Huskies, Falcons Close Season Series Tonight
| 0:00 - 3rd | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Michigan Tech (14-7-5, 11-6-3) | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
|
Bowling Green (15-8-6, 11-4-5) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| No. 17 Michigan Tech at No. 18 Bowling Green | |
| Date | Jan. 30, 2016 |
| Times | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| Location | BGSU Ice Arena, Bowling Green, Ohio |
| TV/Stream | WCHA.tv |
| Radio | Mix 93.5 FM WKMJ (Dirk Hembroff) |
| Online Audio | Pasty.net |
| Game Notes | Michigan Tech | Bowling Green |
| Live Stats | CollegeHockeyStats.net |
| Live Tweeting | Twitter.com/mtuhky |
| Tech's Record | 13-7-5 Overall; 10-6-3 WCHA |
| BGSU's Record | 15-7-6 Overall; 11-3-5 WCHA |
TALKING POINTS
• No. 17 Michigan Tech and No. 18 Bowling Green conclude the season series tonight (Jan.
30) with a WCHA contest at the BGSU Ice Arena. Puck-drop is set for 7:07 p.m. and the game can be heard live on Mix 93 and Pasty.net with the pregame show hitting the air at 6:30.
• The Huskies and Falcons are meeting for the fourth time this season after playing a two- game series Nov. 13-14 in Houghton. Tech won the first game that weekend, 2-0, thanks to a 22-save shutout from Jamie Phillips before the Falcons rebounded in the series finale to knock off the Huskies, 3-2. The two teams skated to a 4-4 draw last night.
• Tonight will mark the 25th all-time meeting between Tech and BGSU. Tech holds a 12-9-3 edge in the all-time series, including a 4-5-1 record on the road.
• The Huskies are back on the road and will be looking to continue their strong run away from home this winter. Tech is 7-2-3 in road games during the 2015-16 campaign - including a 6-2-2 mark in WCHA contests - and is 9-3-4 in all outings away from Houghton. Since the start of November, the Huskies have compiled an 8-1-4 mark (.769 winning percentage) in away/neutral-site games.
• Michigan Tech leads the WCHA in numerous categories when playing on the road or in neutral-site games. The Huskies are tops in the conference in winning percentage (.688), goals/game (3.19), goal margin (+14), power-play efficiency (22.6%), shots on goal/game (31.12) and shot on goal margin (+76).
• Michigan Tech is 5-0-2 over its last seven WCHA road contests and hasn't lost a conference matchup away from home since Oct. 23 (4-1 at Northern Michigan).
• Twenty-five Huskies have played in a game against Bowling Green, including five who have seen time in 12 outings vs. BGSU.
• Alex Petan leads all Huskies with 11 points (2-9) in 12 career outings vs. Bowling Green. Fellow senior Malcolm Gould has a team-high four goals, while junior blue-liner Shane Hanna is tied for second on the team with eight points in his career vs. BGSU (0-8).
• Phillips owns a 4-2-0 record in his career against the Falcons, including a shutout on Nov. 13 in Houghton - his eighth as a Husky. Phillips has a 2.73 goals against average and .903 save percentage vs. BGSU
SERIES-OPENING SUCCESS
The Huskies have been consistently good in the first game of weekend sets during the 2015-16 campaign. Tech is 8-2-3 in the first game of a weekend and has posted a 6-2-3 mark on Friday nights.
RACE TO THREE
Michigan Tech's mix of offensive firepower and defensive stinginess has equaled considerable success when the team scores three or more goals. Tech is 11-0-2 when it finds the back of the net three or more times, including a 4-0-0 record when scoring three goals, a 3-0-2 mark when scoring four and a perfect 4-0-0 record when notching five or more goals in a game. On the flip side, the Huskies have struggled to win hockey games when its opponent buries three or more times (2-7-2 this season).
LEADING BY EXAMPLE
The Huskies have enjoyed big contributions from their upperclassmen so far this season. Entering the weekend, Tech's seniors had combined for a WCHA-high 59 points (23-36) while the team's juniors were third among junior classes in the league with 59 points (22- 37). Michigan Tech's 16 upperclassmen (eight seniors, eight juniors) started the series vs. Bowling Green with a combined 118 points on 45 goals and 73 assists - the second-highest combined total in the WCHA and the 13th-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 came into the weekend ranking first in scoring (2.92 goals/ game) and power-play efficiency (22.1%). Tech was also in the top-half among WCHA foes in scoring margin (2nd, +17), shots on goal margin (3rd, +144) and team defense (4th, 2.21).
PETAN, PHILLIPS ON THE HOBEY BAKER AWARD FAN BALLOT
Two Michigan Tech seniors - Petan and Phillips - are among the 66 candidates on the initial fan ballot for the 2016 Hobey Baker Memorial Award, which is given annually to the top player in NCAA Division I men's ice hockey. Petan entered the weekend leading the Huskies in nearly all offensive statistical categories and ranks first among all WCHA skaters in goals (12), points (21) and points-per-game (1.24) during conference action. Phillips leads the WCHA in wins with 13 and ranks third in the conference in goals against average (1.92). The 2015 Mike Richter Award finalist notched his eighth collegiate shutout this season, giving him the all-time Michigan Tech career mark, and is a three-time WCHA Defensive Player of the Week.
LAST TIME OUT
Dylan Steman scored twice and Joel L'Esperance and Matt Roy both had single goals but the No. 17 Huskies saw a two-goal lead evaporate in the third period and settled for a 4-4 tie at No. 18 Bowling Green.
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/Montreal) have all spent time in the NHL during the early part of the 2015-16 campaign. Scott, who played for Tech from 2002-06, was voted into the NHL All-Star Game and will serve as the captain of the Pacific Division squad in the contest.
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
Michigan Tech returns home for Winter Carnival next weekend (Feb. 5-6) to host Lake Superior State. Friday's game is scheduled for 8 p.m., while the series finale will take place on Saturday at 5 p.m. The first game of the weekend will be broadcast live on American Sports Network in the U.S. and TSN in Canada.
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. Questions for Coach Pearson can be submitted by emailing dj@themix93.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.
FINAL FIVE TICKETS
The WCHA Final Five returns to Grand Rapids, Mich., and Van Andel Arena on March 18- 19. The league is offering all-tournament packages to the event, which includes tickets for both days of the Final Five. Ticket packages are $69 per person and can be found at Ticketmaster.com or over the phone at 1-800-745-3000.