PREVIEW: Huskies head to 57th Great Lakes Invitational

57TH GLI
• Michigan Tech is hosting the 57th annual Great Lakes Invitational at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids on December 28-29.
• The Huskies open against Alaska in the first semifinal at 3:37 p.m. on Thursday.
• No. 7 Michigan State and Ferris State will play in the second semifinal at 7:07 p.m.
• The GLI Championship will be at 7:07 p.m. on Friday
• The GLI Third Place game starts at 3:37 p.m. on the second day.

GLI HISTORY
• The Great Lakes Invitational was first played in 1965 after the idea for the tournament was conceived and implemented by Michigan Tech coach John MacInnes, Olympia Stadium General Manager Lincoln Cavalieri, and Detroit Red Wings Scout Jack Paterson.
• The tournament has been played at Olympia Stadium (1965-78), Joe Louis Arena (1979–2012, 2014–16), Comerica Park (2013), and Little Caesars Arena (2018-19). COVID-19 canceled the 2020 GLI and teams played a non-tournament showcase-style event in 2021. The 2022 edition was the first at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids.
• Michigan Tech has won the GLI 11 times in 56 tournaments. Michigan State has 12 GLI titles in 48 tournaments. Ferris State will be making its fourth appearance at the tournament and Alaska is making its debut.

TICKETS
• Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com and at the Van Andel Arena, DeVos Place, and DeVos Performance Hall Box Office.
• Pricing is based on a per-day basis and tickets will be distributed on a mobile device. On-glass tickets are $75, with lower bowl sections for $50 and $40, and student tickets at $15.50. Upper-level tickets are $30. Ticket pricing is subject to change and additional fees may apply.
• Michigan Tech's student section is 124 and the Pep Band will be in section 225.

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.

TV6 & FOX-UP COVERAGE
• FOX-UP is televising all four games and streaming the games at uppermichiganssource.com.
• Mark Evans and Dave Ellis will call all the action with Joey Ellis (rink side) and Kevin McNulty (intermission) also contributing.
• Other TV stations to air the games will be WILX in Lansing, Michigan, KBJR in Duluth, Minnesota, KCRG in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, KMOV in St. Louis, Missouri, KTVF in Fairbanks, Alaska, and KTUU in Anchorage, Alaska.

FLOHOCKEY.TV
• The 2023 GLI will be streamed on FloHockey.tv.
• All Michigan Tech home and CCHA games during the 2023-24 season will be live-streamed on FloHockey.tv.
• FloSports provides each subscriber with access to all content and events with the purchase of a monthly or yearly subscription.
• FloSports is available on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, and Chromecast.

TECH GLI NOTES
• Tech has a 49-61-2 all-time GLI record.
• Tech has 11 titles with the most recent in 2019 and 2012.
• The Huskies have finished second 17 times, third 12 times, and fourth 16 times.
• Tech has played in the GLI Championship Game in seven of the last nine.

LAST GLI MEETING
• Alaska – First meeting.
• Michigan State – Tech defeated MSU 3-2 in overtime on December 28, 2022 at Van Andel Arena in the GLI Third Place Game. Arvid Caderoth scored 1:24 into the extra session after Brett Thorne tied the game with 1:23 left. David Jankowski scored in the second period.
• Ferris State – Tech defeated FSU 4-2 in the 2014 GLI Third Place Game. It is the only GLI meeting between the two teams. CJ Eick, Malcolm Gould, Joel L'Esperance, and Tanner Kero scored for the Huskies. Jamie Phillips stopped 34 shots.

SERIES INFO
• Alaska – Tech leads the all-time series against Alaska 23-7-1, dating back to 1990. This will be their first neutral site meeting. The Huskies lost and tied the Nanooks in the home-opening series in October.
• MSU – The Huskies are 86-75-4 all-time against the Spartans and 9-23-1 against MSU at the GLI. Tech is undefeated in 10 of the last 12 meetings and defeated the Spartans 3-2 in overtime last year in the GLI Third Place Game. Tech is unbeaten in five straight GLI games against the Spartans. Tech is 1-5 against MSU in the GLI title game with the lone victory in 1971.
• FSU – Tech is 32-18-3 all-time against the Bulldogs, dating back to 1982. The Huskies are 1-1 against the Bulldogs in neutral site games and 1-0 in GLI meetings. The teams split their first CCHA series of the season in Houghton.

NEW ADDITION TO THE ROSTER
• Austen Swankler was added to the active roster before the GLI.
• Swankler played 71 games over the past two seasons with Bowling Green.
• He has tallied 70 collegiate points with 27 goals and 43 assists.
• Swankler was named to the All-CCHA First Team in 2022-23 and to the CCHA All-Rookie Team in 2021-22.

POINT STREAK
• 2 Game – Chase Pietila – 2 assists

STAT RANKINGS
• Tech leads the CCHA in power play percentage (.230) which ranks 14th nationally.
• The Huskies have scored 14 power play goals which is second in the CCHA and 16th nationally.
• Isaac Gordon is tied for third amongst all college hockey freshmen with 10 goals and 12th in freshmen points (17).

MISC NOTES
• Isaac Gordon has scored five of his 10 goals in the first period.
• Four of Ryland Mosley's nine goals have been scored in the second period. He also has two overtime game-winners this season.
• Tech is 4-0 when scoring three goals and 6-0-3 when taking 30-39 shots on goal.

