PREVIEW: No. 10 Tech hosts NMU in CCHA Semifinal

THIS WEEKEND'S GAMES
• No. 10 Michigan Tech hosts Northern Michigan in a CCHA Mason Cup Semifinal matchup.
• The puck drops at 6:07 p.m. Saturday at the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena.
• The Huskies are the No. 2 seed and the Wildcats are No. 4.
• The Huskies advanced with a sweep of St. Thomas, and NMU swept Bemidji State in the quarterfinal round.
• The winner will advance to the CCHA Mason Cup Championship Game on March 18.
• Tech is 24-9-4 overall and went 4-1 against the Wildcats in the regular season.

OTHER SEMI
• No. 6 Ferris State travels to No. 1 Minnesota State in the other semifinal which begins at 7:07 p.m. Saturday in Mankato.
• The Bulldogs swept No. 3 seed Bowling Green in Ohio with a pair of overtime wins.
• The Mavericks ended No. 8 seed Lake Superior State's season in the quarterfinal.

ON THE RADIO
• Mix 93.5 FM WKMJ broadcasts all Michigan Tech hockey games.
• Fans can listen live on the radio at Mix 93.5 FM WKMJ, online at TheMix93.com or Pasty.com, or by using your favorite radio streaming app.
• Dirk Hembroff will call all the action in his 21st year behind the microphone.

FLOHOCKEY.TV
• All Michigan Tech home and CCHA games during the 2022-23 season will be live-streamed on FloHockey.tv.
• Fans can purchase either annual ($150) or monthly ($30) subscriptions and will have access to all CCHA games along with the full USHL, Atlantic Hockey and ECHL schedule.
• Download the FloSports app today on Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, and the App Store.

FOX-UP & TV6 COVERAGE
• Saturday's game will be televised across the Upper Peninsula on TV6.
• Mark Evans and Dave Ellis will call all the action.
• TV6 and Fox-UP began broadcasting the Tech versus NMU rivalry during the 2013-14 season.

HUSKIES RANKED
• Michigan Tech is ranked No. 10 in this week's DCU/USCHO and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls.
• The No. 10 ranking is the highest for Michigan Tech since April 13, 2015, when the Huskies checked in at No. 9 in the final poll of the 2014-15 season.

CCHA ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
• Kyle Kukkonen is the CCHA Rookie of the Week, earning a weekly award for the fourth time as a freshman. He had three points in the CCHA Playoff sweep of St. Thomas. He assisted on Brett Thorne's game-winner Friday and tallied a pair of goals Saturday, including the game-winner and a shorthanded tally.
• Kukkonen has eight goals in the last six games and is on a six-game point streak. His 18 goals lead CCHA freshmen and rank third overall in the conference.
• Kukkonen has the fifth most goals by a Michigan Tech freshman in program history and his 18 goals are the most by a Tech freshman since 1988 when Kelly Hurd potted 18 tallies.

CCHA DEFENSEMAN OF THE WEEK
• Jed Pietila is the CCHA Defenseman of the Week after he led the CCHA with four assists on the weekend. He set up Brett Thorne for Friday's game-winning goal and had primary helpers on Tech's second and fifth goals Saturday. He also assisted on Kyle Kukkonen's shorthanded tally to notch a career-high three-point night Saturday.
• Pietila is second on the team with 15 assists and ranks fourth on the team with 34 blocked shots.

MORE NOTES TO KNOW
• Tech's 24 wins are the most since the 2014-15 season.
• Coach Joe Shawhan jumped into second place in all-time wins at Michigan Tech with 119.
• Blake Pietila needs one victory to break Michigan Tech's all-time goaltender win record. He currently has 58 wins.

STAT RANKINGS
• Blake Pietila leads the nation with 10 shutouts, is second with 23 wins, third in save percentage (.931), and fourth in goals-against average (1.96).
• Ryland Mosley is second in the nation with three shorthanded goals and is 12th with four game-winning goals.
• Kyle Kukkonen is third nationally with five game-winning goals and sixth in shorthanded goals (3).
• Tech is third in the nation in penalty-killing percentage (.864).
• The Huskies are third in the nation in scoring defense (2.05).
• Tech is fourth in wins (24) and sixth in winning percentage (.703).
• Tech is fourth nationally with seven shorthanded goals.

SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
• Northern Michigan is 20-16-0 overall and finished fourth in the CCHA with a 14-12-0 league mark.
• The Wildcats are on a six-game winning streak and are 10-8 on the road.
• Andre Ghantous leads the team with 36 points. David Keefer has 15 goals while Joey Larson and AJ Vanderbeck have 13 goals.
• Goaltender Beni Halasz is 18-14-0 with a 2.37 goals-against average and .916 save percentage.
• Head coach Grant Potulny is in his 6th season and is 115-96-11.

FIRST MEETING
• Tech earned 4-of-6 CCHA points against Northern Michigan with a split on December 2-3.
• The Huskies fell 4-3 in overtime Friday in Marquette and bounced back with a 3-1 win in Houghton.
• Kash Rasmussen scored twice Friday and Ryland Mosley scored a pair Saturday, including the game-winner. Logan Pietila and Tyrone Bronte also found the back of the net.

SECOND MEETING
• No. 13 Michigan Tech swept rival Northern Michigan on January 27-28. The Huskies shut out the Wildcats 3-0 Friday in Houghton and won 4-1 in Marquette Saturday.
• Blake Pietila stopped 46-of-47 shots in the series and earned his school-record 7th shutout of the season and 17th of his career.
• Logan Pietila scored each night while Tyrone Bronte, Kyle Kukkonen, Arvid Caderoth, Parker Saretsky, and Ryland Mosley also found the back of the net.

SERIES INFO
• Tech is 81-78-14 all-time against Northern Michigan, since 1979.
• The Huskies are 42-33-8 at home against the Wildcats.
• Tech went 3-1 against NMU last season, outscoring the Wildcats 18-4 in the three wins. The lone loss was a 3-2 overtime loss on November 12 in Houghton.

HUSKIES AGAINST WILDCATS
• Logan Pietila (7G, 4A)
• Arvid Caderoth (4G, 4A)
• Ryland Mosley (4G, 4A)
• Parker Saretsky (2G, 6A)
• Brett Thorne (1G, 7A)
• Logan Ganie (5G, 2A)
• Jake Crespi (2G, 4A)

HOBEY BAKER & MIKE RICHTER WATCH LIST
• Pietila is a semifinalist for the Mike Richter Award, given annually to the top goalie in men's NCAA Division I hockey since 2014.
• Blake Pietila is a candidate for the 2023 Hobey Baker Award, given annually to college hockey's top player.
• Pietila was named the CCHA Goaltender of the Month for January and October, the CCHA Goaltender of the Week seven times, and the Most Valuable Player of the Desert Hockey Classic.

LAST TIME OUT
• No. 11 Michigan Tech opened the postseason with a series sweep of St. Thomas.
• The Huskies shut out the Tommies 1-0 Friday and won 5-4 Saturday to advance to the CCHA Mason Cup Semifinals.
• Brett Thorne scored the lone goal Friday, and Blake Pietila had 30 saves for his 10th shutout of the season.
• Kyle Kukkonen and Tristan Ashbrook each scored twice Saturday, and Jack Works also found the back of the net.

COACH SHAWHAN
• Head coach Joe Shawhan is in his sixth season behind the bench and holds a record of 119-86-20.
• He won his 100th career game at Bowling Green on November 5, 2022, and ranks second in wins by a Tech hockey coach.
• Shawhan's 22 wins in his first season tied for the most ever by a first-year Michigan Tech coach. Jim Nahrgang won 22 games in 1982-83.
• Shawhan was named the 22nd head coach of the Huskies on May 30, 2017, after serving as an assistant coach for Tech over the previous three seasons.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
• The 2023 CCHA Mason Cup Championship Game is on Saturday, March 18.
• The NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Championship bracket will be announced on Sunday, March 19.
• The NCAA Regionals are March 23-26 in Fargo, North Dakota, Manchester, New Hampshire, Allentown, Pennsylvania, and Bridgeport, Connecticut.
• The 2023 Frozen Four will be held at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida with the semifinals on April 6 and the National Championship on April 8.

