Back From the Dead...

...and no, not because Michigan Tech is having their best season start since the early 70's. I know I have been slacking lately, but I've been--yup, you guessed it--busy.

So there hasn't even been any freshmen interviews this year. Hell, I didn't even finish the ones from last year! Any Tech fans want to volunteer to take that over? I have a bank of questions to choose from...

Anyway, enough of that. On to talking about Michigan Tech Husky Hockey. So we're having a good start to the year, it appears. With all due respect to LSSU, NMU and MSUM, the Huskies haven't been challenged TOO much yet... although I'm liking a lot of the things that have been occuring so far this year. It's so great to see Bennett Royer, Eric Kattelus and Deron Cousens really stepping up this year. And how about Steven Seigo? He's off to a great start also. It's also nice to see Milos Gordic finally playing and doing well! It's strange to see Brett Olson not in the top four point-getters for Michigan Tech, but yes, it's early. Nothing is better than spreading out the points...making each line a threat to the other team.

The powerplay has been amazing thus far. The team is scoring 37% of the time! That will probably not continue into the WCHA season, but so far it's great news...especially given our embarrassing past with powerplay percentage.

Next weekend will be Michigan Tech's biggest challenge of the season thus far, as they travel to a very intimidating Kohl Center to face the Badgers...during Halloween weekend. Will Dustin be there to make fun of Badger Phil? Will Shirtless Guy be there to enjoy all the chants that the Crease Creatures throw his way? Will MeanEgirl show up and set a record number of visits from Kohl Center staff and police officers? (The current record is 5 in one game.) Only time will tell.

And for your 2-second viewing enjoyment, below is a picture of me and the ONLY cool Kohl Center staff person from two years ago. Hopefully this year's picture will not involve handcuff's, like that year's picture almost did.

Post-Season Thoughts

Yeah, it was a rough one... for all of us. The team didn't quite do what they were hoping they would do... and the same goes for me. I absolutely sucked at updating the blog... and especially at publishing all of the freshmen interviews (although I didn't receive all of them back!! But I guess I didn't pursue the matter either). This has probably been the busiest year of my life though and I apologize to all (fifteen) of my readers, especially Yager, for that.

It got off to a promising start when the Huskies were packing some offensive punch there for a short while. We put up 5 goals on NMU (Yay Olson hatty!) and five goals on CC. But of course much of the time, we just weren't doing enough to win. In the first half, the penalty kill was one of the most atrocious things I've ever seen...but that became MUCH improved with the second half of the season. And here's something to think about: We were shut out once this season. ONCE!! I've never seen us shut out so few times in a season. As a Tech fan, there's little that I hate more than seeing my team not manage to come up with on goal in sixty minutes of hockey. That was one bright spot this year.

And just like last year, we were an injury-plagued team. What a difference it could make if we could consistently dress a full team. But for so many games this season, that just didn't happen.

No matter what results this team brought, however... there were always those Husky fans that continued their support... regardless of the number of W's earned. Unfortunately, yes, the attendance at the MacInnes was down this season. However, there were still Husky faithful that made it to every game. Among those Husky faithful... the cream of the crop, the Pride of Pastyland, the Second Best Feeling in the World: the Michigan Tech Huskies Pep Band. The Huskies Pep Band doesn't care what the record of any of their teams are. They were be there to support their teams no matter how shitty their season is. So here's a word FROM the wise... THANK THEM for their support. Appreciate and embrace them for everything that have done for you...and sticking with you no matter what. Be grateful that you even have them there for you game in and game out at home. Enjoy them and be happy with them, rather than joining a facebook group called, "Tech pep band needs to shut the fuck up." Because if that's how you really feel and you're willing to make those feelings public, maybe you should just go play for your favorite team, Minnesota-State Mankato.

Meet Your Freshmen 2009-2010: Carl Nielson

How long has it been since I've posted in the Tech Hockey Blog and NOT used the word "busy?" Probably a while. Another word I'd like to add to the mix is "lazy." However, thanks to Yager's consistent nagging, I'll put up an interview. Oy... I've only done 3 this year! And this season is half over... Maybe I will do a "Meet Your Sophomores" feature next year? :)

For now, let's meet Carl Nielson, shall we? Keep in mind this interview was done and turned into me on October 14, 2009... heh.. heh...

Number: 25
Position: Defense
Hometown: Amherst, Ohio
Last Team: Mahoning Valley (NAHL)


THB: Let's begin with the fact that you're from Ohio. Does this make you an Ohio State fan?
Carl Nielson (CN): At one point yes. Not so much any more. [Good. Hopefully they're teaching you things like "GO BLUE!" at Michigan Tech.]

THB: Why did you decide to come to Michigan Tech?
CN: I wanted to keep playing hockey. Tech gave me that opportunity.

THB: What is your favorite Husky jersey?
CN: Personally, I like the black ones.

THB: Which team are you most excited to beat this season?
CN: NMU, and well, every team in the WCHA. [I'm glad we got to see a Husky over NMU victory this year!]

THB: Are you playing against any of your former teammates this year? If so, who are they and where do they play?
CN: Nope, no old teammates. [Hmm... rare.]

THB: Recite your favorite movie quote... and just in case, tell me what movie it's from.
CN: "You hit that guy! Shouldn't have been standing there." -Happy Gilmore.

THB: Do you know the words to O Canada?
CN: Most of it. [It's a damn good song.]

THB: What is your favorite NHL team?
CN: Don't really have a favorite team. Not a big Penguins fan though. [You should start being one! At least whenever Chris Conner is up and playing with them. In fact, he scored his first goal with the Penguins today! He used to wear your number.]

THB: Where is your favorite spot to relax?
CN: My bed.

THB: What are your hockey goals after Michigan Tech?
CN: Hopefully play pro hockey.

THB: Which older Husky player on the team is your mentor?
CN: I don't really have one mentor. I try to learn a little bit from all the older guys.

THB: Tell me what you know about Mitch's Misfits.
CN: Not much except they are loud and have some amusing chants. [Not bad... I hope you know more about them now than you did back then!]

THB: Who are you rooming with this year? Tell me something fun about your roommate!
CN: I'm living in a house with Jordan Baker, Seth Soley, and Drew Dobson. [You forgot the "tell me something fun" about them part. :P]

THB: What do you think of Kyle Bangen? Does he work you hard on the skating treadmill?
CN: Kyle's a good guy and yes unfortunately he works us on the treadmill.

