Posted: Oct 08, 2015

PREVIEW: Hockey Huskies Open Season vs. Laurentian

Laurentian

(0-1-0)

Michigan Tech

(1-0-0)

Final

Laurentian (0-1-0)

Michigan Tech (1-0-0)

PREVIEW: Hockey Huskies Open Season vs. Laurentian

MICHIGAN TECH vs. LAURENTIAN
Dates	Friday and Saturday, Oct. 9-10, 2015
Times	7:07 p.m.
Location	John MacInnes Student Ice Arena
Radio	Mix 93.5 FM WKMJ (Dirk Hembroff)
Online Audio	Pasty.net
Video Stream	WCHA.tv
Game Notes	Michigan Tech
Live Stats	MichiganTechHuskies.com
Live Tweeting	Twitter.com/mtuhky
Tech's Record	0-0-0 Overall; 0-0-0 WCHA
LU's Record	0-0-0

THIS WEEKEND'S NOTES

THE GAMES

Michigan Tech opens its 95th season of intercollegiate hockey this Friday and Saturday (Oct. 9-10) with a two-game exhibition series against Laurentian University, Canadian Interuniversity Sport program out of Sudbury, Ontario. Puck-drop both nights is set for 7:07 p.m. ET.

THE SERIES

• This weekend will mark the eighth and ninth all-time meetings between the Huskies and Voyageurs. Tech holds a 7-0-0 record in the series and has outscored Laurentian, 45-16. The two programs met six times in the 1990s, including four-straight years from 1994-95 through 1997-98.

• The most recent contest in the series came on Oct. 5, 2013, in Houghton. Tech came from behind for a 3-2 win that night thanks to a hat trick from Alex Petan. Then a sophomore, Petan notched a pair of third-period goals - including the game-winner with just 2:23 left in the game. Two other current Huskies showed up on the scoresheet that night as D Chris Leibinger recorded an assist on Petan's first goal and G Jamie Phillips earned the win by stopping six shots in the final period of play.

• Michigan Tech has not lost an exhibition game since Oct. 4, 2008, when the University of Toronto knocked off the Huskies, 3-1, in Houghton.

CAPTAINS

Michigan Tech named its captains for the 2015-16 season during the spring, with senior forward Alex Petan and junior blue-liner Cliff Watson serving as co-captains. Junior defenseman Shane Hanna and junior forward Michael Neville will fill the alternate captaincy roles. Petan and Watson served as alternate captains last winter.

TECH RANKED IN BOTH NATIONAL PRESEASON POLLS

The Huskies enter the 2015-16 campaign ranked in both major national polls. The Huskies sit in the No. 15 spot in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll, while the voters in the USCHO.com poll also viewed Tech as the No 15-ranked program to begin the year. The Black and Gold closed out last year at No. 9 and climbed as high as the No. 1 ranking in 2014-15 after beginning the season 10-0-0.

HUSKIES PICKED TO FINISH SECOND, THIRD IN BOTH WCHA PRESEASON POLLS

Michigan Tech was picked to finish second in the 10-team WCHA by league media and third by the coaches in the conference. The Huskies, who were within one point of winning the MacNaughton Cup in 2014-15, picked up nine first-place votes in the Bemidji Pioneer Media Poll and claimed on first-place vote in the Mankato Free Press Coaches Poll.

PETAN, HANNA, PHILLIPS HONORED

Three Huskies - F Alex Petan, D Shane Hanna and G Jamie Phillips - were unanimous picks to the All-WCHA preseason team, which was released with the preseason polls last month. Phillips was a member of the first team last season. Petan, already a member of the Century Club at Tech, is coming off an All-WCHA Second Team selection last year and Hanna, who led the WCHA with a plus-24 rating last year, earned a spot on the All-WCHA Third Team for his efforts.

PETAN NAMED COLLEGE HOCKEY NEWS PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN

F Alex Petan was one of just 12 players nationally to be named to the College Hockey News preseason All-America teams. The 5-foot-9 forward from Delta, B.C., has scored double-digit goals in each of his first three seasons in Houghton but despite that has flown under the national radar.

PHILLIPS PART OF MIKE RICHTER AWARD WATCH LIST

Senior G jamie Phillips was honored as one of 20 goaltenders on the Mike Richter Award watch list for 2015-16 by Let's Play Hockey magazine. Phillips was a finalist for the award last year after posting 29 wins, a 1.754 goals against average and .933 save percentage. The Ontario native also set the Tech single-season shutout record with six.

RETURNING FIREPOWER

Tech returns a good portion of its goal and point production off the 2014-15 team that ranked fifth in the nation in goals-per-game (3.51) and sixth among all NCAA teams in points-per-game (9.49). The Huskies' lineup gets back the fifth-most goals (99) and third-most points (266) in all of college hockey.

STRONG BLUE LINE

Eight blue-liners and all three goaltenders from last season return to Michigan Tech this year. That group helped the Huskies finish with a national-best plus-70 goal margin and the second-lowest goals-against average (1.80) in the NCAA last winter.

PEARSON ENTERS FIFTH YEAR

Head coach Mel Pearson begins his fifth season behind the Tech bench this weekend. Pearson has won 72 times in his four years in Houghton, including 12 against top-10 teams. Pearson-led teams have also compiled a 2-1-1 record against No. 1 ranked teams.

NHL DRAFT PICKS

Five players on the Michigan Tech roster have been selected in the NHL Entry Draft:

• Senior goaltender Jamie Phillips is a pick of the Winnipeg Jets, who took him in the seventh round (190th overall) of the 2012 NHL Draft.

• Junior blue-liner Cliff Watson was selected in the sixth round (168th overall) of the 2012 NHL Draft by the San Jose Sharks.

• Sophomore defenseman Dane Birks was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the sixth round (164th overall) of the 2013 NHL Draft.

• Sophomore defender Matt Roy went to the Los Angeles Kings during the seventh round (194th overall) of the 2015 NHL Draft.

• Freshman forward Jake Jackson was taken by the San Jose Sharks in the seventh round (201st overall) of the 2013 NHL Draft.

NEXT TIME OUT

The Huskies begin their regular-season schedule next weekend (Oct. 16-17) with a pair of WCHA games at Ferris State. Both games are set for 7:07 p.m. ET and can be heard on Mix93 FM or watched live on WCHA.tv.