No. 13 Tech Blanks Northern Michigan on Senior Night

HOUGHTON, Mich. – Four different players scored and Jamie Phillips turned in a 21-save effort as the No. 13 Michigan Tech hockey team shutout Northern Michigan 4-0 in a WCHA battle tonight (March 4) at the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena.

The victory clinched Tech's second consecutive 20-win season, the first time the school has accomplished that feat since 1981-82 and 1982-83.

"That's a big win for our team tonight," said head coach Mel Pearson, who becomes the first coach to lead Michigan Tech to back-to-back 20-win seasons since John MacInnes. "I'm happy and proud for our seniors. Obviously we're in the chase for the MacNaughton Cup and to get two big points is huge. Overall I thought we played well, got some timely goals and Jamie played well."

Alex Petan opened the scoring just 4:30 into the contest when he one-timed a Brent Baltus pass home from the edge of the crease. Baltus started the play when he forced a turnover in the left circle. Jake Lucchini swooped in, grabbed the loose puck and dished it behind the net to Baltus, where the junior winger put a pass on a tee for Petan in front.

Neither team scored for a 20-minute stretch before two quick goals - the first by Baltus and the other by Matt Roy – blew the game open. Baltus made it 2-0 at 16:18 of the middle frame when he went to the net and backhanded a rebound into the top corner. Then, just 1:58 later, Roy blasted home a pass from Shane Hanna to make it 3-0 Tech.

Lucchini closed the scoring with a power-play marker 3:41 into the third. After Mark Auk held the line at the far point and hit Lucchini with a cross-ice pass, the rookie center baited a Northern Michigan defender into the shooting lane and picked a corner from the right circle.

Lucchini had a career-high three points (1-2), while Alex Gillies and Michael Neville also had points for the Huskies, who are now 18-0-2 when scoring three goals or more in a contest.

The shutout for Phillips was his 10th as a Husky and third of 2015-16.

Michigan Tech (20-8-5 overall; 17-7-3 WCHA) concludes its regular-season schedule tomorrow (March 5) at Northern Michigan. The game, which is set to begin at 7:07 p.m., can be seen live on TV6 and FOX UP.

NOTES: Michigan Tech outshot Northern 39-21 … The Huskies were 1-6 on the power play while killing off all four power-play tries by the Wildcats.