THB: Do you look both ways before crossing the road?
CN: I try to. [You know, Carl... you could teach Ricky Dorriott a thing or two. :))

THB: What piece do you like to be when you play Monopoly?
CN: Battleship.

THB: Are you going to fight a lot this season? Do you take requests for people to pound?
CN: Oh I wish I could. We'll see how games turn out; we might get one. And yes I will be taking requests. [Yes!! I know I'm a little late with this one, but the next time you see Kevin Clark (UAA), make sure you take care of business. ALSO! This weekend, look for Kurt Davis for the Mavericks. I know I'm asking you to beat up on the little guys, but these two particular individuals deserve it the most. Kurt Davis could very well be the biggest piece of crap that plays Division I college hockey. He deserves to have his head beat in. Thanks, you're the best!]

THB: Paper or plastic?
CN: Plastic.

THB: What's your favorite class at Michigan Tech so far?
CN: Umm, none? I guess if I had to chose one, it would be Prospectives class... it's only once a week. [That's a good one. Did you get the History of Hockey one? I had Human Sexuality. Perspectives was fun!]

THB: What would you like to say to all of the Michigan Tech faithful?
CN: I'm glad to be here in Houghton. Get ready for a much better season this year.

The BET!!!

Dear Huskies,

DO NOT LET ME DOWN TONIGHT. I haven't had time to post this earlier, so I'm just going to do this now. UMD fan Biddco and I have a bet going on tonight's game. If UMD wins at Tech loses, then I will wear a UMD jersey to the game on Saturday. If Tech wins and UMD loses, then Biddco will be wearing my Michigan Tech jersey... specifically, my game-worn Geoff Kinrade jersey.

OH PLEASE, HUSKIES.... do NOT let me down tonight!!

Twitch Boy's Weekend in Colorado Springs

Well, here it is Thursday. I have a special treat for all of the THB readers! Michigan Tech alumnus and creative mastermind best known as "Twitch Boy" agreed to write a recap of his weekend. He is employed in Wyoming and he made the drive to Colorado Springs last weekend. Here was his experience:

Twitch Boy Attends a Puckkake Session in Colorado Springs
by Twitch Boy

Hi. I'm Twitch Boy. You may know me as that really loud guy with a clarinet who wears a hot dog on his head. I was the first person with enough geek cred to make a giant sign that says “pwn3d” and wave it around whenever Tech scored.

Somehow, through some miracle, I managed to escape Houghton with a degree and at least a portion of my sanity, and in my attempts to GTFO made several wrong turns and eventually gave up in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Naturally, I was keen to make the 3-hour journey down when I found that Tech was visiting CC, and some short girl who probably has a restraining order against her from the whole SCSU team started biting my ankles and asking me to write about my experiences. Seeing as how it's this or kill my brain with more Geometry Wars, here we go!

The ride down was uneventful, except when I hit Denver. It's 1:30 in the afternoon. The left lane is stopped. That's right, the fast lane. The lane meant for passing slower traffic to the right. That's Denver's response to anything unorthodox happening on I-25: stop. Massive accident on the side, stop. Someone merging on, stop. No reason at all, stop. A Denver driver wouldn't last 30 seconds in Detroit. And they love to congregate around trucks doing 60 and block traffic.

Pre-game. Don't mock my crappy cell phone camera

This is the place to hit in C-Springs. Just down the street from the Broadmoor Hotel, the Golden Bee is an English pub. Not a recreation of one, an actual English pub disassembled and shipped piece by piece over here. Upon sitting down, your server greets you by presenting you with a cool embroidered bee sticker as a souvenir of your visit – by tossing it so it sticks to your shirt.


...get your mind out of the gutter.

What they don't tell you is that the bee clings to dazzle cloth like a CS major clings to his 1-terabyte server of anime pr0n. If you get one on your jersey, forget it. It's there for life. I sadly wasn't able to visit in the evening and see the ragtime piano player. I wonder if he knows Journey. He better.

With that said and done, it was game time. I really wished it wouldn't have been. Yes, we have no penalty kill. 3 PPG for CC, 2 of them within ten seconds of the power play starting. I think we know what we need to work on in practice.

FINAL: 4-1 CC.

The next morning, I then proceeded to make the single biggest mistake of the trip. Some forklift jockey who is a Minny fan despite attending UMD recommended I check out the arcade in nearby Manitou Springs. I'm a Techie, I loves me some video games, this is a slam-dunk, right? I pull into Manitou Springs and it is a zoo. Apparently there is some kind of Halloween festival in town. People are everywhere, and Main Street is blocked off because they're running coffins down the street or something. I tried two pay lots, which turned out to be full, wasting me a good ten bucks total.

After finally finding what I thought was a parking spot, I went in to get my pinball on. Overall, the arcade wasn't terrible, though I've seen bigger and better. Some of the machines were in questionable shape, as I discovered upon plunking 50 cents into Lord of the Rings pinball to discover the left flipper didn't work.

I think this game was my favorite:

That's right, tSBFitW was in the parlor game business for a while.

After blowing a good $20 in quarters, I return to my car and there's a parking ticket, despite me being parked in a completely legal spot in front of a store. Squee.

Game number two. Holy crap, Tech showed up. They scored 4 goals within five minutes of each other in the second period. They're up 4-2 on CC. Even the Other Siders are going bonkers. I even got to bust out the “high school goalie” chant.

And then the PK happened.

Penalty.

4-3 Tech.

Shortie.

4-4 all.

Penalty.

5-4 CC.

Kivisto gets bounced for CFB.

6-4 CC.

Penalty.

7-4 CC.

Argh. My final thoughts on this game: bukkake. Bukkake bukkake bukkake bukkake bukkake. And finally, bukkake. (That oughta cause some interesting Google results.)

FINAL: 8-5 CC.

What worries me the most about that big ocho underneath CC's name? Tech's wins recently have usually come in the same manner: take a 2-goal or so lead by hook or by crook, then go into lockdown mode, sit on the lead, and drive Boosh insane. That's not happening now. This does not bode well.

One more thing I learned on my way back: if you are ever on I-25 north through Colorado and need to make a gas/food stop, DO NOT PICK EXIT 161. It's a maze. Total time to fill up, order a 10-piece McNugget, and get back on the expressway: 45 minutes.

In summary, there's a bee stuck to my weiner, I got a parking ticket, Tech went splat, and I probably caught swine flu from being around the crowds of crotchfruits dressed as Bella Swan at the arcade and just don't know it yet. FML.

