PREVIEW: Huskies open NCAA Thursday against UMD

NCAA REGIONAL
• Michigan Tech received an at-large bid to the 2022 NCAA Division I Hockey Tournament.
• The Huskies open against Minnesota Duluth on Thursday at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland, Colorado.
• Tech is the No. 12 seed and the Bulldogs are the No. 5. The puck will drop at 3 p.m. Eastern.
• Tech is 21-12-3 overall and last played UMD to begin the 2018-19 season.

OTHER REGIONAL MATCHUP
• No. 4 seed Denver will play No. 13 UMass Lowell in the second semifinal on Thursday at 9 p.m. Eastern.
• The winners will play in the regional championship on Saturday for a chance to move to the Frozen Four at TD Garden in Boston on April 7 and 9.

ON THE RADIO
• Mix 93.5 FM WKMJ broadcasts all Michigan Tech hockey games.
• Fans can listen live on the radio at Mix 93.5 FM WKMJ, online at TheMix93.com or Pasty.com, or by using your favorite radio streaming app.
• Dirk Hembroff will call all the action in his 20th year behind the microphone.

TV COVERAGE
• ESPNU will televise Thursday's regional semifinals and Sunday's regional championship.
• Talent for the regional are Dan Kelly (play by play) and Paul Caponigri (commentary).
• The TSN App will have the game for Canadians.

HUSKIES RANKED
• The Huskies are ranked No. 14 in this week's DCU/USCHO poll, hopping up one spot from last week.
• Tech is also No. 14 in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll.
• The last time Tech was ranked as high as No. 14 was March 2016.
• Tech has received votes in all 24 USCHO and USA/Today USA Hockey Magazine polls this season.
• Tech was in the top 20 four times last season with the highest ranking of 18 on February 15 and January 25.
• UMD is No. 6 in the DCU/USCHO poll and No. 3 in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll.

HOBEY BAKER TOP 10
• Brian Halonen is a top-10 finalist for the 2022 Hobey Baker Memorial Award.
• He is the fifth Michigan Tech player to be named a Hobey Baker Finalist, joining Alex Petan (2016), Tanner Kero (2015), Colin Murphy (2005), and Jamie Ram (1994).
• Halonen was named to the All-CCHA First Team on Tuesday after he led the CCHA in points (36) and goals (16) during conference games.
• He entered the postseason ranked second in the nation with 44 points and fourth with 21 goals while leading the country in even-strength goals (18).
• In the classroom, Halonen maintains a 3.27 grade-point average in mechanical engineering and will earn his bachelor's degree in the spring. He has also started classes towards a master's in business administration.

ALL-CCHA HONORS
• First Team – Brian Halonen led the CCHA in points (36) and goals (16) during conference games. Halonen entered the postseason ranked second in the nation with 44 points and fourth with 21 goals while leading the country in even-strength goals.
• Second Team – Trenton Bliss ranked third in the CCHA in points (31) and assists (21) in CCHA games and was eighth with a +13. 
• Second Team – Blake Pietila he ranked second in goals-against average (1.99), wins (16), shutouts (5), saves (614), and was fourth with a .911 save percentage in CCHA games.
• Second Team – Colin Swoyer led CCHA defensemen with four power-play goals and was second amongst CCHA defensemen with 13 assists and third blueliners with 18 points in league games. Swoyer led CCHA defensemen with 2.42 shots on goal and was 11th in the CCHA with 34 blocked shots.

CCHA QUARTERFINAL
• The Huskies advanced to the CCHA Mason Cup Semifinals with a sweep of Ferris State at the MacInnes Student Ice Arena on March 4-5.
• Tech won 3-2 in overtime in Game 1 after Logan Pietila scored on the power play 2:28 into overtime. Logan Ganie and Tommy Parrottino also scored. Tech outshot FSU 48-17
• The Huskies earned the sweep with a 3-2 double-overtime win Saturday in Game 2. Parker Saretsky scored 6:34 into the second overtime. Logan Pietila had a shorthanded goal and Jake Crespi scored on a penalty shot in the third. Tech led in shots 56-34.

