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!

Saturday @ UAA; Brett Olson as WCHA co-Rookie of the Week

Here it is Wednesday and at last I will finish writing up on the weekend. Hey, I'm getting better and less lazy at this!

The WCHA basement brothers shared yet another tie last weekend. And again, UAA dominated most of the game. They of course went up early on us, 2-0. That was a bummer, but at least they were doing something to help us out: taking penalties. Before the third had ended, we tied the game 2-2 from two power play goals by none other than BRETT OLSON. This brings Brett's point count for the weekend to 3-1--4. What a great weekend for our awesome freshman.

Those two power play goals also brought our power play to 4 for 8 on the weekend. HOW ABOUT THAT?! Good stuff right there. Not to mention our penalty kill going 100%. Those two factors definitely had a hand in our two earned points this weekend.

Michigan Tech took their first lead in the longest time during the third period thanks to our new guy in up front--Drew Dobson. We were only able to enjoy this lead for a whopping minute and a half as UAA answered back almost immediately. Bummer.

But hey, a tie may not be a win, but it's not loss. I 'm happy with the point. Putting that point with the one from Friday night is like a win. Baby steps.

Hey you know, speaking of Brett Olson, he is not surprisingly WCHA Co-Rookie of the Week, along with RWD favorite Jack Connolly from UMD. Congrats to both Brett and Jack for great wekeends and a great honor. As I have mentioned before, I look forward to each and every week when Mr. Olson is on the ice. Oh geez, I just thought of something gay... but I will share it with my readers. It'll be a last thought type of thing. Here it goes -

The future looks very nice
When Brett Olson is on the ice

Playing Catch-Up

I apologize for my absolute laziness going on lately. What can I say? I've been busy. Let's recap the last few weekends starting with where I left off --

Saturday night in Denver... Tech played hard. It was another absolutely solid game from them in the mile high city. Number 10 was with Number 1 for the entire night. Geoff Kinrade scored his SECOND goal (of the powerplay sort, 4x3) of the weekend to tie it up, 1-1 after 1. DU's Ostrow scored in the second however and DU took the lead. The final blow came with 3.2 seconds left in the game as DU was able to put one in our empty net. The result was obviously a bummer, but man... I was so proud of the guys for how well they played. It was wonderful hockey to watch with sadly nothing to show for it... but such is the story of Michigan Tech Hockey.

The next weekend, we allowed the hostile and abusives into our ice arena as we hosted the Sioux. Friday we gave two up power play goals in the first period. Boo! It seems that UND was out to seek revenge for the defeat at the GLI. They DOMINATED that first period, 15-4 SOG. We were probably lucky to be down by only 2. Second period was rally time. The hardest working guy of the weekend, Alex Gagne, put Tech on the board within the first five minutes of the second. Four minutes later, freshman Brett Olson (who is going to be OUTSTANDING in the years to come), tied up the game. Brett Olson is quickly becoming among many Tech fans' favorite. He's definitely another hard worker for the Huskies and I'm really excited to watch him play in the upcoming years. I can definitely see him wearing the "C" in two years.

The third period on Friday -- another one dominated by the Sioux. Finley fired a rocket into the back of the net. Even if Nolan had gloved it, the sheer energyof that thing probably still would've forced Robby's glove back behind the goal line. It was THAT good. The Sioux outshot Tech 18-6 in that period, but Robby played like a champ. And everyone's favorite little Norweigan, Peter Rohn, tied up the game just a minute and a half after Finley's goal. Tech managed to hold on to the tie, despite the Sioux's utter and complete domination. The Sioux probably deserved more in this game, but oh well. They can get points in other games. The hell with them.

Saturday night versus the Sioux.... yeah.... So what if we lost 5-0? A win is a win and a loss is a loss. We're 1-1-1 against the Sioux this season. I'll take it. =)

Okay, so that brings us Anchorage! Finally. God, what an amazing city this is. I am glad to be back here. So this year, there are four other Misfits and myself that made the trip. We came prepared to take over the Sullivan. I know the five of us can easily dominate in that arena, and sure enough, we did. We started out cheering loudly at the beginning of this game. This was annoying some UAA fans. They spent more time and energy yelling at us to shut up than they did to support their team.

Dear UAA fans sitting around us:

We're not here to annoy you. We have spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars and traveled across the continent to support our team, so dammit, that is what we will do. I'm sorry if you don't like it when people cheer for their hockey teams, but it will not stop us.

Our cheering and support makes the guys want to play harder and more desperate hockey. We were rewarded for our time and money spent last night by coming back from a 3-goal deficit.

My advice is to stop directing your energy toward us and focus on your team. The Seawolves need you.

