PREVIEW: Hockey season begins at Minnesota Duluth

SEASON-OPENER
• No. 10 Michigan Tech opens its 2023-24 season at No. 17 Minnesota Duluth with the US Hockey Hall of Fame Game.
• The puck drops Saturday at 8:07 p.m. Eastern at AMSOIL Arena.

US HOCKEY HALL OF FAME GAME
• It will be the third time Tech has played in the US Hockey Hall of Fame Game under coach Joe Shawhan.
• The Huskies fell 3-2 at Wisconsin on October 1, 2017, in Coach Shawhan's first game as head coach.
• Tech fell 3-1 at North Dakota on November 2, 2019.
• The United States Hockey Hall of Fame Museum is located in Eveleth, Minnesota. It was established in 1973 with the goal of preserving the rich history of ice hockey in the United States while recognizing the extraordinary contributions of select players, coaches, administrators, officials, and teams.

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 22nd year behind the microphone.

WATCH THE GAME
• Saturday's game will be televised locally on FOX-UP.
• The game can be streamed online at NCHC.tv.

HUSKIES RANKED
• Michigan Tech is ranked No. 10 in the preseason DCU/USCHO poll and No. 11 in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll.
• It's the highest preseason ranking the Huskies have had in their hockey history.
• Tech was ranked No. 13 in the final polls after last season.
• Last season, the Huskies were in the top 20 since November 28 and climbed to as high as No. 10 on March 6.

PIETILA NOTES
• Blake Pietila ranking amongst active goaltenders
    58 wins – leads nation
    103 games played – leads nation
    19 shutouts – leads nation
    2362 saves – fourth nationally
• Logan Pietila ranking amongst active players
    4 shorthanded goals – second nationally
    8 game-winners – third nationally
    138 games played – third nationally

SCOUTING UMD
• Minnesota Duluth went 16-20-1 overall last season and 10-14 in the NCHC, finishing fifth.
• The Bulldogs were picked fifth in the NCHC Preseason Media Poll.
• Head coach Scott Sandelin is in his 24th season.
• Ben Steeves and Dominic James led the team with 28 points each last season and both were named to the Preseason All-NCHC team.
• Goaltender Zach Stejskal went 8-11-1 with a 2.96 goals-against average and .901 save percentage.

SERIES INFO
• Tech leads the all-time series against UMD 121-91-20. The teams first played in December 1952.
• The Huskies are 60-53-8 in Duluth.
• The Bulldogs have won the last three meetings, including a 2-0 win in the 2022 NCAA Tournament in Loveland, Colorado.
• Tech's last win was on October 7, 2017, in the Ice Breaker Championship Game at AMSOIL Arena. The Huskies on 4-3.

COACH SHAWHAN
• Head Coach Joe Shawhan is in his seventh season behind the bench and holds a record of 119-88-20.
• He was named the 2023 CCHA Coach of the Year and is one of only two coaches to take three different Michigan Tech teams to the NCAA Tournament.
• 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
• Tech hosts back-to-back nonconference opponents, welcoming Alaska on October 13-14 for the home opener.
• Wisconsin makes its first appearance at the Mc since October 2011 on October 20-21.
• The month wraps up with a road trip to St. Lawrence (Oct. 27) and Clarkson (Oct. 28).
• November begins with the first-ever meeting against Augustana (Nov. 3-4) at home.
• The Huskies travel to Bemidji State (Nov. 10-11) to begin CCHA play.

NON-CONFERENCE
• Tech travels to Minnesota Duluth for the season-opener.
• The Huskies host Alaska and Wisconsin.
• The Black and Gold travel to New York to play St. Lawrence (Oct. 27) and Clarkson (Oct. 28).
• Tech plays Augustana for the first time ever on November 3-4.
• The 57th annual Great Lakes Invitational is on December 28-29.

GREAT LAKES INVITATIONAL
• Michigan Tech is hosting the 2023 Great Lakes Invitational at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids on December 28-29.
• Semifinals: Michigan Tech vs. Alaska, 3:30 p.m., Michigan State vs. Ferris State, 7 p.m.
• GLI Third Place Game, 3:30 p.m., GLI Championship Game, 7 p.m.

PRESEASON ALL-CCHA
• Senior goaltender Blake Pietila was named the Co-Preseason Player of the Year by the coaches.
• Blake Pietila was on the Preseason All-CCHA Team for both the coaches and media.
• Sophomore forward Kyle Kukkonen joined the Preseason All-CCHA Team for both coaches and media.
• Senior defenseman Jed Pietila was named to the media's Preseason All-CCHA Team.

NHL DEVELOPMENT CAMPS
• Kyle Kukkonen – Anaheim Ducks (2022, 2023)
• Blake Pietila – Dallas Stars (2023)
• Trevor Russell – New Jersey (2023)
• Max Vayrynen – Calgary Flames (2023)

NHL DRAFT PICK
• Kyle Kukkonen – Picked by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2021 NHL Draft as the 162nd overall pick in the sixth round.
• Kukkonen is the 84th Michigan Tech player to be drafted by an NHL club.