CCHA SEMIFINAL
• Tech fell 5-2 to Bemidji State in the CCHA Mason Cup Semifinals at the MacInnes Student Ice Arena on March 12.
• Trenton Bliss gave Tech the lead in the second period before five straight goals by the Beavers.
• Tommy Parrottino scored on the power play with 1:09 remaining.

100 POINTS
• Brian Halonen and Trenton Bliss became the 68th and 69th players in Tech history to hit the 100-point mark for their careers on February 11.
• Halonen and Bliss became the sixth set of active teammates in NCAA Division I men's hockey to have hit that plateau.
• The last Tech player to hit the century mark was Jake Lucchini (2015-19).
• Tanner Kero and Blake  Pietila also both hit the 100 point mark on the same night on January 31, 2015.

MIKE RICHTER SEMIFINALIST
• Blake Pietila has been named a semifinalist for the Mike Richter Award.
• The Hockey Commissioners Association (HCA) announced the 11 semifinalists from the 35 that were nominated.
• Pietila is one of three semifinalists for the second straight year.

NCAA EXPERIENCE
• Justin Misiak and Michael Karow are the two Huskies who have played in the NCAA Tournament
• Misiak and the Huskies fell 4-3 in overtime to Notre Dame in 2018 in Bridgeport, Massachusetts.
• As a member of Boston College, Karow and the Eagles fell 4-1 to St. Cloud State in Albany, New York.

GOTZ BROTHERS
• Senior defenseman Eric Gotz will faceoff against his younger brother Darian
• Eric has appeared in 129 games for the Huskies. He has four goals and six assists this season.
• Darian is a sophomore defenseman for the Bulldogs. He has a goal and eight assists for UMD this season.

BY THE NUMBERS
• Tech has played 13 overtime games this season—a program record.
• Blake Pietila broke the Michigan Tech single-season shutout record with seven.
• Blake Pietila ranks fourth in the nation in shutouts, fifth in minutes played, eighth in goals-against average, and 11th in wins.
• Tech ranks second in the nation in power-play percentage (27.3). The Huskies are also ranked third in penalty kill percentage (89.7), fourth in scoring defense (2.00), and sixth in scoring margin (1.25).
• The four games in January were the fewest by a Michigan Tech team since 1943 and tied Western Michigan for the fewest amongst college hockey teams in January 2022.
• Tech leads the nation with six losses in overtime.
• The Huskies are tied for third in the nation in regulation losses with six. Minnesota State and Quinnipiac have five. Michigan is tied with Tech with six.
• Tech leads the CCHA in fewest penalty minutes, power play, penalty kill and shots on goal.
• Brian Halonen leads the nation with 18 even-strength goals. He is fifth in the nation in goals with 21 and sixth nationally with 44 points.
• Trenton Bliss ranks ninth in the nation in assists (28).

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
• UMD is 21-15-4 overall and finished fifth in the NCHC standings with a 10-10-4 conference record.
• The Bulldogs have won their last four. They swept St. Cloud State to begin the NCHC playoffs and then defeated Denver in the NCHC Semifinal and then Western Michigan 3-0 in the NCHC Championship Game.
• Head coach Scott Sandelin is in his 22nd season.
• Sophomore forward Blake Biondi leads the team with 17 goals and 28 points.
• Junior goaltender Ryan Fanti is 19-11-4 with a 1.87 goals-against average and .926 save percentage.

SERIES INFO
• Tech is 120-90-20 overall against Minnesota Duluth, dating back to 1952.
• The Huskies are 0-0-1 against the Bulldogs in neutral site games.
• The last win over UMD was in the 2017 Ice Breaker Championship game. Justin Misiak scored the game-winner in his first college game.
• Tech is 2-7-1 in the last 10 games against the Bulldogs.

