for you, they want you. Even though things aren't looking all that good right now, there is still hope, and I can't shake the feeling that this is our year. Sure we can live and learn from this year, we can reload and try to make another run next year and sure the future looks bright, but this year is not over yet. There is still a chance to shock the world, and if any team can do it this team can.

When I look at this team, I see a group of players with the ability to play with any team in the country and I hope when you step on the ice you see the same. The future is in your hands, as they say the future begins now. The future is not next year, the future is tomorrow night the future is next weekend, the future is April 12.

Some of my fellow fans may have given up hope on you but not me. Some of you may have given up hope but not me. I know what you are capable of and I know the rewards of playing up to what you are capable of. I have already staked my name on a Tech championship please do not make me a liar, so in the words of Al Bundy, "Just Win Baby". Regardless of rather you are there or not I'll be in Denver and I'll be cheering for you. I hope to see you there.

Sincerely

Robert Green
AKA "The Darkness"
AKA "That loud black kid who keep showing up with his shirt off"

Peter Rouleau - WCHA Co-Offensive Player of the Week!

From: http://wcha.cstv.com/sports/m-hockey/spec-rel/021908aaa.html

Red Baron® WCHA co-Offensive Players of the Week
Peter Rouleau
Sr., F, Michigan Tech

Andrew Kozek
Jr., F, North Dakota

MADISON, Wisc. - A pair of veteran forwards - Peter Rouleau of Michigan Tech University and Andrew Kozek of University of North Dakota - have been named Red Baron® WCHA co-Offensive Players of the Week for Feb. 19-25 as a result of their outstanding efforts this past weekend.

Rouleau, a 5-7, 165-pound senior left winger from Hancock, Mich., notched a three-goal hat trick and two assists for a career-high five points as he factored in on all five Michigan Tech goals in last Friday's (Feb. 15) 5-2 conference victory over visiting Minnesota Duluth at the Huskies' John MacInnes Student Ice Arena in Houghton, Mich. His hat trick included a shorthanded goal and a game-winning power-play tally.

In addition to his five points, Rouleau fired five shots on goal in the series and earned a +2 plus-minus rating.

(I cut out that junk on Andrew Kozek. Who really cares? ;))

Congrats to Pete for getting WCHA Co-Offensive Player of the Week... and for getting a "three-goal" hat trick on Friday, as opposed to a 2-goal hat trick...

I'll also mention that Eli Vlaisavljevich was nominated for Defensive Player of the Week! Eli put on an outstanding performance this past weekend, likely the best hockey I've ever seen from him with this Huskies team. Great job, Eli!

I might put up a recap of the series if I get time later on this week...

Black (and gold) Thursday/ or Happy Emo Day

I would very much like to bore you with a long post about how Michigan Tech is going to bounce back this weekend against Duluth and start the push towards the playoffs. I would like to be optimistic and ensure all my fellow Tech fans that everything is going to be alright, but I can't. It's not because I don't believe it, because personally I think I might, but I just can't today. As many of you may know, every year on the 14th of February people are forced to be uncharacteristically sappy towards one another for no apparent reason. Don't get me wrong, The Darkness has absolutely no problem romancing the ladies, in fact I personally enjoy it a lot. But not today, for me today is Black Thursday, a day to remember just how much you hate your life and the idiots around you.

So today I'm forced to be emo. I hope the Huskies can pick up at least one point this weekend. Not that it really matters, they're just going to lose eventually anyway. At least Duluth can't score either, maybe they'll skate to two more 0-0 ties. That might be interesting.

Alright enough with the emo talk, The Darkness is still a believer in romance and such, for no particular reason, because let's face it all things just eventually fall apart anyway, so what's the point in even trying. So instead of sitting here and boring you with why the world sucks and how much the Huskies are going to let me down this weekend I will instead leave you with a perfect example of true love in action, or why we should never fall for anybody ever, depending on how you look at things.

Sigh.

What a huge disappointment this past weekend was. It was sort of a double whammy. Not only did we lose the Winter Carnival Cup, but we lost 3 crucial WCHA points. We have dug ourselves in VERY deep and I will be shocked if we can get out of this and get home playoffs.

And for my usual Why We Lost segment: We can't find the back of the net. We can't finish. We can only tie at best if we have the best defense in the world but no offense. Our power play and penalty kills are another area of concern. It was nice to finally get a power play goal, however. (THANK YOU, GEOFF KINRADE!)

On Friday, freshman Bennett Royer, with a little help from fellow freshman Eric Kattelus, got the Huskies on the scoreboard first. I might also mentioned that Bennett played an AMAZING game and had many chances all game long. He was certainly one of the bright spots of the evening.

