Tech beats NMU in comeback fashion Friday
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Northern Michigan (7-4-2, 5-2-0) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
|
Michigan Tech (6-6-0, 4-5-0) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
HOUGHTON, Mich. – Michigan Tech scored a pair of third-period goals and defeated No. 19 Northern Michigan 3-2 Friday (Nov. 22) at the MacInnes Student Ice Arena. The Huskies twice came back from a one-goal deficit and held on for their third straight win—all over Upper Peninsula rivals.
"Hats off to our guys for getting the first home win of the season," Tech coach Joe Shawhan said. "Our team worked extremely hard and overcame a lot. Northern is a good hockey team and well-coached.
"Our goaltending and penalty kill were really good again and the home crowd was absolutely awesome for us and provided a ton of energy."
Down 2-1 entering the third period, the Black and Gold struck twice in a 70-second span. Colin Swoyer tied the game at two with his first goal of the season 8:04 after intermission. Parker Saretsky carried the puck out from behind the net and found Swoyer gliding in from the blue line. Swoyer wristed a shot past Nolan Kent with Alex Smith also assisting.
"It was a 4 on 3—something you don't see very often," Saretsky said. "I saw a little opening and passed through the slot. Colin made no mistake. That was a big goal for us."
Brian Halonen buried the game-winner at 9:14 with a one-timer on the power play from Eric Gotz and Seamus Donohue. Halonen scored for the third game in a row and Donohue extended his point streak to four games with the assist.
"That sophomore class is a talented group," added Shawhan. "They went through a lot last year. They continue to grow and now we're seeing some reward for their hard work."
NMU (7-4-2, 5-2-0 WCHA) opened scoring 52 seconds into the second period on a goal by Griffin Loughran. Philip Beaulieu and Adam Roeder assisted on the play.
Saretsky tied the game for the Huskies with his third of the season. Alec Broetzman carried the puck across the top of the zone and sent a wrist shot in on net. Saretsky was at the doorstep to tap in the rebound.
The Wildcats got their lead back 1:42 later when Joseph Nardi got free and scored from Caleb Schroer and Beaulieu.
Northern pulled its goaltender with 1:30 left in the game but was then whistled for a penalty with 1:07 on the clock. The Wildcats were then gifted a power play to get it back to even strength, but Matt Jurusik stood on his head for two saves in the waning moments of the game to seal the victory.
Shots in the game were tied at 26. Jurusik had 24 saves for his third straight win. He is now 5-3 in eight starts. Kent had 23 saves for the visitors.
Tech was 2-for-2 on the penalty kill and 1-for-6 on the power play after 13 penalties were called in the game.
The two teams will wrap up the WCHA series at the Berry Events Center in Marquette on Saturday.
"We know it'll be loud and a good atmosphere," added Saretsky. "We just need to stick to our game plan."
Puck drop is set for 6:07 p.m. Fans can listen to the game on Mix 93 or watch it locally on FOX-UP.