SCORING AGAINST UMD
• Justin Misiak (1-0=1)
• Trenton Bliss (0-1=1)
• Alec Broetzman (0-1=1)
• Brian Halonen (0-1=1)

COACH SHAWHAN
• Head coach Joe Shawhan is in his fifth season behind the bench and holds a record of 95-76-16.
• He won his 90th career game at St. Thomas on February 5, 2022 and ranks third in wins by a Tech hockey coach.
• Shawhan's 22 wins in his first season tied for the most ever by a first-year Michigan Tech coach. Jim Nahrgang won 22 games in 1982-83.
• Shawhan was named the 22nd head coach of the Huskies on May 30, 2017, after serving as an assistant coach for Tech over the previous three seasons.

GAMES PLAYED RECORD
• Justin Misiak broke Richard Novak's record for games played in a Michigan Tech uniform last weekend. Misiak has appeared in 179 career games.
• The fifth-year senior forward has 64 career points with 25 goals and 39 assists.
• Misiak has a career-high with 19 points on five goals and 14 assists this season.
• Novak tallied 77 points as a forward with 35 goals and 42 assists. He had an injury-shortened season in 1986-87 which allowed him an extra year of eligibility.

PIETILA TIMES FOUR
• Logan and Blake Pietila are twin brothers. Logan is a forward and Blake is a goaltender.
• Cousin and next-door neighbor Jed Pietila is a defenseman.
• Other Pietila's to play for the Huskies were Phil Pietila (2002-05), Aaron Pietila (2009-13), Chad Pietila (2011-13), and Blake Pietila (2011-15).
• Jimmy Pietila is currently a student assistant for the Huskies.

50 YEARS AT THE MAC
• Michigan Tech is celebrating 50 years of hockey at the MacInnes Student Ice Arena.
• The first game at the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena was played on January 14, 1972.
• Tech defeated Minnesota Duluth 6-5.

MICHIGAN TECH HOCKEY BOOK
• University Images has a new book on sale, "Michigan Tech Hockey, 100 Years of Memories."
• You can purchase the book for $29.95 in the store or online at MichiganTechHuskies.com/HockeyBook.
• Proceeds from the book will benefit the Michigan Tech Hockey program.

HUSKIES FOR HOBEY
• Trenton Bliss was a Hobey Baker candidate for the third year in a row.
• Brian Halonen was on the ballot for the first time.
• Pietila was a Hobey Baker candidate for the second straight season.

CCHA PLAY
• Michigan Tech was in the CCHA from 1981-84 and holds a 56-47-3 all-time CCHA regular-season record.
• The Huskies are 3-6-2 in the CCHA Playoffs with the three wins over Ferris State.

CCHA PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
• Blake Pietila – CCHA Goaltender of the Week on March 8.
• Blake Pietila – CCHA Goaltender of the Week on February 14.
• Tommy Parrottino – CCHA Forward of the Week on February 7.
• Blake Pietila – CCHA Goaltender of the Week on January 17.
• Tristan Ashbrook – CCHA Forward of the Week on November 29.
• Alec Broetzman – CCHA Forward of the Week on October 11.
• Blake Pietila – CCHA Goaltender of the Week on October 11.

CCHA FORWARD OF THE MONTH
• Brian Halonen was the CCHA Forward of February after he led the Huskies with six goals during the month.
• He added eight assists for 14 points and tallied 45 shots on goal with a +9 rating.
• In CCHA games, he led the conference in points and goals and ranked fifth in assists and plus/minus.

CCHA GOALIE OF MONTH
• Blake Pietila was named the CCHA Goaltender of the Month for January.
• He backstopped the Huskies to a 4-0 record in January with a 1.0 goals-against average and .952 save percentage.
• He earned back-to-back shutouts at Lake Superior State (Jan. 14-15), not allowing a Lakers goal for the third straight game. Pietila also stopped 48 shots in a CCHA sweep of Bemidji State on January 28-29.

CAPTAINS
• Senior forwards Trenton Bliss and Alec Broetzman are the captains of the Huskies. Broetzman wore the C as a junior and Bliss had an A.
• Senior defensemen Eric Gotz and Colin Swoyer are alternate captains for the second straight season.

