Tech hockey heads to No. 12 Notre Dame
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SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- After a disappointing runner-up performance in the Great Lakes Invitational, the Michigan Tech Huskies return to the road this weekend for their final nonconference weekend of the season. The Huskies are in South Bend, Ind. for a two-game set with the No. 12 Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
The Huskies are 13-8-3 overall after defeating Michigan and losing to then-No. 16 Western Michigan last week.
Freshman goaltender Angus Redmond stopped 46 of the 47 shots he faced during the GLI, which helped him earn WCHA Rookie of the Week honors again. The 21-year-old has been nothing short of impressive since getting the opportunity to start back on Oct. 28 at home against Northern Michigan.
Through his 17 appearances this season, he has amassed a 1.27 goals against average and a .942 save percentage en route to a 12-3-1 record. His goals against average is the best in the NCAA, while his save percentage sits fourth.
While the youngster has solidified the Huskies’ defensive presence with his calm demeanor and his ability to handle the puck like a third defenseman, he has opened up the game for the Huskies’ blueliners, and that showed in the GLI.
On Thursday night against Michigan, defenseman Dane Birks scored his first career goal on a brilliant tip of a shot from fellow defenseman Mark Auk. Birks, a sophomore, had five assists coming into the GLI, and with the goal, now has six points on the season, double his output from last season.
The redshirt sophomore has NHL-worthy size at 6-foot-3, but has struggled somewhat in the past to justify the Pittsburgh Penguins’ faith in his development when they took him in the sixth round in 2013. This year, he is gaining confidence with each game he plays, and the decisions he made prior to scoring show that exactly that.
Birks grabbed the puck in the neutral zone and carried it into the offensive zone before firing a shot and then following that shot to the net, allowing him to be in front when Auk released his shot from the left point. Birks had to redirect a puck that was in the air, which is no easy feat in itself.
Thursday night also saw the first goal of the season for captain Cliff Watson. A senior, Watson has been a steady piece of the Huskies’ blueline since he first stepped on campus. Now in his final season in Black and Gold, Watson is playing some of his best offensive hockey while continuing to be an important player defensively in all situations.
Watson was the Huskies’ lone representative on the GLI All-Tournament team.
The Huskies’ opponent this weekend, the Fighting Irish, are playing their final season in Hockey East before they move to the Big Ten next year. Notre currently sits in a three-way tie for third in Hockey East with New Hampshire and Vermont, and sport an 11-6-2 record overall.
The Irish split with Minnesota-Duluth early in the season before losing to, and tying, Penn State. Last weekend, the Irish swept Alaska at home, 5-0 and 4-0.
Junior Anders Bjork leads the Irish in scoring with a team-highs in nearly every major category: goals (14), assists (18), points (32), and game-winning goals (4). He is tied for second in power play goals (3), and tied for the team-lead in shorthanded goals (1).
Sophomore Andrew Oglevie is second on the team in scoring with 20 points, but where he really shines is on the power play, where he has scored four of his nine total goals.
Junior Jordan Gross, who has 12 assists and 17 points, likes to get involved in the offense for the Irish whenever possible, and has more than half of his goals (3) on the power play.
In goal, junior Cal Peterson has seen the lion’s share of playing time, appearing in all 19 of his team’s games thus far. He has a record of 11-6-2 with a 2.02 goals against average and a .923 save percentage.
TELEVISION COVERAGE: Both Friday and Saturday nights’ games will be aired in the U.S. on NBCSN.
GAME TIMES: Friday’s start time is 7:35 p.m. at Compton Family Ice Arena. Saturday’s game will take place at 7:05 p.m.
FORMER HUSKIES DOING WELL: Two former Huskies have had big weeks. Tanner Kero played for Chicago in the NHL’s Winter Classic in St. Louis on Monday. Kero had two shots and played 24 shifts for 15:42 of ice time. Wednesday, Jamie Phillips was named the starting goaltender for the ECHL All Stars when they faceoff with the host Adirondack Thunder on Jan. 18 in the ECHL All-Star Classic.