When we went down 3-0, I saw Jamie in front of me point to the net and yell at Nolan, "Robby, GO." That was during the second period, a period that the Seawolves completely dominated. The second period wasn't a total loss though as Jordan Baker was able to at least get us on the board.

It was like music to my ears to hear these high school-aged Seawolves fans saying, "3 to 1, 3 to 1" in such a taunting way... and I knew then karma would run its course. Sure enough, it did.

In the third, Brett Olson put us to within one goal. What a PLAYMAKER he is! He also assisted on Baker's goal in the previous period. The future of this team looks bright with Brett. I can't wait!

The time's ticking down... and then with 2:15 left in regulation, Baker gets a penalty... one that I believe was for retaliation, but I can't comment too much on it. According to one of the Tech fans that did see it, I guess UAA's Clark was hitting at Baker's facemask and Baker was getting sick of it, so he tried to move him over, and Clark dropped like the pansy he is. When Baker got that penalty called on him, he was SO ANGRY. I watched the look on Clark's face as he skated away and it was a look of accomplishment and pride. According to one UAA fan, whose identity will be kept secret, "Clarky is a sneaky bastard." UAA fans know what's up! I hate cheating in hockey, but hey, I guess you need to do what you need to do for you team and to get the win.

If it's one thing I believe in though, it's KARMA. Clark's little stunt didn't pay off for UAA as Tech was able to score shorthanded with about 28 seconds left in regulation...!!! Derby Kitti of all guys! Absolutely perfect. Derby works hard day in and day out... He is FINALLY rewarded and rewarded with something great.

Tonight's game is going to be an absolute battle. The Seawolves are very frustrated, understandingly so, and are in need of giving to their fans who are all on the brink of insanity. If Tech wants to win tonight, they're going to have to turn it up a few notches from their play last night.

Man, this is a long blog entry.... Sorry if you actually read this.

Denver - Night One

16.8 seconds. SIXTEEN POINT EIGHT SECONDS.

That was rough. Very rough. First and foremost, I must say that I am ABSOLUTELY SO PROUD of my team. Michigan Tech played SO WELL in the Magness. I know I've said this before, but I will say it again because it applies here: the Huskies deserved better.

There is pretty much one picture that can sum up the game -

It was up... then it was down... then up again, then down and down further. Then it was the top... The top is the point where one's FAVORITE player scores to tie the game with less than one minute left. Then with 16.8 seconds left, the roller coaster went down down down. Down to China! Ugh. This is probably the most depressed I've been this season... or at least close. It's tough for a game to end like that though. So heartbreaking. It was like the oxygen was just removed right from my lungs.. and that's a huge bummer because being up here in the mile high city, there's not much there to begin with.

I'm sure the team is heartbroken tonight... but let that be a reason for them to come out and play hard tomorrow... throughout the entire game. They're going to steal one somewhere if they keep playing like they did Friday night in Denver.

On a side note, Denver fans are amazing... amongst the best in college hockey.

That is all.

EDIT: No wait. That's not at all. Michigan Tech beat UND in the third place game at UND! Okay, now that's all.

At Least We Swept NMU Last Weekend

I can't remember EVER being so disgusted at GLI. I think yesterday's game was the WORST I've seen my team play all season and I've seen some pretty bad stuff out of them. Well hey, at least it wasn't televised... because it would've been a COMPLETE embarrassment. Hell, it already was. I really don't even know what to say about it. The powerplay was typical for this team... with most of them being spent in the neutral end or our own end. As usual, the team couldn't get anything going. I don't think the Huskies had more than 2 or 3 scoring chances the entire game. I know my guys can play a hell of a lot better than they did last night... and I expect that they will tonight against the Sioux.

A NATURAL HAT TRICK scored against us in like the first ten minutes?! What a bunch of crap. I'd like to know what happened to Robo last night. I don't fault him at all for the third goal since he had a UM player on top of him. FOUR goals against on TWO saves?! That's not the Robo I know. Hopefully we can put that terrible showing behind us and never let it happen again. Should be interesting to see who gets the nod tonight.

Bleh, I don't even know what else to say. I haven't been this disgusted with my team since the BSU series. Get it together, Michigan Tech. >=(

Oh, here's one, or rather the only, positive from last night: Our penalty kill was 100% successful. At least we got SOME luck last night.

Shut out six times and counting............

WCHA Players of the Week - Schwarz and Robo

Two out of three ain't bad. From here:

WCHA Defensive Player of the Week • John Schwarz, Sr., D, Michigan Tech
Michigan Tech University’s John Schwarz, who helped key a strong defensive effort while helping the Huskies to a home-and-home non-conference sweep over Upper Peninsula rival Northern Michigan last weekend, has been named Red Baron® WCHA Defensive Player of the Week for Dec. 23-29.