ALL-CONFERENCE SELECTIONS
• Brian Halonen – CCHA First Team (2021-22), All-WCHA Rookie Team (2018-19)
• Colin Swoyer – CCHA Second Team (2021-22), WCHA Second Team (2020-21)
• Trenton Bliss – CCHA Second Team (2021-22), WCHA Third Team (2020-21)
• Blake Pietila – CCHA Second Team (2021-22)
• Arvid Caderoth – All-WCHA Rookie Team (2020-21)

NONCONFERENCE
• Tech went 3-3-1 in the non-conference schedule with only one regulation loss.
• The Huskies swept No. 13 Wisconsin on October 8-9 to begin the season.
• Tech fell 2-1 in overtime to No. 17 Notre Dame on October 15 in the home-opener.
• The Huskies split at Clarkson on October 29-30.
• Tech tied No. 3 Michigan and fell to Michigan State in overtime in the GLI Showcase.

TRANSFERS
• Michael Karow came to Tech after four seasons and 131 games at Boston College. He played against the Huskies in the Ice Vegas Invitational when Tech won 4-3. Karow played youth hockey with Trenton Bliss.
• Tyrone Bronte was an All-WCHA Rookie Team pick at Alabama Huntsville last season. He had 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in 22 games. The Melbourne, Australia native played with Chris Lipe in Dubuque for a couple of games.

PRESEASON ALL-CCHA
• Colin Swoyer was named to the Preseason All-CCHA Team, while Trenton Bliss also received votes for the squad.
• Swoyer was named to the All-WCHA Second Team as a junior and was also on the WCHA All-Academic Team, the WCHA Defenseman of the Month for February, and was a four-time WCHA Defenseman of the Week.
• Swoyer was second in the WCHA amongst defensemen with 17 points, scoring three goals and tallying 13 assists. He led Tech skaters with a plus-9 rating and led WCHA blueliners with 71 shots on goal.

IN THE PRESEASON CCHA POLL
• Tech was selected third in CCHA Preseason Coaches' Poll behind Minnesota State and Bemidji State.
• Tech finished the 2020-21 season with a 17-12-1 overall record. The Huskies were 7-7 in the WCHA and placed fifth in the final standings.

RETURNERS
Tech returns 24 players from last season with 14 forwards, 7 defensemen, and all three goaltenders.

FRESHMEN
Tech has five freshmen on the roster. The class consists of forwards Levi Stauber, Alex Nordstrom, Marcus Pedersen and defensemen Grant Docter, and Trevor Russell.

100 YEARS AGO
The Michigan College of Mines played its first collegiate hockey game on January 27, 1921. MCM beat the University of Michigan 3-0 in the first game of the series at the Amphidrome and then lost 4-3 the next night at the Calumet Colosseum.

HOCKEY REUNION
• Michigan Tech will host a 100-year hockey reunion on August 4-6, 2022 in Houghton.
• Very few collegiate hockey programs can celebrate important milestones in their history and Michigan Tech Hockey joined the elite ranks as 100-year-old legends.

JOE SHAWHAN HOUR
• The Joe Shawhan Hour can be heard every Monday morning at 10 a.m. on Mix 93.5 FM WKMJ.
• Host Dirk Hembroff and Coach Shawhan talk about the previous weekend and the upcoming matchup.
• Fans can listen live to the Joe Shawhan Hour on the radio at Mix 93.5 FM WKMJ, online at TheMix93.com or Pasty.com, or by using your favorite radio streaming app. The show will also be posted for on-demand listeners at MichiganTechHuskies.com.

2020-21 RECAP
• Tech finished with a 17-12-1 overall record and had a winning season for the first time since 2017-18.
• The Huskies were 6-7-1 in the WCHA and finished fifth in the standings.
• Blake Pietila broke the school records for best save percentage (.934) and goals-against average (1.81) for a season.
• Brian Halonen ranked sixth in the nation with four game-winning goals.
• Arvid Caderoth ranked third amongst all college hockey freshmen with 16 assists.