DESERT HOCKEY CLASSIC CHAMPS
• Michigan Tech won its second Desert Hockey Classic with a 4-2 win over Arizona State in the semifinal and a 3-2 victory over No. 6 Boston University in the title game. Ryland Mosley and Logan Pietila each had a goal and two assists on the weekend. Evan Orr scored his first career goal Friday.
• Blake Pietila was named Desert Hockey Classic Most Valuable Player after going 2-0-0 with a 2.00 goals-against average and a .932 save percentage. He made 24 saves in the semifinal and 31 in the championship game.

NON-CONFERENCE
• Tech finished 7-2 in its non-conference schedule.
• The Huskies swept at Alaska and against St. Lawrence. Tech also defeated No. 11 Michigan State, Arizona State, and No. 6 Boston University.
• The losses were to Ferris State and No. 18 Western Michigan.

GLI RECAP
• Michigan Tech hosted the 56th Great Lakes Invitational at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids.
• Tech won the GLI Third Place Game 3-2 in overtime over No. 11 Michigan State.
• Arvid Caderoth scored the game-winner on the power play in overtime. Brett Thorne tied the game with 1:13 left with a power play goal. David Jankowski also scored.
• The Huskies fell to GLI Champion No. 18 Western Michigan in the semifinal. Kash Rasmussen scored the lone goal for the Huskies.
• Brett Thorne was named to the GLI All-Tournament Team.

CCHA GOALTENDER OF JANUARY
• For January, Pietila held a 1.37 goals-against average and .947 save percentage while going 6-1-1 with three shutouts.
• He led the NCAA in shutouts, goals-against average, and save percentage among goaltenders who played five games.
• Pietila was named the CCHA Goaltender of the Week three times during January and was the MVP of the Deseret Hockey Classic after leading the Huskies to the title with 55 saves on 59 shots.

CCHA DEFENSEMAN OF NOVEMBER
• Brett Thorne was the CCHA Defenseman of the Month for November.
• Thorne helped Tech to a 5-1-2 month, posting league-highs in assists (6) and plus/minus (+6) over six games while ranking sixth in points per game (1.00) and seventh in blocked shots (11).
• Thorne has been an integral part of a Tech defense that ranks fifth in the nation in scoring defense (2.0) and eighth in penalty-killing percentage (.867).

CCHA GOALTENDER OF OCTOBER
• Blake Pietila was named the CCHA Goaltender of the Month for October.
• He earned the monthly honor for the fourth time in his career and was also named a runner-up for HCA National Goaltender of the Month.
• Pietila led CCHA goaltenders in save percentage (.944), goals-against average (1.51), and wins (4) during October.

CCHA PLAYER OF THE WEEK
• March 6 – Jed Pietila – CCHA Defenseman of the Week
• March 6 – Kyle Kukkonen – CCHA Rookie of the Week
• February 27 – Kyle Kukkonen – CCHA Rookie of the Week
• February 27 – Blake Pietila – CCHA Goaltender of the Week
• February 13 – Kyle Kukkonen– CCHA Forward of the Week
• February 13 – Brett Thorne – CCHA Defenseman of the Week
• February 6 – Blake Pietila – CCHA Goaltender of the Week
• January 30 – Blake Pietila – CCHA Goaltender of the Week
• January 23 – Blake Pietila – CCHA Goaltender of the Week
• January 9 – Blake Pietila – CCHA Goaltender of the Week
• January 3 – Brett Thorne – CCHA Defenseman of the Week
• November 21 – Kyle Kukkonen – CCHA Rookie of the Week
• November 21 – Brett Thorne – CCHA Defenseman of the Week
• October 17 – Blake Pietila – CCHA Goaltender of the Week
• October 31 – Blake Pietila – CCHA Goaltender of the Week

PRESEASON ALL-CCHA
• Senior goaltender Blake Pietila was named to the Preseason All-CCHA Team.
• He was a semifinalist for Mike Richter Award and was named to the All-CCHA Second Team as a junior.
• Last season, Pietila ranked second in the CCHA in goals-against average (1.99), wins (16), shutouts (5), saves (614), and was fourth with a .911 save percentage in CCHA games last season.