The game was a very close, evenly matched one the whole way. Sadly, in the third period, Kyle Turris was able to get one by Michael-Lee Teslak to tie the game. Since it finished as a tie, the team to win on the next night would be the 2008 Winter Carnival champions.

What is it about that 4-1 score? We've lost many games this season by a score of 4-1. Well in any case, that was the score with which the Badgers were able to defeat us and take our own Winter Carnival Cup. In fact, if it hadn't been for the fact that MeanEgirl favorite Geoff Kinrade scored a goal for Michigan Tech, I may have jumped off the lift bridge that night. So now, thanks to Geoff, I am here today and will suffer through the rest of the season.

Last year, the team finished at 18-17-5 overall. This season we're at 10-13-5 overall with 8 regular season games left in our schedule, and at least another two for post-season. The 2007-2008 season started out so bright, but came crashing down so quickly. We started the season at a comfortable 5-2, messing up a game against a young NMU team and losing at home to #1 UND... but with a sweep over a now HOT Mankato team, a victory over #1 UND at home, as well as defeating Wisconsin on the road. In our next five games, we went without a win. In the next nine after the win against UW at the Kohl Center, we went 1-6-2. From the GLI on to now, we have only been able to win four games, two of those against Atlantic Hockey's Mercyhurst. The question I would like to pose is: WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!

I know what this team is capable of... But I am just confused as to why they're not doing it. What would Mike Batovanja say to get this team fired up? Mike, if you're reading this, give the guys a call and light a fire under their asses.

This weekend, UMD is coming to Michigan Tech. They always play us very tough in our own building. points NEED TO HAPPEN this weekend. I don't know what more to say.

Huskies Fight Back to Earn the Tie

Yeah, so this is a few days late.

Box score

I don't know when it really started happening, because I wasn't there to see, but Tech started to really come alive somewhere along the line last Saturday night. They were able to kill a two goal deficit and come back to tie a very tough Seawolves team.

I am grateful that we were at least able to get a point on Saturday, but I was hoping for and expecting so much more...

Ok, that is enough about last weekend's unfortunate events.

Here's a look at the WCHA standings (with poor formatting that I can't fix):

Team						WCHA Record	Points
Colorado College						15-4-1	31
North Dakota						14-7-1	29
Denver						12-6-0	24
Minnesota-Duluth						7-8-5	19
Wisconsin						8-9-3	19
Minnesota State						7-9-4	18
Minnesota						6-10-4	16
MICHIGAN TECH						6-9-3	15
St. Cloud State						6-10-2	14
Alaska-Anchorage						3-12-5	11

It's a tight race in the lower part of the WCHA. If we end up typing UMD (0-2), SCSU (0-2) or UAA (0-1-1) as of right now, we would lose the tie breakers with those teams. Although we do have series coming up with UMD and St. Cloud. We have the tiebreaker on MSUM (2-0); however, we have a series coming up with them soon. Hopefully they cool down by then. And currently, we have split series with UMN (1-1) and UW (1-1). We're done with UMN in the regular season. I'm not sure what happens after head to head record... Goal differential, maybe? If that's the case, UMN has a one goal edge on us. And as for UW... well, we'll know for sure after this weekend.

Here is the good news! We are only four points out fourth place with TWO games in hand on everyone else from 4th to 10th place in the WCHA. It has never been more crucial to start getting points than it is right now.

I must ask of all Michigan Tech fans to come out to the games, be vocal... keep the support coming. The the team will reward you if you do so.

Huskies: The Preferred Food of the Seawolves

So, my team got pummeled tonight in the beautiful city of Anchorage, Alaska. The hungry Seawolves were looking to please their home crowd, and they did just that... although if you ask me, it was a bit of an overkill!

This is the first game that I will write on this season that I didn't actually see. Judging by what I heard from Dirk Hembroff on the radio, it was a fair combination of great UAA play and piss poor Tech play. I kind of want to excuse it a little bit. Having traveled to Anchorage last year myself, it isn't the easiest thing to adjust... And all I did was eat, sleep, drink, and watch hockey. I cannot imagine playing hockey!

Tomorrow is another day, however. Another whole day that the team would have to adjust to being in Anchorage. Come tomorrow, I cannot make up more excuses for this team. Tomorrow's game is a MUST-WIN, especially with how hot the Mavericks are right now.

After the game, Coach Russell told it like it was, "I thought we were completely useless in front of the net." What more needs to be said? Also according to Russell, he was pleased with Schwarz and VanWagner. The rest of the guys.... not so much.

And for my random feature.... Why We Lost: This can be blamed on a number of factors... goaltending, our play in front of the net, the brilliant play of Olthius and the rest of the Seawolves... However, I'm not going to say it is any of those. I'll just say it's because I wasn't there. It was tough missing my first game of the season, on both me and the team... as you can see. :)

Let's go guys.. salvage a split from this weekend!