KOSKIPIRTTI AT WJC
• Freshman Max Koskipirtti is on Team Finland's training camp roster for the 2024 IIHF World Championship in Gothenburg, Sweden, on December 26-January 5.
• The native of Espoo, Finland, has skated in all 19 games for the Huskies this season at center. He has tallied three goals and nine assists and is a plus-4. Koskipirtti scored the game-winning goal at Minnesota State (Nov. 25) and had a pair of assists against Augustana (Nov. 3).
• Koskipirtti played for Team Finland at the 2023 World Junior Summer Showcase in Plymouth, Michigan in July and August. He has skated in 18 career games for Team Finland and has a goal and eight assists.
• Blake Pietila (USA – 2013), Liam Garvey (USA – 1993), Pat Mikesch (USA - 1993), Jim Storm (USA - 1991), and Damian Rhodes (USA - 1988) are the last five Huskies to play in the WJC.

CCHA PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
• Dec. 4 – Blake Pietila – CCHA Goaltender of the Week
• Nov. 27 – Ryland Mosley – CCHA Forward of the Week
• Nov. 27 – Matthew Campbell – CCHA Defenseman of the Week
• Nov. 6 – Isaac Gordon – CCHA Rookie of the Week
• Nov. 6 – Chase Pietila – CCHA Defenseman of the Week

CCHA ROOKIE OF THE MONTH
• Isaac Gordon was named the CCHA Rookie of the Month for November after he tallied nine points for the Huskies in the second month of the season.
• Gordon scored seven goals and added a pair of assists in November. He had 23 shots on goal and was a plus-3.

GAMES WIN RECORD
• Fifth-year goaltender Blake Pietila set a school record with his 59th career win on November 4 with a 6-4 victory over Augustana. He stopped 19 shots to earn the victory.
• Pietila won 14 games as a sophomore, 21 as a junior, 23 as a senior, and seven so far this season.

NOVEMBER RECAP
• Tech went 6-2 overall and 4-2 in the CCHA during November.
• Tech split with Bemidji State and Ferris State before sweeping Minnesota State.
• Ryland Mosley and Isaac Gordon both had nine points in the month with Gordon leading the way with seven goals.
• Jack Works (4-2=6), Arvid Caderoth (3-3=6), Max Koskipirtti (1-5=6), and Chase Pietila (0-6=6) all had six points.
• Blake Pietila went 5-1 between the pipes and Max Vayrynen went 1-1.

OCTOBER RECAP
• Tech went 0-4-3 in the first month of the season.
• No. 10 Michigan Tech skated to a 2-2 tie at No. 17 Minnesota Duluth in the US Hockey Hall of Fame Game on October 7 at Amsoil Arena. Blake Pietila made a career-high 48 saves.
• Tech fell 4-1 to Alaska Friday in the home opener and tied the Nanooks 2-2 Saturday.
• The Huskies fell 4-2 and 5-2 against Wisconsin the following weekend in the Badgers' return to Houghton for the first time since October 2011.
• Tech tied 2-2 at St. Lawrence and fell 3-1 at Clarkson in the last games of the month.
• Logan Pietila led the team with three goals and five points. Max Koskipirtti and Kyle Kukkonen had four points while Isaac Gordon and Ryland Mosley added three.

HUSKY HAT TRICKS
• Isaac Gordon had a hat trick in the 6-4 win over Augustana on Friday. He scored a goal in each period.
• Ryland Mosley netted a hat trick in Saturday's 4-3 overtime win over the Vikings. He scored Tech's last three goals, including the overtime game winner.
• The last time Tech had hat tricks on back-to-back nights was October 17-18, 2003 against Northern Michigan. Chris Conner scored a goal each period in a 4-3 OT NMU win in Marquette. Colin Murphy scored four goals the next night in a 7-6 OT win for the Huskies at the Mac. Tech trailed 6-3 with 2:06 remaining. Nick Anderson scored at 17:55, Murphy at 18:34, again at 19:32, and then he won the game 2:58 into overtime.

SPORTSCENTER TOP 10
• Logan Pietila's shootout game-winner against Alaska on October 14 was No. 8 on ESPN Sportscenter's Top 10 Plays of the night.
• Logan scored on between-the-legs goal in the 2-1 exhibition shootout win.

PIETILA NOTES
• Blake Pietila ranking amongst active goaltenders
    64 wins – leads nation
    120 games played – leads nation
    19 shutouts – leads nation
• Logan Pietila ranking amongst active players
    5 shorthanded goals – second nationally
    8 game-winners – third nationally
    159 games played – third nationally

COACH SHAWHAN
• Head Coach Joe Shawhan is in his seventh season behind the bench and holds a record of 127-96-23.
• 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
• The New Year opens with an exhibition game at NMU on January 6.
• The first CCHA series of 2024 is at St. Thomas on January 11 and 13.
• The Huskies first home series of the New Year is against Bemidji State (Jan. 19-20).

NON-CONFERENCE
• Tech tied Minnesota Duluth 2-2 in the season-opener.
• The Huskies lost and tied Alaska in the home-opening series on October 13-14.
• Tech dropped a pair of games to Wisconsin on October 20-21 at the MacInnes Student Ice Arena.
• The Huskies tied 2-2 at St. Lawrence (Oct. 27) and fell 3-1 at Clarkson (Oct. 28).
• Tech swept Augustana in the first-time meeting with 6-4 and 4-3 overtime wins on November 3-4 in Houghton.
• The 57th annual Great Lakes Invitational is on December 28-29. Tech opens against Alaska and will play Michigan State or Ferris State on the second day.

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)
• Austen Swankler – Nashville Predators (2022), Vegas Golden Knights (2023)
• Trevor Russell – New Jersey (2022, 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.
• Austen Swankler played 71 games over the past two seasons with Bowling Green. He has tallied 70 collegiate points with 27 goals and 43 assists. He was named to the All-CCHA First Team in 2022-23 and to the CCHA All-Rookie Team in 2021-22.
• 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

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