Huskies Welcome Northern Michigan to Houghton for Senior Night
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Northern Michigan (15-13-7 (12-10-5)) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
Michigan Tech (20-8-5 (17-7-3)) | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| No. 13 Michigan Tech vs. Northern Michigan | |
| Date | March 4, 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 | 19-8-5 Overall; 16-7-3 WCHA |
| NMU's Record | 15-12-7 Overall; 12-9-5 WCHA |
• No. 13 Michigan Tech renews its most heated rivalry this weekend with a home-and-home series against Northern Michigan. Both games will be televised live on TV6/FOX UP throughout the Upper Peninsula and northwest Wisconsin as part of the Tech/NMU Rivalry Series.
• Friday's game will mark the 139th all-time meeting between the Huskies and Wildcats in a series that dates back to the 1979-80 season. Michigan Tech trails in the all-time series 55-69-14 but has compiled a 6-3-1 record over the last 10 confrontations between the two programs. The Huskies and Northern split a series in October, with NMU winning 4-1 in Marquette before Tech answered with a 3-1 win the next night in Houghton. In the 30-plus year history of the rivalry, the Huskies are 30-29-8 at the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena vs. NMU.
• The Huskies enter the final weekend of the regular season just two points behind WCHA-leading Minnesota State in the standings. Tech, which has already secured home-ice for the first round of the league playoffs next weekend, has a shot at claiming its first MacNaughton Cup since the mid-70s Saturday night in Marquette.
• Michigan Tech has enjoyed considerable success against teams from #PureMichigan lately and will look to keep that trend going Friday and Saturday vs. NMU. In their last 28 games vs. Michigan teams, the Huskies are 19-6-3 - a run that includes five series sweeps.
SERIES-OPENING SUCCESS
The Huskies have been consistently good in the first game of weekend sets during the 2015-16 campaign. Tech is 10-3-3 in the first game of a weekend and has posted a 8-3-3 mark on Friday nights.
RACE TO THREE
Tech is 17-0-2 when it finds the back of the net three or more times, including a 7-0-0 record when scoring three goals, a 4-0-2 mark when scoring four and a perfect 6-0-0 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 (3-8-2 this season).
ROAD WARRIORS
Michigan Tech's fortunes on the road have been good so far in 2015-16. The Huskies are 9-3-3 in true road games this year and are 8-1-3 over their last 12 away contests. Playing well on the road is a trend that dates back to last winter for Tech, which compiled a 12-2-2 mark away from Houghton one year ago.
QUICK HITTERS
• Michigan Tech is 10-2-4 since Dec. 11 after starting the season 9-6-1, including an 8-1-3 mark vs. the WCHA.
• The Huskies are 12-2-2 when wearing their black jerseys, which was the team's road jerseys in the first half of the WCHA schedule and serves are their home sweaters in the second half.
• Tech is 11-2-1 when leading after one period and 15-2-1 when carrying a lead into the second intermission.
• The Huskies have a 13-2-3 record when they hold their opponents scoreless on the power play. Michigan Tech is 11-4-1 when it connects for a power-play goal.
• Michigan Tech is 10-0-1 when Joel L'Esperance scores a goal and 10-1-2 when Alex Petan finds the back of the net. Additionally, the Huskies own a 10-1-2 mark when Shane Hanna notches an assist.
• Tech is 4-0-5 in the nine overtime games it has played to this point and four different players - Petan, Brent Baltus, Malcolm Gould and Tyler Heinonen - have netted overtime-winners.
STAT LEADERS
Michigan Tech has earned the top spot in several statistical categories among WCHA foes this season. The Huskies lead the league in wins (19), goals (102), goals/game (3.19), goals against (71), scoring margin (+31) and power-play efficiency (22.0 percent).
PETAN AMONG NATION'S CAREER LEADERS
Petan, a senior co-captain, ranks in the top-10 among all current NCAA Division I men's players in several offensive career stats. The Delta, B.C., native has 57 goals and 72 assists for 129 points during his Tech career and is the only current Husky in The Century Club. Petan's point total is tied for 35th in Michigan Tech history with Lorne Stamler (1970-74) and Chris Conner (2002-05).
LAST TIME OUT
Three different players scored goals and the Huskies peppered Alaska with 51 shots en route to a 3-2 overtime victory and series sweep over the Nanooks. Goals in regulation by Heinonen and L'Esperance set the stage for Petan to notch the overtime-winner.
IN THE NHL
Four former Michigan Tech players have skated in the National Hockey League this season as Pheonix Copley (St. Louis), Tanner Kero (Chicago), Jujhar Khaira (Edmonton) and John Scott (Arizona/Montreal) have all spent time in the NHL during the 2015-16 campaign. Scott, who played for Tech from 2002-06, was named the NHL All-Star Game MVP after scoring twice while leading Team Pacific to the 3-on-3 tournament championship. Copley, a one-year starter for Tech (2012-13), made his NHL debut on Feb. 27 when he entered St. Louis' game vs. Nashville in the second period.
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 will host a first-round WCHA playoff series for the second year in a row next weekend (March 11-13) at the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena. Tickets to each game of the best-of-three series are available now at the SDC Ticket Office, online at BuyHuskiesTickets.com or over the phone at 906-487-2073.
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.
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.