A 6-3, 215-pound senior from Calgary, Alberta, Schwarz and his Michigan Tech teammates held the Wildcats to just one goal in the two-game series while winning 2-1 in Houghton last Friday (Dec. 19) and 1-0 in Marquette last Saturday (Dec. 20). The Huskies blanked NMU on all seven of their power-play chances in recording their first sweep of the 2008-09 season and first over the Wildcats since 1994. Playing a lead role on the blueline, Schwarz was credited with six blocked shots on the weekend and also earned a +1 plus/minus rating.

Schwarz, who serves as team captain for the Huskies, has contributed a goal and nine assists for 10 points over his 108-game collegiate career at MTU.

WCHA Rookie of the Week • Josh Robinson, Fr., G, Michigan Tech
Michigan Tech University goaltender Josh Robinson, who yielded just one goal in a two-game, home-and-home victory sweep over Northern Michigan last weekend, is the Red Baron® WCHA Rookie of the Week for Dec. 23-29.

A 6-0, 185-pound freshman from Frankenmuth, Mich., Robinson started back-to-back games in the same weekend for the first time in his collegiate career, stopping 56 of 57 shots on goal in the series for a .982 saves percentage and posting five shutout periods. Robinson stopped 36 of 37 shots on goal in a 2-1 triumph last Friday (Dec. 19) in Houghton and then came back last Saturday (Dec. 20) in Marquette to post a 20-save shutout as Michigan Tech prevailed by a 1-0 count. The two wins stretched Michigan Tech’s unbeaten streak to three games at 2-0-1 and enabled them to post their first sweep of Northern Michigan since 1994.

On the 2008-09 season, Robinson sports a 2.33 goals-against average over 488:45 of action between the pipes to rank fifth among WCHA goaltenders overall and owns a .902 saves percentage and 3-4-1 record.

A Taste of Something New

At long last! The greatness that I have been waiting for all season long has surfaced. Moments like these are why I am such a die-hard Michigan Tech fan. They are far and few in between, but when they occur, they're extra special and put me (and my fellow Tech fans) on Cloud 9 for days or longer. It's kind of like me golfing: I'll get one nice hit every nine holes that will keep me coming back to that game.

Well, we have finally swept Northern Michigan. I've only been following Michigan Tech since the 03-04 season and the last time the good guys swept was back in '94. Ah, the Jamie Ram days.

I must say... the underclassmen are AMAZING. While things are pretty rough this season, especially because of injuries, I'm a lot more optimistic about the future than I may have EVER been. The next two or three seasons are going to be pretty good.

But let's talk about this past weekend.

Both games we scored the first goal, including Friday's ever-so-RARE first period goal. In fact, it's only our FOURTH first period goal this season. I think the team should spend more time focusing on the first period during practices. For sure.

On Friday, especially in the second half of the game, NMU completely took over. As a fan in the stands at the rival game, when we have a one goal lead and the other team is completely dominating the game, it gets a little scary. Why does my team stop playing offense?? I'm sure our goaltender Josh Robinson wonders the same thing... but we'll get back to him in a minute.

So we swept NMU... and to that Coach Kyle said, "They absolutely deserve the wins. They did a great job and were able to score on opportunities when we weren’t. They were solid defensively on both ends of the ice and they beat us.” ... and to Coach Kyle I say... what a load of crap. Eighteen shots against in a single period on Friday? We only had 12 shots the WHOLE GAME on Saturday. We scored 3 times the whole weekend. The winner in this whole thing is Josh Robinson. HE deserved the wins. Michigan Tech was not the clearcut victor if you watched the games. I believe it was a mediocre effort for both teams.

Moving on...

Jordan Baker. Oh man, watching him this past weekend, I couldn't help but think of Chris Conner. He had some crazy moves to keep the puck away from the STD-infested Wildcats. Jordan had but one assist on the weekend, but he currently leads our team in goals and points. And if you watch him play, that fact is not all too surprising. We've got two beautiful seasons left of him. For such a small stature, he's such a physical presense on the ice. He had some massive Batty-like hits this weekend. I hope to see much more of that this season.

OH HEY! How about that Peter Rohn guy?! He might even be shorter than Mr. Baker, but he's definitely one of the hardest working guys on the ice. Much more to come on Little Peter later... including an overdue questionnaire. But for now, keep in mind that since he has been playing in games for the Huskies, we have not lost a game yet....

