Tech to Play UConn in Desert Hockey Classic Semis
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Connecticut (6-13-1) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
|
Michigan Tech (12-7-2) | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Michigan Tech vs. Connecticut | |
| Date | Jan. 8, 2016 |
| Times | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| Location | Gila River Arena, Glendale, Ariz. |
| TV/Stream | None |
| Radio | Mix 93.5 FM WKMJ (Dirk Hembroff) |
| Online Audio | Pasty.net |
| Game Notes | Michigan Tech |
| Live Stats | CollegeHockeyStats.net |
| Live Tweeting | Twitter.com/mtuhky |
| Tech's Record | 11-7-2 Overall; 9-6-1 WCHA |
| UCONN's Record | 6-12-1 Overall; 3-7-1 HEA |
TALKING POINTS
• Michigan Tech wraps up the non-conference portion of its schedule this weekend (Jan.
8 and 10) with the first-ever Desert Hockey Classic in Glendale, Ariz. The Huskies open the event Friday vs. Connecticut (7:00 p.m. ET) before playing either tournament host Arizona State or Yale on Sunday. All games in the Desert Hockey Classic will be played at Gila River Arena, home of the NHL's Arizona Coyotes.
• Tech has never played Connecticut or first-year NCAA Division I program Arizona State, but the Huskies do have a brief history vs. Yale. The two stories programs played three times between the 30s and 70s but haven't squared off since. Tech owns a 2-1-0 all-time record against the Bulldogs.
• The Huskies non-conference slate has been made up entirely of teams from #PureMichigan thus far. MTU is 2-1-1 in those four outings, three of which have come against Michigan State.
• Tech has enjoyed success away from the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena in 2015-16. The Huskies are 8-3-3 on the road or in neutral site games this winter and have gone unbeaten in nine of their last 10 contests away from home.
SERIES-OPENING SUCCESS
The Huskies have been consistently good in the first game of weekend sets during the 2015-16 campaign. Tech is 7-2-1 in the first game of a weekend and has posted a 5-2-1 mark on Friday nights. Perhaps even more impressive is MTU's ability to win its first game away from home, which it has done in five-of-seven series openers.
RACE TO THREE
With a veteran cast of defensemen and one of the best goaltenders in all of college hockey, it's no surprise that Michigan Tech is unbeaten when scoring three or more times in a game (the Huskies own a 9-0-1 mark when they reach the three-goal plateau). On the reverse side, Tech has struggled to win games when its opponent notches three or more - the Huskies are 2-7-1 when it surrenders three-plus.
LEADING BY EXAMPLE
The Huskies have enjoyed big contributions from their upperclassmen during the first half of the season. Entering the Desert Hockey Classic, Tech's seniors had combined for a WCHA-high 49 points (19-30) while the team's juniors were second among junior classes in the league with 53 points (20-33). Michigan Tech's 16 upperclassmen (eight seniors, eight juniors) came into the week with a combined 102 points - the highest combined total in the WCHA and the seventh-best total in all of NCAA Division I college hockey.
STAT LEADERS
Michigan Tech is once again one of the leaders in nearly all statistical categories among WCHA programs. The Huskies comes into the weekend ranking first in scoring (3.00 goals/ game), scoring margin (+13) and power-play efficiency (25%). Tech is also in the top-half among WCHA foes in team defense (3rd, 2.35 goals against/game) and shots on goal margin (2nd, +143).
BALTUS NAMED WCHA OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Junior winger Brent Baltus took home WCHA weekly honors after posting two goals and one assist at the 51st Great Lakes Invitational at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit last week. Baltus scored and had an assist in the semifinals against Michigan State - including the overtime winner - before scoring a power-play marker in the title tilt vs. the University of Michigan. Baltus is the fourth Husky to earn WCHA weekly recognition this year, joining Jamie Phillips, Tyler Heinonen and Alex Petan.
RED-HOT HEINONEN
Junior winger Tyler Heinonen ran up a seven-game goal-scoring run in November and early December, the longest such streak by a Husky since Gord Salt scored in 10 straight during the 1978-79 season. The Delano, Minn., native led the WCHA in goals (6), points (10), power-play goals (3) and game-winners (3) during November and was named the WCHA Player of the Month for his efforts. Heinonen also collected WCHA Offensive Player of the Week honors on Nov. 23.
PETAN AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS
Senior captain Alex Petan enters the weekend in the top-five among active DI players with 121 career points. Petan, who has scored double-digit goals in each of his four seasons in Houghton, currently leads the Huskies in points (19) and is second with 10 goals. The Delta, B.C., native recently racked up a six-game point streak on which he tallied 11 points (6-5).
LAST TIME OUT
Michigan Tech scored twice in the first period and carried a 2-0 lead into the first intermission, but Michigan rallied and scored four unanswered goals to knock off the Huskies 4-2 in the GLI championship game at the Joe in Detroit. Jake Jackson scored his first goal as a Husky to make it 1-0 before Baltus notched a power-play goal to give Tech a 2-0 lead.
IN THE NHL
Three former Michigan Tech players have skated in the National Hockey League this season as Tanner Kero (Chicago), Jujhar Khaira (Edmonton) and John Scott (Arizona) have all spent time in the NHL during the early part of the 2015-16 campaign.
FOLLOW THE HUSKIES
Be sure to follow Michigan Tech hockey on social media for the latest news and coverage of the program. The Huskies are on Twitter (@mtuhky), Facebook (/MichiganTechHockey), Instagram (@mtu_hockey) and Snapchat (mtuhuskies). Join the conversation using hashtags #mtuhky and #FollowTheHuskies.
ON DECK
The Huskies jump back into WCHA play next weekend (Jan. 15-16) when they host league- leading Minnesota State at the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena in Houghton.
MEL PEARSON SHOW
Back for another season is the Mel Pearson Show featuring Coach Pearson and Dirk Hembroff discussing all things Michigan Tech hockey. The show airs live on Mix 93 FM every Monday at 10 a.m. and can be heard anytime on MichiganTechHuskies.com.
WCHA.TV
Followers of the WCHA can watch every league game live online thanks to WCHA. tv. Several subscription options are available, including league-wide and single-team packages. Additional details can be found on the WCHA website or by logging on directly to WCHA.tv.
BLUE LINE CLUB
The Michigan Tech Blue Line Club welcomes all individuals who are interested in promoting and assisting the Huskies. By joining the MTU Blue Line Club, fans are showing support for the program. Several membership options are available and can be found on MichiganTechHuskies.com.
SINGLE-GAME TICKETS
Single-game tickets to all Michigan Tech hockey home games are available at the Student Development Complex Ticket Office, online at BuyHuskiesTickets.com or over the phone at 906-487-2073. The Huskies played seven regular-season home games in the second half of the season.