NHL DRAFT PICKS
• Kyle Kukkonen – Picked by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2021 NHL Draft as the 162nd overall pick in the sixth round.
• Ryan O'Connell – Picked by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2017 NHL Draft as the 203rd overall pick in the seventh round.

CAPTAINS
• Senior Logan Pietila and junior Arvid Caderoth are the captains.
• Junior Ryland Mosley is the alternate captain.

CCHA PLAY
• Michigan Tech was in the CCHA from 1981-84 and holds a 69-54-7 all-time CCHA regular season record.
• The Huskies are 5-6-2 in the CCHA Playoffs.

ALL-CONFERENCE SELECTIONS
• Blake Pietila – CCHA Second Team (2021-22)
• Arvid Caderoth – All-WCHA Rookie Team (2020-21)
• Tyrone Bronte – All-WCHA Rookie Team (2020-21) with Alabama Huntsville

TRANSFERS
• Ryan O'Connell played four seasons (2018-22) and 117 collegiate games at Ohio State. He tallied 25 points with two goals and 23 assists for the Buckeyes and was a member of 2019 Big Ten regular season championship and NCAA Tournament squad.
• Jack Works began his collegiate career with 15 games over the past two seasons with Denver. He tallied one assist with the Pioneers in his NCAA debut and was a member of the 2022 NCAA National Championship team. Works was named an AHCA All-America Scholar (2020-21) and was on the NCHC Academic All-Conference Team (2021-22).
• David Jankowski played four seasons (2018-22) and 110 games for St. Lawrence. He tallied 53 collegiate points with 20 goals and 33 assists and was the team captain in 2021-22. The Saints won the 2021 ECAC Tournament Championship. Jankowski was named to ECAC Hockey All-Academic Team.

IN THE PRESEASON CCHA POLL
• Tech was picked fifth in the Preseason CCHA Coaches' Poll.
• Minnesota State, Northern Michigan, Bowling Green, and Bemidji State were picked ahead of the Huskies.
• Lake Superior State, Ferris State, and St. Thomas rounded out the poll.

RETURNERS
• Tech returns 18 players from last season with 13 forwards, four defensemen, and a goaltender.
• Fourteen Huskies returners saw significant ice time last season with Logan Pietila (23), Brett Thorne (17), Tristan Ashbrook (16), Arvid Caderoth (16), Ryland Mosley (13) being the top returning point-getters.

FRESHMEN
• Tech has 10 freshmen on the roster which ranks eighth in the nation for the largest freshmen class.
• Forwards: Kyle and Trevor Kukkonen, Kash Rasmussen
• Defensemen: Oliver Bezick, Frank Dovorany, Topi Heiskanen, Evan Orr, Kasper Vaharautio
• Goaltenders: Michael Morelli, Max Vayrynen

JOE SHAWHAN HOUR
• The Joe Shawhan Hour can be heard every Monday morning at 10 a.m. on Mix 93.5 FM WKMJ.
• Host Dirk Hembroff and Coach Shawhan talk about the previous weekend and the upcoming matchup.
• Fans can listen live to the Joe Shawhan Hour on the radio at Mix 93.5 FM WKMJ, online at TheMix93.com or Pasty.com, or by using your favorite radio streaming app. The show will also be posted for on-demand listeners at MichiganTechHuskies.com.

2021-22 RECAP
• Tech finished with a 21-13-3 overall record and was the No. 2 seed in the CCHA Mason Cup Playoffs with a 16-8-2 mark.
• Tech received votes in every poll throughout the season and finished No. 14.
• Tech received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, making its 14th all-time NCAA appearance and the second under head coach Joe Shawhan.
• Seven Huskies signed professional contracts after the season.
• The Huskies finished third in the nation in penalty-killing percentage and were fourth in power-play percentage and scoring defense.