Tanner Kero wins WCHA scoring title

HOUGHTON, Mich. – Michigan Tech’s Tanner Kero won the WCHA scoring title on Saturday (March 7), finishing one point ahead of Alaska’s Tyler Morley. Kero had 34 points in league games on 13 goals and 21 assists to become the first Husky since Shawn Harrison during the 1988-89 season to win the award.

Harrison had 50 overall points on 17 goals and 33 assists in 1988-89. Kero has 43 points (18-25) overall this season and is also the first Husky since Colin Murphy (11-42=53) in 2004-05 to record 40 points.

Kero, a native of Hancock, Mich., had a point in 25-of-36 games during the regular season. The senior co-captain had 11 multiple point games, including a four-point outburst against Alabama Huntsville (Jan. 31) to notch his 100th career point. He had three points in five other games. Kero had two six-game point streaks with 10 points in each run. Tech is 14-0-1 when Kero scored.

Kero’s six game winners in WCHA games are tops in the league and seven overall are tied for third in the country. He had game-winning goals at Lake Superior State (Oct. 4), vs. Michigan (Oct. 31), vs. Bowling Green (Jan. 16), vs. Alaska (Jan. 24), vs. Bemidji State (Feb. 7), at Alaska Anchorage (Feb. 14), and at Northern Michigan (March 7). Kero also assisted on seven game winners.

In 148 career games, Kero has 53 goals and 55 assists. His 108 points are tied for 51st in Tech history.

Trailing Morley going into the final weekend, Kero had a goal and an assist at Northern Michigan on the final day of the regular season to clinch the title.

Three of the top scorers in the WCHA are Huskies. Alex Petan (12-20=32) is tied for third and Malcolm Gould (10-17=27) is fifth. Blake Pietila (10-11=21) rounds out the top 10.

The fourth-ranked Huskies are the WCHA’s No. 2 seed in the upcoming tournament. Tech hosts No. 7 seeded Alabama Huntsville at the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena this weekend in a best-of-three first round series. The puck drops at 7:07 p.m. Friday, Saturday, and, if necessary, Sunday.

(Information Courtesy of MTU Athletics)