I have no idea what else to talk about, so here's a YouTube video of Japanese Ronald McDonald dancing around like an idiot:

http://www.youtube.com/v/Q16KpquGsIc&hl=en&fs=1

Meet Your Freshmen 2009-2010: Anthony Schooley

Next up in the slow process of Meet Your Freshmen 2009-2010, I have for you Anthony Schooley. For as long as I can remember, it seems that Schooley had been a recruit. It seems that we've had to wait years and years for him (kind of like the waiting period between each of my blog posts). Well, we will wait no more! He's here... Schooley's in session!

Number: 14
Position: Wing
Hometown: Gaylord, MI
Last Team: St. Louis (NAHL)


THB: Why did you choose Michigan Tech?
Anthony Schooley (AS): It was in my home state and they were the college that was most interested in me. [It's nice to have some Michiganders on the team!]

THB: How long did you know you wanted to go to Michigan Tech?
AS: I really didn't know until they started recruiting me. [They must've done a great job selling Tech. A lot of guys don't like to go there because of the girl situation.]

THB: What's your favorite type of music?
AS: Pop. [Not a bad choice. You've got a few of your teammates beat.]

THB: Who is your biggest influence in hockey?
AS: My father.

THB: Tell me about your best moment in hockey so far in your career.
AS: Scoring a penalty shot goal in a national championship game. [Let's see if you can repeat that this season, eh?]

THB: What is your major at Michigan Tech?
AS: Business Management.

THB: What's your favorite form of precipitation?
AS: Snow. [You came to the right place!!]

THB: Were you happy when the Lions broke their long losing streak? Were you secretly disappointed?
AS: Extremely happy. [Oh, I suppose... but it's kind of sad having that long streak end. That was pretty cool.]

THB: I have two coins totaling fifteen cents. One is not a dime. What coins do I have?
AS: A dime and a nickel. [A+ for you, Anthony!]

THB: Be honest, how many times have you heard that previous question?
AS: Never heard it until I told my roommate the question but he had heard it before. [Ah hah, we have a cheater. You get an F now.]

THB: If I send out all the freshmen surveys to you guys at the same time, who will be the last to return their survey to me?
AS: Witter. [Good try. He was the second one to return it to me though. There are a couple of guys who have not yet returned it........]

THB: What road trip are you most looking forward to?
AS: North Dakota. [You must have heard about the Red Pepper? It's really the only reason to go to Grand Forks.]

THB: What older Husky is your role model/mentor?
AS: Olson. [Excellent choice. He will serve you well as your role model!]

THB: Michigan or Michigan State?
AS: Michigan. [I like you. I like you a lot!]

THB: What can you tell me about Mitch's Misfits?
AS: No clue. [I'm sure if I asked you now, you could tell me plenty!]

THB: How did you enjoy the Ripley Run? Tell me a little bit about it.
AS: Haha, it was pretty tough but great team bonding.

THB: Does the energy and noise level of the crowd affect the way you play?
AS: Yes, very. [Mitch's Misfits will keep that in mind this season!]

THB: What kind of toothpaste do you use?
AS: Crest. [Great choice! Herbal Mint for the win!]

THB: Where is your favorite place to eat in the Houghton/Hancock area?
AS: Anywhere but the dorms. [FALSE, as Dwight Schrutte would say. Dorm food is GREAT! :)]

THB: What would you like to tell all the Michigan Tech fans that will be supporting the team all season long?
AS: We are going to have a great season and always cheer as loud as you can!

Meet Your Freshmen 2009-2010: Kevin Genoe

Sorry for the long delay between these posts. The busyness never ends! But I cannot deprive my fellow Tech fans for of meeting a new freshman for another day!

Kevin Genoe is new guy between the pipes. Coach Russell gave him the nod against LSSU. Kevin had 29 saves on 32 shots that he faced, which is good for a .906 save%, not too shabby!


Number: 35
Position: Goalie
Hometown: Qualicum, BC
Last Team: Prince George (BCHL)



THB: When did you know that you wanted to be a goalie?
Kevin Genoe (KG): I knew I wanted to be a goalie since I was eleven years old.

THB: When did you know that Michigan Tech was the place for you?
KG: I knew Michigan Tech was the place for me after I had my visit. [You and me both! Once you make your first visit to Tech, you know exactly where you want to be.]

THB: What do you think of your teammates so far? Are you ready for lifelong brotherhood with them?
KG: I think my teammates so far are great guys; hard working and dedicated. I am definitely ready for the lifelong brotherhood with them. There are a lot of fun guys in the locker room and hopefully we will remain close long after our time at Tech ends.

THB: When was the first time you were dressed in full goalie equipment?
KG: The first time I was dressed in full goalie equipment was when I was eleven years old.

THB: Do you ski?
KG: No, I have never tried, too risky for me.

THB: Do you look both ways before crossing the road?
KG: I probably look both ways three or four times. [You could teach Ricky Doriott a thing or two. :)]

THB: Are you familiar with Mitch's Misfits? Can you tell me anything about them?
KG: Unfortunately I am not very familiar with Mitch's Misfits. [You best familiarize yourself with them! Trust me, you'll learn to love them.]

THB: What are your favorite television shows?
KG: My favorite TV shows would be The Hills, Two and a Half Men, and Fantasy Factory. [I've heard of one of those!]

THB: Even though you're not very far into it yet, what's your favorite part about being a Michigan Tech hockey player?
KG: My favorite part about being a Michigan Tech hockey player is when we go on the ice before a game and our crowd is so loud that we can't hear our own thoughts. [Remember those "Mitch's Misfits" that you claimed to not know much about? I think they're behind that. :)]

THB: Who is the craziest guy on the team?
KG: The craziest guy on the team would be Seth [Soley].

THB: Can you juggle?
KG: Yes. [You are my first yes!! You'll have to show my sometime!]

THB: What is your favorite piece of goalie equipment? Why?
KG: My favorite piece would be my glove, because when the puck is in my glove I have total control of the game.

THB: Do you get nervous before games?
KG: Nervous no, I get anxious to get going.

THB: Are they working you hard at Tech?
KG: Yup I am working hard here at Tech.

THB: Paper or plastic?
KG: Plastic

THB: Are you a person who will break out into movie quotes randomly or if the situation calls for it?
KG: No. [That is unfortunate! You should try it sometime. It's fun.]

