Seniors Carry Tech to 3-1 Win vs. Minnesota State
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Minnesota State (11-8-5 (10-3-5)) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
|
Michigan Tech (13-7-4 (10-6-2)) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
POST GAME INTERVIEWS | MEL PEARSON | MALCOLM GOULD | JAMIE PHILLIPS
HOUGHTON, Mich. –Alex Petan scored twice and Malcolm Gould buried once and added two assists to help Michigan Tech to a 3-1 win over No. 19 Minnesota State in a Western Collegiate Hockey Association contest tonight (Jan. 16) in front of 3,153 at the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena.
The win was the Huskies' first against Minnesota State in 10 games dating back to Feb. 4, 2012 and puts Tech just three points behind the Mavericks for first place in the WCHA standings.
"I'm really happy with the result tonight," said head coach Mel Pearson. "It was another good hockey game and I thought we played the right way. Our seniors really came to play and they were the stars of the game."
The Huskies struck first when Gould collected a loose puck in front and scored 9:09 into the game. Joel L'Esperance moved the puck along the end wall to CJ Eick, who made a defender miss, carried the puck below the goal line and scooped it up the slot. Gould slipped through traffic, grabbed the puck and tucked it into the top corner for a 1-0 lead.
Petan gave the Huskies a 2-0 lead after 40 minutes thanks to a blast from the right circle. After a turnover by the Mavericks and center, Dylan Steman took a quick pass from Dane Birks and wheeled into the zone before dishing the puck to Gould on his left. Gould settled it and slowed before threaded a perfect pass across the zone to Petan for the one-timer.
Minnesota State cut the Tech lead to 2-1 just 4:46 into the third, but another great pass by Gould set up Petan's second of the night and put the Huskies back up by a pair.
Shane Hanna started the play when he took a pass from Matt Roy high in the offensive zone and chipped the puck low to Gould. Gould grabbed it as he moved below the goal line and quickly put a behind-the-back pass on Petan's tape in the slot. Petan fought off a Minnesota State defender and beat Jason Pawloski on the glove side to close the scoring.
Jamie Phillips was nearly perfect between the pipes for the Huskies, stopping 25-of-26 Minnesota State shots.
Michigan Tech (13-7-4 overall; 10-6-2 WCHA) has a week off before making the trip to Ohio for a two-game set with Bowling Green on Jan. 29-30.
NOTES: Minnesota State outshot the Huskies 26-21 … Tech was 0-3 on the power play but held the Mavericks scoreless in two tries … Gould's three-point night was tied his highest single-game total in his career … Petan has now scored two goals in a game on seven occasions.