CAPTAINS
• Seniors Logan Pietila and Arvid Caderoth are the captains.
• Seniors Ryland Mosley and Blake Pietila and sophomore Kyle Kukkonen are alternate captains.

TRANSFERS
• Tyrone Bronte played at Alabama Huntsville in 2020-21. He was named to the WCHA All-Rookie Team after tallying 13 points on four goals and nine assists in 22 games.
• Matthew Campbell was a member of the NCAA National Championship Quinnipiac Bobcats during the 2022-23 season. He appeared in one game.
• Lachlan Getz played one season at Boston University, appearing in 16 games. He played against the Huskies in the Desert Hockey Classic Title game.
• Patriks Marcinkevics began his collegiate career at Long Island University during the 2022-23 season. He tallied 27 points with six goals and 21 assists in 24 games.
• 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.

PRESEASON CCHA COACHES POLL
• Tech was picked first in the Preseason CCHA Coaches' Poll, with a point edge of Northern Michigan.
• Northern Michigan, Bowling Green, and Bemidji State round out the top four.
• St. Thomas and Minnesota State tied for fifth with Ferris State and Lake Superior State rounding out the poll.

PRESEASON CCHA MEDIA POLL
• Tech was picked first in the Preseason CCHA Media Poll.
• Northern Michigan, Bowling Green, and Minnesota State were also in the top four.
• Bemidji State, St. Thomas, Ferris State, and Lake Superior State were in slots five through seven.

BLAKE PIETILA HONORS LAST SEASON
• First Team All-American
• CCHA Player of the Year
• CCHA Goaltender of the Year
• All-CCHA First Team
• Mike Richter Top 3 Finalist
• Hobey Baker Top 10 Finalist
• Desert Hockey Classic MVP
• School record shutouts in a season (10) and career (20)
• Tied for the school's all-time wins record (58)

KYLE KUKKONEN HONORS LAST SEASON
• CCHA Rookie of the Year
• Unanimous selection on CCHA All-Rookie Team
• Scored the fifth-most goals by a Michigan Tech freshman in program history and his 18 goals were the most by a Tech freshman since 1988.
• Winter Carnival MVP

ALL-CONFERENCE SELECTIONS
• Blake Pietila – CCHA Player of the Year (2022-23), CCHA Goaltender of the Year (2022-23), CCHA First Team (2022-23) & Second Team (2021-22)
• Ryland Mosley – CCHA First Team (2022-23)
• Kyle Kukkonen – CCHA Rookie of the Year (2022-23) & All-CCHA Rookie Team (2022-23)
• Arvid Caderoth – All-WCHA Rookie Team (2020-21)
• Tyrone Bronte – All-WCHA Rookie Team (2020-21) with Alabama Huntsville

HUSKIES AT NHL TRAINING CAMPS
• Trenton Bliss – Detroit Red Wings
• Pheonix Copley – LA Kings
• Brian Halonen – New Jersey Devils
• Michael Karow – Dallas Stars
• Tanner Kero – Colorado Avalanche
• Jujhar Khaira – Minnesota Wild
• Joel L'Esperance – Detroit Red Wings
• Jake Lucchini – Minnesota Wild
• Mitch Reinke – Seattle Kraken
• Matt Roy – LA Kings
• Mark Sinclair – Ottawa Senators
• Colin Swoyer – Washington Capitals

INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR
• Tech's roster boasts players from six different countries.
• United States: 16
• Canada: 6
• Finland: 4
• Sweden: 2
• Australia: 1
• Latvia: 1

RETURNERS
• Tech returns 20 players from last season with 12 forwards, five defensemen, and three goaltenders.
• The Huskies return their top three scorers with Ryland Mosley (31), Kyle Kukkonen (27), and Logan Pietila (22).
• Jack Works (17) and Jed Pietila (16) also notched over 15 points.

FRESHMEN
• Tech has seven freshmen on the roster with four forwards and three defensemen.
• Forwards: Henry Bartle, Lauri Raiman, Max Koskipirtti, Isaac Gordon.
• Defensemen: Cameron Moger, Chase Pietila, Nick Williams.

PIETILA TIMES FIVE
• Logan and Blake Pietila are twins and are joined by younger brother Chase. Blake is a goaltender, Chase is a defenseman, and Logan is a forward.
• Cousin and next-door neighbor Jed Pietila is a defenseman.
• Other Pietilas to play for the Huskies were Phil Pietila (2002-05), Aaron Pietila (2009-13), Chad Pietila (2011-13), and Blake Pietila (2011-15).
• Jimmy Pietila is currently a student assistant for the Huskies.

2022-23 RECAP
• Tech made its second straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 2022-23 and its third under Shawhan.
• The Huskies finished 24-11-4 overall and second in the CCHA with a 15-7-4 record.
• Tech won the Desert Hockey Classic with wins over Arizona State and No. 6 Boston University and went 7-2 in its non-conference schedule.

BLUE LINE CLUB
The Michigan Tech Blue Line Club provides additional resources to the hockey program, enabling hockey student-athletes to pursue success both in the classroom and on the ice. The annual membership drive is now open.