So for fun, I should comment on NMU goaltender Brian Stewart. Wow, what a TOOL. Although, this is not something new to me. He is the ROBBIE EARL of goaltenders. If you breathe too hard on him, he will flop all over the ice as if he has been shot. I swear, I thought he died about 4 times this past weekend. If I were an NMU fan, I would be EMBARRASSED about the terrible acting that Stewart does on the ice night in and night out. CUT THE CRAP. Just play HOCKEY. Your stupid games aren't fooling anyone, you idiot.

On the opposite end of the goaltender spectrum, we have Michigan Tech goalie Josh Robinson. What a guy! Yep, that's right, readers. My players wear halos on their heads 24/7. ;) Anyway, Josh Robinson, or Robo as he will be referred to from now on, is HOT right now between the pipes. He let only one goal in this weekend on 56 shots. He had a chunk of that goal, but not enough to stop it. After this past weekend, Robo now has an overall save percentage of 90%, the only Michigan Tech goalie that can say that right now. He also picked up his first career shutout as a Michigan Tech Husky on Saturday... I asked him how he felt after helping his team sweep NMU:

"It was very exciting. Northern is our biggest rival and anytime you get a win, it's a special one; but when you sweep, it's an extra special weekend."

Not only did Josh get his first career shut out and help his team to sweep the Wildcats, but he will go down in the record books as the first goaltender from Michigan Tech to have shut out NMU! Here are his thoughts on that:

"It's pretty cool being able to be the first Michigan Tech goalie to shutout Northern. I don't think any of us knew that it had never been done until Marksy told me after the game. I'm excited that I was able to get my first shutout this weekend and it just adds a little more to it being against Northern."

Well, it was quite the exciting weekend, but it's over... and the team is only looking ahead to the GLI right now. We'll be starting out with a rematch of last year's championship game against Michigan. Michigan is sitting in the middle of the CCHA right now. Hopefully we can pull through and take another shot at the championship game on Sunday. After all, this is OUR tournament, dammit. It's too bad that Michigan State has to be there this season though. They may prove to be a bigger cupcake than any of the invites to UMN's yearly crappy holiday tournament that they can't even win.

I'm going to go ahead and take a guess that Robo's getting the nod for Saturday at GLI. This is HUGE for him, as his hometome of Frankenmuth, MI is only a short distance away. I asked Josh about the GLI and who's coming to watch him. Here's what he said:

"Well, the GLI is actually very close to my hometown of Frankenmuth. The Joe is only an hour an a half from my house too. I'm expecting to have quite a few people in the stands for the games. My list of people that are coming is pretty long so here it goes.... Mom and Dad, Brother, possible my grandparents, my goalie coach from back home and his son... and I have quite a few friends who go to State and Michigan who will be there cheering against me haha. Obviously, my goal is to win the GLI and have our banner flying all year in the Joe."

Well, Josh... I hope you make your goal this season (and that you get new friends... like people who DON'T go to MSUcks). It is probably best achieved by letting in very few goals and making your team score more of them. It's going be hard to win a tournament by scoring only three goals all weekend. The rest of the Huskies need to step up and do their part.

DECC the Halls

...That wasn't so bad. We didn't win, but we didn't get swept by UMD! Nor did we get shut out! I'm going to say what I've been saying all along... my team looks fine... they just can't finish. Nothing really new to report there.

Our goal on Friday was a beaut. More should go down like that. Everything was set up so nicely and it went as it should've. Baker was fed a great pass that was able to tip in and up past Stalock. This happened right in front of me and made me very happy. The goal on Saturday... eh, it was down in the other end. I didn't get a good view of it at all. Studly freshman BRETT OLSON got our second goal of the weekend, his third of his career. Good stuff.

Get this... BOTH of the goals that Michigan Tech scored this weekend were powerplay goals! We have GOT to be pushing 8 or 9% on power plays now! Oh! I just looked it up... we're at 8.7% overall and 8.1% in the conference. Not too shabby!

Let's see... other comments I have.... Oh, dear team: STAY OUT OF THE FRICKIN' BOX. We had TWO 5x3 goals scored against this weekend. If we did away with both of those, we may just have won on Saturday with our piddly one goal. Plus, whenever we go down 2 men, it gives me a heart attack. And then when the other team inevitably scores, I get more pissy than I do for even strength goals against us. So uh... let's play smarter hockey and limit ourselves to ONE Husky in the penalty box at a time. Thanks.

So there's NMU weekend coming right up. Oh boy. This is going to be some great hockey.... or not. Neither team is really making much of any waves in their respective conferences. Tech is going to need to set things straight this weekend and make up for that crappy first game played against NMU earlier this season. If we don't get at least one win this weekend, I'm going to be EXTREMELY upset. I worked yesterday during the great blizzard of '08 and for 11.5 hours today so I can take Friday off to watch my team WIN a game against the pukes from STDU.