THB: Where is your favorite place to go out to eat in Houghton?
KG: The Library.

THB: Who is your all-time favorite hockey goaltender?
KG: Patrick Roy.

THB: What kind of music do you like?
KG: Everything but mostly country. [Oh, Kevie! You're killing me here!]

THB: Is there anything you'd like to say to all of the Michigan Tech fans out there?
KG: Thanks for the support and Husky fans are the greatest!

Meet Your Freshmen 2009-2010: Aaron Pietila

And finally! It's that time of year again! Actually, I normally do this in August, but I've been fairly busy this year. Lots of new freshmen for you Tech fans (and other faithful THB readers) to get to know! But I'd like to start with Aaron Pietila.

Let it be known that Aaron was the first of the guys to get back to me! Also, Aaron got the game winning goal at our exhibition game against Ryerson and has his first collegiate point against NMU.

Well, let's get on with it, shall we?

Number: 13
Position: Wing
Hometown: Brighton, MI
Last Team: Marquette (NAHL)


Tech Hockey Blog (THB): Pietila, eh? Any relation to former Michigan Tech Husky Phil Pietila?
Aaron Pietila (AP): Yep, Phil's my first cousin.

THB: Why did you choose Michigan Tech for your education and to continue your hockey career?
AP: I've always wanted to play for Tech ever since I was young. I have a lot of family and friends from the area.

THB: Who are your biggest influences?
AP: I would have to say my dad.

THB: Another question about relatives. Michigan Tech has had a few poeple from the Brighton area in the past few years who have all been related. Being from Brighton, are you any relation to them?
AP: Yeah, I have some counsins and a brother who go to Tech from down there.

THB: What size skate do you wear?
AP: Left 7.5, right 6.5.

THB: Where is your favorite place to spend your time in Houghton?
AP: On the water. [Ah, great answer. Houghton is a good place for that! Just wait until you turn 21 though. That answer may change!]

THB: Tell me about the best moment in your hockey career thus far.
AP: Scoring my first college goal last weekend versus Ryerson. [I think you're off to a great start so far! This best moment will soon be replaced with something even better if it hasn't already been.]

THB: Are you going to playing against any of your former teammates this season? If so, who are they and where do they play now?
AP: I played with my cousin Chad Pietila last season who is playing for Northern this season. [You and Phil are obviously the smarter hockey players in your family!]

THB: What's your major at Michigan Tech?
AP: Marketing.

THB: What other sports besides hockey do you enjoy?
AP: Golf and baseball. [I smell a Tigers fan!! Woot!]

THB: Michigan or Michigan State?
AP: Neither. [Well, the good news is that you're not a Michigan State fan. The bad news? You're not a Michigan fan either. What would Dwight Helminen (who is most likely your cousin, no?) say?]

THB: What do you think of the skating treadmill?
AP: Probably my least favorite thing to do. [I think that's a good thing! I think it means that it's working!]

THB: Who is your roommate this year? Tell me a fun fact about him.
AP: My brother. [He] will be graduating this semester. [That isn't a fun fact! It's a sad one. Leaving Michigan Tech is not easy.]

THB: How is the dorm food treating you?
AP: I live off campus, but I do eat there with the guys often. I think it's pretty good. [I'm going to have to agree. Michigan Tech has some damn good dorm food!]

THB: What series are you most looking forward to this season?
AP: Northern. [Good call. Beat up your cousin for being so silly.]

THB: How do you feel about BSU and UNO joining the WCHA next season?
AP: Should be a nice addition. Both [are] good programs. [Disagree and disagree. :)]

THB: Has your family bought their tickets to the Frozen Four this year?
AP: Of course. [Excellent! Maybe I will see them there.]

THB: What is your personal goal on the ice this season?
AP: Just to play every game and contribute any way I can.

THB: Do you look both ways before crossing the road?
AP: Usually.

THB: What do you want to say to all the Michigan Tech fans out there?
AP: Thanks for allt he support! That first game was pretty cool playing in front of a full house.

Thanks for taking the time to talk, Aaron! Oh, and if I ever call you Phil, I'm sorry in advance.

PACK YOUR BAGS! You're going to...... DULUTH?!

Freshmen interviews are coming soon, I promise! But right now I want to make a Tech Hockey Blog entry directed to MITCH'S MISFITS.

Due to the Tech @ NMU series falling on Christmas vacation, Mitch's Misfits president Scott Yager will instead be going all out this year for the UMD trip! The previous record of Misfits brought to UMD is only a mere 34. Yager will be shooting for SIXTY this year!

Friday, November 13 and Saturday, November 14... MARK YOUR CALENDARS! Here's a rough itinerary of what to expect:

Friday throughout the day: Tech vans leaving at different times to accommodate different schedules.
Friday 8:00 Eastern: GAME TIME; cheer Huskies to victory
Friday after game: Hotel/food/Duluth shenanigans
Saturday during the day: Duluth shenanigans
Saturday 8:00 Eastern: GAME TIME; cheer Huskies to sweep
Saturday post-game: Head back to Houghton

Pretty simple... and it's a great time too!! And if you're wondering how much it'll cost, wonder no more, because I'm about to tell you!
$24 + food. $24 is the cost of two game tickets. So by my math, that would mean that transportation and hotel are both free! They're provided by Mitch's Misfits.

Is there a reason to NOT go? No. Only if you're dumb, to be honest. So don't be dumb. There are two ways to be dumb: (1) not emailing Yager (sryager@mtu.edu) to reserve your tickets and spot on the trip and (2) waiting too long to email Yager only to find out that all sixty spots are taken.

Please come along and be a part of the next post-victory picture:

After the game on February 4, 2005. Michigan Tech won in OVERTIME and you're looking at a huge reason why. The next night, Michigan Tech completed the SWEEP!

This picture was taken after Michigan Tech completed the SWEEP of the Bulldogs for TWO YEARS RUNNING at the DECC on January 14, 2006.

Now why wouldn't you want to be a part of that?? The players, coaching staff and hockey parents talked about it for weeks after. The Misfits were KEY in sweeping the Bulldogs. We were SO LOUD that entire weekend and it made a huge difference and definitely got the guys going.

And on a personal note, I have been on a TON of hockey road trips supporting the Huskies. I've seen them play in every WCHA arena, along with many other places. With all of those road trips under my belt (an estimated THIRTY-TWO trips, plus three random Frozen Four trips), the UMD trips are right up at the top for the most fun. Hopefully after this series, you can all say the same.

