No. 14 Tech, Alaska Open Series Friday in Houghton
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alaska (8-19-4 (6-15-4)) | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
|
Michigan Tech (18-8-5 (15-7-3)) | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| No. 14 Michigan Tech vs. Alaska | |
| Date | Feb. 26, 2016 |
| Times | 7:07 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 | 17-8-5 Overall; 14-7-3 WCHA |
| UAF's Record | 8-18-4 Overall; 6-14-4 WCHA |
TALKING POINTS
• No. 14 Michigan Tech plays host to Alaska Friday in a Western Collegiate Hockey Association contest at the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena. The game, which will start at 7:07 p.m., can be seen live on WCHA.tv and will be broadcast live on Mix 93 and Pasty.net with the pregame show starting at 6:30.
• Friday's game marks the 12th all-time meeting between the Huskies and Alaska with Tech owning an 8-3-0 edge in the series. The Huskies swept UAF on Thanksgiving weekend in Fairbanks and are currently on a four-game winning streak against Alaska dating back to last season.
• The Huskies are unbeaten in nine of their last 10 conference outings (6-1-3) and have outscored their competition 35-17 on that run. Tech has lost just two of its last 14 games overall (8-2-4) dating back to Dec. 11.
• Twenty-three Michigan Tech players have game experience against Alaska. Senior co- captain Alex Petan leads all players in goals (5), assists (8) and points (13) in his career vs. Alaska and collected a five-point (2-3) weekend when Tech traveled to Fairbanks earlier this season. Senior goaltender Jamie Phillips is 3-0-0 vs. the Nanooks and stopped 43-of- 45 shots vs. UAF in November.
• Head coach Mel Pearson has led the Huskies to a 6-2-0 record vs. Alaska since coming back to Michigan Tech in 2011-12.
PHILLIPS ON A ROLL
A preseason Mike Richter Award candidate, Phillips hasn't disappointed this season and has been especially good since the calendar flipped to 2016. The senior from Caledonia, Ontario, is 6-1-3 with one shutout since New Years and leads the WCHA in goals against average (1.56) while ranking second in save percentage (.937). Phillips has earned three WCHA Defensive Player of the Week citations in 2016.
SERIES-OPENING SUCCESS
The Huskies have been consistently good in the first game of weekend sets during the 2015-16 campaign. Tech is 9-3-3 in the first game of a weekend and has posted a 7-3-3 mark on Friday nights.
RACE TO THREE
Tech is 15-0-2 when it finds the back of the net three or more times, including a 6-0-0 record when scoring three goals, a 4-0-2 mark when scoring four and a perfect 5-0-0 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 (2-8-2 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 the second best point total in the WCHA (31-45-76) while the team's juniors were third among junior classes in the league with 79 points (27-52). Michigan Tech's 16 upperclassmen (eight seniors, eight juniors) started the series vs. Alaska with a combined 155 points on 58 goals and 97 assists - the highest combined total in the WCHA and the 15th-best total in all of NCAA Division I college hockey.
QUICK HITTERS
• Michigan Tech is 10-2-1 when leading after one period and owns a 14-2-1 mark when carrying a leading into the third.
• The Huskies, who will likely wear their black jerseys tonight, are 10-2-2 in those sweaters and haven't lost in the blacks since Oct. 23.
• Tech is 10-4-1 when scoring a power-play goal and 12-2-3 when its penalty kill holds an opponent off the board.
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 closes the regular season next weekend (March 4-5) with a home-and- home series against that team from Marquette. Friday's game, which will be played at the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena, is Senior Night and a ceremony to honor the eight Tech seniors will take place during the game.
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.
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.
