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Looking to build off the loss to Wisconsin, Tech hockey aims for faster starts

Michigan Tech photo Michigan Tech’s Joe Shawhan coaches against Wisconsin, Sunday, in Madison. Tech plays Union tonight in Duluth.

DULUTH, Minn. — It might seem a bit odd for a new head coach of a hockey team to say that his team’s loss in the season opener is actually a positive, but that is exactly how new Michigan Tech Huskies’ coach Joe Shawhan felt after last Sunday’s 3-2 loss to the No. 12 Wisconsin Badgers.

“I thought we came out with some jitters,” said Shawhan. “We got some good evaluations. I thought the guys played extremely hard. It really gave us an opportunity to see what we had.”

Part of the reason for the optimism was that despite a slow start where the Huskies give up two goals in the first 11 minutes of play, the remaining 49 minutes were much better for Tech — who managed 17 shots on goal over the final 40 minutes — as they scored two power play goals. The Huskies showed that their power play, which was strong last season at 19.2 percent, appears to be just as strong early this season.

To top it off, the two goals on the man advantage came off the sticks of two skaters the Huskies are going to rely on this season: senior winger Joel L’Esperance and junior center Jake Lucchini. Their linemate, sophomore winger Gavin Gould, also picked up an assist on the night.

The Huskies will need the trio to lead sections of hockey games the way they did on Sunday, and Shawhan feels that they are already doing just that.

“They were just tremendous, that whole line,” said Shawhan. “That is how they have been practicing and they brought that effort into the game.”

Another positive to take from the opener was the emergence of a new face on the penalty kill. Thought to be an area of question after the graduations of C.J. Eick, Michael Neville and Reid Sturos over the past two seasons, the Huskies debuted sophomore winger Raymond Brice with a man down. The Houghton native did some very good things to impress his new coach.

“There is no one who is going to outwork Ray,” said Shawhan. “The penalty kill can be a role for him and a way for him to establish a spot in the lineup on a consistent basis.”

Known coming out of Houghton High School for his speed and skill with the puck, Brice has been searching for a role with the Huskies. His exuberance has led to an interesting problem for Shawhan and his staff.

“The biggest thing, which is a good thing, is to draw him back,” said Shawhan. “We have to rein him in a little bit. Ray does a good job for us, and he has earned everything he’s gotten.”

Junior transfer goaltender Patrick Munson gave up three goals on 24 shots, but he also made some key saves, including a breakaway in the third period during a defensive breakdown. While Munson struggled with the first and third goals the Badgers scored, he did enough to garner a further look as the season moves along.

Munson and his teammates will have their hands full this weekend as they head to Duluth, Minn., to take part in the Ice Breaker tournament at the AMSOIL Arena.

Tonight, the Huskies will face Union, one of the four teams in the NCAA Midwest Regional last season along with the Huskies.

Much like the Huskies, the Dutchmen lost a lot of offense from last year’s team as the top two scorers, Mike Vecchione and Spencer Foo, both signed NHL contracts. Junior Sebastian Vidmar is the top returning scorer after he put up 14 goals and 41 points last season.

Junior Brett Supinski also returns. Last season Supinski scored eight goals and 36 points in 37 games.

High scoring is not likely to be the forte of head coach Rick Bennett’s squad.

“They’ll have a high-compete [level],” said Shawhan. “When they don’t succeed, [Bennett] will say that when they don’t succeed, it’s because they were outworked and they didn’t compete hard enough. It will be a grind; the game will be a grind. It won’t be a pretty game.”

Junior goaltender Jake Kupsky, a San Jose Sharks draft pick, takes over the mantle in net. He played in just nine games last season, putting up a 3-4-1 record with a 2.60 goals against average.

On Saturday, the Huskies will face either the Minnesota Golden Gophers or the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs come into their own tournament having lost to Alberta in an exhibition match last Sunday, 4-3. The Bulldogs lost Alex Iafallo to graduation, but return junior Adam Johnson (18-19=37) and sophomore Joey Anderson (12-25=37), so offensively, they should remain strong once things settle down.

The Gophers have handed their captaincy over to last season’s leading scorer, Tyler Sheehy, who put up 20 goals and 53 points in 38 games. Linemates Justin Kloos and Vinni Lettieri both graduated, so Sheehy will have to get used to new wingmen this season.

Eric Schierhorn, a junior, returns to lead between the pipes. Last season, Schierhorn started all 38 games, posting a 23-12-3 record with a 2.61 goals against average.

GAME TIME

Tonight, the Huskies’ game against Union will take place at 5 p.m. Saturday’s starting time will depend on how tonight’s games finish.

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