Tech Hockey to host North Dakota

Courtesy of MTU Athletics

*FINAL HOME GAMES OF 2012*
Michigan Tech hosts North Dakota this Friday and Saturday (Dec. 14-15) for its final WCHA series of 2012 and last home games until Jan. 18-19. The Huskies will have four more contests in the month including this weekend’s matchup with North Dakota and the 48th annual Great Lakes Invitational Dec. 29-30 in Detroit.

*DOUBLE DRAW IN MADISON*
Michigan Tech and Wisconsin played 130 minutes of hockey at the Kohl Center in Madison last weekend without a winner. The teams skated to a 1-1 tie Friday (Dec. 7) and a 3-3 draw Saturday (Dec. 8). Tech is undefeated in its last four games with Wisconsin at 2-0-2, with all four contests going to overtime.

*GENOE STANDS OUT AT WISCONSIN*
Kevin Genoe <http://www.michigantechhuskies.com/sports/mice/2012-13/bios/genoe%20kevin00.html> started both games in goal for the Huskies and made 64 saves on 68 shots during the two games (.941 save percentage). The senior has now started each of the team’s last six WCHA contests with a 2-1-2 record in those games (he was not the goalie of record Nov. 2 vs. Nebraska Omaha). Genoe improved his season stats to 2.81 goals against and .909 save percentage on the weekend.

*PIETILA CONTINUES GOAL SCORING*
Sophomore Blake Pietila <http://www.michigantechhuskies.com/sports/mice/2012-13/bios/pietila%20blake00.html> scored his ninth goal of the season with a third-period tally Friday (Dec. 7) night. The U.S. National Junior Team selection has recorded at least one goal in eight different games this season. Pietila ranks fourth in the WCHA in goal scoring at .60 per game, trailing only Wisconsin’s Michael Mersch (.64), Minnesota Duluth’s Mike Seidel (.62) and Minnesota State’s Eriah Hayes (.62).

*THE SERIES*
This weekend will be the 244th and 245th meetings between Michigan Tech and North Dakota. UND holds a 145-89-9 record against the Huskies including a win and tie in Grand Forks last season. Tech is looking for its first win over North Dakota since Dec. 28, 2008, at the Great Lakes Invitational.

*HUSKIES BITES*
Tech’s game last Saturday (Dec. 8) at Wisconsin was its fifth in a nine-day span that included three overtime contests. The Huskies have four more contests in December, giving them eight in the month—their busiest of the season … Tech is 4-1-1 when scoring the first goal of the game and 0-7-2 when its opponent scores first … The Huskies overcame a 3-1 deficit in Saturday’s game, marking the third time this season they’d trailed by two goals before coming back to win or tie.

*GORDIC BREAKS DRY SPELL*
Milos Gordic <http://www.michigantechhuskies.com/sports/mice/2012-13/bios/gordic%20milos00.html> found his way onto the scoresheet for the first time since Oct. 13 vs. Lake Superior State with an assist on Tech’s lone goal Friday (Feb. 7) night. The junior right wing snapped a nine-game streak without a point with the helper. Gordic, who posted 2-2=4 in the opening series of the season, now has 2-3=5 in 13 games this year and 26-16=42 in 81 career games.

*PLAYING SHORTHANDED*
Michigan Tech played its weekend series at Wisconsin without the services of five regulars in its lineup: Dan Sova – arm, Justin Fillion <http://www.michigantechhuskies.com/sports/mice/2012-13/bios/fillion%20justin00.html> – back, David Johnstone <http://www.michigantechhuskies.com/sports/mice/2012-13/bios/johnstone%20david00.html> – upper body, Chad Pietila <http://www.michigantechhuskies.com/sports/mice/2012-13/bios/pietila%20chad00.html> – leg and Tanner Kero <http://www.michigantechhuskies.com/sports/mice/2012-13/bios/kero%20tanner00.html> – appendix. Four of the five are questionable for this weekend vs. North Dakota.

*OVERACHIEVING IN OVERTIME*
Five of Michigan Tech’s last seven games have required overtime. The Huskies are 2-0-3 in those contests and 6-1-7 in overtimes in the last two seasons combined under coach Mel Pearson. Michigan Tech is 8-1-14 in its last 23 overtime games stretching back to 2009.

*HIETALA SCORES AGAIN*
Sophomore Blake Hietala <http://www.michigantechhuskies.com/sports/mice/2012-13/bios/hietala%20blake00.html> scored his second career goal in his seventh career game Saturday (Dec. 8) at Wisconsin. The tally came when he batted a puck out of mid-air past UW goaltender Joel Rumpel in the third period to tie the game at 3. Hietala notched his first career goal the previous weekend vs. Minnesota Duluth.

*GOULD NETS FIRST CAREER GOAL; HOLMBERG FIRST POINT OF SEASON*
Freshman Malcolm Gould <http://www.michigantechhuskies.com/sports/mice/2012-13/bios/gould%20malcolm00.html> scored his first career goal with a first-period tally at Wisconsin Saturday (Dec. 8). The right winger cleaned up a rebound after Daniel Holmberg <http://www.michigantechhuskies.com/sports/mice/2012-13/bios/holmberg%20daniel00.html> was stopped on a breakaway. Gould now has 1-4=5 in 12 games this season. Holmberg, who has played in five games, notched his first point of the year with the assist.

*ANOTHER TALLY FOR SEIGO*
Defenseman Steven Seigo <http://www.michigantechhuskies.com/sports/mice/2012-13/bios/seigo%20steven00.html> continued his hot play with a goal last Saturday (Dec. 8) at Wisconsin. The senior has four goals in the last seven games and 4-4=8 in 15 games this season. Seigo is the Huskies’ player with the most career points with 17-49=66 in 128 career games.

*STEBNER FINDS THE BACK OF THE NET*
Assistant captain Brad Stebner scored his first goal of the 2012-13 campaign with a power-play marker at Northern Michigan last Tuesday (Dec. 4). The junior defenseman owns 1-4=5 in 15 games this season.

*FAMILY TIES*
The Michigan Tech roster includes lots of family ties. Chad and Blake Pietila are brothers, and Aaron Pietila <http://www.michigantechhuskies.com/sports/mice/2012-13/bios/pietila%20aaron00.html> is their cousin. David and Jacob Johnstone <http://www.michigantechhuskies.com/sports/mice/2012-13/bios/johnstone%20jacob00.html> are brothers. Blake Hietala and Tanner Kero are cousins.

*NIELSEN CAPTAIN; SEIGO AND STEBNER TO ASSIST*
Senior defenseman Carl Nielsen <http://www.michigantechhuskies.com/sports/mice/2012-13/bios/nielsen%20carl00.html> will serve as the Huskies’ captain in 2012-13. The Amherst, Ohio, native was an assistant captain for the team a year ago and has played in 107 career games at Tech. Senior Steven Seigo and junior Brad Stebner will be assistant captains, giving the Huskies three defensemen in leadership roles.

*THREE NHL DRAFT PICKS*
Michigan Tech went three years without an NHL draft pick on the roster until Blake Pietila (New Jersey, fifth round) joined the squad last fall. Now, the Huskies have three draftees in the program. Forward Jujhar Khaira <http://www.michigantechhuskies.com/sports/mice/2012-13/bios/khaira%20jujhar00.html> and goaltender Jamie Phillips <http://www.michigantechhuskies.com/sports/mice/2012-13/bios/phillips%20jamie00.html> were both selected in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. Khaira was selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the third round (63rd overall), while Phillips was picked in the seventh round by the Winnipeg Jets (190th overall).