JOIN US IN DULUTH, MINNESOTA on NOVEMBER 13 and 14!!!

NMU Game Recap/Scoring Roundup

F2B&G here. So as everyone knows by now, the Huskies got the year off to a good start with a 5-3 victory over rival Northern Michigan.

In an effort to further my hockey knowledge, I'm going to try something new this year (new for me anyway) and give a play-by-play of how each goal was scored. These reports will be based on what I am seeing/hearing via the Huskies Live feed and may not be 100% accurate, but should give readers the gist of the action.


First Period

NMU-1: Fernandez kept the puck in the Tech zone after Doriott sent the puck around behind the net, and passed up the boards to Olver. Olver weaved around a defender to the top of the right circle, and found Gustafsson wide open at the top of the left circle, madly tapping his stick for a pass. Olver quickly made the pass, and Gustafsson moved in and wristed the puck low stick-side past Robinson, who was at least partially screened by his own defender. Gustafsson (1) from Olver (1) & Fernandez (1). 7:26, 1st period. 1-0 NMU.

MTU-1: Pietila entered the NMU zone and fired an easy shot on Stewart, who made the save and pushed the rebound to the corner. A poor passing attempt allowed Pietila to get the puck back, so he darted behind the goal and attempted the wraparound, but Stewart was up to task. The puck drifted to the left boards, where Olson battled for and won it, skating back behind the net and tried to pass to the front while under pressure. A crazy deflection caught Stewart by surprise as the puck skittered five-hole, bounced off his right pad, and slipped into the net. A sievetastic goal by the drama queen. Olson (1) from Pietila (1). 9:18, 1st period. 1-1.

MTU-2: With NMU's Kaunisto and Fernandez off for interference and tripping respectively, and Tech's Gwilliam also off for interference, the Huskies had a 4x3 power play opportunity. They did a good job of maintaining possession and shooting. Olson moved the puck out of the right corner to Seigo, who was waiting in the high slot and one-timed it on net. Two NMU defenders went down to block, but the puck squirted loose, bouncing directly into the low slot right in front of the crease. Baker pounced on the opportunity to clean up the trash and backhanded the puck past a butterflied Stewart's stick-side, off the post and in, before he could react. Baker (1) from Seigo (1) and Olson (1). 13:36, 1st period. PPG. 2-1 MTU.

MTU-3: Doriott forced a turnover in the neutral zone and attempted to pass up the left boards. Gwilliam pinned Fernandez to the boards long enough for Olson to pick up the loose puck. He skated into the NMU zone 2-on-1 with MacLeod, but recognized there was no time to setup a passing play, moved in, and blasted a quick shot past Stewart to the low stick-side. Olson (2) from Gwilliam (1) and Doriott (1). 17:42, 1st period. 3-1 MTU.

NMU-2: An awkward rebound off the post forced MTU's Kattelus to trip an NMU player in the low slot, sending him to the box for an NMU power play. The Wildcats won the ensuing draw and worked the puck around the perimeter briefly. Butcher passed out of the right corner and up the boards to Hanson, who moved into the right circle and fired a wrister just under Robinson's glove on the short side. Hanson (1) from Butcher (1) and Gustafsson (1). PPG. 19:45, 1st period. 3-2 MTU.

Second Period

No scoring

Third Period

MTU-4: Tech began the third period with 1:48 of power play time after NMU's Cherniwchan was whistled for hooking near the end of the second. After a minute or so of Tech's usual coffee break, Cousens and Seigo worked the puck back and forth between them a couple of times, then Seigo passed to Olson in the left circle. Olson one-timed the puck high glove-side on Stewart, who was partially screened on the play and a bit overcommitted, positionally-speaking. Olson (3) from Seigo (2) and Cousens (1). PPG, HTG, GWG. 1:10, 3rd period. 4-2 MTU.

MTU-5: NMU's Follmer went off for interference at 12:58. Seigo worked the puck to Olson at the left circle, who passed to Gwilliam waiting down low near the left side of the net. Gwilliam started to switch places with Olson, but ended Stewart's night when he quickly spun around and fired the puck through the tired/lazy drama queen's gaping five-hole. Gwilliam (1) from Olson (2) and Seigo (3). PPG. 14:12, 3rd period. 5-2 MTU.

NMU-3: Kyle elected to pull backup goalie Reid Ellingson for the extra attacker with 4:22 to play. Tech's Gwilliam took a holding penalty at 16:53 (3:07 to play). NMU worked the puck back to the blueline, where Cherniwchan made a pass to Spady, who moved in towards the right circle and fired a slapshot. The shot went wide to the right, but unfortunately caromed off the end wall and quickly popped out in front and to Robinson's exposed right, where Nugent seized the opportunity and buried it. Nugent (1) from Spady (1) and Cherniwchan (1). EAG, PPG. 18:12, 3rd period. 5-3 MTU.

Final

NMU 3
MTU 5

Links

University Recap
Mining-Gazette Recap
USCHO Recap

I will have a similar post for the LSSU game within the next day or two. Michigan Tech already has its first bye weekend of the season, so naturally there will be no analysis of the upcoming weekend's series. The Huskies will make their first roadtrip of the season to take on the Colorado College Tigers at the World Arena in Colorado Springs, October 23/24.

Getting Things Started the RIGHT Way!

Five to three. FIVE TO THREE. Tech scored FIVE goals in ONE game. This is definitely a great way to start the season!! It's great to be 3-0 against NMU in the last three games. :)

BRETT OLSON HATTY. I'm especially liking that, as Brett is on my WCHA Fantasy Hockey team. Hopefully he keeps this good stuff up!

Ahh, what else? Oh, Lake Superior State tonight. Let's take this great start to the season even further!

For those of you wondering WHERE the freshmen interviews are, they will start rolling in soon! I'm waiting for a couple more responses, but I can start getting them prepared for posting. What I will say right now is... Evan Witt for the win so far!!

What's This?! A Post?!!

Yes, a post. But don't get too excited just yet. It's just me to tell you that I haven't died or abandoned the Tech Hockey Blog. Been a busy offseason though!

So I bet you're all wondering where the freshman interviews are. I can tell you that I have completed the questions for each of our eight freshmen. I'm currently just waiting on contact information for them. So it might be a while, BUT THEY WILL COME!

Almost time for the season to begin. Exhibition play starts this weekend. Has anyone heard of Ryerson before seeing them on the schedule? I haven't. I'm hoping for better exhibition results than we had last year... Captain Gwilliam will lead the way!

