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Angus Redmond becomes solid presence in net for Michigan Tech

David Archambeau/Daily Mining Gazette Michigan Tech’s Angus Redmond looks on at the MacInnes Student Ice Arena on Nov. 11 against Lake Superior State.

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — After the graduation of Jamie Phillips last spring, one of the biggest questions, if not the biggest, facing the Michigan Tech Huskies’ hockey staff was figuring out how to replace him.

First, the Huskies turned to a combination of senior Matt Wintjes and sophomore Devin Kero. Over their first eight games, the Huskies went 1-5-2, with a win over Alabama-Huntsville, 7-3, as the lone victory.

The slow start prompted head coach Mel Pearson to turn to freshman Angus Redmond for a start at home against rival Northern Michigan.

The rest, as they say, is history.

“We wanted to be careful with him,” said Pearson. “Angus had to wait for his time. He had to work in practice. He had to work on a couple of things. Once he did that, we had to find the right situation to put him in.”

Redmond has gone 8-2-1 since earning a 2-0 victory over the Wildcats. With the youngster between the pipes, the Huskies have improved to second in the WCHA in points and even earned a split this past weekend with the No. 13 Bemidji State Beavers.

“I am glad that I have had some early success,” said Redmond. “Obviously, the guys have been helping me out a lot in front of the net. It’s been great, and I am happy so far.”

Redmond has earned WCHA Rookie of the Week, Defensive Player of the Week, and even Rookie of the Month accolades for his efforts. The honors are nice, but Redmond is focused on how he can help the team.

“I think it is cool and exciting,” said Redmond. “It is just nice to be rewarded for all of the hard work I’ve put in. It’s an honor to get those.”

With the goaltending situation seemingly under control, the Huskies defense has been able to focus on playing better hockey, and that has helped Redmond find as much success as he has.

In 12 starts, Redmond has seen more than 24 or more shots only three times.

Pearson is pleased with where his team’s game is at.

“Our defensemen have played much, much, much better,” said Pearson. “They were a good group, but I think [since] we won the league, they had a little bit of a hangover… It’s a new year. You have to start all over again.”

While these things have been very positive for the Huskies, it begs the question: why wait so long to make the change in goal?

Part of the reason why Pearson waited so long to start the Langley, British Columbia, native was the fact that, simply put, he did not feel he was ready for the task upon arrival. Pearson is a big proponent of the belief that you practice you way you want to play. Redmond’s early practices were not strong enough to suggest he was ready, so instead he had to wait his turn.

He did get to see some ice time in that 7-3 win over Alabama-Huntsville, giving up two goals in the game’s final 12 minutes.

“That helped a lot with my first start,” said Redmond. “Obviously, it was tough [to deal] with a 5-on-3 right away. It was cool just to get in. It was good to get a little taste of it.”

The limited time gave the coaching staff a chance to have some game film of Redmond for him to break down with assistant coach Joe Shawhan. That helped him prepare for Northern Michigan.

This season was not the first time a coach had felt Redmond was not ready to play at a given level. In his minor hockey days, Redmond was actually cut from a travel team. Forced to play a season of house hockey, Redmond learned a new appreciation for the game — an important lesson that drives him to this day.

“It was tough because I knew I could be playing at that level,” said Redmond. “I think it really humbled me. It really woke me up to how hard I have to work, off the ice especially, and on the ice in training sessions with the goalie coaches.”

As the Huskies prepare to face the Bowling Green Falcons, Redmond looks forward not only to that series, but to a point in the season where he can settle into a routine. Given how he played without one to this point, Pearson and his staff might prefer their young goalie remains unsettled, for now.

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