The Michigan Tech hockey team returned to practice Sunday after a 10-day hiatus because of positive COVID-19 test results within the program.

The Huskies (6-3-1) hope to hit the ice having maintained the momentum they built before the pause. They had won five straight before last weekend’s series at Minnesota State was shelved and rescheduled for March 5-6.

Tech hosts Lake Superior State (6-3-3) with puck drop at 6:07 p.m. today and 4:07 p.m. Saturday.

The Huskies are looking for their third straight sweep after Northern Michigan in December and Alabama Huntsville on Jan. 2-3.

Instead of picking up exactly where it left off, Michigan Tech head coach Joe Shawhan said they went back a bit further.

“I think that’s been the lesson that we’ve learned in that we have to go backwards and ensure our way back up to where we were, instead of trying to pick it up where we left off. And that seems to kick in our recovery as far as our team play. We did that after the Christmas break. That seems to be the best way to go about it with this group.”

Shawhan said the team held virtual practices, talking through various game scenarios in Zoom video calls. That’s another thing Shawhan said he and the coaching staff, as well as the players, have learned to embrace in navigating the pandemic and the uncertainties it brings.

“We’ve learned to use technology in different ways,” he said. “You know, we’ve had a lot of practice-type scenarios through Zoom meetings, so there wasn’t physical exertion, but we still tried to stay as in tune to what we were, where we were at.”

With Michigan Tech out last weekend because of the virus tests, Minnesota State rescheduled and swept Lake Superior State last weekend by 3-0 and 6-2 scores.

The Huskies tied and lost to the Lakers to start the season Nov. 21-22.

Huskies recruit Mosley joins the team

The Huskies added Ryland Mosley to the roster during their idle weekend. Mosley, a 5-foot-11 forward from Anrprior, Ontario, was a Huskies recruit sitting idle because his juniors team, Carleton Place in the Central Canada Hockey League, wasn’t playing because of the pandemic. Shawhan said after discussing playing options with him, Mosley decided to enroll early at Tech.

“So with him just sitting there, we knew that their team had traded, I believe, all of their 20-year-olds but him,” Shawhan said of Carleton Place. “He’s in his last year of juniors — so he’s not going back and playing juniors next year. And he’s just sitting there, and he’s committed to us already. He was really our only commit that wasn’t playing at all anywhere, on any team. So it was just a real quick thing that we got thinking that, OK, if he were to come in (to MTU), what does that do to his eligibility? And is that the best thing for him? Or was the best thing for him to be to try to see if he gets traded some place where they are playing hockey where he could skate.

“The intent was to let him stay there as long as he could, to see if (Carleton Place and CCHL) were going to open up and allow him to play. (Mosley) didn’t get the impression — he really wanted to go somewhere else. So we just got thinking, why don’t we just bring him in here? See if there’s a chance to bring him in here, let him start skating with us and take it from there. If he’s good enough to be able to participate and play, then so be it and we’ll go pursue that route.”

Shawhan details Ashbrook’s transfer from RPI

Mosley’s addition to the team came less than two weeks after Manistique native Tristan Ashbrook joined the team as a sophomore transfer from RPI, one of many teams nationwide that opted out of playing this season.

Ashbrook appeared in 34 games for RPI last season and scored nine goals and four assists. He was named to the ECAC Hockey All-Academic Team. He previously played two seasons in the USHL with Lincoln, and a season in the NAHL with the Bismarck Bobcats. Ashbrook rejoins Tech senior TJ Polglaze after the two played together for Triple-A Omaha.

“We knew of him before, we’d all (coaching staff) watched him play before,” Shawhan said of Ashbrook. “We’re aware of what he offered. We recruited him before he went to RPI. And it was just a decision on our part was, did he fit into what we needed?”

Shawhan said players typically already have a landing spot even before entering the transfer portal, or at least a short list of potential schools. Shawhan said he called RPI head coach Dave Smith, who told Shawhan that the market for Ashbrook was essentially wide open.

Then, Shawhan received permission to contact Ashbrook.

“He said he was available — there wasn’t a set place where he was already going,” Shawhan said. “He had already made contacts with other schools. But we fit his locale, I think that was a big deal. He had familiarity — his sister’s a graduate of Michigan Tech, yet familiar with the area and with the school. Like I said I recruited him in the past, so we were fortunate enough to get him.”