Let's go TECH!

Screwed Again

Unsurprisingly, the hockey gods have again conspired to deny the Michigan Tech Huskies a highly-touted recruit, this time via the temptations of post-lockout NHL rookie contracts.

So if this is true (and there's no reason to believe it's not), Jake Hauswirth, the son of Michigan Tech alumni and owner of some nice USHL stats (28-24-52, +16), will be off to the minor leagues without ever setting foot in Houghton.

Frankly, this irks even more than the CPZ debacle, because up until this wonderful little news announcement, Jake had given just about every indication that he was planning to attend MTU. As I said, his parents are even alums. In his case, it did not sound like academics would be a problem as they ultimately were for Zabotel. So I get the feeling that the Capitals simply convinced him and his family that because he is 21 and has already impressed Caps scouts, they're willing to gamble on a contract right now to lock him up, get him developing in the minors, and have him for as long as possible before he becomes a free agent.

Really, I can't blame the guy for taking the money, but assuming I'm correct, this is yet another unfortunate case of the post-lockout NHL screwing college hockey out of potentially good players. Now, it's happening before some of these guys even make it to campus.

I'll tell you one thing though - that's the last time I will take the word of any recruit regarding enrollment until I actually see them in a Husky sweater. I definitely feel like we were being led on here, and it disappoints me greatly.

On a team as starved for offense as Tech is, my expectations for the next couple of seasons just dipped a notch.

Michigan Tech Players Recognized on All-WCHA Hottie Teams

That's right, Tech fans. Some of our very own guys were honored on the RWD's prestigious All-WCHA All-Hottie Teams. Although these awards mean less because UW's Podge Turnbull totally got SNUBBED! Seriously... how can you possibly snub THIS:

YUM!! Makes NO SENSE if you ask me! But sadly, no one asked me. :(

Anyway! If you're curious to see who got what and on what team they were placed, you might want to go HERE. Now.

Here are the Tech guys that received honors: Coach Russell, Robby Nolan, Geoff Kinrade, Malcolm Gwilliam, Jordan Baker and Drew Dobson. And in speaking with RWD, she also wanted to honor Bennett Royer and Alex Lord... but there was just no room. So with the power vested in me (which is essentially none), I place them on the honorable mention list! Along with Brett Olson and Alex Gagne. Yep, I just did that.

ANYWAY, our very own Robby Nolan received a lifetime achievement award for being honored EVERY SINGLE YEAR of the All-Hottie teams. Congratulations to him!

Minnesota Series Recap!

Better late than never, right? :)

So I've been busy! What else is new, right? Well, I think you all deserve a recap of Gopher weekend... senior weekend at Michigan Tech. If you remember back to 6-7 March of 2009, the Gophers came to town to try and clinch home ice. Sadly, they succeeded, but it came only with the help of UAA and MSUM taking more points than expected from UMD and SCSU.

Oh, before I go on... I'm just going to tell you that I lied. I will not be recapping the whole series against the Gophers, but just Friday night. What else matters?

What a crazy game that was! At one point, one-WCHA-win Michigan Tech was up 4-1 against Minnesota. It was like it wasn't even real. Reality did set in a while later though... as UMN quickly came back and tied it up... Stoa had two goals within 16 seconds of each other. But man... the goaltending for UMN that night was WEAK. Really weak! Tech had 4 goals on some 13 shots. In the second period, our first three shots on goal all went in!! Like I said... crazy! But alas, it didn't last long.

So along comes the third period. We're tied, but Tech pulls away by a goal. This goal was also Drew Dobson's hat trick goal. HOW ABOUT THAT! There is very little that feels as good as a Michigan Tech hat trick goal.

Eventually Patrick White scores the equalizer. Dammit. Then we have ourselves some OT.

Now, forgive me for not having much faith in my team. If you lived through a season like I just did though, you would understand. The guys NEED to believe in themselves. I do not, however. I've had my heartbroken enough this past season. No need to get my hopes high just to have them crushed....again.

Well somehow... with about 2 minutes left in the extra session, Deron Cousens pulled through and got the job done. It was just a regular season win. It was just 2 useless points in a lost cause (our standings in the WCHA). IT WAS JUST AWESOME!!!

The celebration the guys had was as if they'd won the whole shabang. And boy did they need that! And boy did they DESERVE that! It had been a rough season. Finally there is something to celebrate!

Seeing the guys THAT HAPPY made me even happier. Seeing the Gophers that UPSET was the icing on the cake. :)

You know, after the season from hell, it's moments like these that just make it all worth it. Makes it all so very worth it.

And to finish off the rest of the season: The next night sucked against the Gophers and then we played at #1 UND... lost a couple there... BUT! I went to Red Pepper three times within 24 hours... so it was all good!

What's a Tech Fan To Do?

NOTE: This is F2B&G, not Bethlyn. I do not want to read any comments addressing me as Bethlyn or MEg. I'm male, thank you very much. :p

After watching BU win the national title in OT, the 2008-2009 college hockey season is now officially over. Thus, I feel like making a post on the state of Tech hockey. It's not like I have anything better to do, since no one has anything planned this weekend and my roommate is currently boning his fiance in some Houghton hotel room (just kidding Mike!), so I have the apartment and a bottle of decent gin to myself.

I'm not going to dwell too much on the season, because everything that happened has already been whined about. Injuries and youth plagued us all the way to the basement, but not without a few bright spots. We did sweep our bitter archrivals eNeMa U during our December showdown, salvaged third place at the GLI in a 2-1 win over the Fighting Sue, beat the Goofers in a 6-5 OT firehouse during our final regular season series, and pulled out a 3-2 road victory over Soo Tech to avoid Superior Showcase embarassment (which also happened to be the first road win I've been in attendance for). I thoroughly savored all of those, because I knew our victories would be few and far between this year.

That said, why should I be excited about Husky hockey next season? I'm graduating and won't be anywhere near campus, so I will not get to see most of the games in person. We finished tenth this year, scoring a measly 62 goals. For comparison UAA, the ninth place team, managed 95 goals, and eighth place Mankato managed 117. UAA finished with 23 conference points, 12 more than Tech's 11. *sigh*

Why? Well, let's look on the bright side. No one left early to join the pros (duh), which means we only lost our eight seniors. Some things will be missed from that class, such as Schwarz's steady defense, Kinrade's point shot, Angelow's faceoff skills, and Kitti's workhorse attitude. However, we don't lose anyone capable of scoring a lot of goals. We retain our top two scorers, junior-to-be Jordan Baker (16-11-27) and sophomore-to-be Brett Olson (10-13-23), who were easily the most offensively skilled duo on the team. Drew Dobson (5-14-19) will be back for his senior year, whether he stays at forward because of his results up there, or goes back to defense because of his veteran presence on a defensive corps that will be a tad thin, IMHO.

