Huskies Look to Claim MacInnes Cup Tonight vs. Lake State
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Lake Superior State (9-17-4 (6-10-4)) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
|
Michigan Tech (16-7-5 (13-6-3)) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| No. 14/15 Michigan Tech vs. Lake Superior State | |
| Date | Feb. 6, 2016 |
| Times | 5:07 p.m. ET |
| Location | John MacInnes Student Ice Arena |
| Stream | WCHA.tv |
| 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 | 15-7-5 Overall; 12-6-3 WCHA |
| LSSU's Record | 9-16-4 Overall; 6-9-4 WCHA |
TALKING POINTS
• No. 14/15 Michigan Tech looks to clinch its 45th Winter Carnival title tonight (Feb. 6) in
the series finale vs. Lake Superior State. The Huskies, who enter the night on a seven-game unbeaten streak (4-0-3), will be trying to collect their first sweep of the the year at the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena.
• Tonight's game marks the 66th all-time meeting between the Huskies and Lakers in a rivalry that dates back to the 1969-70 campaign. Tech owns a 39-21-5 advantage over Lake State – including a commanding 24-9-1 mark at home – and have gone 7-2-1 vs. LSSU over the last 10 games.
• The Huskies, who began holding a Winter Carnival hockey series in 1950, have won the title 44 times in 66 editions. The two-game total goal series will decide the winner of the MacInnes Cup. If the series is tied at the end of Saturday's game, a three-player shootout will decide the outcome. Tech's record during Winter Carnival games is 74-45-14.
• Michigan Tech is looking to continue its recent stretch of success vs. teams from #PureMichigan this weekend vs. Lake State. The Huskies are 18-6-3 over their last 27 games vs. Michigan foes, including five series sweeps and 11 wins away from the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena.
• Head coach Mel Pearson is 6-2-1 during Winter Carnival since coming back to Michigan Tech in 2011-12.
• Senior co-captain Alex Petan was named the WCHA Player of the Month for January this week after posting four goals and six points in four WCHA contests last month. Petan, who saw a 12-game WCHA scoring streak end last night, leads the conference in scoring with eight games left in the regular season.
• Michigan Tech stormed through January by going unbeaten (3-0-3) while claiming the title at the first-ever Desert Hockey Classic and six-of-eight points vs. WCHA leaders Minnesota State and Bowling Green. The strong stretch helped Tech climb up the national rankings and the WCHA standings.
• Jamie Phillips has been outstanding against the Lakers in his career. The senior goaltender is 6-1-1 with a 1.43 goals against average and .946 save percentage.
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 13-0-2 when it finds the back of the net three or more times, including a 5-0-0 record when scoring three goals, a 4-0-2 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 64 points (24-40) while the team's juniors were third among junior classes in the league with 64 points (24- 40). Michigan Tech's 16 upperclassmen (eight seniors, eight juniors) start the series vs. Lake State with a combined 128 points on 48 goals and 80 assists - the highest combined total in the WCHA and the 11th-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 (3.00 goals/ game), scoring margin (+20) and power-play efficiency (23.8%). Tech was also in the top- half among WCHA foes in team defense (3rd, 2.23) and shots on goal margin (3rd, +158).
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 (14), points (25) and points-per-game (1.00). Phillips leads the WCHA in wins with 14 and minutes played (1531:41). 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
Jamie Phillips notched his ninth shutout as a Husky with a 31-save performance and senior Max Vallis scored a pair of goals to help Tech beat Lake Superior State 3-0 in the first game of Winter Carnival. Matt Roy also scored for MTU, while Reid Sturos collected two assists.
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 have next weekend off before they hit the road to Bemidji, Minn., to play the Beavers in a two-game WCHA set. The road series will mark Tech's final road series of the 2015-16 regular season.
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.
