PREVIEW: Huskies and Wildcats square off in CCHA series

DOGS AND CATS
• Michigan Tech wraps up its pre-holiday schedule this weekend against archrival Northern Michigan.
• The puck drops at 7:07 p.m. Friday at the MacInnes Student Ice Arena and 6:07 p.m. Saturday at the Berry Events Center in Marquette.
• Tech is 7-7-3 overall and 5-3-0 in the CCHA. The Huskies received votes in both national polls as they have all season and are currently in second in the CCHA standings.
• NMU is 6-8-2 overall and 4-4-0 in the CCHA.
• The teams will meet in an exhibition game in Marquette on January 6 and then play another CCHA series on February 2-3.

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
• Friday's game will air locally on FOX-UP and Saturday's game will be televised 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.

FLOHOCKEY.TV
• All Michigan Tech home and CCHA games during the 2023-24 season will be live-streamed on FloHockey.tv.
• Michigan Tech fans can watch all home and conference games in volleyball, basketball, football, and soccer with one subscription.
• 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.

CCHA GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK
• Blake Pietila is CCHA Goaltender of the Week after he had 59 saves with a .937 save percentage and a 1.98 goals-against average against Bowling Green last week.
• The Huskies went 5-for-5 on the penalty kill and Pietila made 28 saves Friday and 31 Saturday in a 3-2 victory.
• It is his 15th career conference goaltender of the week honor.
• He has six wins this season with a 2.10 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
• Northern Michigan is 6-8-2 overall and 4-4-0 in the CCHA. The conference wins are over Ferris State, Lake Superior State (2), and Bowling Green. NMU also has a pair of wins over Alaska.
• Head coach Grant Potulny is in his 7th season and is 122-105-13.
• Andre Ghantous leads the team with 20 points and Tanner Latsch leads with seven goals.
• Beni Halasz is 3-5-2 between the pipes with a 3.39 goals-against average and a .895 save percentage.
• NMU was picked second in both CCHA Preseason Polls.

HUSKIES AGAINST WILDCATS
• Logan Pietila (7G, 4A)
• Arvid Caderoth (4G, 4A)
• Ryland Mosley (4G, 4A)

SERIES INFO
• Tech is 81-79-14 all-time against the Wildcats, dating back to 1979.
• The Huskies are 42-34-8 against NMU in Houghton and 34-44-6 in Marquette.
• Tech won three of the five matchups last season. NMU defeated the Huskies 4-0 in the CCHA Semifinals.

POINT STREAKS
• 4 Game – Isaac Gordon – 3 goals, 1 assist
• 2 Game – Ryland Mosley – 3 assists

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 six so far this season.

LAST TIME OUT
• Michigan Tech split its weekend with Bowling Green, taking 4-of-6 CCHA points.
• The Falcons won 2-1 in overtime Friday and the Huskies rebounded with a 3-2 win Saturday.
• Logan Pietila, Kash Rasmussen, Max Koskipirtti, and Isaac Gordon scored the weekend goals, and Blake Pietila made 59 saves.

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
    119 games played – leads nation
    19 shutouts – leads nation
• Logan Pietila ranking amongst active players
    5 shorthanded goals – second nationally
    8 game-winners – third nationally
    157 games played – third nationally

COACH SHAWHAN
• Head Coach Joe Shawhan is in his seventh season behind the bench and holds a record of 126-95-23.
• 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 Huskies are off until the 57th annual Great Lakes Invitation on December 28-29.
• 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.

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.

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 (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.
• 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 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.