Junior-to-be Deron Cousens (5-11-16) was the unsung hero of the second half, finally coming into his own as an offensive defeseman during the later part of his sophomore campaign. Super duper senior Malcolm Gwilliam should be back for a sixth year of eligibility, following a successful medical redshirt of his fifth year after a bizzare mini-stroke incident (his true sophomore season was also spent recovering from an injury). He will pursue an MBA and potentially wear the C.

Other players to keep an eye on include junior-to-be Bennett Royer, who is basically Alex Lord or Derek Kitti with just as much energy, but more offensive skill. A great third or fourth line surprise for opponents. There is also Peter Rohn, who had the game-winner against eNeMa U in a 1-0 nailbiter back in December. The very small forward, who is probably about 5'4" and maybe 150 lbs, has some surprising speed and is tenacious on faceoffs. Once he adds some more muscle, he will be another trick up Jamie Russell's sleeve.

I also like Alex MacLeod, who finished the year 6-4-10, with all six of his goals coming on the powerplay. The question is whether or not the 6'0", 210 lb sophomore-to-be will learn how to take fewer penalties, or whether he will be the next Jimmy Kerr. Time will tell, I suppose.

On the goaltending front, sophomore-to-be Josh Robinson had four of Tech's six wins this past season. Even if his stats look shaky, let's keep in mind he played in front of an equally shaky team this year. He was the first MTU goalie to blank NMU in the history of the rivalry, allowing just one goal on 37 shots in the Friday game that weekend, and earning a 20-save shutout over the Mildcats on Saturday to take the season series for Tech, two games to one. While I don't expect him to dominate right away, he should be a good goalie for us by the end of the season.

The Techies most primed for a breakout seasons are Royer and Eric Kattelus; book it.

As for recruits, the crown jewel in the 09-10 class is probably Jake Hauswirth, who finished 28-24-52 and +16 for the Omaha Lancers in the regular season of the USHL. The Capitals are somewhat excited about him as a free agent prospect, and he's already got great size at 6'5", 216. I expect him to be next season's Brett Olson, but perhaps with more goals instead of assists.

Other notable recruits include Steven Seigo, a 6'0", 180 lb. offensive defenseman from Edenwold, SK who spent two seasons with the Bonnyville Pontiacs of the AJHL, finishing with a 14-25-39 line and 8 PPG this season in 47 games (registering only 19 PIMs). As previously reported on this blog, he spent last summer practicing with an Austrian Elite League team with the NC$$'s permission (though he was not allowed to participate scrimmages), and it is felt that the experience was very good for him.

Milos Goric has averaged over a point per game in the BCHL for the last two seasons. He put together a 46-35-81 line this year, which works out to 1.4 PPG.

Recruit Tommy Brown was the only SJHL defenseman chosen to represent Canada West in the WJAC for two years in a row. In that tournament, he has played with BCHL goalie recruit Kevin Genoe (thanks to Prince George head coach and former Techie Ed Dempsey, and the success of former Spruce King Michael Lee Teslak for selling him on MTU).

The middle of the WCHA (spots 3-8) should naturally be a meatgrinder again. Based on how things are looking, I don't think an 8th place finish and a chance for a WCHA first round upset are unreasonable expectations for the 09-10 team, barring another injury riddled season.

With that, there's not much else for me to do except root for the Red Wings and wait for October.

Playing Ketchup

Alright, I know I've been slacking lately... and I apologize for that. Work and road tripping have pretty much taken over my life as of late and there is time for little else.

Let's see... where did I leave off at? Woah... at UAA?! UAA, Rohn interview, Huskies Pep Band at the Final Five and whining about the Misfits. This is more serious than I originally thought.

The hell with my recaps. I think they're pretty boring anyway and you can read better ones anywhere. We all already know that Carnival didn't exactly turn out like we hoped, but we did achieve our SEVENTH WCHA tie of the season, which ties a WCHA record and makes a new Michigan Tech record. UMD Bulldogs blogger RWD has coined the phrase "Tech win" for a Michigan Tech tie. It has certainly reached the point for many Tech fans that when we get a tie, it's pretty much a win. On the other side of the spectrum, when a team ties us, their fans feel as though their team has lost the game. So let's see... this team has had seven Tech wins this season and one real one in the WCHA. Cool. That sounds better than "Tech has one win in the WCHA this season."

You know what I just realized? I'm not really playing catch up in this post. I'm completely just rambling. Oh well, I guess. Hard to know where these blog entries are going to go once I start typing. Not like anyone reads them anyway though.

So we have the Gophers coming to town next weekend. Awesome. The Gophers are currently tied for 5th place or something in the WCHA? Ugh. They're out for blood next weekend, I'm sure. I'd love to be the team that takes away their home ice. How amazing would that be? Oh yeah, and winning on senior night would be nice too!!

Have I already complained about Mitch's Misfits lately? I have? Well... I feel the need to do it more. LOOK at this:


This picture was taken AFTER the game has already started.against UMD. Absolutely FRUSTRATING!! What happened to the days when Section L would be flourishing even during a losing season? I realize that Tech hasn't seen a season like this in quite some time... but come on now. With senior weekend coming this next weekend, I'm pretty sure it's going to be even WORSE. First of all, it falls on spring break. No one is going to stay for the games, especially on Saturday night... even if the games are against the Gophers. The MacInnes will truly be Mariucci North this weekend as the Gopher fans should have NO problem taking over the building to cheer on their team as they fight for home ice. I'm calling on the Husky parents to be ROWDY this weekend! Make some noise to make up for the terrible students at Michigan Tech. Let's try to get some atmosphere in the MacInnes because we know the guys just love that. Sadly, this season's team has experienced very little of it, at least at home (and UAA).

One more home stick salute left in the 2008-2009 season.

Next season will be better. So much better!

MISSING - Please help!

Once crazy Michigan Tech hockey fans who called themselves Mitch's Misfits... Last seen in full force early during the 2008-2009 hockey season. They have been dwindling down in numbers ever since. Now they are nearly all gone.


They are pictured above in a game on 10 October 2008 at the Berry Events Center.

Please, if you find any of them wandering about on Friday 6 March and Saturday 7 March 2009, return them safely to the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena so that they may cheer on the Michigan Tech Huskies against the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers and crush their chance of getting home ice.

Mitch's Misfits will also be needed in attendance for a proper farewell to eight amazing seniors: Ryan Angelow, Alex Gagne, Geoff Kinrade, Derek Kitti, Alex Lord, Rob Nolan, John Schwarz and Justin St. Louis.

Damn, They're Good!

The Huskies Pep Band is returning to the WCHA Final Five as the Official Band once again!!

Yes, it's true! Unless someone lied to me... So, to my hockey team: now that the band made it, you guys should too!

Meet Your Freshman 2008-2009: Peter Rohn

I know you have all been waiting a long time. At long last, the time has come. The Tech Hockey Blog would like you to get to know the newest addition to our Husky Hockey team.

Peter Rohn had to sit out some 17 games because the NCAA is dumb. His first NCAA game came during the Saturday night game at Minnesota-Duluth. His fellow teammates made him take the ice first for warm-ups. It was a big moment for him. Soon after Peter started playing games for the team, we swept NMU for the first time in.....forever. Peter was key!

So here's some info on Peter, followed by the interview. ENJOY! And don't forget to comment. :)

#25

Position: Forward
Last Team: Green Mountain Glades (EJHL)
Hometown: Vettre, Norway
Birthday: 1/4/88
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 165 lbs


Tech Hockey Blog (THB): How the heck did we find you? Which coach saw you first?
Peter Rohn (PR): It started in '06, when I was first looking to come over to the US to play college hockey. Coach Mikesch was the first one I talked to and the main reason I'm here now.

THB: Why did you agree to come to Michigan Tech?
PR: Well it was between St. Lawrence and Tech for 08/09, and some other Hockey East/ECAC schools for 09/10 but I really wanted to get going with my college career so when it came down to the WCHA and the ECAC the choice was easy for me.

THB: Tell the Michigan Tech fans a little bit more about your background. Steve Vlaisavljevich mentioned how you've lived in a few places around the world and are very familiar with at least 4 cultures.
PR: Hah, Steve is the man by the way. [Yes. Yes he is.]

I was born in Oslo, Norway. My father is Norwegian and my mother South Korean. They met when my father worked in Seoul in the 80's. We lived in Nairobi, Kenya from 92-97. My father worked in a branch of the UN called the Norwegian Peoples Aid, and they worked mostly in Sudan. My mother ran her own help organization and did missionary work building schools, hospitals etc in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda. They have different jobs now, but both of them are still active down there.

THB: All the websites say that you're 5'7". Tell me the truth, Peter. How tall are you actually?
PR: 170 cm tall. [Cute. Alright, I'll convert that for my readers. Let's see... 170 cm comes out to be....5.577427821517 ft... or 5' 6.9291336". No way!]

THB: What has been your greatest moment thus far in your early career as a Michigan Tech Husky?
PR: Scoring the game winner against Northern felt pretty nice.

THB: Are you starting to become a Red Wings fan yet by living in Michigan?
PR: I was a Red Wings fan before I came to the States, and I've always been one! [Wow... that caught me off guard. Peter, you're such a smart guy!!]

THB: How is Wadsworth Hall treating you? Do you enjoy the dorm food?
PR: Good! I love the dorm food... [I agree. Wads food is delicious. Wads rocks! I miss dorm food... =( ...]

THB: Who are you rooming with this season? Tell me something interesting (or embarrassing!) about your roommate.
PR: I'm rooming with Michael Meads. He is a mechanical engineer major. He has a huge tattoo of Saint Michael slaying the devil on the side of his upper body.

THB: Which of the three Husky jerseys is your favorite?
PR: The black jerseys no doubt.

THB: Who do you think is the funniest guy on the team?
PR: Tough one, there are several candidates. [What a cop out! But I'm not surprised. There are a lot of comedians on the team.]

THB: Are you any good at rubbing your tummy and patting your head at the same time?
PR: Yeah, I can even do it with my hands tied behind my back. [Okay.... that's called talent!]

THB: How many national anthems do you know the words to? Which is your favorite?
PR: I only know the Norwegian national anthem by heart, but I do know parts of the Swedish, American and Canadian anthems. The Norwegian national anthem is my favorite, but I also like the Russian one.

THB: I realize you haven't yet taken many hockey trips, but of those few that you have taken, which was your favorite and why?
PR: The Denver trip. Nice city, nice weather and nice rink. Plus one of my best friends and my neighbor from back home in Norway plays for them, so it was really great to see him!

THB: How is the female situation looking for you?
PR: Come on get real...it's Michigan Tech. Does it look good for anyone? [Peter, you're avoiding the question. :) But yeah, it's a rough place.]

THB: If you could be any height, how tall would you want to be?
PR: 6'0" is a good height. [Don't you mean 182.88 cm? =P]

THB: How does the crowd's energy and noise level affect the way you play?
PR: It certainly fires me up and gets me going. I love it when it's loud and intense!

THB: Do you ever see a Norway flag in the crowd at your games?
PR: I do and I love it! Reminds of where I am from, and it makes me proud. I appreciate it! [I'm glad you like it, Peter! It will be at all of the remaining games this season.]

THB: How many hours in the average day do you think you spend at the MacInnes?
PR: Too many. But it's all good since that's where I prefer to be!

THB: Do you prefer cats or dogs?
PR: Dogs. I hate cats, especially wildcats! [You. Are. Amazing!]

THB: Peter, I was there for your first game at UMD on Saturday night. When you guys were heading to the ice for warmups, the team was going to make you go first. You very shy and hesitated for a while. Why was this? :)
PR: The guys wanted me to go first since it was my first game. I thought they were messing with me so I hesitated since I was sure they were going to let me skate out there all alone and embarrass myself. And sure enough...

THB: And when you finally stepped onto the ice for the first time that night, how did it feel?
PR: It felt amazing. I waited a long time for that.

THB: Lastly, what would you like to say to all of the Michigan Tech fans out there (or at least the 10-20 of them that read the Tech Hockey Blog)?
PR: Thanks for the support and loyalty, you guys are great. Hopefully we can finish the season strong, make it to the Final Five and give you guys what you deserve! It's time to make Tech a national powerhouse once again!